Friends Visit

Tee and Mike, our Prudence Island friends, arrived on Monday evening, the 29th. As we shared some local wine, cheese, smoked salmon, and salami we were engaged in random conversations and a lot of catching up. 

Our conversation and attention eventually turned to a discussion on which vineyards to visit. With hundreds to choose from this was not an easy task. Tuesday morning came quickly and we were off with a general plan and a few locations in mind. First we headed to Big John's Market and deli for sandwiches and then we were off... Dry Creek Valley was the direction of choice and only 10 minutes away. 

First stop, Fritz Underground Winery, a small tasting room located at the entrance of a wine cave. We were the only ones there so our tasting guide was free to socialize and share a great deal of information with us. 

Then on to Francis Ford Coppola perhaps one of

 the most popular tasting rooms in the Healdsburg area. This is not only a winery but a complete complex that includes a movie gallery full of memorabilia, a restaurant, swimming pool, boccie courts and of course plenty of retail options with a great assortment of items for purchase. The main tasting room has one of the largest tasting bars I have seen. 

 Next stop... LUNCH! 

The sunny terrace overlooking the Sbragia Family Vineyard was the perfect spot. We took our tasting glasses out with us and enjoyed a relaxing lunch.






We ended the afternoon with a stop at Ferrari-Carano Winery. We were sorry that we made this our last stop once we found out that earlier in the day they offered tours of the estate. The grounds and mansions were beautiful and must be an enjoyable take-in. And the wines were great too! 

This one will definitely be on our list for next time.

Enjoying our time together

Kim and Verdine were able to spend a few days with us after Christmas so off we went to explore new vineyards and other local areas mother nature provided. 

Armstrong Redwoods State Park (December 27)

Nothing like a leisurely walk through a giant redwood forest after lunch on a sunny winter afternoon. This reserve is located in Guerneville, a small town just south of Healdsburg. It has several hiking paths and trails through the woods. We opted for the easiest and shortest path. What a great place to spend a day with a picnic lunch! 

No matter where you go within 30 miles of Healdsburg you are at the door step of another great vineyard. On the way home, as we drove through the Russian River Valley, we decided to stop at one just as they were closing the gates. With a promise to do a "speed tasting" the gates were opened for us to pass. 

HKG Estate Wines

Great stop... great wines... we'll be back!

As Sunday rolled around we were sad to see Kim and Verdine go but knew they would be back in a few weeks. This was one of the best parts of this entire trip... knowing we would see them soon.

And now the rest of the Christmas Story!

 After a very laid back morning... up late... pork pie for breakfast at 11:00... present sharing... and lots of laughs. 

Time to start cooking!
It was a bit of a challenge. We had to plan things out and take turns in the kitchen. Small space and small stove.
Verdine made his "award winning" brine soaked turkey. (Well we all agreed that it should win an award.) And his very popular gluten free biscuits. I made prime rib, veggies and roasted potatoes. Kim prepared and kept the appetizers flowing, everything from cheese and crackers to locally smoked salmon. 

And Russ ate! Hum... maybe he drank a little bit too!




In between cooking there were nok hockey tournaments and plenty of cocktails. 






After an afternoon of prepping it was time to eat! We probably started to eat around 5 with steamed mussels and finished around 8:30 with flour-less chocolate cake. Dinner was enjoyed by all. 

Then it was off to the hot tub for the kids!

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
To all of our friends and family...

What a great day so far. 

We've had a very laid back day with Kim & Verdine and 2 of their friends. Kim's friend Nicole has joined us for Christmas for the 3 time. She arrived last night for Christmas Eve dinner (details to come) and stayed over to share dinner with us today. Eji, Kim's friend Becca, from home's boyfriend came this morning. No one should be alone for Christmas. Becca flew back to RI to see her family, Eji just started a new job so he had to stay behind to work. 

Searching for good seafood

Each year we are away for Christmas and in a new location we find ourselves searching for a place to buy good seafood for Christmas Eve. This year was no different. The week before the holiday we began asking around for a good seafood market every said the same thing... you need to go to the coast. Since the coast was somewhat out of the way, maybe an hours ride, we decided their had to be something closer. So all leads led to Santa Rosa, only 30 minutes away. Once we had finally locate a fresh seafood market we figured we were all set... hmm! not quite. We found out that live crabs were going to be hard to find. This market did not have any when we were they but the captain/owner promised he would have them for Christmas but it was closed on Monday or Tuesday. We decided that buying and cooking the crabs in sauce on Wednesday, Christmas Eve, was cutting it close so on Tuesday we set out on a wild goose chase (or I should say a wild live crab chase) in between our other grocery shopping. At each stop we got another lead to another store that was sure to have them. After the forth or fifth store, I lost count, we gave in and decided we would have to go back to Santa Rosa early Wednesday morning to get the "live" crabs.

Russ and I left early to get there when they opened, so we thought. The line was already out the door and we were taking numbers. While I stood in line Russ surveyed what was happening in the side parking lot. They were steaming the live crabs in giant vats. BUT he was also able to buy them "live". With a smile on his face he came back to meet me in line and was happy to announce the "mission was accomplished". Now we just had to wait to get inside for the rest of the fish, 20 minutes later we were on our way back home.
We had achieved our goal and would once again celebrate Christmas Eve with 7 fishes.

1. Scallops
2. Shrimp
3. Stuffed squid
4. Giant crabs and sauce
5. Whole rock fish - cooked on the grill
6. Giant oysters
7. Smoked salmon - this was a specialty of the fish market smoked on site... delicious!

Getting Ready

This week is all about getting ready for the holiday.

• First we need to find a good fish market - check
• Filling the refrigerator - working on it
• Buying presents - in progress
• Oh yeah, time for more wine tasting - got it

This week's excursion brought us to SBRAGIA. What a great place for a picnic... the view is awesome. 

From there we went to Manzinita Creek. This was a bit strange since we were in their warehouse but if you like zinfindel this is what they are noted for.



 

Rain Rain Go Away

We have been here 2 weeks and have had 2 days with only a few hours of NO RAIN. The promise of a few nice days is coming.
This week is all about getting ready for Christmas. First we need to locate a good fish market. After 3 trips to Santa Rosa, about 30 min. Away I think we found a fish market that will have everything we are looking for but it is only open Wednesday to Sunday.
With that issue resolved we were able to visit a few more vineyards. Wednesday brought us to Francis Ford Coppola Winery and museum. This is a great place for anyone who is a fan of the "Godfather" it has lots of memorabilia.

On Friday we headed to Geyserville. First stop lunch at Diavolo Pizzeria . This place was highly recommended by a woman we met in the wine tasting room.

Sunday - Family Day

The sun finally broke through for a few hours and we were off to town. Lunch at Willies Seafood and Wine Bar was a tapas lovers dream. Lots of little plate tasty treats shared by all. 

Downtown Healdsburg has wine tasting locations by featured vineyards on almost every street corner. Our choice brought us to Portalupi's store front tasting room. The unique wine rack that fills the wall behind the tasting bar is one of a kind. They are also known for their unique milk jug bottling of their well known red and white Vaso di Marina. To get some of the details you can read about it in "their story". 

Christmas Tree Weekend!

Today the sun finally came out for a short time. We met Kim and Verdine in a small town south of Healdsburg called Sebastopol. After a quick lunch we headed to, Frosty Mountain Tree Farm, to hunt for our "perfect" Christmas tree. We made our way through acres of farmland dodging soggy, muddy mounds (remnants of the recent flooding). 

With saw in hand, Verdine led the expedition until we found "the one". 

Then the cutting began. Verdine & Kim had the honor of cutting it, carrying it, 

almost all the way to the car... 



Russ did finally show up with a cart.

They also had the pleasure to transporting it to the house.

The tree is now decorated and stands proudly 

in "our" little cottage by the river. 

Our wine trail has started!

As the rain begins to subside we have taken advantage of the clearing skies. Today we started our visits to vineyards. We have decided to pace ourselves.  Today took us on a short drive to the Dry Creek Valley. 

First stop - Truett-Hurst The farm setting at this small vineyard  was quiet and cozy. It had a great outside sitting area, although still rain soaked from the recent storm it showed promise of a great stop along the trail. 

Next was a much larger vineyard - Dry Creek The grounds alone are worth a visit. The tasting room also serves as a small store offering some unique items. Oh yeah, and the wines are enjoyable - worth taking home a few bottles.

Russian River Cottage: Healdsburg, CA

Here we are, we finally reached our destination! 
The house tucked in Fitch mountain, about 3 miles from the center of town. It is very comfortable and we were able to quickly get settled. And then the rains came...

We dodged all of the storms crossing the country but it has been raining since we got here. Today was the biggest storm of the past 20+ years, so we have heard. Once the heavy rains started the just never stopped, all day. Here is a peek at what the river looked like from our deck. 

Guess how we weathered the storm!

Healdsburg House

We are quickly settling into our Healdsburg Cottage.





It is right on the Russian River which is steadily flowing and soon to raise much higher if we get the predicted rain over the next few days.  

The house is only about 3 miles from town but the last mile is up and down a winding mountain road. Fitch Mountain is right behind us. Bailey has not figured out how to navigate the turns yet she keeps falling off the seat into the well. We actually have to stop and get her out of it from time to time.

Total Trip Route Details

Our route was mapped out and revised as we traveled on an APP called "Roadtrippers". A visual image of the route we traveled to get here. If you move your mouse over each number on the route it will identify the location. 
Coast to coast | My new trip on Roadtrippers.com!

Tonight we'll be settling into our Napa house

December 7th - Almost there... Today is the day!

9:30 A M: leaving Yosemite area and crossing the state today, going north west. San Francisco here we come. We have been on the road for 2 weeks. We avoided the rain and the storms all the way across. Today is another good day, low 60's, a bit overcast. Nothing but city traffic and highways today - only 3 hrs of this not bad for a trip of almost 4000 miles. 

1:00 PM we are entering San Francisco!

We'll be having lunch with Kim and Verdine then a little football before we drive the last 1 1/2 hrs to Napa/Russian River our home for the next month. 

Yosemite - we made it

Dec. 6 - spent the day driving to and around Yosemite.


We stayed in the small town of Mariposa. This allowed for us to head 1:30 min. down Rt 49 to the south entrance. This is where we started our day. First up was the Mariposa Sequoia Grove or Giant Trees as they are referred to here.

From there we followed Rt 41 as it twisted and turn as we climbed deeper and deeper into the park. Our destination was the "valley". As we approached the village we drove past


 "Bridalveil Fall" and through the "Tunnel View".

Following Kim's advice we had lunch in the rustic Ahwahnee Hotel Dinning Room. 

After making a few stops along the way to catch the water running is the falls. 

We started our drive back to the hotel. Once again the roads were slow and winding. We were detoured at the rock slide and then had to come to a dead stop in the middle of the road as a dear jumped out in front of us. 

Close call! We were about one car length away from hitting it. With a beep of the horn it ran off and we were on our way.

More pictures of our day in Yosemite to come! 

Amazing, Breath Taking Day in Death Valley

Dec. 4: Another day well planned. The weather is absolutely beautiful. High 60's low 70's what more can we ask for. 

This place has to be a hikers dream. For us it will be a full day in the car. The valley is massive with something that catches your attention everywhere you look. As the sun changes so do the effects it has on the mountains and you are surrounded with it all no matter where you look. 



Pictures do absolutely no justice to the beauty that surrounds you. I'll post more pictures when I get a chance.