Day 2 Napa Valley/Sonoma Valley

Neither Eric nor I slept well the first night of our trip. Our air conditioner was not working so it was very warm in our room. On our way out in the morning I requested that maintenance get the problem fixed while we were out for the day. Leaving Fairfield we headed west on Highway 12 until we reached Sonoma. We parked near the city square and walked around Sonoma to get a feel for the town. We went inside Sonoma Cheese Factory. They had free samples of assortments of cheeses. Everything I tasted was delightful. Eric and I considered purchasing items for a picnic lunch (meat, cheese, olives, and wine). After some more thought we decided against it since we would need plates, knives, glasses, and a corkscrew. That all was going to add up. Instead we walked down the block a little further and had lunch at The Girl and the Fig. We each had a glass of Hahn Syrah and a salami and brie baguette. The baguette was served with red onion confit, sherry mustard and a side of delicious bean salad. The wine was outstanding.
Following lunch we hit the road heading north out of Sonoma toward Glen Ellen. We toured Benziger Family Winery. The tour consists of a tractor-drawn tram ride through some of the vineyards, a walk through the cave, and a wine-tasting. We stopped several times on the ride for information about the winery, to pick grapes from the vines to taste, and to check out the area where the grapes are fermented. The cave is where the barrels of wine are stored. Wine needs to be stored at a constant fairly cool temperature, so caves are a cheaper alternative for storage for the vineyards. We tasted six different wines, and I found a chardonnay that I really liked (2006 Reserve Chardonnay). With our purchase of the tour we were given a coupon for free tastings for two at Imagery Estate Winery just down the road. It was not on my list of stops, but I am not one to pass up a good deal so we decided to check it out. I was happy that we did because we were able to taste eight different wines and they were all wonderful. Some of our favorites were Wow Oui, Viognier, Sangiovese, Malbec, and Dragon’s Leaf Red.
There were so many places I wanted to stop, but was unable because of the vineyards all closing between 4:30 – 6:00. We made quick stops without going in at Chateau St. Jean and Ledson Winery and Vineyards. They were both beautiful. We then left Sonoma Valley and drove east into Napa Valley. The drive over the mountains was stunning.
Our next stop was in the town of St. Helena (pronounced Saint Hel-een-uh). Our stops in this charming little town included: Beringer Vineyards, The Culinary Institute of America, and St. Helena Olive Oil Company. After checking out CIA, Eric thought it might be a good idea for us to head out west for him to attend school there. At St. Helena Olive Oil Company we tried an assortment of olive oils as well as marinara and barbeque sauces. Just south of St. Helena was V. Sattui Winery. We sampled some fantastic wines while Eric solicited advice from the pourer. It worked well for us, because we were able to try several of the reserve wines that we had not paid for. Unfortunately, V. Sattui does not sell their wines in restaurants or shops – the only places to get them is at the winery so we purchased a bottle of 2006 Syrah. Before leaving we stopped at their gourmet deli for a late-afternoon snack of salami, smoked Gouda, smoked cheddar, and a fresh baguette. We ate our snack at the picnic tables located in front of the winery beside the vineyard.
On the road again we drove on in to Napa and walked around parts of the town we had missed the night before while looking for dinner options for the evening. As we contemplated our decision we went back to Downtown Joe’s for some beers. We sat on the patio again and after a while we ended up having dinner there. Following Joe’s we drove to our hotel to try to finish the movie we started the night before. When we got there we were disappointed to find out that our air conditioner had not be fixed so I had to call the front desk and request a new room. We packed everything up and moved to a nice cool room. After getting settled we started the movie. Eric made it through this time around, but I did not.

Day 1 Napa Valley/San Francisco

Eric and I were in Napa/Sonoma and San Francisco October 16-19. I did not have classes on Thursday or Friday so we went on a short vacation. Thursday morning we got around, dropped the kids off at Mystic Acres, and headed to the airport. It seemed like we got to the airport in plenty of time, but by the time the bus picked us up from economy and dropped us at the terminal - our flight was already boarding. While checking our bags we were told that our chances of them making it were 50/50 because they were so late. That's is always wonderful to hear. On the plane the flight attendants were making their announcements and kept saying the correct flight number, but for the destination they said Los Angeles. We weren’t too concerned because we figured we must just have a connecting flight. The closer we got to California the more nervous we became that maybe somehow we ended up on the wrong flight. At no point had anyone said anything about a transfer. I just kept thinking that the trip was going to end up being a disaster. Finally (I think we might have even landed in L. A.) a flight attendant made an announcement that anyone headed on to San Francisco should stay seated because the flight would be on the same plane. I was so relieved. The flight from L. A. to San Fran was short. After we landed in San Fran we found out it actually was our lucky day. Our luggage made it. We collected our bags and picked up the rental car. I was the navigator and Eric was the driver so I directed him towards Napa by way of the Bay Bridge. It was around 4:00 so traffic was not pleasant, but not terrible. I was hoping we would make it to the Napa area in enough time to visit a vineyard and start some wine tasting (most of the vineyards close at 5:00). Much to our dismay we came to a stand still just a few miles out of Napa. There must have been a big wreck. The funny part was after we sat in traffic for probably 30-45 minutes (just as we arrived to the intersection that was full of fire trucks, police cars, an ambulance, and tow trucks) it was our turn to cross and all of the vehicles pulled away. I had to laugh. Although that was some bad luck, I figured we had probably used all of our good luck for the day on making our correct flight and getting our luggage. We walked around Napa and I consulted Frommer’s to find location for a tasty libation. We decided on Downtown Joe’s. Eric and I sat outside on the patio so that we could enjoy the beautiful evening. He had some IPAs and I had some Black and Tans. After a few beers and an appetizer of spinach dip we walked across the street to have dinner. Frommer’s recommended a tapas place called ZuZu. The restaurant was very small and had a cute little balcony dining room where we sat. Eric and I ordered a carafe of sangria and five different types of tapas. Two of the dishes we enjoyed were: Moroccan Barbecue Glazed Rack of Lamb with Mint and Red Curry Oil and Niman Ranch Grass Fed Flat-Iron Steak with Roasted Jalapeno Chimichurri. The other three dished featured: duck confit, albondigas, and peppers with garlic cloves. Our dining experience was enjoyable. After dinner we wandered back to the car and drove east to Fairfield where our hotel was. Our hotel room overlooked a pretty courtyard so we decided since it was still fairly early it would be a good idea to go purchase some drinks and have them in the courtyard. Eric’s phone had GPS (which saved us several times) so we looked up a liquor store and followed the directions. Before we went up to our room we stopped in the lobby of our hotel and rented a movie, “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.” We didn’t make it down to enjoy our drinks in the open air; instead we decided to watch the movie and have a drink in our room. I guess we were pretty tired because we fell asleep shortly after we started the movie.

No phone, no phone

Effective Tuesday, October 7th Eric and I will no longer have a home telephone. We rarely use that phone so we have decided to have it disconnected. If you would like to reach us by phone please try us on our cell phones. If you need the numbers, just send us an email and we will get them to you.

Weekend-O-Fun

The second weekend in August Alex and Tasha came to visit us. We had a fun-filled weekend. I should have made this post when the events were fresher in my mind, as now that I'm trying to remember what we did, I'm finding it difficult.

On Saturday we started out with lunch at Jose Pepper's. In my humble opinion, Jose Pepper's has some of the best margaritas in the area. I never eat there without having at least two margaritas to accompany my meal. From there we went up to Legends (a shopping/restaurant area up by the speedway). We stopped at Yardhouse to have a beer while we waited for our movie time to arrive. We watched The Dark Knight at the theater at Legends. It was a very cool movie. I would have to say that I like Batman Begins better though. After the movie we went to The Woodlands and bet on the dog races. I do not think I have ever done as poorly as I did that night. I don't think I won a single race. I tried looking at stats, picking the prettiest dog, deciding on my favorite name, nothing would work. Even though I didn't win, I had a great time. After the races we went back to Yardhouse to have dinner before calling it a night.

On Sunday we had lunch at Planet Sub followed by dessert at Sylas and Maddy's. I had the cappuccino chip ice cream. It was delicious. Sunday afternoon we went downtown to the Power and Light district. We bowled at Lucky Strike for a few hours. I love the atmosphere there, it is very retro. We had a drink at Ragland Road before heading to the plaza for dinner. We were hungry for Japanese steakhouse so we tried out Hibachi. It was glad that we tried it, but I probably won't go back there since there are several others that I like better. Following dinner we drove out to Cool Crest for a round of putt-putt. We got there fairly close to closing time so we were rushed. Mack's ball went off the green at one point, so he tried to chip in with his putter. His ball went completely off the course and bounced out of the parking lot so the rest of us took turns letting him use one of our balls. A few rounds later I hit my ball and it disappeared. I think it must have stuck in one of the obstacles. So then the four of us tried to use two balls. It was pretty amusing. We ended up getting rushed out since it was closing time. We weren't ready to go home yet so we went back to P&L. We had a few drinks at Gordon Biersch Brewery. I guess I should clarify that Eric, Alex, and Tasha had a few drinks, I only had one. I ordered a wheat beer. I thought it was pretty gross so it took me longer to finish my drink. That was our last stop of the day.

Monday we didn't do much since Alex and Tasha had to go home. We had a hard time deciding where to have lunch, so we ended up going to one of our usual spots Buffalo Wild Wings. After that we ran to Costco and Sam's Club to stock up on groceries and other household goods. We tried to talk Alex and Tasha into sticking around for a movie, but didn't have any luck.

Big News

After much careful consideration I have decided to go back to school full time. I gave my notice at work over a week ago. My last day at Metcalf Bank will be on August 13th. School starts on the 14th. I will be attending JCCC for as long as I can, then I will transfer to KU. I hope to be all finished within 2 years. This was a huge decision and something we have been contemplating for a long time. The timing seemed right, so I went ahead and made the plunge. Please send good thoughts our way that all goes smooth.

Vegas Baby! - Part Four

Sunday was our last full day in Vegas, "sob." We originally planned on renting a car and driving out to Hoover Dam. We didn't ever get around to going though. By the time we got up and around, it was lunch time. We decided to go to Stage Deli for lunch. Eric and I had just eaten at Stage Deli in New York and it was awesome, so we (Eric, Alex, Tasha, and me) decided to try the one at Caesar's. We walked around, took a wrong turn or two in the forum shops and eventually found the restaurant. The menu was different from the one in NYC. Our sandwiches were still delicious. They don't fool around when they put the meat on their sandwiches. After we stuffed ourselves we headed back to our casino to meet Brian and Lynnae. Eric and Alex were jonesing to get back on the Black Jack table so when they found some empty seats they jumped at them. Brian sat down with them. The three of us girls played the slot machines for a while. All the machines were doing for me was stealing my money, and I couldn't even find a cocktail waitress to get me a free drink. The other two were doing well with the slots though. I got bored of losing money and not having a beverage so I went to watch the guys play Black Jack. After a while I realized what was wrong. I hadn't had my daily mudslide yet. When Tasha and Lynnae showed up we strolled over to Fat Tuesday. With mudslide in hand, my day took a turn for the better. I eventually sat down with the boys to play Black Jack. After several hours I noticed I was still up. We had a fun table which made it even better. I dreaded each time we got a new dealer because it took them a while to warm up to us. They all eventually did though. Brian left after a while and Eric, Alex, and me played. Eventually I decided I wanted to get something to eat so Eric and I got up from the table. Alex was still winning so he didn't want to get up. Eric, Tasha, and me were watching him play, just waiting for him to call it quits. One of the dealers took a few chips from Alex's stack and had Tasha play with them. She starting winning too. So before long Eric and I sat back down to play. Finally at about 10:00 we decided to take a break and get some dinner. All four of us cashed out with way more chips than we started with. We went to La Salsa for some margaritas and chips and salsa. After dinner Eric and Alex found a new Black Jack table. This one didn't feel right to me so I didn't sit back down. My feeling was right. The two of them took a beating. All too soon I had to go upstairs to pack, as we were leaving fairly early the next morning. About the time I finished packing Eric came upstairs to our room. The next morning we all climbed in a limo for a ride to the airport. We said our goodbyes since we were flying different airlines so we had different terminals to go to. This Vegas trip was one of the most fun trips to Vegas we have ever had. I wasn't ready to come home and I'm looking forward to the next trip.

Vegas Baby! - Part Three

Saturday marked day three of our trip. Before we left the hotel, I filled the bathtub up with ice for our drinks that went untouched the night before. We kicked off Saturday like we did the day before, with a mudslide from Fat Tuesday. From there the six of us headed south on the strip. We stopped at MGM to pick up our tickets for Kà that night. Once we had our tickets we walked across the street to NY, NY for some lunch. Before the trip I checked frommers.com for ideas for good restaurants. Jodi Maroni's Sausage Kingdom received good ratings so most of the group decided on that for lunch. I had the Hot Italian Sausage with grilled onions and bell peppers. I was quite pleased, especially with how cheap it was. Before we went further south to Mandalay Bay, I stopped at the pretzel stand to finish up my meal with a warm soft salted pretzel. It was delicious. We made a few pit stops for beverages and to play the slots on our way to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. The aquarium was something different for us to do while in Vegas. There were some neat fish and scurry-looking sharks. The sea turtles were my favorites though. I had a hard time getting any good pictures while we were there, because the fish swam by so fast. Following the aquarium we slowly made our way back to our hotel to prepare for the evening's festivities. Eric, Alex, Tasha, and myself got fixed up and loaded up with cocktails for Kà. Before we entered the theater we stopped at the concession stand inside. We each ordered one of their specialty drinks that were approximately 32 ounces and $18.00 each. Yes they were expensive, but man were they tasty. The show was absolutely amazing. To give you a little taste of what we saw, here is a link to the website, http://www.ka.com/. Once the show came to an end, we headed towards the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, where we had made reservations the day before, to meet Brian and Lynnae for dinner. The restaurant is pretty high-class and has quite a view of the strip. Our meals were wonderful. I think everyone ordered a steak, although of various sorts. We all had a great time. We were probably a little too rowdy for the rest of the crowd at the restaurant. We told the waiter that we were celebrating a birthday so at the end of dinner Tasha got a desert that had, "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate on the plate. On our way back to the hotel we paused outside for some photos beside the fountain. After we all got changed into casual clothes we were ready for a late night of gambling. The six of us got separated at some point. After a while, Eric and Alex found a craps table to play at. When almost all for their buy-in was gone a man came up to them and started to give them advice on how to bet. They followed his instructions and before they knew it, they each had a big pile of chips in front of them. I'm not sure how much time passed, but even after giving the guy several of their chips they ended up way ahead of where they started. While this was going on Tasha and I were getting really creeped out. It seemed like someone stuck a sign over our heads that said, "Weird guys, come talk to us." So, we were ready to have Eric and Alex be near us so we could be left alone. Eventually we headed back to our rooms. The girls decided to go to bed, but Eric and Alex went back downstairs to play Black Jack for a while. They played for a few hours and both went to bed up quite a bit for the day.
One more day to go.