Adventure #35 - Our Last Adventure to the Napa Valley for the Year

November 28, 2018 

We might have made good time from Hearst Castle, reaching the south bay area around 5:30...

...But we didn't make it to our motel in Fairfield until 9:30!

Amazing how quick we forget what California traffic is like, and then how fast we remember when we arrive. 

November 29, 2018

It was miserable outside come morning! Even being prepared for rain and cold didn't make it any better. As we waited for the sale to start, it began raining buckets. The only thing missing was the lightning and thunder! 

       

Usually, opening day is fun! The chit-chat, the drawings, always some humor. The rained surely drowned it out this year! The sale was okay. I didn't buy but a few things we needed. There wasn't much new stuff, a lot of what was there last year. Once we grabbed what we needed, we were out the door and on our way to breakfast by 9AM!

The drive up to the mountain wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. The rain had died down some leaving behind fresh, and bright colors of what was left of Fall.

By the time we checked into our hotel the rain had stopped.

Our room was on the waterfront, so I stepped out to snap a picture and was greeted with a rainbow...

We went for a drive, and it was like the rainbow was following us!

As we circled around, it looked as if we were going to see the end of it...

This is the closest I have ever gotten to a rainbow!

November 30, 2018

After a wonderful lunch with our friends, we headed down to the valley. By the time we arrived the sun was setting. Went to dinner with his brother, and checked out some Christmas light, and called it a day.

December 1, 2018

The day began with a shopping excursion with my sister-in-law and sister. Lunch at Red Robin and a surprise visitor, my niece from Grass Valley. She drove down just to see me. I wish I had known sooner so we could have spent more time together, but the time we had was precious and very pleasant. We had dinner with my family for my brothers birthday. It was a blast!

One of my favorite parts will be a memory forever. After we all had sat down, and I think it was after ordering, a drink arrived for my brother. No one knew where it came from and figuring it out became comical. Then another drink came for his son. I told the waiter if someone is giving away drinks, I'll take a rum and coke. Imagine how surprised we all were when it arrived! At one point, I swore the back of a woman on at the bar resembled his older daughter. It might not have been her, but it was her, her hubby, my other niece, and her hubby, tucked back on the side of the bar, out of our view. They had a great time playing a joke on us oldies, but goodies. What a fun night it was!

After dinner, hubby had a surprise for me...

He knows me so well!

He and his brother found it earlier in the day while I was with the sisters. What a beautiful display in remembrance of their parents. There was a sign at the front honoring them. So beautiful.

After that, he took me to see my very, very best friend (61 years of friendship, though our earliest memories start about age 3) We talked and talked, and laughed, and had such a great time. I couldn't believe it lasted till midnight.                                                                                                                                                                                                           Oh, I also got her and my other besty a gift that says, "Lettuce Romaine Friends Forever." I believe it was made by a local artist. Since Yuma is the lettuce capital, I won't say of the world, but at least in our area, it was a perfect gift.

I found it at a little boutique in town called Dandy Home & Ranch.

December 2, 2018

Time to head home, but first breakfast with my other bestie! We've been friends since 1964. She's an excellent cook, gardener, mother, grandmother, and friend! She's the one who came all the down to help me when I broke my shoulder. She is like a sister. I love her dearly.

One more adventure ends. The conversations, the laughs, the family and friends we share our time, created another one that will always be remembered.

Adventure #27 - The Wedding

It was such an honor to be part of their day.

They'd been dating for what seemed like forever!

It was an evening wedding, allowing us to do some running around.

We took some flowers to my mom and said a prayer. I never miss seeing her whenever we are in town. This year she'll have three visits. They are never the same moments, but our memories are the moments that remain the same. Way before she died, and since we moved away, we had so many awesome talks, some tears, and laughs that would bring tears too. We also kept in touch through letters. Of course, she mailed more than I sent. Mine would be of times covering a few months. Hers would be of what she did the day before, who she saw, recipes shared, and more. Now it's all me doing the talking, go figure! It's the soft breeze across my cheek that allows me to feel her responses. I'll be blessed tonight when I sleep, for I know she will come to my dreams, taking her place at the wedding table.  

We had time for lunch, so we checked out a place hubby's friend recommended.

It was so delicious!

More food than we could eat!

They will make great leftovers tomorrow for our trip home.

After getting all dolled up and hubby looking very dapper, we headed to the venue. 

Vows were going to be said under this old oak tree.

As we sat there and I click its picture, I remember a poem from my wedding by, Kahlil Gibran's, On Marriage from "The Prophet."

On Marriage

 Kahlil Gibran

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. 

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. 

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

The adorable couple are both SF GIANTS fans!

Bits and pieces of a coach talking to his players was pleasantly added to the ceremony. 

It expressed the feelings of the couple perfectly.

It was a beautiful ceremony. 

Their cute little flower girl kept herself busy with her rose petals. 

The guest tables looked fabulous!

That is my oldest sister in the background.

We also got a picture of us 5 siblings together.

It had been 18 years since we have had our picture taken together.

Over that time, there was always one or two missing.

Can't wait to see how the professional photos came out.

After all the traditional stuff, I was encouraged to join a dance.

It was so much fun, but with it came consequences.

We had to leave abruptly after.

 We left for home the next morning, stopping at my best friends house for lunch.

We had a great visit.

They pulled out the old school yearbook from 1971/72 when her hubby and mine were in junior high. Though my hubby was a year older, her hubby was my age. I was in the 9th-grade book only since it was my first year at a public school. 

We made it to our RV Park in Bakersfield rather late, but our reservation was taped to the door. We have decided, and until we find anything else so convenient and as pleasant, River Run will be our halfway stop to and from Napa for now. It's our third time there, and we weren't disappointed.

Those leftovers from Fridays lunch, mixed with the leftovers from our lunch yesterday, were scrumdiddlyumptious! 

We were up bright and early the next morning.

We had lunch at our favorite road trip diner.

Pulled into our drive well before sunset and welcomed by a happy "Grand" that we were home. Of course, he was excited to see which two race cars I brought home this time. It won't be long before he has the complete NASCAR driver lineup!

After some rest, I'll be ready for another adventure.

There are no other adventures, but doctor appointments, for October.

I guess holding our 10th Annual Boo Bash could be considered an adventure!

Adventure #26 Napa Valley Wine Train

Since I messed up the plans for our anniversary back in March by breaking my Humerus Head, neither one of us wanted to participate in any type renewal or any other type of recognition at that time, other than the travel plans we had already made.

A return to Napa became our focus. My nephew was going to get married, and by the grace of God, they picked Sept 21st as their special day. Just so happens our first date was on Sept 20,1975. With that, we decided to do something special for our  "1st Date" 43rd Anniversary. 

Napa Valley Wine Train

One of our friends is the conductor, and she arranged an extraordinary day for us.

Doing the Vista Dome is the way to go.
You're above any obstacles along the track.
You can still go downstairs to the other cars if you like but it was difficult for me, so we choose to stay in our seats and soak in the scenery.

 There is also some local artist brightening up parts of the tracks.
My favorite was one of all the firemen lined up on the back side of a building.

 There was other art but trying to take the picture through the glass with all the glare, they didn't turn out very well.

The meal was exquisite.

I had the Black Pepper-Crusted Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio,
Heirloom Tomato Salad,
Porcini Dusted Dry Aged-NY Strip “Bistecca,”
And for dessert the Key Lime Pie.
Hubby had Lemon, Thyme & Duck Confit Rillettes,
the soup but it’s not on the menu, it had potato and corn, puréed, and delicious!
Pan-Roasted Pacific Halibut, 
and he had the same dessert.

I was surprised we ate most of our meals.
Hubby had to have his Halibut seared more, he doesn't like eating raw fish.
Other than that, we told our friend we will be back up next year and do one of the Quantro Tours. It will be difficult to pick one though. They all look wonderful.

One last adventure for this trip, my nephews wedding! 

Adventure #1 ~ Road trip to the Napa Valley

To kick off a year of adventures, it was only fitting to begin where it all started.

We were on the road before the sun came up last Thursday. As we were winding through the desert, there came a time when the moon and the sun were directly across from each other. Hubby pulled over so I could try to do my great rearview mirror trick. Trying to align the moon above the mirror while keeping the sunrise in the rearview mirror wasn't working from my side of the car. The car was also the problem, it's a rental and things are a bit off-kilter. Hubby tried to adjust the mirrors, move forward, backward, turning slightly one way or the next, but that didn't work either. Each minute that passed meant missing a chance at getting the shoot. Time was ticking away! I looked over and saw that it was possible from the driver seat. I handed hubby the camera, gave him a few directions and had him give it his best shot.

For his first time, I think he did okay.

Our drive up took us from sunrise to sunset. We just sailed right on through the L.A. area with little to no traffic. We had a flawless lunch in Santa Clarita. It's been one of our regular stops for gas and food when we are flying non-stop, ha, ha. Lodi is the next one. Going up HWY 5, through the middle of California is the most boring, non-scenic route in America. Yes, the farmlands gracefully rolling over the hills are beautiful, but the cattle ranch will have you blocking the vents, holding your breath, or your nose to keep it from burning because of the odor. It's so bad it has it's own FaceBook page, Stinky Cows on Interstate 5!

Over the years, more and more businesses are popping up along this stretch of our drive. There are a few things to break up the boredom though. We've already done Bravo Farms a few times. Whenever we are dividing the trip in half, leaving late afternoon on one day, driving part way, then finish the drive the next, our favorite place to stay is Harris Ranch. Hitting more traffic during this jaunt is common, the ranch provides an elegant meal, a very comfy bed, and is so appealing to a lot of travelers.

Not this trip though! Remember, it was a non-stop flight, I mean drive!

We take HWY 12 from Lodi to Fairfield. It goes over the Delta's, through Rio Vista, and past these fields of windmills. Sorry about the dirty window, there really are not a lot of places to pull over for a photo op.

Friday included a little bit of business, some shopping for the perfect plant, then visiting my Aunt to share our sympathy. When we walked into our longtime favorite florist, this Jeep planter screamed Uncle Jeep! My aunt has dementia and appears to be in her own wonderful world. We talked about her art, her studio that was once in the basement, and the cute little blue shoes she had on. She never mentioned my uncle, nor did we.

After, we had lunch at the Red Hen with friends we hadn't seen for a couple years. On our way back to his brothers, we drove the scenic route through the vineyards, and we came across some more sculptures.

These are along Big Ranch Road. We found the key at the Blackbird Vineyard back in 2015 during a drive to settle my heart. We still need to find the ball and jacks. 

As expected, it was a pleasure to be part of my brother's milestone. So many wonderful stories from his co-workers. I didn't take many pictures and relied on others to capture his moments. We sat with a lovely couple and their son who recently did a Ride for The Fallen Officers. What an incredible young man!

Eagle Vines Vineyard & Golf Club

Saturday was our day for some sightseeing.

First stop was a visit to my mom.

The moments we share are different now, 

but the memories of other moments remain the same.

After a walk, a talk, and a soft breeze across my cheek, it was time to head on and see what adventures we can experience.

We proceeded to the burn area by his brothers. From his picture window, you can see just how close it came. Driving through the devastation was heartbreaking. This picture I captured from the driveway says it all. A family whose life changed with an amber falling on its roof, while the house across the street or a few doors down was intact. Wind changes directions so many times during a firestorm, it can engulf one house, while sparing another. I could only say a prayer. Growing up in the valley, I've seen this same type of devastation before. I've also seen the growth the rebuilding brought. 

I meant to snap a photo of the signs announcing the rebuilds. We didn't drive out the same way we went in. I think we both had seen enough. 

Down the road, we found this.

Outside the Gordon Huether Studio is this giant hand holding a marble. Oh, how I would have loved to have seen what was inside the closed business. During my research, I learned this hand was once on display at Napa's Bottlerock. I also found other places where his art is displayed, like the one in Peoria, AZ along with others. Guess we'll have to add some art hunts to the Bucket List.

Motoring along we took the Silverado Trail to head upvalley to find Foo-Foo Bunny! Once again we can see the mass areas that had burned. With the blackened ground from the fire, and the recent rains allowing new growth, the hills appear to be a darker green than the unburned area. Until you get closer, you don't see the devastation the fire actually caused.

We took Con Creek Road to Rutherford Road so we could cross over to HWY 29. Hall Wines is where we found the bunny.

Mission accomplished! We actually saw and did more than I thought we would have time for. After a nice picnic lunch from Genova's, we were on the road to home. A stop in Benicia for dinner with our best friends followed by a movie and a crackling fire was the perfect ending to a beautiful weekend.

Our drive home was another non-stop flight but did stop at Sizzler for dinner and halftime. Had no idea they would have a TV set up for the game. 

Our #1 adventure is in the book.