NAPA

NAPA
Marie wanted to get out, and suggested that we go to Napa. I told her this was fine with me - even though I didn’t look forward to the Friday traffic en route and back. I just got in line - stayed in the right-hand lane and plodded along at 50/55. The passing cars weren’t going much faster. So, it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. This rule so often holds true.
I took the Fairgrounds Drive/ American Canyon cut-off to get to Highway 29, and that worked fine. So much better since they added a lane. Went by a full- Marine world (Six Flags) parking lot, including many yellow-school busses. The City of Vallejo just sold the Park to Six Flags for 55 million! We passed the old Holiday Inn across from the Park. It is now a Marriott-Courtyard. It looks very inviting, and their parking lot was full.
It is interesting how Highway 29 splits the City of American Canyon, just as I-80 divides Vallejo. A Super Wal-Mart is scheduled to be built - not too far from Palby’s. We only went to one store in Napa - McCaulou’s, Napa’s finest department store. Marie headed for the Women’s’ Clothing department in general, and the “Petites” in particular. While she was browsing there, I checked out the Men’s’ Department. There was a rack of Docker’s knee-length shorts on sale at 30 percent off! So, I was interested. A young clerk appeared, and I asked him if he had a tape measure to check my waist size. He went and got one, and took my measurement. He said that I needed a 44. I thought that my size was 42! I asked him if he had any 44’s, and he said “No”! Hard to believe that there is no market for “pleasingly plump” people in Napa.
So, I went back to “Petites”. Marie was still “looking”. The store always has great music playing. Some old ballads were airing. I recalled each of them from my past. I told Marie that I could just stand there and listen to the music all day - (while I “people watched”.) A lady, nearby, overheard me and said, “They sell the CD at the cash register”. So, I thanked her, and went over to the check-out in the Shoe Department, and bought one - Rod Stewart - “Thanks for the Memory”.
Homeward bound we stopped at Raley’s - a very nice facility. I got a cup of clam chowder for lunch and Marie had a muffin. We also picked up a tuna sandwich for dinner tonight. On the way out of the store, she had to check out the flowers. She bought a pot of marigolds. Heavy traffic back to the - intersection of highways 12 and 29 - lots of trucks. I thought of Rick, Doug and Brad commuting in that mess every day - between Napa and Vallejo. At least coming down they miss a lot of it because they start work so early.
Home at 2:30. Gone three and a half hours, and traveled 34 miles!