Shafer

We went to Shafer Vineyard on our way to Calistoga on Friday. We had Shafer wine the last time we were in Calistoga and decided that we had to do their tour. It ruined all of the tastings for the rest of the trip! (It was THAT good)

Their property was beautiful. They had already done their pruning on this vineyard.

Tucker is the vineyard dog. This time around, we noticed that a lot of the vineyards had dogs. We were convinced that Tucker had been trained to bark at the tasting room door so that he could mingle with the visitors! He even has his own Facebook page!

After the tasting, we posed for a group shot.

Tony loved the Hillside Select (at $215 a bottle, who wouldn't?) This bottle was empty, of course!

A license plate on a car in the parking lot. It became our moto for the weekend! Mas Vno! Too Mas Vno!

What a Difference a Week Can Make...

Last week I was here...

Now I am here.

Reality stinks and there's no end in sight--rumors indicate that we might get up to 30 inches or more...and more snow is in the forecast for Tuesday. My kids might be home all week! There are not enough crafts to get me through that!

I Will Not Dismount

On day two, Kimberly, Lisa (another spouse on the trip) and I decided to rent bikes and ride into Sausalito for the morning and early afternoon. We started at Fisherman's Wharf and rode several miles to the Golden Gate Bridge--Note to self: my definition of flat and a San Franciscan's definition of flat are VERY different.

We rode along the paths that run next to the water. We happened upon this guy early in the ride.

The view of the bridge right before we crossed it. You have to ride up a BIG hill to get to the start of the bridge path and at one point as I was walking my bike up the hill Kimberly yelled, "I will not dismount!" (and she didn't on any of the hills we went up) and for the remainder of the day that was our quote. The bridge was 2 miles long and it was very windy.

After a long, hard ride, we made it into Sausalito. Thankfully, the road into Sausalito was all down hill so we could coast the entire way down.

We parked our bikes and walked around the town for awhile. The houses were amazing and the scenery beautiful.

Anyone know what kind of tree this is? (hello my CA friends out there)

We ate lunch at Salsalitos, a tiny Mexican place. After refueling with chips and guacamole, a taco and a cold Corona, we got on the ferry with our bikes and returned to downtown San Francisco.

We had a blast and laughed a ton--Thanks girls for an amazing day!

Scenes From Day One

Wednesday turned out to be a gray day, but at least it was in the high 50's. I spent 3 hours walking around the city by myself enjoying the scenery (and the people watching, of which there seems to be a lot of in San Francisco) I walked up Knob Hill and down to Fisherman's Wharf from my hotel at Union Square.

I thought about taking the cable car, but figured I could use the exercise more.

I also walked up Lombard Street to the top where the road zig zags. I must have walked up a thousand steps to get to the top.

There weren't a lot of people down by the water. Something about the color of this boat spoke to me.

This homeless man was an absolute scream. He hid behind this spray of branches as if he was a plant. When people walked by, he would jump out from behind the branches and scare the people. It was hysterical to watch...I probably should have given him a few dollars for the entertainment.

I walked back through China Town. All the fruit and veggies were amazing. I could have spent all day walking around.

Thankfully, I stopped when I did...I could barely walk the next day from all the hills I climbed!

Know When To Walk Away

So, some of you might not know this, but I LOVE to gamble! Not craps, not roulette, not blackjack, not poker, but slots. Give me a slot machine and a bunch of nickels (well dollars now) and I am a happy camper.

Imagine my delight when I found out that my layover was in Las Vegas!

I have to set a limit on what I am willing to lose or else I will just keep spending thinking that I am one dollar away from the big money!

I spent $11 and won $25!

You got to know when to hold 'em; know when to fold 'em. ...Know when to walk away; know when to run. ...enough for countin' when the dealin' is done...