Now that I'm here

There are so many things I want to write about, so many stories I have left to tell. Like about getting pulled over for a speeding ticket in Utah. Or about my last night of my trip, spent in Lake Tahoe, where I met a wonderful new Indian friend named Kunal, and we spent the night drinking Sierra Nevada and eating pizza on the lake. I wanted to do a post where I expounded on the different kind of rest areas around the country - and how impressed I was that every stop in Iowa boasted free wireless internet.

I need to talk about how my arrival in California was celebrated by sipping Champagne by the pool of the household that is hosting me, and about our adventure my first night where we met a slew of big, burly, wine-sipping contractors who bought us dinner and made us laugh insanely all night.

But right now I don't have time to do those potential posts justice, so instead I'll just tell you about my morning here so far in Napa:

I woke up right at 7:00 to the sun streaming in through my windows, and the sky was completely clear. The view outside my window of the sprawling valley inspired me to practically leap out of bed so that I could drink it in properly. My host (who is also my boss) and I went for our morning walk up and down the road that leads to her house, and chatted about business and life as we walked past newly sprouting grapes, red earth, and beautiful flowers all along the way.

We returned to a breakfast of poached eggs and English muffins, and ate outside overlooking the pool and the mountains. Her boyfriend, who had cooked the wonderful morning feast while we were walking, sighed his daily refrain with pleasure as we sipped our coffee -

"Well, another shitty day in the Napa Valley..."

We all grinned.