166.365.2013 Liar’s Dice

Posted on June 15, 2013 by dtsphoto365

We started today very slow… Like wake up after 10 kinda slow. Even the dog didn’t want me to wake him up at 10 when I came downstairs. Either way, we had a relaxing morning… Pancakes and sausage. Mmmm…

Then we headed to the dog park mid afternoon right before a big thunderstorm. We were able to get a good 45 mins in before the lightening hit and Mosquitos ate me alive.

We also invited some friends over for dinner tonight kind of last minute. Not usual for me not to plan, but we had a great time! Steaks, roasted veggies, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes… They brought a delicious cake and of course we opened some yummy wine.

They even brought bones for the dogs! These are the real cow bones and were the grande sized. Diohgé’s and Bailey didn’t know what to do!

And then we played some Liar’s Dice… A game we bought in Napa, but Beth and Matthew taught us to play. It was a blast!

Thanks to The Body Family for joining us tonight!

165.365.2013 Backyard Beer Dabbler & Such

Posted on June 14, 2013 by dtsphoto365

We picked up the pooch this morning from his daycare… He was so excited to see us! Jumping up and down, kisses all around.

Tonight we went over to PK & Susie’s for a Backyard Beer Dabbler… So much fun. Each of us were assigned a region if the country and brought a six pack of beer from breweries in that area. Most of us made our own 6 pack… So 18 different brews. Dave brought 8 different ciders as well. It was a blast!!

The final beers, in order from left to right, of top ranked.

The 3 brew buds…

The pooch hiding, burying and then sleeping on his bone.

I also had the chance to pick up 2 dozen birthday cupcakes from Angel Food Bakery. Remember Dave got me the cupcakes as a gift last year (the bakery makes one after my flavors…). Well, we had 8 flavors and 3 of each to try. Many samplings and its a hard decision. And I reserve the right to share more tomorrow!

(Overall flavors include lemon, blueberry, peanut butter, coconut, espresso.)

The final ring of fire…

164.365.2013 Relaxing

Posted on June 13, 2013 by dtsphoto365

Today might have been one of the better days… We woke up, ate some breakfast and then headed to the spa for massages. The nice thing about the spa is that you have access to the whirlpool, showers and sauna all day. Amazing!

We relaxed before and after the massages. Then we headed back to our room, packed up and headed out. The drive back was gorgeous… 80 degrees, windows down, flowers or vineyards at every pass. It was also nice and relaxing because we left so early and gave ourselves plenty of time.

On the way, we stopped for lunch at In & Out Burger, Dave’s first time. Delicious! He loved it too… Then we went to the Golden Gate Bridge for some quick photos.

Now we are sitting at the airport where my balsamic jelly was confiscated by TSA. Bastards.

But I’m excited to go home and see this boy!

163.365.2013 Driving Mr. Wino

Posted on June 12, 2013 by dtsphoto365

We splurged a bit today (yes, more than we have so far) and rented a town car/driver. Kevin was great! I would highly recommend it to anyone.

The experience allowed us to go a bit further to go to some of our favorite locations that are a bit north of Napa. BUT, before all that, we hit Schramsberg, a champagne house that’s the second oldest winery in Napa. The tour was fantastic with a ton of history and then a tasting in their caves. Yum! We ended up joining the wine club — the only one all week! (If you don’t know me, that’s a HUGE accomplishment.)

Afterwards, we drove to Geyersville and visited my #1 favorite place Meeker Vineyards. Julia is ever the hostess with great conversation and delicious wines. She even opened a special bottle for us since we are members and it was my birthday!

Heraldsburg was our next stop… They have a ton of tasting rooms in a small walking distance. We hit 3 of them… Murphy Goode (a Minnesota based family and we’re members), Williamson Winery (great food pairings!) and then ParTake by KJ. The food experience at KJ was ridiculous! I was in awe at how much the wine and food change when combined.

That was the end of our touring. We came back to the hotel and relaxed in the hot tub for awhile before enjoying dinner. And we did a little check in on our pooch’s vacation! Looks like he’s having fun…

162.365.2013 Birthday Wines

Posted on June 11, 2013 by dtsphoto365

Well, I guess I couldn’t not have a birthday… And turn 29 (the sequel, part 6). But if I am going to, I’m going to do it right! I had a fantastic day…

It started with numerous texts, emails and Facebook posts. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE ME FEEL SO LOVED!

I did miss my pooch and his kisses today. 😦

Now on to the day… Our first appointment was at Conn Creek where we had a blending experience. It was amazing! The vineyard took us into the AVA room with 4 others. We all could taste from 15 Cabernet Savg barrels, each from a different vineyard in the valley. Then there 4 others of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cab Franc and Malbec.

Our job was to find our favorites and then start blending them together to make the perfect Cab. Once we did that, we would add in some of the other 4 to change the flavor. It was magical… I had our educator taste mine and he said it would pair perfectly with a cigar or porterhouse steak. He said Dave’s smelled the best and was nice and smooth. It was a really fun experience.

Next we headed to Mumm to try some champagne. We sat on the patio and the view was gorgeous.

Afterwards, we scooted over to Grgich Hills based on the recommendation of some good friends. It was yummy and we saw the 90 yr old owner just working away. Oh, and they were established in 1977! Like me!

Our next location was Louis Martini which we are members of the club. So we enjoyed a lunch on the patio and then a custom tasting. Here’s a photo of all of our locations!

For dinner, we went to Tra Vigne. While it looked delicious, it wasn’t what we expected. So we went to their sister location and had some amazing pizza and pasta. YUM!

Good night to all!

DAVID'S PHOTOGRAPHS

Monthly Archives: June 2013