Locomotoring

A quarter of a century ago, we were married in St Helena. It was a wet day in Feb. This Feb, we found ourselves in St Helena again, this time to see a close friend during his post-op recovery at the acute care Adventist Hospital. Feb in St Helena is just the same as it was a quarter of a century ago – the fog laden tree tops, moss covered trees, the grape fields submerged in water, and the raging Napa river.

Maybe our appreciation for the world around us has changed in 25 years?

Design philosophy at Ray Ray’s Tacos in St. Helena: “Nine months before Rosa Parks’ famous arrest, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin took a stand against segregation in Montgomery, Alabama. On March 2, 1955, she refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, declaring her constitutional rights were being violated. Despite her arrest, the teenage pioneer remained resolute. Her courage and subsequent testimony in the landmark Browder v. Gayle case played a crucial role in the federal court decision that outlawed bus segregation in Alabama. While her story was initially overshadowed, Colvin’s defiance helped spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the larger Civil Rights Movement.“

We had celebrated our wedding by eating at some of the proudest restaurants in Napa valley owned by some of the proudest chefs on the planet. This time, we dined at Lovina, it was just around the Napa river from our inn. Lovina is a different kind of proud – it is woman owned, woman managed, and woman chefed restaurant. And what do you know, they offer full benefits, including health insurance, dental insurance, and a 401k with employer match. A no tip required restaurant where kitchen staff share in their daily revenues!

Napa Valley continues to have many wonderful restaurants around every bend and corner. We had chosen Lovina over others because Lovina’s operational philosophy had caught our eye. We chose Ray Ray for lunch on our way back because it was rated highly. Besides, who doesn’t love tacos.

Rachel Williams is the Ray Ray in the Ray Ray’s Tacos and is the chef and owner. Just check out the pink pamphlet above. She was at the till that day. We worked our way through four of their signature corn tacos – Angelina (braised carnitas & pickled kumquat, shaved red cabbage, cilantro, cotija cheese, raw chile verda salsa) , Ruby named after Ruby Bridges (buffalo pulled chicken — garlic crema, blue cheese crumbles,
pickled celery, micro cilantro, almond macha), Claudette named after Claudette Colvin (seared shrimp & black beans, vegan refried black beans, shaved red cabbage, adobo aioli, rainbow micros) and Rosalie (grilled mahi mahi, pineapple salsa fresca, shaved red cabbage, adobo aioli, lime).

And, it isn’t earthquakes that keep us anxious.

One can still witness the remnants of the Glass Fire of 2020, the fire that burned an acre every 5 seconds. Reports from back then suggest that the fire had reached within a mile of the Adventist Hospital and nearly 55 patients had to be evacuated. We witnessed the trees that had burnt, they are still standing and Bermuda buttercups had sprung up at their bases. The view of the surrounding fields, from the top floor of Adventist, was the gorgeous wine country. The rows of grape vines had looked like japanese zen garden sand raking line art.

The place we were married at, the Deer Run Bed & Breakfast on the Spring Mountain Road, is no longer there. I didn’t want to find out if the grounds had survived the fire. Its owners who had operated the B&B for 30 years, and witnesses to our wedding, Carol and Tom, are no longer alive. Carol’s obit tells me that she was pre-deceased by Tom, her partner of 42 years and she had passed peacefully in 2022 after a long illness.