Will You Still Need Me When I’m 64

 

Will You Still Need Me When I’m 64

If you want to feel really old, witness your son turning 64! Sixty-four and eligible for Social Security – no, this can’t be! But it is.

I spent the last weekend in Santa Rosa for a belated celebration. The plan was to take the Graton Casino bus from Santa Clara to the casino, 15 minutes from my son John’s house. What a deal! $15 round trip with only one stop on the way. Departure time is 8:00 AM - yes early, but nothing’s perfect. Arrangements were made for my friend to pick me at 7:40 to take me to the pick up spot by Great America.

Excitement is running high, alarm set for 5:30 – I hate rushing in the morning. Of course, knowing I need to be sure to be up, I sleep very little and the little sleep I get is fitful. I have breakfast, I pack, check all the doors. New Yorker and crossword puzzle and tote bag in hand, I wait for my pickup. And wait, and wait. I finally call and he cheerfully picks up, thinking he had another hour - he had the wrong time!

He tells me he’ll rush over – he’s 5 minutes from my place. I expect to see a man with stubble and in flip flops, pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. Sometime later, he pulls up. Oh no, he’s freshly shaved and completely dressed for the trip to the bus stop – important activity for which to be well groomed. Sort of like when your mother told you to never wear ragged underwear – what if you were in an accident? Well, of course, I missed the bus. I think that and I hope that I took this in stride. We went back to my house to figure out plan B.

To make a boring story short – there is no direct and uncomplicated way to get the Sonoma County. I had thought of a greyhound bus – nope. Lyft estimate is $250 – doable but the thought of being in car with stranger for

2 and 1/2 hours is not appealing. So friend, John drove me to Stonestown Galleria in SF and son, John picked me up there.

The celebration included the birthday boy and his wife, four good friends and me, held at a tapas place, Willi’s Wine Bar. It’s an understatement to say it’s good – the food, the atmosphere and the service was fabulous! The owners, the Starks, own several other restaurants in the Sonoma area, of which a couple of them have been featured on “Check Please, Bay Area”.

The best part of tapas restaurants is the ease in which we could order more of the same or new offerings throughout the meal. The plates kept coming – roasted shrimp, beef tenderloin sliders, truffle fries, mac and cheese, roasted artichokes, oysters, Willi’s special grilled bread, boneless chicken wings,

halibut chunks, salads and more. Special deserts – Meyer lemon pudding cake and chocolate cake both of which were over the top.

All’s well that ends well….does it?

To be continued . . .

To be continued next week.