sonoma (a.k.a. heaven)

Sonoma County is just an hour and a half away from me, and I go there fairly often, but I never get sick of it… or sick of taking photos of it. It’s like I think the next photo will be the best or most representative, which it never is but I can’t stop. On that note, here are several photos from several day and weekend trips to Sonoma over the past four months.

From top left: Medlock Ames winery; vineyards at Medlock Ames; Dry Creek General Store (a fave place to grab a beer and have lunch); the laid-back Preston Winery and all its cute touches (four photos); alfresco dining; homemade bruschetta with some local produce; Alpine Lake, which we stumbled upon while taking a windy non-shortcut from Highway 101 to the coast; the dam at Alpine Lake; overlooking the Pacific; Bolinas Beach (ok, this is actually in Marin County, not Sonoma, but it was part of a Sonoma trip); Bolinas; Bolinas main street; Saturday morning entertainment at the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market; great perch for wine tasting at Iron Horse Vineyards; views from Iron Horse; Red Car tasting room in Graton.

vancouver + victoria: a pacific northwest weekend

Back in June, Seb and I flew up to British Columbia for a quick trip to see some old friends (well, Seb’s old friends, my new-ish friends). We spend two nights in Vancouver, visiting the Granville Island Public Market, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver Aquarium and downtown waterfront area. It was cloudy and chilly and drizzly, but we tried to ignore it and enjoy what we could. We succeeded for the most part and had a good time discovering the city’s modern features and cute neighborhoods set against the super green, lush background of the Pacific coastal mountains.

Then it was on to Victoria by seaplane, a truly awesome experience. Take-off was smooth, and flying low over the Strait of Georgia, we had fabulous aerial views of the Gulf Islands. However, the skies became darker and stormier as we neared Victoria, and landing was most definitely not smooth. Nerve-wracking, more like it. But, all was well as we disembarked and stepped back onto solid ground, getting our first glimpse of the historical city of Victoria, vastly different from Vancouver. Where Vancouver is bustling, Victoria is more relaxed; where Vancouver is contemporary, Victoria is steeped in British charm – and architecture. We spent just about 24 hours in the British Columbian capital city, but it was full of scenic walks and fantastic eating (it’s a bit of a foodie paradise!).

The next day, we boarded the Victoria Clipper, a high-speed ferry, for the trip to Seattle. Zooming across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and into Puget Sound, we arrived in Seattle in just three hours, and had a few hours to walk around before heading to the airport. We explored Pike Place Market, of course, as well as the trendy Capitol Hill neighborhood. Another great weekend in the West!

A few photo highlights below; click here for a full photo gallery

lake shasta

Two weekends ago, a group of 10 of us packed up our cars (and four dogs) and headed north on Interstate 5 for a weekend of camping at Lake Shasta, part of Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Just south of Mt. Shasta in the very southern end of the Cascades, Lake Shasta is one of my new favorite California destinations, if only for the fact that I can rent a boat, actually swim in the water (basically impossible in the Pacific or in Lake Tahoe, unless I want freeze to death) and feel like I’m back home at Table Rock.

We camped at Hirz Bay campground and rented two pontoon boats, loaded down with ice-cold drinks and slightly freaked-out canines, for a day of fun in the sun.

a wine country 4th of july

Thanks to a twist of luck due to some out-of-town friends, we found ourselves spending most of 4th of July week housesitting/dog-sitting in Sonoma. For five glorious days, we lived the suburban wine country life in the small town of Healdsburg. We had cocktails on the back patio. We grilled. We played with the dog. We went for hikes right outside our front door. We found a lake. And we spent the actual 4th at the fabulous pool at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery.


From top left: You may assume these leafy vines are part of a winery, but it’s just a front yard in the neighborhood; our friends’ lovely back patio; the hilly view outside the front door; hiking; our charge – Bosco (he warmed to us); grillin’; homemade flatbread, grilled to perfection; the awesome, custom-made table with succulents and a space to hold cold drinks; this is what working from ‘home’ looks like in Sonoma; our discovery – Lake Sonoma – only a 15-minute drive from the house; the ‘beachy’ area we hiked down to on the lake; two views of Lake Sonoma from a lookout point; the pool at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery; celebrating the 4th of July