52Guests: Plan a monthly Nudge with my sister (or a friend)

By Peggy Edwards, Guest Nudger

Peggy is a long-time 52Nudger, and I was thrilled when she stepped up to be a Guest Nudger. She had a few ideas for her post, all of them fun. This one stood out. Suggested by her sister Ann Murphy (who got me to join her for her own guest post a few years ago), their Nudge is ongoing—and the two have already gone on several outings. I hope Peggy’s post inspires you to plan similar adventures. xo Kathleen

The Backstory: Late last year, after a lifetime in Southern California, my husband and I moved to Napa, in Northern California, and began settling in. I felt like the proverbial fish out of water. (Literally. It rained the first four months.) We needed to find new doctors, dentists, and the local Trader Joe’s. I even tried rooting for the Warriors and Niners (unless they were playing the Lakers or Rams).

However, thanks to Zoom and the new culture of working remotely, I maintained my involvement in service clubs and the charities I’ve supported for many years. It was as if I had not moved. I was still living my Southern California life, just in a new location.

We moved to NoCal to be close to family, and there are tiny tots of 3, 2, and 1 in the equation. Blame it on the rain, but, a month in, we’d had just a glimpse of the kids, and I had no idea what our new community even looked like.

My sister Ann came to the rescue with the suggestion that we have a monthly adventure. Our goal is to explore interesting places, visit people we’ve missed seeing, and learn about things that might be new to both of us.

What Happened: Our first adventure was “iffy” right up to the moment we left in the pouring rain for the drive to San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. My sister and I both graduated from Purdue University, and their Glee Club was performing in concert with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Because our father and uncle sang in Purdue’s Glee Club in the 1940s, we just couldn’t miss it. The concert was more than worth the effort. The music, the vocalists, and the venue provided a much-needed warmth on a rainy and windy afternoon. Even in the weather, it was fun to drive through San Francisco on a traffic-free Sunday.

Our next adventure was orchestrated by the retired Napa police chief and his wife, who treated my sister and me to an insider’s tour of my new town. When you live in wine country, you can find plenty of tours and tour guides. This one was unique. We saw houses said to be haunted, a mini avenue of the redwoods, Victorian and Queen Ann–style homes built by the sea captains (who transported grain from the port of Napa), and a rock formation that looks like a man with a pipe.

And, of course, we saw the quant downtown, the vineyards, hills, and mountains. It all finally gave me a taste of what my new hometown has to offer.  

We have more adventures in the planning stages. We’re visiting a cousin we haven’t seen for several years, we’re going to seek out a silversmith, and we may extend our range to overnight destinations like the coast or Gold Country.

The Ah-Hahs: While life has interfered with our intent to have a monthly excursion, I see my sister and some combination of nieces, nephews, great-nephews, and great-niece almost every week. That’s why we moved here. The adventures are fun, and so is the planning. They may not be monthly, but they’re giving me a much stronger sense of our new home.