Napa Valley Part II

Tudal Winery

I'm finally finding the time to write part II of my Napa trip.  I know I was there last November, but, I wanted to make sure I didn't leave out a single detail.  I must say I was quite happy going this time of year.  We were there shortly after harvest so Napa was not overly crowed.  While there weren't many grapes to see on the vine after harvest they vines were starting to turn the beautiful golden shades of fall.  

Roaming the vines at David Fulton Winery

We pulled into town and headed straight for our hotel.  We stayed at the Embassy Suites Napa Valley.  There are many reasons why I like staying at Embassy Suites, you get a suite (which works well with a group of girls), every night there is a managers complimentary cocktail hour, and every morning you get a complimentary cooked to order breakfast.  I must say that the Napa Valley Embassy Suites had a few bonuses.  Their cocktail hour had a full spread of snacks all complimentary, and upon arrival we were given a complimentary bottle of wine to enjoy in our room.  Notice I've said complimentary a lot!!!  That's because I want you to know you get a lot of bang for your buck if you stay here.  One of the nicest things was the hotel was a short walk to downtown Napa where we ate most of our meals. 

That first night we had a nice dinner in town and just relaxed in our room so that we were well rested for day 2.  Napa is not somewhere that you want to drive yourself around so we opted to do a tour after a lot of research.  A few other options are to hire a company that actually comes and drives your car for you, you can take a tour anywhere from private limo, to big tour bus, to the Napa Wine Train.  Hot air balloons are also a popular way to see Napa. 

We decided to go with Platypus Tours after reading their rave reviews, and I'm so glad we did.  They were voted best wine country tour in Napa 2014.   Our group wasn't too big or too small about 15 of us in all.  Its funny because everyone was quiet and kept to themselves at first and after a few tastings we were all the best of friends.  

Our tour guide was Amanda and I wish I could tell you to request her but we were her last platypus tour.  She was leaving to work for a vineyard and was also in the process of making her very own wine. You could tell that she loved her job at platypus and sharing her vast knowledge of the valley and wine itself.  She told us we weren't going to do anything mainstream like Robert Mondavi and that since this was her last tour we were going to go out with a bang and go to 4 of her favorites.  

First Stop:  David Fulton 

This family owned winery has been making wine since 1860 and each vine is free standing.  This is something you rarely see anymore.  The top picture of the blog was taken there. 

David Fulton tasting room

We were the only group at David Fulton and it immediately felt like vacation to me.  The views were so serene and relaxing.  While we were there we were able to get in on a new project of theirs.  They have trademarked the name #selfie and if you stumble on this white wine you will see me and my gal pals on the label.  I just received my bottle of #selfie a few months ago.

In between stop 1 and 2 we were served cheese, crackers, nuts, and all the water we wanted!  I forgot to mention that the bus was setup so that we all sat facing each other which made it fun to interact and get to know the other people on the tour.  

Second Stop: Bennett Lane

Bennett Lane was beautiful place to tour and taste.  The wine didn't quite suit my pallet but that shouldn't stop you from a visit.  This was also our lunch spot.  Included in our tour is a picnic lunch that we had in their garden.  It was beyond relaxing. 

This is the winery dog.  I wish I could remember his name.  Did you know most of them have a dog?

Our view during lunch

Third Stop: Paoletti

Paoletti is an italian style wine winery.  I do believe some of their vines were transplanted from Italy. 

This winery was a very unique experience.  We were able to tour their wine cave where all of their barrels are stored.  

When we arrived at Paoletti we all sat family style around a big table for the tasting.  They are known for their reds and they were amazing.  I even left with a few bottles. 

After the tasting we went into the caves.  What experience!  We were poured a glass of wine to enjoy as we walked around the caves listening to classical music and enjoying the marble bust that were in every alcove. 

Enjoying every minute at Paoletti

Fourth and Final Stop: Tudal Winery

This stop turned out to be very special.  This is where our tour guide Amanda would be continuing her wine career after leaving Platypus.  She knew the ins and the outs and literally this winery felt like coming home.  It gave me the feeling of being amongst family at a really incredible back yard BBQ.  

The coolest part of this vineyard is that where ever you looked you saw some sort of fruit or vegetable growing.  We were literally in and among the garden. 

This is Amanda our tour guide with Jen pouring us a taste of wine that is still processing.

We sat at a tall table out in the garden to taste the Tudal Wine.  The wine maker himself came out to taste with us.  We were in his back yard after all.  His house is right there on the grounds.  John was like talking with an old friend.  He gave us advice on love and life over a glass of their signature Red Tractor wine. 

We were so sad to have to leave Tudal.  I was the lucky one though.  You see my husband was meeting me in Napa in a few days and Amanda invited me to bring him back for a private tasting.  

Cheers to a great day with Platypus Tours (we hoped on the bus and rode back to the Embassy Suites singing Hotel California at the top of our lungs!!!!!!

Okay this is information overloaded so this will have to continue as a Part III

US Post Office and Tacos?

Last weekend we took our annual trip to the amazing city of Washington DC for the White House Easter Egg Roll.  We were fortunate enough to have my Mother in Law along with us so that my husband and I could have some alone time. 

On one of our last days we snuck out for a quick bite to eat.  We walked north on 14th St where our hotel the Hamilton was.  Wow!  We were so surprised to see how much that neighborhood had been revitalized in the last few years.  There are endless hipster restaurants, bars, and bake shops.  It was so hard to choose where we were gonna eat.  We made a stop at a cross walk and out of the corner of our eye we saw an old US Post Office that had been turned into a Taqueria. 

We were so curious we had to stop and boy are we glad we did.  The place is Taqueria Nacional.  Its located at 1409 T St NW.  Its just 2 blocks from the U St Metro Stop on the Green Line. Their tag line is "Authentic Mexican tacos made with carefully sourced ingredients, seasoned with love."  The decor is hip and the food is outstanding. 

Jamie had shrimp tacos with slaw and lamb tacos with pickled vegetables.  The lamb was so tender it melted in your mouth.  Yum!  I had the tostados which were equally fabulous and a fresh squeezed margarita. 

I highly recommend popping in this neighborhood joint.  The front is open with a courtyard out front.  You won't want to leave!

Napa 2014 With the Girls Part I

I left my boys behind in Phoenix and I headed to San Francisco for a long weekend in Napa Valley with some of my college girlfriends.  We spent the first night and following day in San Francisco before we headed to Napa for an amazing weekend get away.

Our first night in San Francisco we decided to check out a recommendation of our concierge for dinner.  The restaurant was called Trattoria Contadina.  It was one of the best Italian meals I have had to date.  The restaurant was small and had a nice cozy vibe to it.  We all sampled each others pasta and it was hard to choose a favorite.

Before turning in for the night we took a nice walk down by the Wharf to catch a quick peek of Alcatraz.  Though I've seen it many time I have never had enough time to take a tour.  Is it worth it?  I've always wanted to make it happen. 

The next day we decided to get in as much site seeing as we could before heading out to Napa.  We first made a stop at the famous Lombard St.  It is famous for its steep east to west drive down to the bottom of the street. There is also a great view of the city from the top.

 

Next stop was breakfast and mimosas in the Mission District of San Francisco.  After some quick Google research we decided to try out Mission Beach Cafe.  We were so glad we did.  I had an incredibly buttery and delicious chocolate croissant. 

Of course we had to make the all important Full House stop.  We cranked up the theme song and headed over to the park to get a few shots of the house that is on the opening of the show.  

 

Last but certainly not lease we made the stop at the Golden Gate Bridge.  Unfortunately the fog had rolled in so we weren't even able to see the bridge as we drove across.  We were able to go to a higher point and look down at the bridge over the top of the fog.  It was just as beautiful as it always is.  

Next stop Napa Valley....

Halloween 2014 in Phoenix, AZ

This year we spent Halloween at my mother in laws in Phoenix, AZ.  The weather was beautiful and warm.  We ate waaaaaay too much candy.  Here are a few pictures of our Cowboy and Teddy Bear.

Catching Up

I'm so far behind I know!!!!  We have had a few family health issues that have all worked out now but for a brief period flipped our lives upside down.  I've been so excited to share my Napa experience on the blog.  I promise it's coming soon!!!!

A Day of Hiking in Sedona, AZ

We were staying in Flagstaff and decided to take a day trip to Sedona to do some hiking.  We were so glad that we did.  While Flagstaff is a cute town it wasn't exactly as great as we thought it would be.  The drive a lone from Flagstaff to Sedona was beyond words.  I'm going to let the pictures do the talking for me in this post.  

We had to ditch our shoes and cross a creek in order to get to the other side of the trail.  Oh that water was cold!

The other side of Cathedral Rock.

Getting Closer to Cathedral Rock.

At the Base.

Little Hikers.

View from Cathedral Rock.

Simply Breathtaking.  

Santa Fe, New Mexico 2014

After talking to a few people about New Mexico we decided to bypass Albuquerque and head straight for Santa Fe.  We are so glad we decided to drive a little further north to see this historical town.  We parked the camper in a nice campground that allowed us to walked into downtown.  Once downtown we didn't waste a second diving into the local food, shops and gorgeous old churches.

First stop for lunch was Tomasita's for the local delicacy of green chilies. It was recommended that we have the green chili fries, and oh they did not disappoint.  They were delish!  

A taste of the downtown architecture. 

After lunch we bobbed into several historical churches to stay out of the rain.  The were all lovely.  Even Jamie agreed that they were fascinating.  Usually I have to drag him through these sort of things. 

Touching sculpture on one of the church walls.

The doorway to one of the churches we toured.

One incredibly special church that we toured was Loretto Chapel.  FYI there is a fee of $3.00 to enter the chapel.  It is small but it is worth it.  

The Rosary Tree in front of Loretto Chapel.

The Miraculous Staircase. 

Loretto used to be a girls school.  The little chapel was built without a staircase to the choir loft.  There wasn't much room to put a staircase.  The chapel was so small that putting in a normal staircase would wipe out a few rows of pews.  One day a carpenter dropped in and said he could build the staircase.  Here is the story http://www.lorettochapel.com/staircase.html.  It is worth reading.