Lady Antebellum – Perfect Day

I don’t know about you, but we made the very  most that we could of our recent three-day Memorial Weekend.  By Monday night, I couldn’t remember what we had done Saturday morning until we went back through these pictures. 🙂

Before we get started, please hit the refresh button on your browser.  I made some cosmetic enhancements to the site over the weekend, as well, and if you’ve been to the site before, not all will show up until the page is refreshed.

Thank you.  Now, on to the fun stuff!  In the spirit of our N. California bucket list, we used this weekend as an opportunity to cross another item of the list!  I’ve also used this post as an opportunity to include a lot of pictures from some of my favorite sites, including the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge.  I’ll just break it down by day.

SATURDAY

 

As they say, Memorial Day is a driving holiday, and we did our fair share of that!  We started Saturday at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica for a morning surf.  It was my first time out in months, and I was clearly out of surfing shape.  I caught one decent wave after the first 5 minutes, and spent the next hour either just falling short of catching some great waves, or being beaten into the sea floor.  But that’s OK – I’ve got the whole summer to get back at it!

After JP and I did ourselves the favor of seeking beach refuge and draining most of the sea water from our heads, we were on to Berkeley where JP is looking for a new cougar den that’s a little closer to his work.  (He’s been commuting ~2 hrs each way between Burlingame and Napa!).

We struck out on the home search, but finally got to check out the Berkeley Bowl.  It’s the grocery store of grocery stores (actually, there are two now), and people in this area are obsessed.  We picked up a few items for our Memorial Day picnic (getting to that next), and a new treat!  Agave nectar gummy bears!  IGE turned us on to Agave Nectar recently as an alternative sweetener – like honey but more runny.  (Agave is also the plant used to make tequila, so you’re probably already familiar with it :)).  These gummy bears were super tasty, and didn’t leave the usual sugar sweaters on our teeth that normal gummy treats do.

On the way back home, I hung my head out the car and snapped a few shots of the Bay Bridge.  The Bay Bridge really doesn’t get enough credit.  It seems to live in the shadow of the mystique/nostalgia of the Golden Gate, but it is a fantastic bridge in its own right.

 

Besides the fact that it couriers an average of 5 million commuters into San Francisco from the East Bay a day, the top deck provides some of the very greatest views of the city!

Here’s looking down California Street.

In this one picture you can see the Port of San Francisco Ferry Building, Transamerica Pyramid, Coit Tower, and one arch of the Golden Gate (squint).  To pan your head right 5 degrees would also bare a view of Alcatraz Island.

 

Oh, and some bitchin’ views of Bay Bridge, but that kind of goes without saying.

 

Back at home, I got busy rinsing the surf gear while Lea and Jerry got busy in the kitchen prepping our picnic for our next item on the day’s agenda – Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw at Shoreline Amphitheatre!  Beside the fact that it’s an outdoor venue, one of the best things about Shoreline is that you can bring coolers with your own food…but no drinks.  So how did we get 4 bottles of wine past a very thorough bag checker (don’t worry Mom, we didn’t quite drink all of it)?

Allow me to demonstrate.  🙂

Step 1) Purchase a box of good wine (one box = 4 bottles).  We chose a Chilean Cab by gran Verano.

As an aside:  A number of winemakers are now utilizing the box method to store some decent juice because it reduces the wine’s exposure to air, allowing you to drink a glass with dinner at home one night, and another glass two weeks later from the same container without risk of spoiling the wine inside!

Step 2) Remove the bladder from the box.

Step 3) Place the bladder at the bottom of the cooler and cover with a cloth.

Step 3a) The beauty of this particular cooler is that it has a removable liner.  We then placed the liner over the bladder, making it virtually impossible for anyone to suspect the wine as a loose item.  It feels like a warm ice pack.  This step is recommended, but not required.

Step 4) Pack food on top, and act like you’ve got nothing to hide when the lady inspects your property.

Step 5) Enjoy!

JP also made of one his famous Queches for the event.  In my opinion, it was his best yet:

• eggs
• T of cream to make the eggs fluffy
• sauteed onions and mushrooms – baby bellas and shitakes
• spinach
• gruyere cheese
• cumin
• s&p

BTW – On our way into the show we saw a group of about a dozen very fit gentlemen out for a jog in the parking lot.  It looked strange given the timing and location, but then we saw Timmy himself at the back of the pack…brace yourselves ladies…with his shirt off.  OMG!

We had lawn seats, which is the only way we’ve ever seen a show here.  It doesn’t afford great views of the performance, but you get a great perspective of the space and the energy from the crowd.

 

 

 

This is the best shot I got of Lady A.  They played a solid set, but because they were the “opener,” I don’t think they got the respect from the crowd that they deserved.  After cleaning house at the Grammy’s this year, you’d think they’d be the main event.  Ironically, too, I’ve always thought that the male vocalist for Lady A. sounds a lot like Tim McGraw.

 

When my boy Tim came out, he made the statement, “We don’t bullshit.  We’re here to play some music.”  That is one sexy cowboy.

 

The other great thing I noticed about Tim McGraw is that he sings his songs on stage just as he does on his albums because he knows everyone in the crowd knows the lyrics to every song.  And this was a sing-along!  The man has been making a living playing music for 23 years, and he just makes hit after hit.  It’s made him a living legend.  Even his oldest songs barely sound dated and are as relevant today as they’ve ever been.

 

When we left the concert, our voices were hoarse!  It felt great to hear some good, honest, American music, and I think we were all feeling connected to our Iowa roots. 🙂   Now when you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think of me…

 

Man – is it possible to have too much of a good thing?  We’ll find out tomorrow!

 

Cheers