A Whirlwind

Home at last. While I enjoy being able to go on trips with family, the past few weeks have been quite crazy. What with the move, the Bahamas, my parents in town, Drew gone on all sorts of business trips and a trip to Sonoma with the Weitz clan, I feel like I have had zero downtime in the past month. I am so excited to be home and to finish unpacking and get things back to normal.

But first how about some photos from the most recent trip. We were in the Russian River Valley and surrounded by delicious looking grapes. A vineyard was just twenty feet from our hotel door. I'm sure people from California don't even notice vineyards or don't take special note of them. I mean after all it is a rare day when I ooh and awe over a soybean or corn field. But for whatever reason, I love the grape vine (not the goofy line dance) and find the whole wine making process somewhat fascinating. Seeing the rows of vines from the airplane was so beautiful, especially as they were terraced along the rolling hills. If California was just not so far away I could seriously see living there.

On Saturday my hidden mind control powers were successful and Drew took the day off from golf. We tooled around in "Big Blue" for 107 miles and drove out to Bodega Bay and Bodega Head. We looked for harbor seals along the beaches but there were none to be seen. Hence my despair.


However we did go to one of the most deadly beaches in California. How's that for a welcoming sign? Enjoy your stay and please don't die...yikes.

The illustration was also disturbing.

We then drove back along the Russian River and it was absolutely gorgeous. Cute little towns were scattered in between the redwoods and just off the river. I couldn't imagine ever living there permanently but it seemed like a perfect place for a cabin or second home. We stopped at the Armstrong Redwood Reserve and hiked around a bit among the ginormous trees. I loved everything about this place and felt great envy for the people who can come hike here frequently. To me the trees are just so amazing. Even the air was wonderful. It truly smelled delicious. There is such a stark contrast with what I have experienced in Chicago. I am sure such beautiful places exist in my area as well, I'll just have to go find them...after I finish being lazy.