Dateline Saturday morning. So on Thursday I secured a rental car in the city and headed north across the Golden Gate bridge bound for Glen Ellen in Sonoma. It is the same, not old story. After having vacated this portion of the country and now upon my return I'm reminded again how beautiful it is. The valley's are choked with vines almost as far as the eye can see.

So I have little cottage in Glen Ellen that I rent out. A little nautical history for you. Our good friend Jack London resided in Glen Ellen back in the day. Jack loved to roam around "The Valley of the Moon" on horseback and wrote a little known book in 1913 by the same title. He built a hilltop cabin called "Wolf House" which is now Jack London State Park. Like many, Jack got the bug to go to sea after sailing around San Francisco Bay in his 30 foot yawl named "Roamer." He decided he would strike out and sail out past the Marin Headlands and sail around the world. He built the Snark with his own hands and set out with his wife Charmian. The trip lasted 27 months and took them all over the south pacific and as far as Australia. Jack liked his cocktails which lead to some health problems so he returned to Glen Ellen and never did make it around the planet. But he did write an awesome book called "The Cruise of the Snark" which I read while stationed in Honolulu prior to my purchase of Christa. Safe to say this book was one of the reads that fueled my own grandios plans.

So I am now staying in a lovely cottage in Kenwood which is just down the road from Glen Ellen. A darker sadder side of my return here is the absense of my friend Jerry how passed away last summer. Tina and Jerry have been like second parents to me over the years. I first met them in the 90's while I was stationed at Lake Tahoe. Tina and Jerry have always been involved with the CG Aux and Jerry spend 8 years active duty a long time ago. So I became very good friends with them over the years. In fact Jerry who was a master negotiator, negociated the deal for me to buy Christa. So anyway I'm staying here in Kenwood at one of Tina and Jerry's homes which sits along creek and is about as pleasant as it gets. In fact the silence is interuppting my sleep!

So I will be here in the wine country until Monday and then I head to Silicone Valley to spend a couple of days with Friends before flying back to San Juan next week.

I clearly have the itch to get back to Christa. I've now been on the road for a month and a half. I miss Christa, I even miss the crowing of the Puerto Rican chickens that howel at sunrise. I am really bummed that it is hurricane season. I have the bug to start cruising again after this long rest in Salinas and elsewhere. So it could be a long five month wait......and even longer if a storms strike or come close to PR. Oh well. This could be much worse! Gotta jam.


Capt Chris