Wonderful Last Evening in San Francisco

Last night was my last evening here in San Francisco. Cort had a dinner party for 8 here at his home. Leslie, Dwayne, Carlos, Ki Ki, Leslie's mother Joyce, and her friend and former neighbor JoAnn from Monterrey were here with Cort and me. Cort served cheeses and grapes with slices of a French flute and white wine as we gathered in the living room and everyone was introduced. We talked about the events of the day and they caught up on the news about each other that had occurred since their last times together. Later, we moved to the dining table for salad with mixed greens and squash blossoms, more bread, and red wine. For the main course, he served butterfish with a special sauce he had prepared and with some wonderful tomatoes he had baked in the oven with herbs on them. The tomatoes looked dark like they had been burned, but they were juicy and oh so flavorful. Afterwards, we had a soy ice cream with slices of peaches and a sprig of mint. We had all drunk and eaten to our fill!!

There were interesting conversations throughout the evening. As with such a gathering, the topics jumped all over the map. My around-the-world travels were discussed. JoAnn took such a trip years ago before there were airline alliances and was interested in information about how they work now. We discussed Dwayne's TV program where he, as a carpenter, helps remedy problems people have identified. Joyce and JoAnn discussed their times as neighbors. Leslie discussed how boring it was to be a teenager in Monterrey. Ki Ki talked about his private schooling and various topics. Joyce, Leslie, and Dwayne discussed their upcoming trip to Costa Rica. Cort talked about a wonderful furniture sale which no longer exists since the company has moved its operations to the East Coast. We often fell into side conversation with people around us. I was disappointed that I was always far from Carlos and we didn't get more time to visit. The evening passed quickly, however, and everyone was soon leaving.

My flight to Seoul is this afternoon. I am packed and ready to go to the airport. Cort is getting ready. I've asked him to take me early. There is no need to wait around here. He can drop me off and go ahead with his plans for today. If I get there early, it should be nicer checking in. It will be a big plane, and I hate standing in line behind 200-300 other people to check in for a flight. I can read my book and get a snack at the airport.

It is going to be a long flight. I will be exhausted by the time we arrive. The nice thing is that it will be night when I get there, so I can go to the hotel and sleep. It's what has to happen between now and then that I wish there were a way to avoid.