Saturday, October 31, 2009

The Hills are Alive...with the Smell of Vino!

I swore I could smell the wine even with the windows rolled up even as we entered the city of Napa. I thought I was just dreaming. Twenty minutes into our drive from the south end of the Napa Valley to the north Will and I both could swear we were smelling the scents of the vine waft beneath our noses. Maybe it's easier to believe you can smell pig manure, skunk spray, sulphur, or any other manner of putrid aromas through the car windows rather than the good stuff. Finally I rolled down my passenger window and shouted for joy, "Holy CRAP you could get DRUNK just by breathing in AIR!!!". Not that I wanted to find myself inebriated, but the smell was so lovely I could have died. But that would've spoiled the day no doubt.
Will and I took the day off from the tedium of moving logistics and drove an hour to Napa Valley where we began our tour of the area heading north on highway 29. A bustling 2-lane highway, (that apparently the locals have fought to keep from becoming a divided freeway) the 29 runs through perfectly-sized towns that embrace the local agriculture and culture that emanates from it. Since today we were just getting the lay of the land and didn't know how long it would take us to circuit through the valley, we didn't stop in the beginning, but definitely plan on going back both on our own and with visitors ;-)
We finished the drive north with a stop in the quaint town of Calistoga with a great brunch al fresco at the Calistoga Inn, and with the temperature at a relaxing 20 ℃ or so, I couldn't have been happier. We continued our drive by cutting through Calistoga to the Silverado Trail, a bit of a quieter drive through the eastern edge of Napa Valley and right along the base of the mountains, the bottom half of which were covered in vineyards.
Let me interrupt here by saying this: I have NEVER, EVER in my life thought I would see SO MANY VINEYARDS. Will and I didn't quite know what we were in for, and although I'd seen plenty of photos, I had no idea that the ENTIRE valley floor and hillsides would be covered with vineyards from east to west, north to south. It seemed there wasn't an acre of land left for anything else unless you intended to grow or build something on the steepest part of the mountainsides. It reminded me of southern Spain where in some areas all you could see were olive groves, or outside of Lincoln, Nebraska where corn reigns supreme all the way to the horizon. Napa made the Okanagan's 'wine region' look puny--and don't get me wrong, I'm proud of our burgeoning wine country back home, but this was UNBELIEVABLE! You could spend weeks cycling, walking or driving through Napa's 300 or so glorious wineries on back roads and main thoroughfares, staying in cozy B&B's or luxurious spas, drinking and eating to your heart's content (and till your liver's said ENOUGH!). I fell in love and decided that should I ever have the money, I'd like a gallery in Calistoga or St. Helens and a Tuscan-style cottage in the hills overlooking a vineyard. Hey, as my mom says, 'dreaming is free'!
Probably one of the highlights of our little adventure was our stop at S. Vattui Winery which I'd heard had gotten a bit over-comercialised, but felt like it was still worth a stop. It was at least worth the bottles of Sauvignon Blanc and Madiera we bought to start out our wine collection! We stopped in at their tasting room and tried six different wines from both their regular and premium lists and fell hard for the two we bought. The SB is a great dinner white, hearty enough to eat with meats, seafood and pasta. The Madiera is a dessert wine, and while I never thought I was a fan of sweet wines, I loooved the caramel and hazelnut overtones. A wee bit spicy, perfect for warming you up at the end of a day, and sounds delightful warmed up and poured over a cup of French Vanilla ice cream.

Ahh, so that's that...a great day together in wine country (a locale that can only be topped by wine regions in Italy and France I'm guessing) and some souvenirs to take home! Not to mention a solid idea of wineries to visit and roads to travel in the future!

Cheers!















Monday, October 26, 2009

Where We've Been and Where We Are!

All right, so there have been many miles logged between our wedding at the end of June and now. Seriously, four months and this has what we've been up to:

10-day honeymoon in the Baja--deep sea fishing, snorkeling, exploring, off-roading, eating lots of Mexican food and drinking margaritas as big as your face. 'Nuff said.

Visiting Will's aunt & uncle on Bainbridge Island outside of Seattle. Waking up to the waves of Puget Sound practically lapping at your window is rough I tell you.

Wedding to shoot in Lincoln, Nebraska for a cousin of mine...a whole lotta corn and a surprise flyover (not for the wedding though!) of Air Force One.

A fantastic wedding reception put on by some great southern ladies in Terry, Mississippi! Lots of visiting with friends and family.

Will's graduation from Georgia Tech in Atlanta--quite the getup they made him wear for a PhD graduation, but quite the achievement just getting to that stage in the first place-and now we have a doctor in the house!!!

One of my best friend's wedding in Vernon, BC which I was a bridesmaid for as well as a part-time photographer!

Road trip to Winnipeg, Manitoba where I was born and spent my childhood--an awesome time visiting and finally getting to show Will where my prairie roots are.

Canada road trip interrupted for my green card interview in Atlanta--which went horribly but ended well--the lady was quite nasty to us but in the end I was approved for my card!

Stops in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to visit more family and Lake Louise, Alberta where we were treated to a couple of nights at the Lake Louise Chateau as a wedding present!!! Best view EVER from our window. Will has been talking in a hoity toity voice about the chateau and wanting to eat 'scrumpets' ever since.

An unexpected 2-month stay at my parents' in Vernon, BC when Will's position in France fell through (on the France end of things) and Will began looking for a new job. I had the busiest 6 weeks of shooting yet (including three trips down to Vancouver for shoots) and Will landed a job in the San Jose area of California.

Tonight: After two days of travel with a U-Haul from British Columbia to California we have finally arrived. Customs was a delightful 5-minute ordeal and 20+ hours of driving didn't seem too bad. I conquered my fear of driving a honkin' big U-Haul through rains of Biblical proportions, winding mountain passes that turned my knuckles white, and 6-lane California chaos as Bay area speed demons wove around us in the dark.

So here we are! Soon to start looking for a place and then it's off to Mississippi to get Will's things and ship everything back to California.

Stay tuned for more as I get rid of wedding blog info and keep you posted on our new life in California!!!



Monday, July 20, 2009

Map for Wynndale Presbyterian Church (Reception this Saturday!)

Map for Wynndale Presbyterian Church 

Just click on the link and it'll take you to Google Maps where you can find directions from your location straight to the church!  Can't wait to see you there!!!

Will & Jaime

PS Reception's from 2-5pm, Saturday, July 25!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Directions from Best Western Vernon Lodge to Parker Cove



Map is actually to Creekside Gardens, the restaurant directly across from Parker Cove.

Directions from Best Western Vernon Lodge, BC:

1. Head north on 32nd St toward 42nd Ave
2. Continue on HWY 97
3. Take the ramp to HWY 97
4. Turn left at HWY 97
5. Turn left at Westside Rd
6. Turn left at Parker Cove Resort

Wedding Day Map & Directions

Best Western Vernon Lodge TO Ceremony TO Reception
Best Western Vernon Lodge, BC to Juniper Bay at Kal Park, BC (Reception Location)

1. Head south on 32nd St toward 39th Ave
2. Turn left at 25th Ave
3. Turn right at HWY 6
4. Turn right at Kalamalka Rd
5. Turn left to stay on Kalamalka Rd
6. Turn right at Postill Dr
7. Turn right at Kidston Rd
8. Turn left at Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park
9. Park in Juniper & Jade Bay Parking Lot (Cost $1/per hr or $3/per day
10. Follow paved path down to Juniper Bay

Juniper Bay at Kal Park, BC to Coldstream Park, BC (Ceremony Location)

1. Travel back towards Vernon on Kidston Rd
2. Turn Right on Coldstream Creek Rd
3. Turn Left on McClounie Rd
4. Turn Right on Kalamalka Rd
5. Turn Right at Coldstream Park just before Coldstream Elementary
6. Park where directed.

Coldstream Park, BC to Best Western Vernon Lodge, BC

1. Head east on Kalamalka Rd
2. Turn left at Aberdeen Rd
3. Turn left at HWY 6
4. Turn left at 25th Ave
5. Turn right at 32nd St
6. Best Western Vernon Lodge will be on your left.

Directions from Best Western Vernon Lodge to SeaTac Airport (through Kamloops)



Click on the map to get driving directions from Google in both kilometers & miles as well as time estimates.

PS If you're planning on driving back to the States on the Sunday, going through Kamloops will enable you to avoid the Kelowna traffic...just a recommendation.

Directions from SeaTac Airport to Best Western Vernon Lodge, BC



Click on the map to get driving directions from Google in both kilometers & miles as well as time estimates.