And there went April ....

Here we are, well into May and it has been almost a month since my last post.  Bad me.  Each day I had good intentions of posting, god knows I have enough photos!  But actually ...  it was kind of nice taking the break.  I think the thing I have come to like most about blogging is that it's like having a journal of thoughts tracked and stored among the daily ordinariness of life.  As well as hearing from all of you and your adventures.

But let's move on, and let me catch you up on April's events.

You'll recall, we trekked out to Napa Valley in early April.  Here's a couple of images of the Golden Gate Bridge as we headed back to the airport.

When we returned to Philly, Spring had finally begun to make an appearance, 

along with some stormy days.

We journeyed down to Fredericksburg for a weekend to visit our brother-in-law for a few days and his sweet pack of dogs.  We always have a good time hitting the flea markets and sharing lots of wine and laughter in the evenings.  He has carved out a walking path around his pond which is where I captured the below image.  And it must have been there that I inherited the tick I discovered on my waist the following day.  Ewww!  Fortunately, he had not fully attached himself.

Back to Philly, and spring continued to blossom 

with more and more of my birdie friends returning, 

and I caught up with an old friend who visited for a couple of days.

I continued to monitor a major bath renovation in our Rockport home that was started in February.

I had great hopes of its completion by the end of April.  

But as with all renovations, things never seem to run on schedule.  

Ugh.

April was also a time to catch up on some medical appointments.  A Synvisc injection for my cranky arthritic left knee in attempts to hold off replacement.  

And of course, the boob squishing mammogram 

with the continuous good news all is a.o.k.

Another friend from Seattle joined us for a few days to attend The Professor's 

Corporate Governance conference in Philly.

Our friend's daughter had heard of the Mutter Museum and wanted him to check it out.  

So one afternoon, we spent viewing medical oddities and body parts.

Definitely disturbing.

I made a trip down to Anna Maria to check up on our vacation properties 

and deal with some maintenance issues.  

Not much time for any R & R like these folks below, 

but I did get a few bike rides in and a couple of sunsets.

It's a pretty time of the year down there with the terns, skimmers and plovers 

mating and nesting ...  

along with the turtles beginning to return to lay their eggs.

And there you have it.

A full month of family, friends, travels, renovations and a 

'few'

Vesper martinis in the mix

to ease my achy ole soul.

Looking forward to things slowing down a bit this month.

Taking more photos and getting back into the groove of blogging

and catching up with all of you.

Life is too short ...

We had the delightful pleasure this past week of joining some friends for "a little" wine tasting out in beautiful Napa Valley. (Actually, that's not right.  There was 'A LOT' of wine tasting done!)

I have been in California numerous times but never ONCE visited a winery while there.  

Silly me!!  This girl really enjoys her wine.

Although the vineyards were just beginning to fill in with their spring growth, 

the  hills and valleys were lush and the mustard flowers were in full bloom.

Our friends, who know wines much better than us, put together an awesome itinerary.  We stayed in Yountville, a few miles up the road from Napa.  It was a great choice being central for most of our travels and much quieter than Napa itself.   I'd like to say that the villa above was where we stayed, but alas, it was not.  That was the Patland Estate Vineyards, high up in the hills with a beautiful Tuscan landscape.  It felt like we were in Italy.

 

Each day we visited three wineries, all scheduled private appointments. 

For the winies, who know their wines, here are some of the vineyards we visited: 

Joseph Phelps, O'Shaughessey, Jarvis, Lava One, Chappellet, Chateau Montelena, and Patland.

We got to see some incredible wine cellars

in all shapes and sizes.

Our visit included the famous Chateau Montelena who won the white wine section of the historic 'Judgement of Paris' wine competition in 1976.  They surprisingly beat out the French and other California wines and a bottle of the 1973 Chardonnay vintage resides in the Smithsonian.

(Oh my ...  serious stuff out here in Napa!)

The chateau was quite fun to photograph 

as well as the reflecting pond surrounding it.

 Our last tasting was unlike all the others.  

Our guide at Chappellet walked us among the vineyards 

as we tasted the wines while he shared the history of the place.

It was fascinating to see the different variety of vines

and the whys and ways of

their vining.

 Growing a vineyard really is an art.

I always had the romantic vision of owning a vineyard some day

and making wine.

But that notion has been put to bed after

seeing all that goes into making a bottle of wine.

Best I just keep drinking it.

It was a wonderful time with friends,

made even better with 

some great wines!

But ....

now I really understand what

they mean by 

'life is too short to drink bad wine'!

Oy!  

I need a larger wine budget.

A Seal Spa

 La Jolla was a delight to visit this past weekend 

with its sandy beaches and rocky shorelines.  

Its wild seal congregation is quite a popular draw.

Most of the seals are lazying around but occasionally 

growling and barking will occur when one is bumped and prodded 

to move from a comfy spot.

 I enjoyed watching this little girl as she basked in the afternoon sun

on the cliff's edge.

 Actually, she was taking in the waves ...

 as each one crashed upon the rocks

 and bathed

 her shimmering coat in chilly sea water.

I think she is totally enjoying her spa afternoon.

What do you think?

One can always nap later!