Visiting California Cousins

Our trip to California was to surprise cousin Eileen at her 70th birthday party and surprise her we did. The party was Mexican Fiesta and Eileen's daughter-in-law had done a superb job with the decorations. Along with the Mexican cuisine, there was a performance by a Mariachi band.

Eileen and son, Stephen

Stephen's vineyard behind Eileen's house

Marge, Sharon, Arne, Lynn
We stayed at John Muir Inn in Martinez, birthplace of the martini and Joe DiMaggio. This Inn was just two miles from Eileen's home. We spent Sunday with her and she drove us to the waterfront which is actually the east end of San Francisco Bay.

Monday, we went with Eileen, her son Eric and grandson Evan, to San Francisco. We rode BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to Powell Street and then took a cable car to Fisherman's Wharf. We had lunch at Bodin's, home of delicious sourdough bread. Thanks to Evan's insistence on going into a gift shop, we discovered Hyde Street Pier which is a historical site under the National Park Service. I was able to use my Golden Eagle Passport to get us onto the ships for no charge. We spent over an hour walking through an old ferry which was used before the Golden Gate bridge was built and a ship used to haul cargo to and from San Francisco.

Tuesday, we checked out of the Inn and drove to cousin Marge's home where we spent the next two nights. We joined another cousin, Lynn and her family, for lunch at their country club
.

Lunch at Castlewood. Aunt Eleanor is center front.

Wednesday, Eileen came to Marge's so the cousins could do more reminiscing while looking at pictures from times past.

We had a delightful five days in northern California. The weather was perfect...comfortable during the day and cool in the evenings.