California Miles
Exploring
her own state is something she has not done much of so, she decided to
grab her buggy and head off up the coast of California. She pointed her
wheels towards the coastline until she arrived to stop in Santa Barbara
and sip wine at the Harbor House as the late March fog swirled in around her.
Wandering
up and down State Street in the heart of a lovely town, she wished she
had a buddy with her to stop and eat at just about every wine bar and
eatery there. As the fog quickly moved in, she decided to head out to Solvang for a little tour of the place, one she had not revisited for over 25 years. Upon
arriving she was truly surprised to see how much the town had changed
over the years, all except the Abelskievers. After a really fast tour and
a jaunt through the farmer's market for a bag of fresh cherries and bucket of cookies she jumped back in the car and left for San Luis Obispo to spend the ni
ght at the Madonna Inn.
Reading some of the print material, she was fascinated to learn how Alex Madonna was such a good friend with William Rand
olf
Hearst and how the two of them, with their dreams, created two
masterpieces in their own rights. They both loved craftsmanship and
quality and there seemed to be no end to their dreams. After a funky dinner in the pink restaurant, laden with photos of old Hollywood stars with the Madonna family, she headed back to explore the nuances of her funky room.Clearly, the next day she was destined to visit Hearst's Castle and from one who has lived in Europe for over 10 years,
living
with, among and around villas, castles and palaces, this was
enthralling, overwhelming, and humbling all at once. His vision, which
he changed ad infinitum, was a mental work-out particularly when one
can practically “feel” his vision, his dream and experience his efforts
in every corner, in every piece of furniture, Della Robbia and gads of other antiques. Such fun it must have been for him! She almost envied that kind of power to create without limits.
OK, so onward and "upwards" in the buggy towards Big Sur. Nepenthe http://wwwNeptune Big Sur was her late lunch stop. Anyone ever been there? Spectacular vistas
, architecture and a luscious Bordeaux! '99 Pichon Lalande, from Pauillac coupled with artisan cheeses of California. She was in heaven! Contrary to her habit of wanting more wine, she savored this glass
over an hour, feeling it wash over her velvety in texture, reveling in
the deep purple ruby color and knowing she would never be
able to find a bottle of this once home. Ha, thanks to her favorite
wine merchants...she found her paradise after returning home.KLWine
Off
again, towards Carmel for a lightening fast "look" and then a late
arrival into San Francisco for a night on the wharf. Always her favorite
place to be anytime of the year! Those
crab
cocktails from the street vendors...! Later, in the room, she quietly
planned the winery stops for the next day through Napa Valley.The next day she flew through the wineries buying up a car load of "bottles full of grapes"
and then headed out for a stop in Reno so she could spend the last
night in another one of her regeneration spots, Mammoth Lakes...a small
spot of tranquility this time of the year. The skiers were s
till there but just barely so the town was quiet and cozy. Mammoth Lakes
No comments:
Post a Comment