California Trip

In October, I was given the opportunity to travel to California with my dad for another family wedding.  We were already in Minot for a Miller Family wedding on the 21st, so it worked out for me to fly out of Minot with my dad and attend the wedding in CA.  We stayed a few extra days to visit with relatives and had a great time.

DAY 1 – Saturday, October 22.

Dad and I left on the 5am flight out of Minot.  We arrived in San Francisco around 11:30am and by providence, my Aunt Jo drove up to our agreed upon pick up spot just as we walked out of the terminal.  She drove us to her home, packed us a picnic lunch and packed us into Jerry’s, a good friend, car, which just so happened to be a VERY small Mercedes Benz.  Yes, I have never ridden in such a small car.  My dad drove and had a blast.

From SF, we drove up to the Sonoma Valley.  The route took us over the Golden Gate Bridge.  No, it’s not really gold … my kids noticed that right away.

Alcatraz is out there, but the car is so low I couldn’t really get a good picture. 

My dad thought this rainbow tunnel was cool… I obliged with a picture.  The drive out took us past a few wineries, and we determined that we had enough time and should stop.  We stopped at Viansa, which coincidentally was the winery where the wedding would be held later that evening.

We both tasted a few different wines and chose a few to have shipped home.  My hubby likes red, so there was a selection for him and I also found one that would be great with pound cake and fresh fruit.

Funny story:  It’s a little odd traveling with your father when you are grown up and married.  The lady helping at the wine counter thought my dad was my husband.  Seemed I had to clarify that quite often! 

The gates of Viansa Winery.  The wedding ceremony took place in the cellar behind the gates.

My Godmother, Carol, and I.  She is the mother of the groom.  Below, the newlyweds share a first dance.

The reception was held in a beautifully decorated outdoor tent.

Carol and the Groom, Ryan.

Lovely evening and so fun to see my Godmother and other relatives whom I rarely see.

DAY 2 – Sunday, October 23

Dad and I went to mass in Sonoma at St. Francis.  Lovely old church with hardwood, original floors and beautiful statues.  No pics, but the side altars were so beautiful.

These pics are the views from our hotel.  Gorgeous.

After Mass, we had a quick breakfast back at the hotel and said goodbye to Carol and her husband, Jim.  We left the Sonoma Valley and I snapped a few pics on the way.  The vineyards were harvested already and the leaves were starting to turn color.  The weather in CA was absolutely wonderful – 70’s for the whole trip.

We headed back to San Francisco for an afternoon of visiting with my cousin Jason’s family.  My aunt Jo and her friend, Jerry, also joined us.

Their backyard is great.  Room for their three boys to run around and they have a great pool.  The tree on the lower left is a lemon tree and lemons were ripening.

LtoR: Jerry, Dave (my dad), Suzie (me!), Jason

My dad, Dave; Jason and his oldest son.

Jason and Julie’s oldest son, above, their second, below.

Below is their youngest, and he is a sweetie.  He shares the same middle name as Louis and they are about 6 mos. apart in age.

My aunt Jo with her second grandson. 

We went to Mr. J’s soccer game and just sat around visiting after the games ended.  It was a beautiful day in every way.  We headed back to their house after a while and visited some more.  The sunset was stunning with the San Francisco lights below it just barely visible.

Table set for our feast:  Grilled halibut served with Mango salsa, sautéed brussel sprouts with almond slivers, Caesar salad and sourdough bread.  Aunt Jo made pumpkin pie with whipped cream for dessert.

Julie with her youngest.

No kidding, this was an awesome meal.  I will be making the sautéed brussel sprouts. 

DAY 3 – Monday, October 24

Today, we slept in and had a leisurely breakfast at my Aunt Jo’s home.  She made a wonderful artichoke and spinach quiche; I’ve also asked for the recipe on that scrumptious dish.  I don’t care if my kids won’t eat it.  I could eat it five days straight!

We left the house and headed into San Francisco to eat lunch with Jason.  We had planned to try Sushi, but quite a few restaurants are closed on Monday and the closest Sushi restaurant was to be the meeting spot for his whole company!  (He works for a small scientific company that is currently researching folic acid’s use to prevent spina bifida’s development during pregnancy – VERY interesting.)  Anyway, we completely switched and went Mexican.  After lunch we headed over to the Science Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden.  We could have spent at least half a day at each.

A Lionfish (at least I can remember the name of this exhibit!).

 

Dad and I, below, in the Japanese Tea Garden.  It really was quite beautiful.

This little bridge was NOT made for people who have size 9.5 feet!

Above: Gingko Biloba Tree

Very large Koi.

A Zen Garden, perfectly groomed.

At the gift shop, this hilarious sight.  The lady feeds the squirrel because otherwise he/she will take the candy!  The squirrel was actually climbing her leg.  She warned my dad not to get the little guy wound up because then he’d act naughtier!

Yes, I certainly did buy chocolate.  The stockings will be full come St. Nicholas day, if it lasts that long.

We met Carol, her husband, and her ND siblings and spouses for supper down on the waterfront.  Again great food (I always order seafood when I’m near the water!) and great dessert – Bourbon Pecan Pie.

Home very late that night.  We needed to be at the airport by 7a for our shortly after 8a flight.

DAY 4 – Tuesday, October 25

The flight home was delayed.  We knew we were gonna miss our connection in Minneapolis.  However, if you are at all familiar with the oil activity in that area of the state you’ll know it’s not easy to get on the next flight.  The attendant was able to reserve the last seat on the 9:30pm flight for me and dad went on standby.  Providence again allowed both of us to be on that 9:30pm flight out of the cities. 

A bonus was that we were both able to have supper with my brother, Pat.  More good food at Luce’s.  I was envious that Pat was able to take the leftover’s home!

Our flight arrived in Minot around 11:30pm.  My mom met dad to take him home and I loaded into the suburban for the long trek back home.  Yep, I drove home that night.  I arrived home at 4am.  I have never done that before and was very thankful I’d chosen a load of CD’s for the trip.  I honestly didn’t get that tired.  I stopped once for a 15 minute rest, but couldn’t sleep and got back on the road.

All’s Well That Ends Well.

And if you read through all that, you deserve a medal!  As I’ve said before, this is like a diary of our family’s life.  You get it all and sometimes it’s a lot.