At Christmas, my husband bought us passports from the Santa Cruz Mountain Wine Growers Association (SCMWGA). These passports, filled with over 50 participating wineries, entitle the bearers to one free tasting at each spot during normal operating hours or the SCMWGA special Passport Days, which happen four times a year and are the best opportunity
Read more

For Christmas, the darling husband bought us Santa Cruz Mountains wine passports, an excellent gift. I wasn’t a wine drinker when I lived in Santa Cruz, so now that I’m in the Bay, I’ve wanted to try what that designation has to offer. Plus, any excuse for a weekend in Santa Cruz is a good
Read more

My first visit to Sonoma took place a few days before Thanksgiving 2013. It was a quick jaunt into the winery-laden countryside not so far from San Francisco. The downtown area is very cute, full of alleyways and courtyards that hide a range of stores and tasting rooms. Of course, I managed to eat and
Read more

One of my goals before we move is to hit up a few North Carolina heritage sights I’ve wanted to explore but have never gotten around to before now. One was checked off the list on Memorial Day when my friend Ellen invited us to join her at Bennett Place in Durham. What’s Bennett Place?
Read more

Kinston, NC, Blogging: Chef and the Farmer This is the third and final installment on our recent day trip to Kinston, NC. Blog 1 covered the various ways we amused ourselves by the Neuse riverfront last month. Blog 2 was on Mother Earth Brewing, which we were delighted to discover is based in downtown Kinston
Read more

In my first blog on this day trip to Kinston, I mentioned being pleasantly surprised to see Mother Earth Brewing loom up as we entered downtown. My husband is a fan of their Weeping Willow Wit, a Belgian-style beer that is often his choice when picking a local draft from a restaurant, so stumbling upon
Read more

Kinston, NC Blogging: An Afternoon by the Neuse River Occasionally (often), I get a craving to head out of town and end up somewhere I’ve never been before. Some may say that relates to the cabin fever of working at home, but as I’ve always been this way, I attribute it to my wanderlust. I
Read more

This is the fourth entry in a series on my December New Orleans vacation. Lest you think this many entries is a few too many, just know New Orleans has always been high on my list of cities to visit, so I was pretty excited to finally do so! Blog #1 was on the north
Read more

The hubby and I did a whirlwind tour of New Orleans and the surrounding areas in early December. The quintessence of the city—Cajun food, voodoo religion, laissez faire—has always placed it high on my list of places to see. I had considered moving there not long before Hurricane Katrina hit. Its pull on me is
Read more

This is the last of my travelogues from my October visit with my mom and stepfather in Central Washington. The first was on a day in Yakima and the second was on a day in Ellensburg. This entry covers the beautiful scenery to be found in the tiny towns of Tieton and Naches nestled in
Read more