We are headed for Thanksgiving with my family in Willits - quite a change from cooking a huge dinner with twenty off family and friends! A fast stop at Wally World (shiver) provided new black elephant pants from the sixties for the occasion. We left Wednesday the  22nd after 5:00 and hit immediate traffic through Stockton, of course, doing 5 mph because of an accident. I try and curb my frustration with sudoku and quilting, and say a prayer for those involved.

We hit Granzella's in Williams at 9 pm, David had a juicy hamburger and Anne had their scrumptious minestrone, making it to bed in my mother's house, my incredible pink and blue designer bedroom upstairs at her B & B by midnight.

We put together homemade yeast dinner rolls and pies with mom, Sister Jan and her son Nate arrived, then its off to my niece's, Sandy's new house for a Martha Stewart Thanksgiving, lots of laughter and pictures, of course. Sandy and her husband Todd bought a house in the Brookdale area, meaning the directions are rather complicated and confusing if you don't live there. David volunteered to take a tired Mom home and we made bets on whether David could return unaided with step by step instructions. A usual, my David did perfectly, creating a roar of laughter when he walked in calm as can be. We fed the local visiting deer some carrots, played some hilarious games, and returned to Mom's admist icy roads, David's comment about not owning a 4 x 4 to which Nathan asked does that mean we only have three wheels? When Jan and I get together, we do tend to laugh, and had a mild hysteria about closing Jan's car door. Simple minds, simple pleasures? Jan and I talked and smoked on the porch until 3 am in 32 degree weather and finally fell to sleep.

We left Willits at noon on Friday, had lunch at Silvers at the wharf in Fort Bragg, clam chowder and shrimp louie. The drinks were delayed a great deal but the bread was fresh and hot. Highway 1 provided lovely scenery as we made our way through Mendocino, 128 to Anderson Valley and 101 - highly recommended path. Finally we made it to the Queen Anne, our favorite room 406 has become non-smoking. I can always open a window, hang out of it watching the city, heh heh.

Saturday morning (our "Don't Have to Run Day") brought the Farmer's Market and sunchokes, breakfast at Crepe and Curry at Embarcadero One. Anne had a tuna, onion and monterey omelet, David had a tomato, cheddar and pesto omelet, egg white only. Then, off to the wharf for our favorite past time of feeding the gulls and sea lions. We wander off down the working wharfs, away from the tourists to our spot where we are not bothered except by fishermen who don't seem to mind our cracker throwing or picture taking.

Ghirardelli Square was a disappointment, my favorite shops are gone. Cost Plus provided coffee mugs, Christmas trinkets, blood orange and a birch tree moose. Steve still works at the Cafe Pascatore where we stopped for a warm drink. It was the day for dogs! We miss our dogs when we are gone and stop to say hello to any friendlies passing by. Today's winner was a huge white horse, a cross between a Grand Pyrenees and a Gordon Retriever.

Wandering through the Fillmore was unsuccessful for dinner, so we headed to Original Joe's in the Tenderloin, who were out of baked potatoes. Not our day. The baby cockroach on the table determined this was probably our last trip there. One last stop at the Green Apple for a kalidescope book and we dropped off to sleep in our comfy room.

Sunday morning - sleep in but not too long day - Whole Foods shopping and rain by the time we returned to the wharf. Sea lions were not into shrimp. Pier 39 shopping, my favorite perfume store is closing!! At least I ws able to procure the last bottle of my favorite scent, sexy cream for my daughter and a perfume bottle for Janet, all 75% off. Pout. Brunch was at Chic's where Anne had a crab cake sandwich and David had crab linquini with garlic alfredo. Cost Plus for more blood orange, Fillmore shopping for a long grey coat at a private thrift store. By the time we got to Cinderella's for peroskis, we realized we were covered with fleas, from the thrift shop?

The uneventful trip home was highlighted by the sight of water from the rain simply pouring off the top deck of the bay bridge - quite a sight.

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