Last week in Napa

tasting at BV

On Monday night, July 25th, Josh arrived in California and we greeted him like we have most of our visitors, by going to In and Out to grab a burger and fries. Tuesday I only worked half a day and then met up with Josh so we could spend the rest of the day together enjoying Napa. We started off by grabbing a bite to eat at the Rutherford Grill, and then we headed over to the Beaulieu Vineyards tasting room to begin sampling some wine. I learned quick how nice it is to have Josh tagging along as our tasting was comped due to him being in the "industry." Josh works part time at King Family Vineyards in Crozet, Virginia in the tasting room. Due to this, Josh is able to use his business card showing that he works in the wine industry to gain himself (and me) free sampling of wine. After leaving BV we headed over to one of my favorite spots, the St. Helena Olive Oil Company, where we did some shopping. We then drove north up the valley towards Calistoga and went to Sterling Vineyards where we rode an aerial tram up to the vineyards and were able to enjoy the stunning views of Napa Valley that being at Sterling provides. We did a self guided tour with tastings of Sterling's various wines along the way. Our final stop of the afternoon was at Mumm. Mumm, which was the 17th and last vineyard I would visit while in Napa, will definitely go down as one of my favorites. Mumm produces sparkling wines, and not only do they have delicious wines, they also have a wonderful patio with gorgeous views to sit on and enjoy their wine. It was a nice end to mine and Josh's afternoon together. All in all we saved $136 by having Josh's industry discount! So, my advice to anyone interested in visiting Napa...start working at a vineyard before you make the trip!

view from Sterling

Sparkling wine at Mumm

Once back home after our afternoon of wine drinking, we loaded up a cooler with picnic supplies, grabbed Katy and the dogs, and then headed down to Dillon Beach. Once again there was a drastic change in weather between Napa and the coast. When we left Napa it was 88 degrees and sunny, when we got to the coast an hour later it was 60 degrees and overcast! We hung out on the coast for a while, eating dinner and letting the dogs run and swim before calling it a night.

On Wednesday we started off the morning by going to one of mine and Katy's favorite spots to grab a bite to eat, Sweetie Pie's. After breakfast, Katy took off for work and Josh tagged along with me to run some errands before I dropped him off with some friends and I headed to work. One of Josh's co-workers from King Family Vineyards, Judy, happened to be in Napa as well, so her and Josh had decided to team up and visit some wineries together. While Katy and I were at work they visited several wineries where they had private tours set up. Judging from their stories and the pictures we saw, they had a wonderful time. 

Bone Marrow!

After Katy and I got off work we met up with Josh and went downtown to eat dinner at a place called Morimotos. Masaharu Morimoto is a famous Japanese chef who was the very first Iron Chef. He is famous for fusing western cuisine with Japanese style foods. We ended up being at the restaurant for over three hours and had one of the most incredible meals I have ever eaten. We started off by ordering a couple rolls of sushi and some Japanese beer. After our sushi we ordered bone marrow...that's right....bone marrow that is cooked and served still in the bone! We were a little skeptical, but willing to branch out and try it, and we sure are glad we did because it was delicious! For our entrees I got ishi yaki buri bop, which is yellowtail over rice that is cooked in front of you in a hot stone bowl...it was incredible! Josh got a pork chop that was served with kimchee, bacon, and ginger apple puree. Katy ordered a whole roasted lobster with garam masala and lemon creme fraiche. Everyone's meal was delicious. We were having such a good time that we decided to ignore our full stomachs and order desert. We ordered doughnuts that were served with Japanese molasses, lavender honey, lavender sugar, green tea sugar, lime sugar, and soy bean sugar to dip the doughnuts in. Once again, delicious! Katy and I have been able to experience some excellent restaurants while living in Napa, but this one definitely wins the prize!

On Thursday we did the same deal, Katy and I took off for work and Josh met up with Judy to spend the day visiting wineries. Josh went to the Black Stallion Winery and then visited one of our favorites, the Robert Biale Vineyards. After work we met up with Josh and walked downtown to enjoy the Chef's Market and grab a bite to eat. We got some drinks and some pizza and walked around enjoying all the different booths, especially the food booths that we could sample from! We then walked over to one of our favorite Napa spots, the Oxbow market, where we grabbed some ice cream from Three Twins Ice Cream (which rivals Kline's Dairy Bar in Staunton, its that good!).

Friday was both mine and Katy's last days of work. Katy had a stressful three months, working long hours as the only full time physical therapist at Golden Living Nursing Home. She loved her patients and got very close to some of them, but the reality of how money driven our health care system is was hard for her to take and the company she was a part of was not very supportive, so while it was a good experience for her in some regards, she was also happy to see it come to an end and know that soon we'd be back in Virginia with family and friends. My experience working as a program manager for the city of Napa summer programs was a wonderful experience in many ways, one being all the great people I had the pleasure of working with. It was a tough day saying goodbye to some of the good friends I had made over the past three months.

Josh visited the Kunde Family Estate in Sanoma on Friday.

Friday afternoon we finished packing the house up and loading the cars, and then we headed to Oakland to meet up with some of our California family, Tod and Bradley, to catch the Oakland A's play the Minnesota Twins. It was very nice being able to see Tod and Bradley one last time, and while the game wasn't the most exciting of ball games, the fireworks afterwards were great!





So, after three months and trips to San Francisco, San Diego, Lake Tahoe, Fresno, Los Angeles, Yosemite, a 400 mile road trip on Highway 1, and various day trips through Napa and Sanoma, we'll soon be saying goodbye to California. While we loved our time here we are anxious to start our trek home to see our new niece, Kylie, along with all our other friends and family who are waiting on us. Virginia, here we come!

Kylie Ruth!!!

The moment our whole family has been anxiously waiting for...Kylie Ruth Lovell was born in the early morning hours on Tuesday, July 26th. Josh, Katy, and I had a restless nights sleep here on the other side of the country, all wishing we could be there to welcome Kylie into the world. We were able to skype with Kylie today and so were able to see her with Seth and Brittany. Even though we have yet to meet her face to face, we are all in love already! One more week and we will be back in Virginia and will be able to hold that precious girl.

A bittersweet weekend

Hot Air balloons right outside from where I work...a daily sight!

Last week Mom and Dad were supposed to fly in to Napa to spend a week visiting Katy and myself. However, since Kylie was a week late arriving to this world, they cancelled their flight as they did not want to miss the birth of their first grandchild. Katy and I were very upset that we would have to wait a little while longer to see Mom and Dad as it has already been over six months since we last saw them. However, we definitely understand and cannot wait ourselves to be home home just so we can see that precious baby.....whenever she decides to arrive.

On Friday Katy got good news as she interviewed for a job just outside of Charlottesville at an outpatient clinic and was offered the position the same day. That same afternoon we received word that Katy would be inducted into the Lee High School Sports Hall of Fame! So, despite the disappointment of not getting our expected visitors, we did receive some good news that day!

The next morning we were supposed to be meeting my boss, Angel, and some of my co-workers, Nikki and Taylor, for brunch, but when we arrived at the restaurant we were blindfolded and led down a city block to the Napa Valley Wine Train where Angel and my staff had booked us a reservation. We could not believe it! The Wine Train is a well known tourist attraction in the valley and one we had talked about doing, but never got around to. This is a perfect example of the amazing people I have had the opportunity to work with this summer. So, for the next several hours Katy and I enjoyed a train ride in an old refurbished locomotive all the way up the valley to Calistoga while drinking wine and dining on gourmet cuisine. Katy had seared Ahi Tuna and I  had a vegetarian dish with roasted peppers stuffed with yams, snap pea ravioli, and grilled zucchini. The best part however was an amazing appetizer plate that was piled with all kinds of delicious foods. The views were wonderful and the company even better. Katy and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and could not get over the fact of how sweet the people I work with are to do something like this for us.

That evening we walked back to the downtown and ate dinner at Carpe Diem...which was incredible. Katy had a spicy calamari and chorizo dish while I had a grilled flat bread topped with smoked chicken and chorizo, mushrooms, zucchini, caramelized onions, marinara, and cave aged gruyere, all of which is topped with an organic Sonoma coast duck egg! To drink we had some watermelon wheat beer from a popular Micro-Brewery in San Francisco called 21st Amendment.


On Sunday Katy and I drove to Benziger Winery in Sonoma and took an hour tour and tasting of the estate. It is a very cool place and definitely worth checking out if ever in this area. We had a great time and appreciated the recommendation from Dave and Sherry who went there while they were out visiting us.

That night we had dinner with Angel and her family. One of my closest friends from work, Isaias, was also there. We had a very nice time visiting with each other and I am so glad Katy got to spend some quality time with some of the people I have gotten so close to over the past three months.

So, despite missing Mom and Dad, it was a nice weekend with good news and some fun times. Tomorrow, Monday July 25th, we will pick up Josh from the airport and we will also start our last work week in Napa. This too will be a bittersweet experience as we have so greatly enjoyed this time, but are ready to be back home with friends and family.

Camp SPF Staff

Ron and Jess head to California :)

We picked Ron and Jess up last Thursday evening and headed straight to In and Out Burger for a late dinner which looks like it has become a tradition with all our visitors.  We got to catch up a bit but with work quickly approaching and a long day of traveling we all hit the sack.  Friday, while Eli and I headed to work, they took off exploring Napa going to the Rutherford Grill, the Sterling Winery, and the Silverado Vineyard to begin their trip.  Once Eli and I got off of work we fixed vegetable tostadas and then went downtown for delicious Three Twins Ice Cream and music.  Luckily there was a fire to stand in front of because it was cold.  As Ron and Jess had just left 102 degree Virginia weather, they were not used to the cool, crisp California evenings but did not seem to mind.

Saturday morning we got up early and headed to Vallejo where we hopped on the ferry to San Francisco.  Once we got there and drank our coffee we walked down a few piers to do the Alcatraz tour which was home to the famous federal penitentiary known as "the Rock" from 1934 to 1963 as well as previously being a military prison and later spent time being occupied by Native Americans.  You hop on a  ferry which takes you to the island which is about a mile and a half away from the city.  There are many different things you can do on the island but we watched an informational video and did the audio tour which takes you all through the prison including D-Block which was the isolation area for the most disruptive inmates.  The audio was incredible and did a great job giving a detailed overview of Alcatraz.  I cannot and do not ever want to imagine life on Alcatraz.  After our tour it was already 1 in the afternoon, so we headed back into the city and sought after their famous bread bowls from Boudin Bakery.  This was Ron and Jess's first bread bowls and like us, they were instantly in love!  After eating, we waddled around the city and up lots of hills to Ron's highlight of the day, The Beat Museum.  Ron and Jessica took the tour as Eli and I looked through the shop and walked around exploring.  After the museum we hiked up to Coit Tower to get a look out of the city and then headed back on the ferry.

 

Once back in Napa, we went to Vintage Sweet Shoppe where they do a chocolate and wine tasting.  Most importantly here, we found out that Jessica's favorite was the sauvignon blanc!  That evening we spent playing cards and chatting for hours.

Sunday, we cannot take credit as Jessica planned our day!  We slept in a bit and then headed into Sonoma Valley to do a horseback riding tour at the Kunde Family Estate.  It was an hour tour which took you all over the property and to beautiful look outs of the valley.  Our horses and guide were great.  Immediately following the horseback riding we drove down the road to the rest of their property to do the Mountain Top Tour.  They shuttled us to the highest point on the property where you could see the vineyards on the property, the neighboring mountains, and you could even see as far as the San Pablo Bay.  It was a picture perfect day with beautiful sites and even better company.  Once we came down from the top we picnicked at Kunde and then headed back to Napa.  After cleaning up we did some more fine dining at Rotisserie and Wine which was founded by the famous chef, Tyler Florence.  It is a recently built restaurant that sits right on the river and offers a small but delicious menu.  After dinner, we played the game Farkle.  Jessica had a strong come from behind victory over all of us in which we saw her sweet dance moves!! :)

On Monday, Eli and I headed once again to work while Ron and Jessica headed north to Calistoga to see fainting goats!  There is a geyser the erupts every 40 minutes and there are goats that will faint.  The only problem is now the goats are used to the geyser and to people so they rarely faint...unfortunately we will not be getting a Christmas card with Ron and Jessica lying down next to the fainting goats.  The rest of the day they ate at a Mexican restaurant and did some more site-seeing around Napa.  Once Eli and I got home, we made eggplant and zucchini lasagna and enjoyed their company for the evening.  We tried to head to bed early as Tuesday was an early morning taking them to the airport in San Francisco.  It was hard to say goodbye as it was an amazing trip in which we just had the best time.  The good thing is we will see them in under two weeks on the EAST coast!!!

Lake Tahoe

Mom and Dad arrived this past Thursday evening for another fun weekend!  As San Francisco is a nightmare to navigate around rush hour, we had them hop on the local transit to pick them up.  On our way home Thursday evening we stopped to eat at one of the California staples, In and Out Burger, which literally just has burgers, fries, and shakes.  The pull is that everything is fresh and local.  The potatoes are peeled on sight....but yes, it is still fast food...but oh-so delicious!!!  As their flight had gotten delayed due to fog in Virginia we didn't get home until late so my poor folks were up almost 24 hours by the time we hit the sack that night.   

Sadly, Eli and I still had to work Friday, but my folks were able to experience Napa valley driving the Silverado trail and looping back down route 29.  They stopped by the Silverado Vineyard to sight see, but tasted at the Sterling vineyard which they told us was wonderful.  You take an aerial tram up to the tasting room which looks out over the valley and offers stunning views as well as top notch wine.  From there they went to the Rutherford Grill for lunch and then did the olive oil tasting at St. Helena Olive Oil Company.  By that time, I was done with work (yay) and ready to join the party.  When Eli got off of work we ate crab cakes, corn on the cob, and fruit salad while sitting outside enjoying good conversation.  After dinner, we decided to walk downtown.  My folks got a kick out of all the redwood trees, palm trees, and interesting houses along the walk.  After seeing the town we walked over First Street to the Oxbow Market where we got the second best ice cream (2nd to Klines Dairy Bar in Virginia) I have had at Three Twins Organic Ice Cream.  As we walked home we saw lots of people out and about as well as live music coming from different outdoor venues around Napa.

Saturday morning we got up and moving.  We headed back downtown for breakfast at the Napa General Store.  After breakfast and looking through the cute shop, we headed east to South Lake Tahoe.  It was about a 3 hour drive.  When we arrived to the Horizon hotel we realized our room on the 8th floor had a great view of the lake and the SNOW capped mountains!!!  It was beautiful.  The weather was in the low 80's and the views were amazing.  We decided to walk to the water and found an outdoor restaurant right on the beach that we could sit to have a drink, appetizer, chat and get an up-close look of the lake.  After walking back to the hotel and cleaning up, Mom and I drug Eli and Dad through all the shops.  One stood out as it was a botique that offered comfy couches with free wine, beer and cookies for the men to sip on as the ladies shopped...what an excellent marketing idea!  Finally, we went to a fine dine and wine restaurant, Kalani's, which served Hawaiian cuisine...it was some amazing food.  I think all of our plates were cleaned dry when we were done.  We capped the evening off with some local wine in our hotel.

The view from our room...

Sunday morning we got up and headed to Zephr Cove for the M.S. Dixie II site seeing cruise on Lake Tahoe.  It was a 2 hour tour that offered a scenic tour of part of the lake.  We lucked out with  a sunshine filled day and front row seats to view the blue water and mountains that sit right along the lake.  Following our cruise, we drove to Emerald Bay to a few scenic look out points.  Following all our site-seeing adventures, we drove home and faced California traffic once again!!  I lucked out and caught a snooze in the car but poor Eli got stuck facing traffic once again.  When we got back our pups were very happy so we took them as well as Mom and Dad on the Brown's Valley hike that overlooks Napa and then we went out to eat at a local Chinese restaurant.  After being absolutely exhausted we hit the sack.

On Monday, once again Eli and I worked, and Mom and Dad decided to explore Sonoma Valley.  They went on an hour and a half tour at the Benziger Winery which from their report was a must do!!  This is a winery that is a step above organic as it has a whole biodynamic system.  They tasted 7 different wines including several from the reserve list and were given a tour of the cave as well as out in the vineyards.  Following their tour they went into Sonoma to eat lunch at the Red Grape and buy local cheese for our dinner.  It was great when I got off of work to see my parents waiting on me.  We really just relaxed Monday night eating cheese, crackers, pepperoni, fresh fruit and drinking wine they got from the day.  We all talked for hours and once we realized it was after 11, we headed to bed.  

Tuesday, Eli went to work and I dropped my folks off.  It was sad to say goodbye but not too sad as we get to see them again in less than a month when we head back to Virginia!!!  Eli and I both worked long days today and have begun getting ready for our next visitors, Ron and Jessica.....we can't wait!!! :)