From words to reality
I consider myself a Bay Area aficionado…never having lived here. Wearing a Bear Republic baseball hat and known to work California hours, I speak with a different accent.
In the afternoons and evenings, I read about Napa and Sonoma wineries and the best places in Marin to eat oysters. Yet, my mornings are often spent walking on boardwalks along the Atlantic Ocean. And I can think of nothing I love more than sharing a bucket of steamers.
Over the past decade, I have visited Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties a couple of times, feeling like a typical tourist. However, a recent trip to the area was a different experience altogether—this time, I felt as if I were living out an episode of The Twilight Zone.
I remember this feeling was at its most eerie on our second night when we went out to dinner with friends. As we got out of the car, I stopped to read a political campaign sign, casually noting how interesting it was that the particular candidate was running again. Then, as we passed a theater, I remarked how exciting it was that the film fest would soon be held there. Our friends looked at me, puzzled. It was then that I knew that they couldn’t possibly understand.
A few days later, I had breakfast with my favorite North Bay author-auteur, whom I had never met but who I somehow knew so well. Afterward, I asked him for directions to a place I was very familiar with but had never actually been. Seeing signs for a few restaurants, I realized I knew the names of their owners. Passing others on the street, I wondered if they also read the publications I read every word of.
In the subsequent days, I tried a raw oyster for the first time and had my fair share of wine, developing a newfound taste for pinot noir. I hiked among the redwoods and biked along the Russian River, smiling all the while as I continued to be engulfed by a strong sense of familiarity. I pointed out the name of the highest mountain and where to get the best cheese. But what stopped me in my tracks time after time was seeing so many hummingbirds and butterflies. This phenomenon blew me away, as it was the one thing I hadn’t read about or anticipated.
As soon as I can, I plan to return to take in all those hummingbirds, butterflies, and more again. But in the meantime, I’ll continue to read up on all the local happenings from where I sit while working on perfecting my California accent.
A voracious reader, Suzanne Michel is the copy editor of the North Bay Bohemian and Pacific Sun.
