Saturday Ride to Shenandoah Valley

It seems like forever since we rode the bike...yes, as in singular....since Dave got the super duper deluxe comfortable bike, Edie has become a lazy slug and is enjoying being the fluff on the back of the bike.

We called our friends to see who could come out to play, and Scott and Margaret said "Yeah, we're there". So we met at Starbucks at 8 (we got there almost 30 minutes early because we were so anxious to get going) and decided to head for the hills. We make our decision based on two important criteria....the temperature of the day and where we would like to have lunch. The Sierra foothills, or specifically the Shenandoah Valley, won. This includes Plymouth, Fair Play, Mt. Aukum, and Somerset...all the hot spots that you have probably never heard of before.

We visited our friend's winery, Oakstone & Obscurity, and another one that I won't mention because we were not thrilled. If you like to do a little wine tasting but get miffed at the prices and uppity air of Napa, this is a fine place to visit.

We had lunch at one of our favorites, La Bocconato Trattoria, in Fair Play. You might remember that we ate here on Valentine's Day with our grandson (his parents were there too). This alone is worth a trip to the foothills. The food is outstanding. We just sat ourselves on the patio and asked the waitress to let Giovanni cook something for us. Well...here's what he prepared...and it is spectacular...I don't think I have ever had noodles this light and delicious. And I have NO idea how many points this meal is....

Wine Event at Silver Oak

Today was the big release of the 2006 Cabernet. There was music, food, and plenty of wine. We even talked our way up to the VIP section where we sat on the sofa overlooking the music, etc. and they brought the wine to us. There was an intense guy who was very serious about his cheese. Another guy that prepared sausage for us, and yes there are many different flavors of sausage besides Jimmy Dean. The music was good, the wine and food very good, and the company was fantastic.
When we finished at Silver Oak we headed down the road to their other winery, Twomey. We walked in and it was very busy at the tasting bar so Pete told them we'd be sitting on the patio and could they bring the wine to us there.....well, they did just that! It's good to be with wine rock stars. I think we're getting used to the VIP treatment.
Oh, none of us bought a single bottle! The value just wasn't there.

Ezra in his High Chair

Ezra is 7 months old, sitting in a super duper deluxe high chair (thanks Dody) and eating solid food. He's getting so grown up. It goes by so quickly!

Day Ride to the Coast

A couple of weeks ago our gang got together for a day ride, minus Rick. It was to be in the 90s so we headed north and then over to the coast. I think we experienced every temperature and conditions possible (I may be exaggerating a bit...but not too much). We had heat and sunshine before lunch and then cold and fog in the afternoon.

We stopped for lunch in Graton, which is just outside of Santa Rosa/Sebastopol area. For a little itty bitty town it has fabulous restaurants.

Some of us peeled off to go home, but the rest ended up eating dinner along the water.




Fabulous crab sliders at Sam's in Tiburon (or one of those little towns where the ferry stops)

Our view at Sam's, since we were right next to the rail. It's a little spot of sunshine among the fog with a fantastic view of SF.

Family Visits

Sorry to have neglected the blog, but we've been a little busy....and not all of it blog worthy. We've had family visiting from Joplin, MO and SoCal. Lots of good memories, food, and wine....but not too many photos.

Ezra is just a little overwhelmed by all the family...he's not quite sure what is going on.

Lauren LOVES Ezra

Kevin (Dave's cousin from Joplin, Mo) with his children, Ian and Lauren
Wesley (William's brother) with his son, Josiah, and Lauren (from Joplin, MO)