Los Angeles!

By late afternoon on Friday, Eli and I were Hollywood bound to visit Phillip Holbrook.  On our way, we ran into the one thing that seems a constant in California...traffic!!  Our 6 hour trip turned into 8 and a half, but that was okay because we had good company, good tunes, and a fun weekend ahead.  Once we got to Philip's apartment in West Hollywood, we walked down to a local bar named Barney's Beanery which was a great spot for catching up and relaxing.

On Saturday, we took our time getting ready and met Phillip's roommate Will who had just moved from New York.  Once we were full from our coffee, we headed to Venice beach which was quite a site!  It is a popular place to be on a pretty day as there were numerous street performers, street venders selling anything and everything under the sun,  as well as lots of food and people from all walks of life.  We rented bikes and headed north just past Santa Monica on a bike path that ran along the beach.   It was a perfect ride with a gorgeous ocean view and lots of people watching.  Once we got past Santa Monica, the beach was not as crowded so we locked up the bikes and went walking along the beach.  Correction...Phillip and I went walking.  Eli, a lone brave soul, went swimming in the Pacific Ocean which has COLD WATER.  He survived...and even reported it was fun!!  

too cold for us!!

Yea...that's him splashing around!!

After hanging out on the beach we rode back to Venice where we ate a seafood lunch at Danny's Deli .  We can't come to the coast without getting a delicious seafood meal!!!  After a delicious meal we went site seeing via the car through Venice to the canals, through Beverly Hills where we stopped for the most amazing cup cakes at Crumb's Bakey, and back to West Hollywood.  After freshening up, we walked to Cabo Cantina for drinks and to watch Mexico beat the US in soccer...even though I'm not a soccer fan it was an awesome atmosphere.  Phillip then took us to the Griffith Observatory which is a spot with an absolutely stunning view of the entire city.  It also has a planetarium where we saw a show.  Following this we trekked downtown to one of Phillip's friends houses which was in the middle of the city.  We settled in on the roof where there was a large seating area and grill.  It was great to meet new people and get a feel for the city.

Sunday morning before we went site-seeing, we fueled up at the Griddle Cafe which had the widest variety and largest pancakes and french toast I have ever seen.  Philip got the red velvet pancake, Eli got the wholey moley pancake, and I got the apple French toast.  The amount we had could have fed a basketball team.  Philip then drove us all around to many places I cannot remember but to the highlights such as through Beverly Hills, on Hollywood Boulevard where we got out and saw the star walk.  Then we went to the Grove and farmer's market which is where the Cheesecake Factory is located and that is where Phillip works.  It was great to get a look at where the big TV shows and movies are created, where the bit events like the Oscars take place, and the area that so many aspiring and successful actors/actresses/photographers/film producers/etc live and work.  As with the other cities, we just got a snippet of the city but really enjoyed it.  It is always nice to have such a great host as Philip to help guide your tour.  While driving home and running through major traffic again...Eli and I decided big cities are great fun to visit but we like our more simple way of life in Napa...Virginia....and North Carolina!!!  

Family Time

The past two weekends we have been able to enjoy some family time, which is always a nice reprieve from the craziness that our weeks have become. With Katy working as the only Physical Therapist at the skilled nursing facility she is employed at, and my job as Program Manager for the City of Napa Parks and Recreation Summer Camps kicking into hyper speed, we have been very busy during our weeks. Last week I worked 50 hours and wanted someone to complain to a little bit, but then I realized that Katy had also worked that many hours, Mom, Dad, Josh, and Seth were all working at a middle school conference and working crazy hours, and then Brittany is working 12 hour shifts at the Emergency Room while she is about to burst as she nears the end of her pregnancy!

Aunt Cyndi flew into Napa on Friday, June 10th, and we started off our weekend with her  by grilling some salmon kebabs, frying some crab cakes, and serving up a homemade cheese cake prepared by Katy. It was a wonderful evening and we enjoyed sitting outside with a nice breeze and good conversation. 

Bennett Lane

Saturday we got up and headed north up Napa Valley. Our first stop was in Rutherford at the St. Helena Olive Oil Company where we sampled all different kinds of olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and pasta sauces. It was a delicious way to start our day and we walked out of there with all kinds of goodies. We then headed to the town of Calistoga where we grabbed lunch at Brannan's Grill before heading to some wineries. Our first winery we stopped at was  Bennett Lane, also in Calistoga. A lot of the wineries in the valley offer a Napa Valley Neighbors discount for their tastings, and so most of the places we went we were able to show proof that we lived in Napa and then receive our tastings for free. This was a huge benefit and even more reason for people to visit us in Napa as we are allowed guests for this discount!

Frank Family Vineyards

After going to Bennett Lane we stayed in Calistoga and went to one of the most well known wineries in the area, Frank Family Vineyards. Cyndi and I tasted their reserve selection, and even though I am a huge novice when it comes to wine, you could definitely tell a difference in the quality of their wines compared to other places. Most of the wine is exceptional in Napa Valley, so it is hard to compare the quality when you are constantly drinking top notch wines...but I do hope through some of these tasting experiences that Katy and I are developing more of a sense of what is considered "fine wines."

Our third stop was a boutique tasting room in St. Helena called A Dozen Vintners. Here we were able to sample a bottle from 12 different smaller scale wineries in the Valley. Our host was actually the co-owner of one of the vineyards whose wine we were sampling and was very friendly and knowledgeable, which made this an enjoyable stop. 

Our next winery we ventured to was  Markham, also in St. Helena. We were really having fun by this point and Cyndi actually gave our host a big hug at the end, and he in return gave us some posters of their winery, which is now hanging in our house. To top it off, they had good ice wine, which Cyndi purchased for us!

Beringer

Our last winery we visited was the largest producer of the day, Beringer. Beringer is actually located in Napa, and is only a 15 minute drive from our house.  We had no idea how close these vineyards were to our front door! After visiting Beringer, which sits on a gorgeous (not to mention huge) estate, we started to head home. 

On our way home I started not feeling well, and (I will spare the details) spent the rest of the evening cooped up in the house. While I admit that I had consumed a lot of wine, this was not being drunk but rather some type of food poisoning as the main thing that bothered me was severe stomach cramps. Cyndi and Katy went into Napa that evening and did a little shopping, but after a long day of wine sampling they kept it low key and called it a night early.

Andretti Winery

The next morning I was still not feeling 100% so Katy and Cyndi decided to go out and enjoy a few more wineries. They went to three, Etude, Robert Biale Vineyards, and Andretti Winery. All three of these places are in Napa and under 15 minutes from our house. While driving to the first stop Barlow, who went along for the ride along with Colby, decided to give Katy a heart attack as he jumped out of the car window in the middle of an intersection. Luckily there were people who stopped to help and held up traffic, because that could have been a very bad situation. Once safely back in the car Barlow acted as if everything were normal and it was just another sunny day. He has never done anything like that before, and we'll ensure he never does again, but it was quite a scare to start off the day! 

Robert Biale Vineyards...Cyndi's favorite because of their Black Chicken Red Zinfandel

Sunday evening Cyndi cooked an incredible dinner for us, something that seems impossible for her to avoid whenever she visits. She cut some twigs off our rosemary bush and used them as skewers for some mammoth scallops we had bought,  and then grilled them along with some zucchini. We also had a nice salad with a homemade dressing made from the balsamic vinegar we had purchased the day before. After enjoying another gorgeous evening outside and another wonderful meal we helped Cyndi get everything packed up and headed to bed. 

After spending the previous three weekends on the road it was nice to have a weekend at home with one of our favorite people. Cyndi is very knowledgeable on wines and so was the perfect companion for our first experience enjoying Napa Valley for what it is most commonly known for, wine! I can now say we have the most impressive wine collection we have ever had in our lives thanks to Cyndi!

Cyndi left Monday and I began my marathon week of work. We have a staff of 30 and I helped lead a three day training for our counselors and then Friday was our camp set-up. The week flew by as I was too busy to let it drag. 

Bradley playing third base

On Saturday Katy and I headed to Fresno to visit Aunt Sue, Tod, and Bradley (Uncle Jack was off on a road trip driving his Harley up to Oregon). Saturday afternoon we went to watch Bradley play some baseball, and we were able to see Austin, Bradley's half-brother, whom I had not seen since he was 6 (he is now 18). It was very nice to see him and catch up. He is now a firefighter and just landed his first job. After watching some baseball in  95 degree weather we went and ate dinner at  Japanese Steak House...delicious!

Me with Sue and Austin

Roxy giving me a kiss

Toby

Saturday evening and Sunday morning we spent a lot of time just visiting, which was very nice. Colby and Barlow joined us on our trip to Fresno and had a great time playing with Sue and Jack's two dogs, Roxie and Toby. It was another nice weekend with family and a great way to see a different area of California. Seth and I spent a summer living and working in Fresno while we were in high school, and so I have many fond memories of that area and it was very nice to be back and be with my wonderful family. This week Camp begins and the craziness continues, but then Katy and I will take off for Los Angeles on Friday to see our close family friend, Philip Holbrook, and enjoy another exciting weekend trip!

San Diego

We have had an eventful couple weeks.  After a wonderful trip to Bass Lake, last Thursday Eli and I walked back down to chef’s market.  Again there was a demonstration and wine pairing with this week’s learning how to make chocolate lace or other fun designs with chocolate to make your presentation of a dessert even better!  It was fun and the atmosphere of the live music and people gathering together is always a good time. 

Friday, we packed and got ready for our weekend because Saturday we hit the ground running.  Eli set our alarm clocks for 4:30 am, so we could drive to Oakland to catch our flight to San Diego.  My uncle Tim, was there to greet us and begin showing us around San Diego.  After driving through the city, we hopped from beach to beach from La Jolla all the way up to Encinitas which is where Tim and Edward live.  We saw all kinds of seals, kayakers, fishermen and surfers as well as lots of active people out enjoying the sunshine.  We lucked out on sun as the locals told us that there is often a May “gray” and a June “gloom,” so we were sure to soak up as much as possible.  We were surprised that it wasn’t hot in southern California.  It was about 70 and could get chilly on the water.  We were told that it really never gets hot there, but as you go inland, that is where it truly warms up.   Being from Virginia, I always think of sunny and hot California but that is not necessarily so!!  Once we got to Encinitas we enjoyed a delicious chili lunch made by Edward and got to meet Joey, a wire haired fox terrier who was extremely sweet.  After lunch, we toured Tim’s work which he is a yoga teacher at a fancy resort named La Costa and then went hiking around the Batiquitos Lagoon.  After our afternoon hike, Tim took a nap and Eli and I decided to go exploring and found a beach to do some hiking around on.   Saturday evening we went out to a lookout to see the sunset over the water and then ate at a local Mexican restaurant. Following dinner we went to Oceanside to walk on the pier and grab ice cream. 

We didn’t stay up too late partying as Tim had us up and at it to attend his yoga class at 7:30.  It was such a neat and relaxing experience to see him in action.  It was a great way to start the day.  After yoga, we went hiking down Torrey Pines to the beach. 

You start at the top where the famous golf course is situated and hike straight down the cliff.  At times a better word for this hike would be a controlled slide.  The sites were breathtaking and the experience was even neater as we had hang gliders zipping right over head.  At the bottom of the hike is a beach…a nude beach which I would have to say was my first experience on such a beach.  We found our own area and watched the ocean…clothed…as it was another beautiful beach day!  Once we rested, we hiked back up the cliff which was difficult but a little easier than the trip down.

Salk Institute

Since we were right next to it, we toured the outside of the Salk institute which is an architectural wonder built by the world renowned architect Louis Kahn back in the 1960s. The institute is one of the premier scientific research facilities in the world, doing cutting edge research on everything from stem cells to cancer treatments. Salk currently houses 3 Nobel Prize winners along with lots of other well known scholars and scientists. 

Following our hike, we cleaned up and then went to downtown San Diego to do walk through Balboa park.  It is a beautiful park that has lots of museums, art work, and interesting people situated throughout. We ate outside at the Prada and then made our way to the airport.  Eli and  I arrived back to Napa about 1am and then began the work week bright and early Monday morning.  It was a wonderful trip to see San Diego as well as spend some quality time with Tim, Edward, and Joey.  They were great hosts and showed us enough that we felt we got a good overview of San Diego and surrounding areas, but we definitely want to come back for more!