Tom-ster, where I come from, there’s a saying. ‘Opinions are like arseholes: everyone’s got one but only sailors and southerners show it off’.
Don’t take any ‘shit’ from these internet jokers and have fun. Thems is some good looking trees you’ve got in SF.
Thems upstate NY trees, yo. 
Thems upstate NY trees, yo. [/quote]
Ah, I didn’t read properly. You got good trees in NY too. 
One of the top photo op places in SF. The Palace of Fine Arts. Read bout it on wiki.
On the cat walk
400km roundtrip from Concord to and from Santa Cruz ! Now shes been on all the bridges around here cept for the ones going up north towards Sacramento and the Dumbarton.
Went via the san mateo bridge over to 92 down to Half Moon Bay. Had Popeyes there. Thats my fav fried chicken place. And they are not easy to come by. Berkeley has one, but for some reason that store uses smaller chicken and has never been good.
Today, plan on visiting the winery at Robert Mondavi (they do the best tour, period) and will stop by my fav Popeyes over there (the one there and the one in SF are the best iv come across). Love that cajun mash potatoes. Yum Yum. NO, not a food conno im afraid.
Back to Santa Cruz. We had fun but it wasn’t the Santa Cruz i wanted her to see. I forgot the kids are in school now and the boardwalk rides and all that stuff (plus all the people) are not there. Its only opened weekends now because the summer season is over.
Still it was nice to drive Highway 1 back. Beautiful views there (cept she slept thru most of it). Had a taco (mine chicken, hers fish) and she got mint chocolate and mango icecream as well.
Had to stop for a wee at a CVS store and she picked up a few make up items. I forgot that its dangerous to make pit stops at pharmacies with a lady in tow, as shes likely to pick up a few more make up items. That was 30 dollar pitstop. Haha. But its all good 
Will have to do this again , but this time make it to Monterey and stay the night. Visit the world famous Aquarium there. Its something like 35/person so its pricey. But then the Aquarium at the Golden Gate Park in SF used to be a great deal at 12/person. Now its like 35 as well. But apparently with membership its a fairer deal. The STeinhart it is. Apparently the remodel made it even more awesome. And it was very awesome back then. One of the best bargains around then. They also rebuilt the De Young Museum across from the STeinhart. Both were rebuilt because of quake worries. That they will not stand up to them. The De Young and the STeinhart both have a fREE day , once a month or something. SO its worth reading bout that to get in free. I am sure glad the one and only time i went into the De Young (and id never been to the old one even) it was free. Because being a museum of modern art. The problem was, it was to me, a 400 million dollar building housing a bunch of junk ! Sorry to say. But near every exhibit there I can do myself ! And so can YOU>
Modern Art = When you just want to throw some shit together and call it ART. I shouldn’t knock it because thats the only “art” I am capable of myself. Haha.
Will eventually stop writing bout my adventures, soon as it becomes non-fun or nobody reads em. Not trying to be a Khardasian here!
But if you can bear with a few more mini adventures, I will write bout the wine tour visit later when we are back.
Oh , Congrats to Larry and his America’s Cup challenge win ! IT was mighty awesome , historic win.
Coming from behind 8 to 1 where every race can see the NZ team take the win and not losing any more runs to take the final dash to victory. Maybe I should’ve made the effort to go and see those massive boats that go so fast they rise out of the water entirely on foils. Awesome stuff.
You should do a trip to the wine country. Visit Beringer Vineyards, who put on a great tour of their wine caves. Have lunch in Calistoga, then visit Old Faithful Geyser, and go to Petrified Forest (remnant of a forest knocked over by a volcanic blast 3 million years ago). Then drive back along the Silverado Trail, a scenic road through beautiful countryside. A great day trip. Robert Louis Stevenson spent time in the area and wrote about it in Silverado Squatters, worth a read.
Another thing you could do is go to Martinez and visit the John Muir estate.
Muir and Stevenson… both Scots who did their part in shaping California’s history!
[quote=“Chris”]You should do a trip to the wine country. Visit Beringer Vineyards, who put on a great tour of their wine caves. Have lunch in Calistoga, then visit Old Faithful Geyser, and go to Petrified Forest (remnant of a forest knocked over by a volcanic blast 3 million years ago). Then drive back along the Silverado Trail, a scenic road through beautiful countryside. A great day trip. Robert Louis Stevenson spent time in the area and wrote about it in Silverado Squatters, worth a read.
Another thing you could do is go to Martinez and visit the John Muir estate.
Muir and Stevenson… both Scots who did their part in shaping California’s history![/quote]
Haha funny iv lived years now maybe ten mins drive from the JOhn Muir estate and never been. Will put that one on the to do list.
Old faithful eh? have to read up on that one. Been to CAlistoga but not to the geyser. Been to Beringer. Great wines but last i was there , there was no tour ?? !! The petrified forest seems nice too. I think i will do the forest and the geyser next time. So theres a reason to head back to napa. Today I think i will only concentrate on the champagne making and wine making of Moet and Mondavi. Right next door to each other.
Silverado trail is nice. Did that not too long ago on my Day with the R8 write up.
Only had time to make it to the 120pm tour at Mondavi. 30/head today. It seems to vary from 25 to 35 a head. Depends on the three wines they choose for the tasting on the tour i suppose. The 1pm tour, which we just missed had 16 people. Ours was an extra set up due to the 1pm being so crowded, so we had a more intimate 9 people. A Korean couple with their daughter from the American midwest. Us, from Indo and Taiwan. A couple from Texas I think. And another couple from somewhere in the States as well.
Honestly I do think this tour at Mondavi is the most thorough and the best tour out there in the Napa valley. At least Iv not come across a better one. Most of the wineries have no tour . This one takes you through a vineyard and an actual wine making facility. IN MOndavi’s case, its where they make their finest wines.
Next door at Chandon, the tour is great also. And is the next best tour that iv been on in the Napa valley. A nice guided tour with a tasting of three champagnes after for about the same money.
Iv been on a few by now , taking a few people on these and I am always enjoying them.
The nicest Mondavi wines are made in this facility in these huge wooden barrels. We are talking 125/bottle plus here
the famous statue in the middle of the grounds
Our selection today. The 90/bottle one was by far the most distinctive. NO surprise really.
the happy couple
[quote=“tommy525”]
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Nice ! You remind me a little of the British comedian Paul Whitehouse.
People said i looked a bit like Al Stewart when Year of the CAt came out?
Now those countless posts have a face, great!
yup, should be 80kg. 20kg to go !
tommy,
I thoroughly enjoy your posts, and I am so happy for you and the missus. You two look great together, and I wish you both a long life of joy and happiness.
Thanks GBH ! Muito Obrigado
I don’t post on this site any longer, but I can’t resist posting here on this heart-warming subject.
That’s a great picture of the two of you, Tommy. You’re not an ill-matched couple at all: to my eyes, you look very handsome together. I can see the good nature in your face that I’ve always assumed to be in your heart from the way you post. She’s lovely, and I think you’ve done very well for yourself. I’d be rather happy if I had such a lovely lass sharing daytimes and bedtimes with me. I also think she’s done well for herself, and I don’t see any reason in the world why you shouldn’t enjoy a long, happy and deeply loving life together. Every time you do the deed, those oxytocins will strengthen your bonding a little bit more, and I don’t doubt that within a short time you’ll have done more bonding than a team of gluers in a furniture factory.
As for the weight thing, I’m actually surprised that you’re nowhere near as rotund as I’d expected. From the way you’ve often described yourself, I’d imagined that you were very roly-poly, but you don’t look like that at all in the photo. Her expression in that picture gives me the impression that she appreciates you just as you are, a big, strong fellow who can pick her up like a little child, protect her from all the meanness in the world, and give her as much happiness as she could ever hope for from any man.
Well done, and I wish you both an unending succession of happy days to come!
Thanks OMNI !!
the happy couple
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Is that an Elephant trunk protruding from your trousers…or are you just happy to see her? 
[quote=“shiadoa”]
Is that an Elephant trunk protruding from your trousers…or are you just happy to see her? [/quote]
It’s understandable as he has been waiting a long time. Not sure whether it should have gone grey, though. Might be worth getting a check-up.
You two are really cute together! From the way you described yourself in the past, Tommy, I pictured a short, pudgy, unattractive guy, but you’re quite the opposite…you’re very nice looking and you have a really nice, genuine smile!
I enjoy reading your posts about how it’s going, so keep 'em coming! It’s all so exciting!
By the way, when are you tying the knot?
[quote=“shiadoa”]the happy couple
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Is that an Elephant trunk protruding from your trousers…or are you just happy to see her? [/quote]
uhm, no , its all a bit of false advertising. Just a fold in the pants thats all 