Amador City Junction

On January 18 of 2020 I wrote that the day before I was concerned about missing my bus and headed towards Sacramento. I made the station just fine but the Goldline light rail left before I could board.

I cashed a 20 at Starbucks and walked. On the way I discovered the light rail was delayed by a fire truck. I caught an Amador bound bus at 5:15 after talking to the dispatcher at five.

The bus dropped me at the 49 Amador city Junction. My old classmate missed me when he looked for me and dry town. His mom was surprised to see me walking up her driveway.

The house was loud with life and I hung out spoke until my old classmate, living in the house next door showed up. We went over to his house and spoke with his wife for a bit.

He and I went for sandwiches in Sutter Creek. He knew the bartender from high school. We discussed old acquaintances and hung out in town before heading back to his house where we drank whiskey into the night.

I woke at 830 when some of the people had returned from Safeway. We ate breakfast and three of us and I had coffee. Later my old classmate and I packed a couch into his pick up and went to his mom’s because he was moving into the apartment downstairs that weekend. When we were done we drank up his coffee and made a stop at Lowe’s for tape before getting more furniture.

We taped up the rooms and did a bunch of painting. That was when my hosts brothers showed up. I left him to do his painting and walked next door with his younger brother to grab some bottles. Later hung out in the kitchen at their mom’s while she made dinner.

I got to see the younger brothers close friends since his birthday was coming up. I chatted over chips with everyone. At 7 o’clock we ate lasagna. Later we went outside for some fresh air and then played Pictionary in the kitchen over dessert.

I led everyone in a round of happy birthday. After everyone left just a couple of us played pictionary until late.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

The Korbel Winery

On December 30 I wrote that I work that morning to my friend in the room next-door. It was seven. I was being lazy. She had gotten up earlier because of noise and had fallen asleep.

I went down and made coffee. I did a few other things and then rode out to the store.  However, instead of just going out to get breakfast fixins and a sandwich, I rode out to Sunset Beach across Hacienda Bridge for some reconnaissance.  I found a couple of roads which I thought were okay. When I came back across the bridge I remembered to additionally buy some wine and chips.

I rode back and we ate with our companions.  They were getting ready to go on the day’s adventure by then. After a cup of coffee we all loaded onto our bikes and headed to Hacienda Bridge. I showed them the dirt road to Sunset Beach but we decided to take the highway. I yelled about traffic too much - the road was pretty narrow.

We went to the deli at the Korbel Winery before going on the tour. It was interesting because we saw the history of the winery and the innovations which made it world-famous. Afterwards we bought some stuff and rode back.  Aside from minor hiccups, we made it to Hacienda really easy.

We stopped at the corner store and then returned to the rental.  We had a lot to do but later we ordered some pizza and relaxed.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Into Summer Home Park

On December 28 I wrote that I had gotten up at seven and made coffee and then descended to the street with my bike to set up the cargo bike. We started packing around then.  I made more coffee to go and took Market to Duboce Park where we met our companions. 

We rode the wiggle to Golden Gate Park and took Arguello into the Presidio before passing the golf course. We also stopped before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, which was easier than I had anticipated. We saw one of the original mountain bikers as we rode under the 101. Sausalito came and went quickly. We stopped at a grocery store.

We were running out of time then - dashing out onto the marsh and over horse hill. I was really tired. At Tamalpais some lady went the wrong way through the bike path. We rode to Miller and the Corte Madera Creek crossing brought us into conflict with a wheelchair.

Fortunately, we caught the SMART train with three minutes to spare. There wasn’t a lot of room but we managed.  Two stops later we all had seats and one of our companions was live streaming. We ate lunch and had a toast. The stations whizzed by: marsh, bridge, vineyards and towns. I tweeted and later got a cider.

We got off the SMART train at Airport Station and rode after making a couple wrong turns ended up on Shiloh.  The ride began easily. We met a bit of traffic but it wasn’t horrible. At Eastside we made a lot of progress but the uphill sections on Wohler and Westside were difficult.

We crossed into Summer Home Park at four and rode up a giant hill looking for the rental.  We actually found the house at one point but had to descend back to enter it. We decided the house was great and some headed off to the corner store before it got too dark or rainy. When they returned we had a drink, broke down the bikes, ate and had a good time.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

The Earliest Christmas Noises

On December 25 I wrote that I had gone to sleep in the attic at my friend’s sister’s place in Alameda while the ladies set up the stockings.

Then in the morning my friend bolted out of bed at the earliest Christmas noises at seven. Our hosts had had slept in the sleeping bags in the living room next to the tree and presents. Around 8:30 that I had coffee and guests began to arrive.

We opened all the presents and enjoyed them until noon. There were sticky buns at 10. It was back-and-forth for me. A second pot of coffee was made and I had to venture upstairs because of various noises.  Later we worked on a giant jigsaw puzzle.

By 1130 I had tidied the attic while my friend quietly napped. Later a few of us I went to a neighbor’s house to check the aquarium. We discovered that the park was closed.  When we returned to the house everyone was ready for a walk to the beach . The walk was productive. My friend and I had an amicable conversation about our afternoon plans.

At the house we packed up and her mom lent us her car.  I drove us over Twin Peaks to Rivera and to the moms house. We found a space out front. I was downstairs as dinner was served.  It was good, simple and brief. We quietly open the gifts. I tweeted about an architectural book we had received. There was a disco party downstairs.

While we were doing dishes my younger sister’s family convinced my brother and I to play scrabble.  I dithered over agreeing but my friend said we could.  She started winding down and I was surprized that she actually played. My brother begrudgingly participated.  There was cheating.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

It Was Around 20°

On November 30 I wrote at 5:45 I made coffee and got dressed. I made sure that I was warm. My friend was up, we had food and by seven we were quietly getting dressed. My sister got up at seven and saw us off.

I wasn’t able to pack fast enough and I ended up getting us out at 7:30. My friend was OK at first but as we made our way down Idlewild dodging ice patches and waiting for cars to pass us she started to pave from the temperature - it was around 20°.

I was mortified when we got to the coffee shop - five minutes from the station. Thankfully the train was a little bit late. We had about 40 minutes until it departed. We ended up fine but my friend had suffered from the sprint.

I made a mess repacking because of how we entered the station but by the time we were repack everything was fine. The bikes loaded OK and we quietly set up camp in some seats in the middle coach car.

After that my friend took a nap. I quietly sat in the lounge for a bit and later we had quiet time but I went to get some lunch in the dining car in the middle of it. When I was done we met in the lounge car and she ate.

After that we migrated between seats and the lounge looking at plow trains and a lot of snow. We looked at the yellow bridge and Davis’ bike paths.  We only occasionally spoke to new people. At Benicia we had to wait for the bridge to let a tanker pass and we spoke to the lounge vendor.

At Emeryville we put the bikes in lockers, took the bus in the city and caught an F train to the apartment and I went to get dinner. 

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Seated for Thanksgiving

On November 28 I wrote that I was abruptly woken to noise but didn’t venture out until 715. Someone had gotten up so I made coffee but there weren’t a lot of people up yet.  Later there was a breakfast spread and I made the rest of the coffee I had brought from the city. Later there was another pot but by then I was checking out.

When everyone was up I helped quiet the living room while everyone did exercises. I was alone for an hour after that and later decided to shovel the drive.  After that I went on a walk to Knight and visited the bakery on McCarran. When I returned I had some of the appetizers. I also quietly watched snow plows on my phone.

By four, the turkey was done and we were seated for Thanksgiving. Some family relationships joined us. I ate everything but realized I had had too much and took a nap.

We had dessert after that and the guests went home. Cleanup went well. We killed off the coffee and watched Harry Potter. The movie was a hit but I did have to sit quietly during the scary parts. We wound down and I tidied our room.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Sister's House in Reno

On November 26 I wrote that the day before I fell asleep on the train and then we went over Donner Pass. My friend didn’t sleep. We looked for the bike path out the window after Truckee and Verdi.

At Reno Station she went to the waiting room and I gave my claim checks to the agent before bringing the bikes to the waiting room. The ride up to Truckee River to my sister’s house in Reno was hard because it was so cold and getting dark. However, we managed fine and unloaded quickly. The garage door was open.

My sister had prepared the extra room very lightly so I set to work while everyone else got ready to eat barbecue for pork chops for dinner. I opened a bottle of wine and sat at the dinner table. They offered me snacks and I had a great time.  After dinner we started to wind down but I had to make a cold ride through the night to get stuff at the supermarket. 

In the morning of the day that I wrote this my friend woke twice to make a lot of noise with the air with the air mattress which had deflated. I just lay there quietly. By 830 we were up but everyone else had gone to work. I ate some cereal and then spent a lot of time cleaning the coffee machine and waited for a grocery delivery.

We offered my niece who was around later a cup of SF coffee.  I did some dishes, while my friend was napping.  It was around 2 o’clock when we rode to the Truckee River half for a quick cup of coffee. However, it was too cold to do anything so I took a quiet walk on my own down the river to the island.  It was really cold but I found that quietly tossing rocks into the river was fun.

After that we rode the Truckee River back to the house and had a martini with my sister. Later we had stuffed squash for dinner and settled in to watch the Dolly Parton special.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

The Winterfest Annual Schmooze

On November 16 I wrote that I went down to the bike and packed up to go with my friend to the Winterfest annual schmooze. We met at the coffee shop and rode with dozens of other Winterfest regulars to the Panhandle. There we waited at a nearby playground for the official bike ride but it seems it did not materialize.

When we got to the venue we parked in the valet and stood for photos.  Directors were impressed and some local politicians said hi. I gave hugs, we signed up for beers and drew on the mural. I saw the executive director and spoke to some people from the region as I checked my jacket.

There was a small bike circuit but the floor was slippery. There were a bunch of people from the local transit agency handing out materials and I visited the artist section where I saw an acquaintance doing prints.  There were so many people I had met over the years.

My friend signalled that I should follow her to a special, quiet room in the back where we saw a bunch of people she knew. I provided help getting wine and spent a lot of time walking back-and-forth getting drinks.  In the process I saw people on local transportation boards, local bike advocates, a friend from Geobeers and the guys who built my transit app.  I was surprised when I saw a coworker too!

I hung out in that quiet back room for a while and people even came looking for us there.  However, we abruptly needed to go. Some of the people we were with were getting ready to go so I said goodbye to people at the valet and we headed to the Panhandle.

The ride was straightforward and I had to let the troup catch up to my borrowed cargo bike twice. 

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

In Our Tweed Attire

On November 10 the day before had been friend’s birthday. She had gone for a beer and later we had a French 75 and Negronis. 

The next day we were up at 7 and went to a local cafe. Some lady was so pleased to sit across from us in our tweed attire.

Later we got back on our bikes and made it to the park for the Tweed Ride with 10 minutes to spare. We bumped into a fellow reveler on our way. Riding the cargo bike was a lot of work so I forged onward. The crowd was voluminous and I was so happy to see as many people as I did.

As people started to arrive the organizers started making announcements. I had to wait for a lady with a folding bike to move as we started rolling away. We headed up Steiner. I took a side route at Waller and met the ride there.  I saw so many people I had met at the ride in years past on the way to the Panhandle.

I noticed that riding a cargo bike forced me to ride slow except for bouts of fast writing. For instance short stoplights made a big deal for speed. At Masonic I went slow but ended up going much faster when we crossed. I also had to be innovative when we were crossing Stanyan.

We headed up to Stowe lake. One of the people riding with us told me about her bike event.  Acquaintances from different places told me about their husbands and home life. We rode past Japanese Tea Garden. My friend and I followed the ride up to the playground.

I parked down below and I got to know the people I had known for years. I ended up sitting with quite a few people and even got to know people’s extended family. My friend had taken on some responsibilities at this point and I was a bit focused on helping.  Later the organizers made announcements and I hung out with some of the more eccentric revelers while the ride sponsor followed the organizers and the crowd around. 

When it was time to go I had had a chance to get on the carousel and then I said bye to everyone because I had to go home. 

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

We Walked to Mother’s

On November 3 I wrote that the day before I had done a couple things, had some coffee and then went downstairs to get the cargo bike I had borrowed before leaving at nine. I texted an acquaintance who said he was on his way.

A bit later a “quiet mass” of people had begun to develop.  I spoke to the organizers and when my acquaintance showed up the ride left on the way up Valencia.  We were supposed to go to Chavez but turned around at 24th. As the ride was ending I got to know a prominent marijuana activist. We spoke at length at Mission playground.  I met a bunch of people that day.

A short while later my acquaintance and I took the steps necessary to leave. After stopping at my apartment we rode to the Panhandle and Lincoln Boulevard to his new place. We looked at his backyard and the house’s ancient fixtures - the range is 75 years old.  We ate some lunch.  We went on a walk to the coffee shop and other places. I noticed some changes to the neighborhood.

That night I stayed at mom and dad’s. Mom and I hung out in the backyard and I took a picture of a hawk. We made tacos, I took a picture of us at the dinner table and we watched TV.  I wound down pretty late. 

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I went downstairs to be quietly lazy. My father turned the TV on a little while later. We ate breakfast. I texted my acquaintance and said bye to the parents.  I rode my bike to meet my acquaintance and we walked to Mother’s Meadow. I got a bunch of pictures then we had some snacks before we went to the pizzeria.  

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

“Hold my Beer” Jokes

On October 19 I wrote that in the morning I drank some coffee and after eating I got ready to leave.  I brought some extra wheels for the walk to Haight Street, had a second coffee and quietly walked to the Dahlia garden.  Mom had let me know that she would not be able to meet so instead I met dad wo had brought cookies from mom.

After that I went to the tricycle event and got to know people over drinks and food. The organizers and I quietly enjoyed the picnic chairs. The race was fun and I made third.It was good that I had practiced. The host and I had a slight rivalry.

There were a couple of “hold my beer” jokes. Some of the people that came were really interesting. I had food from the barbeque and a bunch of snacks. I took a quiet walk alone and later helped tidy the picnic I realized it was a bit wet out. I had another beer after that and quietly got my backpack together to go.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Mark West Station

On October thirteenth I wrote that the day before I had go to Sonoma Airport for a bike ride to the Russian River.  I took Shiloh Road, which was ok because of the bike lane.  Windsor was also ok at first but after a couple of turns there were fast drivers approaching from behind.  At one point there was a big hill going down and that made it easier.  

Mark West Station seemed less traveled but it went uphill from there.  However, it was in steps and I was able to view the road except in just a few spots - especially on the approach to Eastside Road where there is a hill just past a local reservoir.  That section involves a slight turn which obscures the road behind while climbing.

The ride gets more difficult near and through Trenton-Healdsburg road on the way to Eastside Road.  I noted that this was mostly good but the nearby a winery produces traffic at times.  Unfortunately, Wohler is an abrupt climb that isn’t easy to anticipate and will at times come with traffic.  However, that section doesn’t go on for long and ends with a downhill to the bridge.

I had to negotiate with tree work being done on the bridge and ended up hanging out at the park on the far side.  I was way thirsty but forgot to refill my bottle when I was done at the water fountain there.  I noted as I rode on that Westside Road was surprisingly easy for its length.  There were a few cars and it was a climb in places but I didn’t really have to fight with anyone.

When I got to Hacienda bridge I discovered a lot of roads.  There was a liquor store on the far side where I got chips and water.  I rode down Summer Place Drive to the I had reserved for a late fall weekend a few months hence.  I returned to the store and noted that the maps had indicated that River Road would not be terrible but there was one pinch point.  I checked it out and the only real problem was addressed by taking old river road.  The other direction did not look fun though.

Later I noted that I went to Steelhead Beach Park and tried to find an alternate path.  Instead I found a nagging concern that wild animals were watching me.  I returned to the main road then, visited the neighborhood across the street and made my way to Speers Market.  There I decided against taking Mirabel for Covey.

However, I found that Mirabel, though trafficky,  probably wasn’t all that bad since Covey was far too steep - literally climbing to the top of the hill.  I noted too that taking Mirabel to Covey Extension would have allowed me to avoid the inconvenience.

I had a taco and beer at Forestville and descended to what I discovered was an excellent bike path.  I took pictures to mark how nice it was.  The corner at Ross street was funny and the ponds at Atascadero had gravel.  Green Valley Road had sufficient shoulder but there was road work.

Later I took a picture of the Gravenstein Cidery - Manzana Products.  I found the town of Graton was easy to navigate but Occidental Road was less fun.  However, while Barlow was less trafficky, I should have stayed on Occidental.  Later I found that 116 doesn’t have the best path but only a bit later the path was all downhill into Sebastopol - though I should have taken a local street to avoid the Sebastopol loop.

Once I got onto Joe Rodota, the air became cooler and the wetland and preserve were idyllic in the setting sun.  I could see that they were being ploughed. There was a lot of dust in the air and at the time there were several fires in the Sierra Nevada which had fouled the air.

In the suburban section of the Joe Rodota a dog chased me for about a quarter mile. Later, as the trail became more urban, I witnessed the homeless encampments pretty closely.  I continued to the SR River and on to the stations.  I noted with horror that there was an utter lack of connectivity in the area and had to figure it out.

From there I rode to my old classmate’s household.  They had ordered some food and I taught them my favorite card game.  However, they got bored and we were tired so went to bed around eleven.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.