no miniBBQ vans surprise Nazy in Santa Barbara (but Sister Does)
The view from the BnB 
The countryside is beautiful. We had a great time and a wonderful stop for lunch. Arrow spent lunch walking around the winery, stopping to point out every sprinkler head and flower. (He’s really into flowers and water.) I wasn’t overwhelmed by the sprinklers, but the flowers were pretty. And all of the vineyards were beautiful.
We finished the evening with ‘soul food’ — fried chicken, BBQ ribs, coleslaw, sweet potato macaroni and cheese. We were a large and hungry group and we had a colossal amount of food. There was enough for everyone. In fact, the left overs could have fed all the people who have been fired, pushed out, resigned, marched off or walked away in disgust from the White House.
(We didn’t have enough food to feed the people who, possessing an ‘ethics’ gene, refuse to work in the current administration. — that would have taken a few loafs and a couple of fish.)
Celebration of Nazy’s birthday and family gatherings continued the next day. Shahriar and Fay invited everyone to brunch at their beautiful house in Tiburon, California.
The Martin Siblings 2018
Dan, Marjorie, David, Sandi and Wendy 
On Sunday, we (re)learned the challenges of getting big bunches of people — including three children under the age of 4 — aligned and into the car(s). As I was buckling Tiger into his car seat.
“Isn’t it so much easier to do this with a minivan?" Tom noted.
“ !“ I replied with a glare.
“I’m not getting a minivan! Been there, Done that.” I was thinking about ‘VAN-GO, the Chameleon colored minivan that we had in the 1990’s. (It changed color in the rain.) Photo at right.
The drive to Tiburon was trouble (and traffic) free. Fay and Shahriar had prepared a feast that was enjoyed by everyone. And it was a beautiful day in a beautiful house with spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Skyline. Everyone had a great time (except Arrow when he saw his Mom, Dad, Grandparent or Mitra holding his new cousin Leandra.) The photo is Fay, Christiane, Darius and Leandra.
Tom, Arrow and Tiger, taking advantage of a heated outdoor Jacuzzi, enjoyed a refreshing dip.
Then, I began herding the minivan occupants to the car when I realized that we were beginning to cut it close. Then I remembered that Darius had an even earlier flight.
“Thanks Dad!” Dar replied. “We have to go now.”
After a Persian-ish series of extended ‘goodbyes’ during which ‘now’ means in 20 or 30 minutes, Darius and Family drove off. A few minutes later they returned.
Christiane’s phone didn’t (yet) work in the USA and Dar’s was devoid of charge. I jumped in to navigate to the airport and return the rental car. They were cutting it close.
The drive to the airport is fairly direct, but a major portion of it is ‘freeway free’. (Or, alternatively, traffic light enabled.) We arrived at SFO 38 minutes before departure. They jumped out of the car, which I volunteered to return to Enterprise Rental.
“Fill it with gasoline before you drop it off,” Darius shouted as they ran into the terminal.
I drove the car to rental return and about to call Nazy, who was following with Tom, Melika and Family, when I received a text from Darius.
Missed the flight. Had to be here 40 minutes before. Now leaving in 6 hours. Phone dy..
I called Nazy, who was en route. “We’re cutting it close too, Dan. Please come and help us get through security.”
It turned out that we were the last people on the airplane. The flight home was smooth, quick and marked by another surprise. Saphura, who had been unable to come to Napa, was in Santa Barbara with Nelson. They were staying at the El Encanto resort which is very close to our home. I invited Nazy to the hotel for ‘a drink’ and Saphura and Nelson surprised her. Two surprises in one weekend!
We had a really nice dinner and visit. We went to the Boat House (to see the sunset) and Melika’s to visit the grandchildren. Nazy’s birthday was turning out to be an e x t e n d e d event. (And, in fact, it wasn’t over yet. More to come in the next issue of The Weekly Letter.)
The fact-challenged occupant of the executive tweet, eh, suite continues to complain about the (pointless) wall. I’d like to see some statistics about how many people are actually sneaking into the country. I’d bet that far, far more people are simply overstaying their visas — a problem that will not be solved with a $35B wall. And now..
“The flatulent president, Nazy, is complaining about people streaming through Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala.”
“So?”
“So, He says Mexico should build a wall." I said. "And make Guatemala pay for it,” I thought.
“That’s stupid, Dan.”
“Bingo,” I thought. “We can pay for it — it’s a shorter wall than the one on our border — the one that Mexico is not going to pay for. And, since we have to pay for a wall, we might as well do it for a short wall.”
I continue to be amazed by Trump caterwauling about 'fake' news: Note: In our country, truth historically has been determined by objective fact, not by whether you like the message or by the amount of emotional attachment you have to your position.
For last week's letter, please click here
Sunset and Flowers
