We rose at 4:30 am, locked up the Villa, and we drove the rental car to Nashville…
We had an effortless check-in; 6 hours later, or so, we were in another rented car and we were driving north from Oakland to Healdsburg, CA…
California hills are a different color of green than Kentucky… in another two weeks or so this green grass will be golden brown, setting off even more the beauty of the oak trees…
We stopped for lunch at the Wild Goat Bistro in Petaluma…
Then we put down the top and cruised back roads into Healdsburg…
Vineyards are always so picturesque…
The back roads are delightful!
The town of Healdsburg is dripping with charm…
We checked in to our B&B, walked the neighborhood for a while, and met old California friends for dinner…
On Saturday we joined 10 other California friends for a day of wine tasting… The top was definitely up as we drove through the rain to Williams Selyem Winery for our first stop…
We hurried in to the “Tasting Palace”… We waited for our tour to begin…
Out tasting was in this private room atop the winery…
We enjoyed the hospitality of the winery staff, tasted many wines, bought a few bottles, and we drove again, in the rain, to Land of Promise…
Land of Promise doesn’t have a tasting palace, or a winery, or a tasting room. We were invited into the owners’ house, and we sat at their dining room table while they poured glasses of wine for us… The hosts were delightful and charming, and they shared their story about their journey to this Promised Land…
They showed us into their wine cellar, and we tripped over each other trying to get photos…
We drove again in the rain to Wilson Artisan Wines…
We enjoyed a semi-private tasting area and enjoyed a variety of wines.
Saturday evening the parents of the bride hosted dinner for the Like-minded Friends at a local gourmet burger joint… A lovely time was had by all…
Sunday morning Lynda and I headed out for a drive to Anderson Valley, hoping to find a little dry spell where we could put down the top. No luck. The rain continued…
We returned to the B&B and prepared for the wedding, held at the MacRostie Winery. The rain was beginning to stop…
The wedding went off without a hitch, at least after the bride and her father got untangled from her dress…
Before the reception I was able to catch Lynda in her wedding finery…
The rain stopped and the setting sun lit up the eastern side of the valley…
The reception was in the large tasting area of the winery…
The hills continued being beautiful…
And the sun finally set…
The reception moved to a cocktail lounge in Healdsburg, then we walked back to the B&B…
Monday morning we flew from Oakland to Ontario, and we Ubered home to Redlands. The trip was uneventful, except that the TSA in Oakland confiscated our lovely parting gifts from the wedding – very nice cork screws. I hadn’t even taken them out of the goody bag… The good news? I have others…
On returning home I found out what had been delivered to the house and placed in the wine room during the past 2 months that we have been gone…
I had my work cut out for me today…
And an enjoyable time was had by all…
Adventures in the Villa 