~Friday, December 11, 2020~
Day 180
Another day spent in our former hometown of Napa. It’s weird but so nice too, being back in a place we called “home” for about 30 years. Because we’re leaving tomorrow, we had a lot we were trying to pack in today. We found out that Michele’s new beau, Noah, was able to come over for dinner tonight after all, and who better to meet first of Michele’s friends, then Inger and Jeff? (kidding). Shane was able to join us as well, so of course we had to make one of his favorite dinners…….homemade spaghetti, Caesar salad and garlic french bread.
But first, we couldn’t wait to take Sadie to her old stomping ground at Alston Dog Park (her version of Disneyland). She knew within minutes of being in the car, where we were headed as she whimpered, uncontrollably, with excitement. We got about 30 minutes into our walk, when the rain started falling and had to cut it short. And I love walking in the rain! But Jeff didn’t want to get caught in a downpour which was forecasted. Aw, jipped. So we’ll try again tomorrow.
So off to Trader Joe’s we went for all of those “secret” ingredients for the spaghetti. While Jeff worked on his famous sauce, I stopped at the post office (thank goodness the line was not the Christmas kind of long) to ship a few things, and finish my stocking stuffer shopping. I also called our dear friends, Karena and Sylvia to see if they could meet us for a walk in the morning. Karena was a “yes”, Sylvia was a “no” due to social distancing protocol. Bummer, but we completely understand. We’ll catch Sylvia and her husband Jerry next visit.
When I got back to Michele’s, the first thing that hit me as I walked in the door, was the garlic, onion and hot Italian sausage smell coming from the kitchen. Jeff’s sauce looked amazing. Shane will be one lucky guy, as he’ll be getting all of the leftover sauce for future dinners. I got my Caesar salad going as well as the French bread, when Noah showed up. I haven’t seen Michele so giddish and happy in a long time, so we’re thrilled that she has met someone she wants to build a relationship with. A really great guy. I’m glad that we were able to meet him now, since we won’t be back to Napa for a very long time. We enjoyed a delicious dinner, amazing wine, and great conversation. Shane really wanted to take Sadie to his place for the night since he hasn’t been able to see her in so long. Awww. 🐶