RM – It is a lovely drive out to the coast. Personally I like Sonoma better than Napa, but YMMV. Muir Woods is beautiful, and I think it was about an hour from Napa. We made a day of it with Muir Woods, and Point Reyes National Seashore.
There was a lovely cheese dairy we toured somewhere in that area, but I can’t remember the name of it.
Domaine Carneros was a really lovely tour, even though we aren’t especially champagne people. We did get a small cheese plate and enjoyed it with a flight of sparkling wine out on their terrace.
Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, RM! Yes, it’s SF that can be chilly. We lived in Berkeley and it was a totally different climate there! Regarding cheese, we visited The Cheese Factory in Petaluma.
The wedding is in Danville, north of SF on the bride’s family estate. We are friends on the groom’s side. Someone told me it will be hot during the day but cool in the evening. Cocktail attire around here is usually “sparkly” but I thought it might be different there.
RM…I loved Lambert Bridge winery in the Dry Creek area. There is a lovely place to pick up a picnic lunch at the Dry Creek General Store and then stop at Lambert Bridge for a nice bottle of wine and eat there on their beautiful grounds. The wisteria and new growth Redwoods are quite lovely but not sure what it is like in March. We also enjoyed mountain top tasting at Kunde Winery. The views were incredible. The drive along the coast and up to the Russian River area was beautiful . There is a little town where we stopped for lunch.I think it was Guerneville??? I also believe there was a state park there to view Redwoods that isn’t as crowded as Muir woods called Armstrong Redwoods. I will try to find my notes for more info.
My life is so typically Freudian, and I totally get feeling forgettable as I was a middle child with a troubled older brother who sucked the life out of everyone and still does. I cant have too much to do with him because I have had a lifetime of him. I think my desire to gain attention being the “good child” backfired in my later life as I took on the same patterns and often go unrecognized although I don’t feel I should be. I don’t toot my horn ever. I had a sibling that died before I was born and that had a huge effect on my family. and namely me. I laugh when I think of how I have accomplished much of a “normal” life in the midst of a lot of chaos. There is much said about how siblings have a large role in shaping us.
Shaw those are very evolved people. I am not sure I would be there yet. but kudos to them. I am always impressed by how kind you are. To so intelligent must make it difficult for a child to sort out emotions.
Sadly there is just me. No sibs to blame. I got this way all on my own - so only myself to blame.
Thanks for the Napa and Cali tips. I would love to learn more. Going with another couple which should be fun. Issue is that she is a teacher so need to go during her break week which is at the end of March next year (usually it’s in April). H and her H want to visit the wineries - I’m okay with that but one or 2 days of that will be enough for me. I don’t want to spend a week doing that! I would love to see the redwood or sequoia trees and drive up the coast. At the same time I don’t want to move B&Bs much as that just becomes a lost day in my opinion to pack up/load up/ unload and unpack. I wouldn’t mind renting some bikes and doing a bit of biking or going on an easy hike. I did see that there is a wine train and thought that the dinner train ride looked interesting so that is on the maybe list. I’m doing the planning and will discuss with the others on decisions on what we are doing but the research is all me.
I’m actually the youngest of 2 with an older sister. But I was also in a “helping profession.” An LCSW for years. H is the middle of 3 but is an engineer.
I have an older sister and two younger siblings, but I am the oldest Jewish male in the extended family. That makes me an uber older child. Lots of pressure to succeed according to the family’s values, which were academic success, career success and religious knowledge/observance. I delivered on the first two pretty well and the third until I left for college and decided to no longer be observant in any way. The whole family still looks up to me, but I’m a black sheep in the religious area. Ah well. To mine own self, be true.
Yes, DTE, the husband, the ex and the new wife are remarkably advanced people.
I’m the middle child, a brother on either side. It’s always interesting to me the ways I"m like my older brother, and the ways I’m like my younger – totally different.
I am the third of six girls. Was the baby for 6 years so I have been the youngest and a middle child. My career was in the social services area.so I guess that is in the “helping profession”.
H just decided he would like to visit Yosemite while we are in CA. Have spent most of the day looking for lodging! Can any of you make recommendations?
If the Ahwahnee is available, and you want something upscale/historic, I’d recommend it. If you are finding lodging inside the park is all booked, then you could try looking in Mariposa, CA.
NM, where are you looking? Inside the park or somewhere else? The Awahnee is worth eating dinner at even if you don’t stay there: we celebrated my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary there, and it was a wonderful, memorable meal. We stayed in the Lodge at Yosemite Falls. I’m not sure it’s really a lodge, but the rooms are fine.
But the Valley itself is a very crowded place, and lodging, even so called housekeeping cabins, typically has to be booked way in advance (just try getting a reservation for the Christmas Dinner). We typically stay out of the valley, even out of the park (we have relatives who own a concession at one of the high country lakes, so it’s a typical place for family outings in the summer, but no public overnight facilities), or on the east side of the Sierra.
Where will you be coming from (Napa, if I remember?)? And where will you be going back to (SFO? elsewhere?)?
I understand there’s hardly any water in the falls this year. But there’s nothing quite like Yosemite (the views from Glacier Point are amazing)! And even the Valley floor, though crowded, can be worth driving (even if slowly) through, just to see it from the ground level …
H and I went to Yosemite many years ago, before S was born. (D stayed with H’s parents.) It was somewhat of a last minute trip, but we ended up snagging a tent cabin. A little rustic, but comfortable. No plumbing – central shower houses/bathrooms, not unlike a campground. We had dinner one night at the Awahnee – some of the worst service we’ve ever encountered at a restaurant. For whatever reason our waiter basically ignored us. It was a very long time ago now and I’m sure it was just our bad luck. I have to say, though, that the poor service experience is all I remember – no recollection of the food quality.
We’re off to my college reunion in ME this morning. (Is it too late to lose those 10 pounds?) One of my best friends from those days called lat night – her H never goes to her reunions so she was double-checking to be sure we were still going. Should be fun.
Re: “position” in the family – I’m the youngest of 3 with 2 older, twin brothers. Back then twins didn’t seem to be as common as they are now, so it seemed (to me at least) that people were always commenting about “those ‘last name’ twins.” The fact that I was a complete tomboy growing up is easy to understand. Going through the local schools, teachers always said, “Oh, you’re _____ and _____'s sister.” OTOH, after college, I was the one to take a job away from the hometown area.
I grew up with 2 older brothers and a younger sister. My brothers were 1 and 2 years ahead of me in school so I was always _________ and ______'s sister! The upside was that I knew a lot of guys because my brothers had a lot of friends. I wasn’t a tomboy, though, quite a girly girl (that has not changed). My sister is 5+ years younger so we weren’t that close growing up, we are now.
Thanks for asking, FallGirl. She is improving! I believe the antibiotic was the reason for the turn around. Guess it was a tick problem even though it didn’t show in the blood work.
Nothing is available in the park. I am checking on rentals in Yosemite West inside the park and hotels close by but not having much luck. May have to regroup and head to Big Sur instead for hiking.
NM, when we visited the Grand Canyon a couple of years ago, we planned our trip rather late and were not able to find any lodging very close. So we stayed about 1.5 hours away and just got up early and drove. If everything in Mariposa is full, you could try Merced, if 1.5 hours isn’t too far. My grandmother lived in Merced so that’s where we always stayed.
Regarding birth order: I am the youngest of 4 children, and the only female. When I was young, even through college I never thought I’d have to work for a living (expected to be a SAHM supported by a spouse) and boy was I wrong!
I haven’t been to Yosemite in a long time, but my recollection is that in the summer, things are very crowded in the valley and become wonderful one or two days in. Is that still true?
