I had the most amazing time with my family a couple of weekends ago. It was the first time that my brother, Mom and Dad had come out West to see me and my sister - we were so proud to be able to show of this beautiful area of the country which we've grown to love to much. It was also Easter, and my birthday, and one of the most beautiful sunny weekends so far this spring. 

It was also one of the only a few times that my brother, who is not much of a traveler, has been on plane. I felt so lucky to be able to adventure with him for the first time ever. Adventuring is definitely more my thing than his, but he was happy to partake, which made me happy. Dave is 7 years younger than me, which never feels like a lot when we're together, but growing up it meant that we didn't get the same amount of quality time that I did with my 2-years-younger, usually-side-by-side sister. Having him out here was my favorite birthday present :). **hint hint to David: move out to Cali!**

I soaked my family in long and good!! And it was my favorite weekend ever. Here are some scenes from the getaway.

*It's known to be true: Rowes know how to vacation*

Where we stayed: We stayed at an amazing Airbnb place with a beautiful view of the ocean (by the way, have I raved about Airbnb enough yet? It's not much of a secret these days, but if you still haven't checked it out, click here for my referral link). Bodega Bay is one of our favorite places to "getaway" because it's so close - it's just 2 hours, or a bit longer if you take the highly recommended Rte 1 coastal drive.

Where we ate/drank: 

• Mexican at La Bodeguita was legit. Careful of that green salsa, it might try to ruin your tongue, forcing you to pound sour cream with your meal like never before.
• Dutcher Crossing took care of us on my birthday with free tastings and an amazing fruit and cheese spread. I love them. 
• Right down the street, we enjoyed a reservation by the creek at Truett Hurst, where we relaxed with some salami and their delicious Chardonnay. I could go for a glass right about now...
• We also stopped at Quivira, with their lovely expansive organic garden - it's fun to walk around and enjoy the sun before or after a tasting. 
• I've already talked about the chowder at the Bodega Country Store HERE and HERE - we just love it.

What we did: Took walks to the beach, played the Game of Things, cracked ourselves up for hours, played Pin the Tail on the Donkey on Tom Cruise's face (just b'cuz), tasted vino, ate ice cream, started reading The Goldfinch (b-day gift!), smoked cigars, and hugged a lot. 

Thanks for coming, Rowes - let's do it again soon. 

Getaway Weekend :: Scootin' Sonoma

I love the strong (and completely unintentional) focus on blues and greens in these photos. It must be spring!

Last weekend, Jimmy and I hopped on our Piaggio and scooted our way from the East Bay, up through Sonoma to Sebastopol, through Guerneville to Armstrong Redwoods, to Dry Creek Valley, back to Sebastopol, to Bodega Bay, down Route 1, to Stinson Beach, over the Golden Gate Bridge, over the Bay Bridge, then home. I thought about adding up the miles and decided against it - but let's just say that's quite a lot for an open-air ride!

We tasted wine, we ate the good foods, we enjoyed nature. But first and foremost, we enjoyed the time on the scooter, zipping through the breeze and sunshine, able to soak every last piece of the ride in. There's something so wonderful about traveling this way, especially for me as the passenger. I get to see, hear and smell everything as it flies by, making every last moment of the road trip feel like part of the fun rather than a means to an end.

Here's a little instagram-vid that I took from the ride:

[Click here for on-scooter instavid]

Where we stayed: The Sebastapol Inn was a great place for our weekend stay. We liked that it was affordable but better than your average chain, and very central to much of what Sonoma County has to offer. Also, Sebastapol in itself is a worth a stopover - it's a very "groovy" little town with a strong community vibe.

Where we ate: This weekend was all about "what looks delicious?", rather than my usual focus on "what's healthy and/or cheap". This was a very fun change. Favorites:

• Angelo's Wine Country Deli in Sonoma is the perfect place for a casual lunch between tastings. Check out the jerky tasting bar (you can't miss it) with complimentary bite-size pieces of every kind of jerky under the sun.

• Ono'z Cafe in Guerneville for Hawaiian - who knew you could get Hawaiian food in wine country? Yummy onion rings + lumpia + an enormous shaved ice will stick in my memory.

• We found the HopMonk Tavern in Sebastapol so enjoyable that we went here twice. Great food eaten with local beer in a friendly-stranger filled beer garden next to a fire. How can it get better? Add a perfectly grilled ham and cheese + chunky tomato soup...that's how.

• The Bodega Country Store (in Bodega) is always a must for us; we find ourselves passing by strangely often and we love it each and every time. There is AMAZING chowder, lots of local knickknacks and flavors, and our favorite kind of gluten-free cookies which is what we grabbed this time on our way home.

• We stopped at the Parkside Cafe snack shack at Stinson Beach for some burgers and chili fries (I told you we weren't focused on health...), which we took over to eat on the beach in the sunshine. 

• The Community Market in Sebastapol is the adorable place where we stopped for morning breakfast and coffees - I wish we had one of these in our town!

What we drank: Though Sonoma and Napa are closer to us and renowned for their wines, we tend to venture out to the Dry Creek Valley / Russian River Valley wineries more often. They are a bit less pricey in general, there's less traffic, and since there is less packed into the area, you can't beat the views. We're wine club members of both Dutcher Crossing and Truett Hurst, which are both amazing, delicious, off-the-beaten path wineries in the area. Check 'em out!

What we did: Besides eating and wine tasting, we had an awesome time exploring Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve (I just can't get enough of those majestic trees), walking around Stinson Beach, and spending time on the scooter, stopping every 5 minutes to get a view of this or a photo of that. 

Have you been to Sonoma County? What was your favorite stop? 

Thoughts for a Holiday Season

Merry merry merry merry. What a wonderful week this has been. And how nice to see you here! I've been incredibly out of the loop, I know. I needed a bit of a break from the old log. And really, without meaning to sound dramatic, I needed a break from everything. So, this past week or so has been an absolute dream. I've been hiding away with my love and friends up in a cozy cabin up at Tahoe.  There has been way less snow than we expected, but I honestly think that's been a blessing in disguise. With our snow activity options cut down a bit we've had even more time to relax and sleep and catch up and play games and cook and explore together. I've had time to reflect on the crazy past two months, and to make goals and plans for the new year. 

And as I said, it was needed. I'm not saying I was any busier than the next person, but for me, November and December were a LOT. My job exploded, in exciting but at times, overwhelming ways. I love new challenges, but I hate failure (really...who doesn't?), so I let myself stretch a little bit thin, hyper-focusing on some areas of my life (work) and ignoring others (exercise, blog, healthy eating). This requisite winter break could not have come at a better time. I've had time to digest the changes and let my mind catch up a bit, and to find some balance again. Nothing like a few months of ignoring yoga and healthy cooking to realize how much you need and love them. And there's no time like the New Year to get back on track, right?

Now, may I blab for a moment about Christmas? I freaking love the holidays. I'm a little bummed to have missed out on the fun of Christmas wishlist and recipe posts here on the log, but I'm happy to say that I didn't let anything get in the way of serious holiday cheer at home. We got a tree, we decorated, we had mulled wine and whiskey ciders and beautifully wrapped gifts and a party crashed by Santa. I did everything on my list of rules for your best holiday season. I listened to a thousand Christmas songs, sent cards, and drank eggnog. Being without my family for Christmas (for the first time in my life) was sad, especially Christmas Eve which has been absolutely magical for me ever since I was a kid. But I whisked away up to Tahoe with dear friends, and we ate a turkey dinner and wished on shooting stars on a frozen pond and exchanged stocking stuffers and laughed and laughed. I'll get to see my family and homeys in a couple of weeks, and in the meantime, this relaxing Christmas in Cali was absolutely what I needed.

I'll close this up, as this is probably the most text-heavy post I've ever done and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Actually you know what? I'm not gonna lie - it felt really good! This has served as a wonderful reminder that I need this space to record - unload - wonder - and catch up. Thank you for letting me selfishly do it in one long-winded swoop. 

In summary - I'm on my way to being back in balance, and I'm excited for what's coming. I'm hoping to use this space more regularly and become a bit more clear about what, how and why I share here. Thanks so much for checking in. I hope you had a merry and bright holiday!

photos:

1. holiday mojitos on Xmas eve

2. a Christmas scene on Bodega Bay

3. beautifully wrapped gifts from my beautiful sister

4. back country hiking on a Tahoe ridge

5. lovely Bodega dunes

6. walking in the dunes

7. Tahoe vacation kickoff with whiskey ciders