Shinn the Writer

March third saw me turn 73, as nondescript a birthday as one can imagine. No songs about being 73. 73 is a prime number, but no one would mistake me for being in my prime anymore (see my “Physical” section).

I always try to do something special on my birthday. Sadly, Maui was recovering from its huge fire and I didn’t plan anything until the last minute. A successful stand-by has been to check myself in to a B&B or other place where I can kick back away from my house. The last B&B I used for this purpose was in Napa, just far enough away to ensure I was getting away, but close enough to make the drive easy. I tried it again.

I threw a dart at the B&B dart board and came up with The Napa Inn. It had been around for some time and seemed to have easy access to the town of Napa. I looked at the weather report for the area and cringed, but it might work out okay. A little chilly, perhaps a bit wet, but I could always just hunker down in my room.

March 3rd (my birthday) was a Sunday this year. I’d scheduled a short stay of only three nights for this getaway. As I do every morning, I checked for Afib. I have a fairly common type in which I go for a few weeks when my heartbeat is regular and then for a few days it won’t be. The difference in my behavior is that if I’m out of Afib I allow myself two drinks a week, but if I’m in Afib, I don’t drink at all. I’d been out of Afib for weeks, but March 3rd I went back in. I could only hope I’d flip back so I could have a celebratory glass before I left Napa.

Further, my knee was bothering me from the fall I’d taken in January. I was able to walk fairly easily, but I still had to keep it taped up and still had to baby it. When I got to the Inn, I found it to be about a four-block walk to get into town. I was able to walk the distance a couple of times, but I found myself driving more often than not. Part of this was also due to the cold and threatening weather. The last time I was in Napa for my birthday, things had been so much more pleasant!

This was to be an odd B&B experience in other ways. For one thing, there were two buildings comprising the Inn, about a short block apart, and breakfast was in the other one. I had to cross a street to get there. Pretty inconvenient. The food selection was good, but overall, this was just not the experience I wanted. Further, there was a big bicycle event in the area, and most of the guests seemed to be there for that – apart from breakfast itself, I saw few people at the Inn.

I was able to find some fun places to eat in Napa itself. Monday night I had a nice dinner at a  Mexican place, Don Perico’s, and on Tuesday the Amani Sushi Bistro was a relaxing stop. I saved my big dinner stop for last, wishing to give my Afib as much time to depart as I could. My next-door neighbor had recommended a place just north of town (actually in Yountville) Mustards Grill. It was very nice.

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Of course, I’ve forgotten what I had. I remember well what I didn’t have. I ordered cheesecake, but it didn’t arrive. That part of the