things that keep me up at night
Today we visit Imagery Winery to pick up our shipment and I have also scheduled a wine tasting. We sit on their back patio with the tables set far apart. Our server is masked as are we except when sipping. We have our own pens and disposable water. They have taken great pains to make sure we are safe.
It is a beautiful day and we enjoy our tasting. We buy some bottles and pick up our Wine Club shipment. It is almost like being normal.
Going wine tasting in the Okanagan Valley is a lot less expensive than in Napa or Sonoma! We visit three places and the most that is asked for is $5 and that is waived if you buy a bottle of wine! Much like at home the experiences differ—Tantalus Winery is pleasant and engaging, Summerhill seems rather bored, and Cedar Creek spends time ignoring us while catering to younger people. Plus these younger people are slamming California wines. I want to rebut their stupid claims but John is all philosophical saying, “If you can only be tall because someone else is on their knees, then you have a serious problem.” A quote from Toni Morrison. So I keep quiet and let them puff themselves up.
All the tasting rooms are quite new and modern. Many have restaurants attached. We have lunch at Cedar Creek. It is a beautiful day and we eat on their porch.
After lunch we go to the tasting room. I do not like anything Cedar Creek is offering.
The rest of the afternoon I spend getting my nails done at the Spa here at the hotel. It is a nice little treat for myself and John enjoys his alone time lolling about.
We have dinner at the bar tonight so we can watch the US Open. Nadal ultimately wins his match but not without Schwartzman of Argentina giving him a real fight. Other people at the bar are into the match as well. Everyone is for the underdog. We all cheer and groan together. It is fun.
Wow, the first time George and I celebrated our birthdays together I was 29 and here it is 40 years later. We are not so spry now but we always manage to have a good time. This year’s Birthdays celebration takes us to Little River, CA. We are staying at the Little River Inn and will also dine there.
On the way up we stop at Healdsburg for lunch at the Healdsburg Bar and Grill. It has food that everyone should like. They are especially known for their burgers. Karen and George opt for a cheese burger while John and I try the veggie burger. I am still trying to stay on my vegan before six diet. The veggie burger comes with a load of feta cheese so I dutifully scrape it off.
The drive out to Little River is beautiful and we pass through redwood forests with their deep shade and ferns abounding. Along the way we stop at Goldeneye Winery for a little tasting. For $15 we get a seated tasting with some nibbles and seven different wines. This is so much better than Napa where you have to pay $50 just to walk through the door!
We reach our hotel and our rooms are pretty far apart. George needs a disability room and our room is on the second floor of a building on the other side of the complex. The room itself is pretty spartan for the price but has a nice porch and view. We are greeted by a seagull sitting on the railing who does not seem to be afraid of people.
We meet for dinner to celebrate my birthday. The food is pretty mediocre but we have a great time nonetheless.
After breakfast at the hotel the next morning we are off to celebrate George’s birthday. We decide to go to a few wineries for tastings and find lunch somewhere.
While John and George peruse the menu of wines WE CAN TASTE FOR FREE I spin the wheel and hit the jackpot – 45% off a case of wine! We decide to split a case. My birthday celebration is going along great!
After visiting three places we find a place for lunch. Stone and Embers is a great choice with a wood fired pizza oven. The oven is so hot that it cooks the pizza really fast and the crust comes out wonderfully cooked with a little char. We sit at the counter and George has fun schmoozing with the owner/chef.
Since the food in the restaurant is only meh we decide to have dinner in the bar. We have a lot of fun. George has found someone who is also celebrating his birthday and we get a rousing chorus of happy birthday with our dessert course.
The next day we ride down the coast towards home stopping in Point Arena for breakfast. I love our Birthday celebrations and this has been a great one.
