Neighborhood Sweetness

After a big day of touring, we stumbled upon this sweet little garden just around the corner from our hotel: Drei Steuben Restaurant.

Rosé All Day!

Public drinking is "no problem" in Zürich. I thought the clerk said "not proper." Lost in translation.

Travel adventure #24,672: Sitting on a park bench, drinking rosé in the shade, after walking for miles and miles.

Heat Wave in Zürich

Such a pretty city, but FL hot these couple of days touring. High 80s! We walked and walked and walked.

Birthday in Zurich

The rhythmic voice narrating my audio book lulled me in and out of slumber during the flight. I awoke to Bill wishing me a happy birthday on the approach to Paris. The connection to Zurich was tedious, but we had plenty of time. We checked into the Marriott Zurich where I was given a box of Swiss chocolates in honor of my birthday!

During a cocktail hour briefing with the cruise director in the bar, the Marco Men's Club surprised me with a lovely bracelet, birthday cake and song.

Bill and I jumped an Uber to Storchen Restaurant for a great dinner with a view on the Limmat River. We enjoyed the famous veal dish with cream and mushrooms, Zürcher Geschnetzeltes. So good!

Back at the hotel, a piece of yummy chocolate cake greeted us in our room. It was a wonderful birthday!

MIA - CDG

Miami International Airport always feels so... how shall I say...International? A little foreign country within the city of Miami.

Paris-Zurich here we come in roomy comfort, which brings back fond memories of past British Airways non-rev travel years. My sister would advise before each flight: dress nice; wear hose, you may get upgraded. It worked almost every time.

Bon Voyage!

Ginnie Springs FL

Steph invited us for a camp-out weekend at Ginnie Springs. It was one wild time with kids, grandkids and friends. Loud music and boozers filled the enormous campground on the hot weekend. Alcohol infused rafting, kayaking, snorkeling, paddling, diving and general partying took place down the lazy Sante Fe River and surrounding fresh-water springs.

Large-scale groups of campers and day-trippers enjoyed the festive parade of floats, boats, trucks, trailers, pimped-out golf carts, campfires and all other things FL macho. It was a bizarre, once-and-done, sort of fun weekend.

Last Hoorah in California

We checked out of the Windsor condo and headed west toward Jenner with a detour to see if the wolves were in the yard. No wolves, but we enjoyed other magnificent scenery as we followed the Russian River to the coast.

Spectacular sights along the dramatic, rugged Pacific lifted our spirits on the last day of a great vacation. The flora was so unusual as we sipped coffee and settled on a route. The winding coastline to Bodega Bay was simply beautiful. We stopped at the Visitor's center for a restaurant recommendation and took in the memorabilia from the famed Hitchcock movie, "The Birds," which was filmed in the town in 1963.

After lunch at the Tides Wharf restaurant we worked our way to the SFO airport hotel.

Julie's dinner recommendation, Lolinda, was a perfect finale in San Francisco. What a journey! Amazing food, wine, scenery and friendship. It going to be a hard trip to top!

Graton and Beyond

Our fun day started in the sweet little town of Graton where artists and farmers seem to have a strong foothold. A stroll through the few shops and a cappuccino at Willow Wood Market Café led us to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. We weren't into hiking, but it was a beautiful spot for enjoying nature and the magnificent tall trees. We went back to Graton for another terrific meal. Underwood Bar and Bistro was a fun small plates and beer place for lunch.

On the way back to scout out the wolves, A. Rafanelli called to say they could accommodate us in Dry Creek. We excitedly headed over to the private tasting with front gate code in hand. It was a great spot with terrific wines.

Back to the condo for a change of clothes, we then headed to Francis Ford Coppolla's Rustic restaurant. Lemon drop martinis set the mood for one of my favorite entrees. Whole fish baked in salt was on the menu and it was delicious.

Napa Valley

We were at Dierk's in Santa Rosa for breakfast before 9am. Our first wine tasting reservation of the day was at Sterling Vineyards, mainly for the aerial tram and scenic view of the Napa Valley.

Groth in Oakville was next. They are known for lovely full-bodied reds but we enjoyed their white wine, too.

After a quick stop across the street to see Silver Oaks' beautiful new building we went to Rutherford Grill for lunch. It was excellent.

We relaxed in the condo for dinner with Big John's crabs and a nice Jordan cab. "Bottle Shock" provided the evening's entertainment. The movie tells the story of the 1976 judgement of Paris where the US won the blind wine tasting contest, which elevated California winemaking to a respected status around the world.

Tuesday Touring

Some scenes to accompany the post below.

Lynmar and French Laundry

BurtoNZ Bakery in Windsor was out of egg pies by the time we arrived, but we did enjoy other goodies for breakfast before heading over to The Barlow in Sebastopol. Unimpressed with the outdoor market, we decided to start drinking again. We went to Winery Lynmar and enjoyed their estate flight in the beautiful flower garden surrounded by vineyards.

Back at the condo in the early afternoon, we made sandwiches and rested up before our big night out to Yountville.

It was a pretty ride through Napa, but with all the traffic, we just made it to the French Laundry in time for our 5:15pm reservation. The entire dining experience was spectacular and went on for hours...three and a half hours actually! What an incredible treat and amazing luxury! We are lucky ducks!

Jordan Vineyard and Winery

A big breakfast at the Omelette Express in Windsor made way for a lazy day in Healdsburg. Jordan was a beautiful stop in Alexander Valley. Inspired by their love of French wines, the Jordan family has been producing fine Cabs and Chards for decades. We had a lovely tour and tasting.

Deciding to take advantage of the grill at the condo, Big John's Market in Healdsburg provided dinner fare. After grocery shopping, we walked the bustling square and we're able to do more than window shop this time around.

A simple, yet yummy chicken dinner at home, with fine wine and a movie (Sideways) completed a fun day in wine country.

Sunday in the Russian River Valley

Some scenes to accompany the post below.

Russian River Valley

The fog looked threatening over the distant hills as we began our day at the Healdsburg Downtown Bakery and Creamery with simply delicious egg sandwiches. As predicted, the blue sky emerged and the warmth of the sun in the valley fueled our walk around town square. Sunday morning was quiet and window shopping teased with delight.

The Russian River Rose Co. provided beauty and calm as we lallygagged through the rose gardens nestled among the vineyards. Inspired by nature, we decided it was time to start drinking wine.

The first tasting of the day was Sonoma Cutrer. Martinelli was next. It was a fabulous afternoon under the sun sipping wine, in beautifully curated surroundings, topped off with a picnic lunch.

A respite at the condo refreshed us before another round of decadence. Willi's Wine Bar in Santa Rosa lived up to its hype for dinner. The roasted bone marrow did not disappoint.

Marin to Sonoma

The fog was covering Mt. Tam as we walked in the brisk morning air to Shoreline Coffee Shop in Mill Valley. Bikers, joggers and pooches coveted the path on a busy holiday weekend. After a satisfying breakfast we rented bikes from a shop in Sausalito and attempted to ride to Kentfield. "Attempted" is the operative word here. Too much dilly-dallying and sightseeing messed up our timing.

We were able to get another hug from Julie and a half-dozen eggs from her backyard chickens before heading to SFO to pick up Candy and Ray. The Bay Area traffic was heavy, which made for a long ride up to Windsor.

Forty pounds of luggage fit comfortably on my side of the room. With jet lag nagging all of us, we opted for a quick dinner at KC's American in the sweet little town. Our first bottle of wine of many, no doubt, was celebrated over lively conversation. Oliver's Market offered a fun night cap of grocery shopping adventure before crashing into our comfy beds.

Kentfield CA

It is still such a thrill to get upgraded by the airlines. Such was the case in route to SFO via HOU. The first leg of the journey to wine country was a roomy delight.

Julie and the girls welcomed us into their world with a loving and tender night in Marin County. Over rosé and appys we caught up while playing with toys and chickens in the cool Cali air of the backyard. Julie was creating a paella on the grill.

We picked lettuce from the garden and put together a salad and Cabernet to go with Julie's scrumptious concoction.

Years between family visits get shorter over a pleasant evening of togetherness.

From newyorker.com: #Vanlife

This is a long, but entertaining article about #Vanlife and a couple's connection to work, life and social media on the road. Great piece.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/24/vanlife-the-bohemian-social-media-movement

h/t Nancy

Back to the Journey of Everyday Life

While driving home on the final leg of this road trip, I came across a good read about happiness. The ages 23 and 69 were cited as the happiest. Both the blogson and husband are presently those ages. I fully subscribe to the 10 points illustrated in this piece:

Revealed: The two surprising ages when we're at our HAPPIEST (and why it's bad news if you're in your middle years)

Researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences have identified 23 and 69 as the happiest ages in adult life, but discovered satisfaction dips in middle age.

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