Monday, April 25, 2011

My family did not travel much when I was a child growing up in Southern California. We made a few camping trips to Bass Lake, visited Palm Springs and Lake Havasu, and occasionally stayed with relatives in the San Bernardino Mountains. The summer days of my youth were filled instead with the typical distractions of childhood in the late 1960’s and 70’s. There were long bike rides to the beach, lazy afternoons spent swimming, quiet trips to the public library, and evenings filled with neighborhood misadventures.

We waited for the Helms Bakery truck to deliver fresh bread and doughnuts in the mornings, and in the evenings we waited for an ice cream man to deliver root beer popsicles and sidewalk sundaes. My childhood experiences shaped me in ways that even I do not understand. Growing up with a set of parents who were not particularly adventurous left me with a burning desire to wander past the boundaries of my own backyard. I want to see everything there is to see in this glorious world God created for us. Luckily, I found a soul mate who feels exactly the same way.

My husband Jeff and I grew up three blocks away from each other, meeting when we were just ten years old. His childhood was somewhat different from mine in that his parents loved to travel. They made cross-country pilgrimages nearly every summer to visit relatives in Wisconsin and Illinois. They camped and fished and meandered, sometimes sleeping in their station wagon along the side of the road. They traveled by car, by rail, and even by cruise ship. My husband brought not only a love of travel to our marriage, but a good bit of experience as well.

As you read this we are happily into our twenty-seventh year of marriage and are proud of the life we’ve fashioned. Our daughter Erin is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Arizona and a brand new high school teacher. Our son Zach is also a grad of U of A and is working at for a local university placing student teachers. Our nephew Michael, who travels with us frequently, is gainfully employed and living in Southern California. Our travels have brought us closer together over the years and we’ve created a multitude of wonderful memories.  Our friend John said I should write about our vacations, so here I go.  I hope you have a good laugh on us, and learn something along the way.

Until Later,

Deb :)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Just Back from Napa Valley

Let's start with the present and we'll wander around the world together.

We have just returned from the Napa Valley where we spent a whirlwind weekend visiting several wineries with close friends. Our stay at the Napa Valley Marriott was delightful and the service was quite good. A recent renovation has made this hotel a wonderful respite at the end of a long day of tasting. Our weekend started at Hendry Winery (www.hendrywines.com) and what a wonderful visit this was. Mr. Hendry led this intimate tour and tasting and we couldn't help but purchase a case of his delicious wine. Try some yourself and see!

Ever have a problem with wine? I have had a strange throat situation with wine for several years now. Certain wines are bitter tasting almost. Well, Mr. Hendry helped me to figure out that I have a "tannin-sensitivity." He performed a mini science experiment with me and voila... I know what I can and cannot drink happily. Thanks Mr. Hendry!!!

We stopped into Frogs Leap (www.frogsleap.com) as well, but they were so busy that our visit was marred by the crowds. Try a mid-week visit next time.

Our Saturday was planned deliciously by California Wine Tours (www.californiawinetours.com) and we traveled all around the valley sampling the delights of grapes. We absolutely fell in love with Rombauer (www.rombauer.com) and Flora Springs (www.florasprings.com) as well. Treat yourself to their Chardonnays and Zinfandels and you will see what I mean.

Dinner was an Italian success at Bistro don Giovanni - yumm yummm yummmmm. A friend pointed us to Bouchon Bakery in Yountville for Sunday breakfast and let me tell you - their pastries are to DIE for! (www.bouchonbakery.com) The donuts were unbelievable, the croissants were flaky, and the macarons were just like Paris, France.

On our way out of town we stopped into V. Sattui Winery (www.vsattui.com) which won the Winery of the Year Award in 2011. There is no shortage of wine tasting here and the deli or barbecue are both delicious. Next time I'll fly in and out of Sacramento instead of Oakland and visit the Bouchon Bakery every single morning!

Let me know what you think... I'll visit with you again soon.
Deb :)