Another nice day in Sonoma

We are happy to announce that our son, David, is now fully employed in San Francisco.  We are unhappy to note that he will not be able to return home for Thanksgiving.  Instead, we were pleased to go visit him a few days prior to the weekend before Turkey Day.  Unfortunately, we could not disturb him during his working week.  Fortunately, midweek accommodations farther north were off-season, and rates were reasonable.   Sadly, we could not take him with us.  Happily, we found a crew of intrepid Rochestarians willing to accompany us.  And though there may have been some disappointment at not being able to stay longer, the appointed weather was perfect.

Sonoma is picturesque.

Part of the crew prior at the first stop on the tour.
They're going in!

Mr. Personality served us at the lovely bar.
Oddly, his demeanor did not affect sales negatively.

Dave F. is a man who understands his mission.
The glass is not empty...it's just ready for another.

Dave S. and Tony acting like old Italian guys.

These guys should be in Hollywood.
What convincing actors they are!

The bus driver.
They're smile lines, not wrinkles.

The kids on the bus.
One winery and Becky is already blurry.

Dave F. and Becky had been to this place once years before.
He called to get the gate code so we could get in for a tasting. 

Pent-up demand causes the group to deploy rapidly from the van.

Mary, Becky, Lorrie and Gail pose with a friend.

The assembled troops just prior to entry.

Someone has an eye for beauty.

The smell of fermenting wine is a well known aphrodisiac.

"Tony, stand by the barrel...I need you for scale."

A nice display of French Oak.

Clever use of barrel parts.

Amid all the beautiful wood was this tacky vinyl plaque.
It's the sentiment, I guess.

I'd never seen natural cork before.
Pretty neat the way it grows into bottle-neck size pieces.

The crew having barrels of fun.

The Rafanelle winery grounds are spectacular.

The path to the pond and the olive groves.

Olives looking ripe.

The view out over the valley.

On the way to exploring the far-side hill.

Hard to stand against the rising wind.

After harvest, but some grapes remained on the vine.

Looking down on the winery from the hilltop.

The view across the valley.
Do you see them working in the vineyard?

How about now?

More people working in the vineyard.

More grapes, not sour.

"Arrivederci!"

Nice of them to enshrine my initial.

Time for lunch, we went to Simi Winery, where we expected to find a cafe.  No such luck during the off-season, so we went into Healdsburg in search of vittles.

Being from the frozen tundra, it seems incongruous
to see a fully adorned Christmas Tree
flanked by a lemon tree and a palm.

Illuminated leaves on the pavement

Loosely translated, this means, "Food costs double here."

Thankfully, the restauranteurs were good sports.

Our actors reprised their earlier roles.

A woman came out of a nearby shop, insisting to take this picture.
No, despite appearances, thin headless women are not ideal.

Mr. Ledson built this as a personal residence,
but when people kept showing up asking to taste the wine,
he poured his resources into making it a winery.

Impressive both inside and out.
No expense spared.

Barely visible Dave relaxes beyond the west-facing portico.

We lost the sun beyond the hills.

The wind came up as the sun went down.  We headed back to the cottages we had rented, stopping to get some steaks for the gas grill and potato salad for direct consumption.  

Most other culinary choices would have proven problematic.  Fire trucks greeted us at intersections since the wind had taken out the power.  We ate by candlelight, told stories in the dark, and retired to the warmth provided by thick comforters.

The following morning's reminder of the wind.