Paso Robles March 2009

Wine Tasting

Spring break and we decided on a five day jaunt to the Paso Robles wine country and central coast.  We stayed at the Wine Country RV Resort in Paso Robles.  One of the perks we found out is that some wineries give discounts if you mention you are staying there!  We got a 20% discount (same as club member) at two of the wineries.  

There are soooo many wineries in this area that we needed to research which ones to visit.  We decided Italian style was a place to begin, plus the karma factor of whatever winery "just seemed right".

Just down the road was the J. Lohr Winery.  They had a nice zinfandel and syrah under the J. Lohr label and a very nice sauvignon blanc under their second label Cypress Vineyards.  We happily bought a mixed case with our 20% discount.

We visited the Midlife Crisis Winery tasting room in downtown Paso Robles.  Gotta love the name!!!  We bought a bottle of sangiovese and barbera that were pretty nice.

The Eberle Winery had some good stuff and bought 3 bottles of their blend Cotes-du-Robles and 3 bottles of cabernet sauvignon - another 20% discount!

A visit to the Martin Weyrich Winery produced a 1/2 case purchase of sangiovese.

The best find was the Caparone Winery.  This winery was one of the first in the area and has a no nonense approach to producing Italian varietals.  It is owned and run by a father and son, no other employees, and they interrupted their activities to tend to the spartan tasting bar.  The prices are great ($14/bottle) and the wine was FANTASTIC.  Of course, a mixed case was purchased and we foresee future internet purchases.

Hearst Castle

It has been several years since our last visit to Hearst Castle  and we decided on one of the tours we haven't taken.  This tour included the upper floors of the main house, Mr. Hearst's private suite, the libraries and the kitchen.  Flash photography was not allowed, so the photos below were taken with available light.  Not real sharp in detail, but very moody...

Neptune's Pool - glorious as ever.

An antique wooden ceiling imported from Europe and reused in one of the guest rooms.  How green is that!!

The guest room below the ceiling.

I was quite facisnated by the ceilings.

Ahhhhh the glorious view.  

This was William Randolph Hearst's private suite.  Portrait of his mother, Phoebe, on the right.  She was the first female UC regent and the founder of the PTA.  Portrait of his father George on the left above the lamp.

Ceiling in Mr. Hearst's suite.

Suite of Marion Davies, Mr. Hearst's long time mistress.  Very scandalous in the day. 

Mr. Hearst's private library.

This was a guest room for special guests.  It is reported that Clark Gable and Carole Lombard stayed here as well as Cary Grant.

The view from the room.

Here is the huge kitchen.  Quite an operation.

Ovens, pressure cookers etc.

Food prep counter.  I love this picture for some reason.

One of the sinks.

This pool is below the tennis courts.  It was drained recently for maintenance.  I remember this as a child and it is really spooky and dark when filled.  I remember the story that Hearst didn't care for it after it was completed and let the staff use it.

A view from the parking lot.

Pacific Grove, Monterey County - January 2009

We decided to take a little trip without the trailer and indulge ourselves with a stay at a pet friendly inn.  We stayed in Pacific Grove at the Bide-A-Wee Inn and it was lovely! 

During our stay we also dined at the Passionfish Restaurant in Pacific Grove.  It is a favorite of Ali and Ross', so we gave it a try.  It was delicious!

Bud and Maggy preparing for a Happy Hour picnic.

The weather was unseasonably warm - almost 80 degrees - so this lovely gas fireplace was not needed.

Picnic area on the motel grounds.

I didn't take any pictures of the ocean this trip, but it was as beautiful as ever.  It was Monarch butterfly time however.  We visited the Monarch Grove Sanctuary and got some nice pictures.

We didn't know that they actually tag butterflies with stickers.  This guy graciously posed for a close-up.

Here is a huge cluster of Monarchs hanging on some Spanish moss.

The docent told us that the butterflies will open up and take off when the temperature reaches 55 degrees.  It was almost that warm, but our necks were tired from looking up so much so we opted to leave before they disbanded.  

Thanksgiving 2008

Bud and I headed to Bodega Bay with trailer on Monday of Thanksgiving week.  Ali, Ross and Ayla joined us on Wednesday through Saturday for a Thanksgiving celebration. 

Thanksgiving morning, we took off for a hike at Bodega Head.  The weather was clear and gorgeous and not windy like it can get at the coast.

Ayla is trying out her new backpack for its inaugural hike.

In the parking lot at Bodega Head.  Some of you will recognize this holiday card photo.

Another family pic - ready for the trail.

One very serious hiker....  

Ali, Ross, Ayla and Grandpa

Now for some play time while dinner is cooking.

The camping turkey feast featuring an herbed turkey roll, Stovetop stuffing, canned yams, instant mashed potatoes, Trader Joe's turkey gravy, canned cranberry sauce and homemade cranberry sauce and Ross' green bean casserole.

Ayla perusing the tasting notes.

Aren't they cute?

Bath time in the trailer.  We LOVE bath time.

The day after Thanksgiving we did another hike on the California Coastal Trail.

We picked up this part of the trail at the Shell Beach parking lot.

Getting ready to get on daddy's back.

Another beautiful day.

Soaking up the view.

The waves crashing onto the rocks was a spectacular sight.

Time to pose with Grammy and Grandpa.  

This was our 38th anniversary.  A great way to celebrate.

Bodega Bay July 2008

We are staying in the Bodega Bay RV Park for three nights. It has been very nice weather - mid 60's to low 70's, a little breezy, not much fog and lots of sun.

Yesterday we took the Bodega Head trail going north. It is a nice, short (1.2 miles r/t) trail with great views.

Heading up the trail.


At the top.


Looking south at Bodega Bay (right), Bodega Harbor (left) and Doran Park in the middle.


The trail ends overlooking Horseshoe Cove. That is the UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab in the background.


Someday we will look at this picture and marvel at how great we looked "back then".


Heading back down the trail. The parking lot is at the top of the picture. Kaya and Maggie are patiently waiting and guarding the truck. No dogs allowed on the trails, but they are too old to make it very far anyway.


We then headed south on the trail that starts on the other side of the parking lot. It is about 2 miles r/t.

Looking back on the trail.


Ooooooh


Awwwww


Jonathan Livingston???

This is the Fishermen's Memorial to commemorate the fisherman who didn't return. The stones form the shape of a hull.

Looking down at Doran Park


Good Grief, Charlie Brown! It's the Kite-Eating Tree!!!!


Today we took a ride north.
An interesting piece of wood (at least it is to me)


On the way out of Goat Rock Beach, we spotted a badger. A first for us. A fellow hiker yesterday was telling us he saw a badger on Bodega Head. Guess it's officially badger season??