Napa, etc.
Aug. 21st, 2005 10:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
weaktwosI spent the day in Napa with S. We had a grand time. We began our adventure at 9am and acquired some green tea at Peet's Coffee and Tea. Then onto the road. S was established as the iPod Jockey and she selected the tunes for our drive. By 11am we hit V. Sattui for a brief tasting and acquisition of picnic food items. We did not linger, here, for we needed to make our 12pm appointment at the Di Rosa Nature Preserve. (The link there is not working currently, for some reason.
The Di Rosa Preserve comprises several hundred acres of land that includes sculptures and art galleries, in addition to Di Rosa's home (which is filled to the brim with art).
The lake is peppered with sculptures around it, as well. Essentially Di Rosa spent his life, and still spends it, acquiring art from Bay Area artists in particular. It makes for a splendid afternoon to browse his collection.
I could not take pictures indoors, so I have some of the sculptures on the premises:
Here we see a car hanging from a tree. Don't we all wish we could sling our old car off a tree branch? Think of the space savings! Off to the left of that is an Angel statue suspended from the ceiling of the gallery. It twirls over a pile of other less noble statues.
The above statues appear to be drunk off their asses. They must have overdone it on the tastings over at Domaine Carneros.
The dirt roads on the land are lined with plenty of sculptures.
One of my favorite sculptures was the tall file cabinet. It was loaded with car parts on the bottom to keep it stable. It dances slightly in the Napa breeze:
After the tour of the preserve, we had an impromptu tailgate picnic, as S was starving. We gnoshed on sage cheese and a cranberry cheese, with some marinated olives and walnut bread. Our car was parked near wooden sheep. I'm not sure why they put sheep on the hill. It didn't quite suit the rest of the beauty on the preserve.
Then we went off to Whitehall Lane and tasted some of their wines. I acquired a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon for my collection. Next was Peju, where we partook of their abundant and tasty wines. Ron, the gentleman doing the pouring was quite a gracious host. We spent a nice while there, and he gave us a dinner recommendation, as well. Travigne. Four bottles of wine later, we staggered out. Two bottles of reserve Cabernet Sauvignon will be saved for at least 10 years. Yes, a good dinner awaits in 2015.
Travigne was fantastic. Since S is a vegetarian, we split the butternut squash and the wild mushroom risotto. As well as the Caprese hors d'oeuvres. We chased all that goodness down with a chocolate ganache torta and coffee. Sobered and satisfied, we took a drive through Calistoga to see the Culinary Institute of America, as I find it to be a beautiful building. I turned around and then took us home. S passed out for a little catnap while I drove. The moon was nearly full, if not entirely, and it was lovely.
Today featured brunch with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
taogrl, where I relayed the previous day's art adventures. The rest of the day I've been a bit sluggish, but I'm feeling peppier, now.
The Di Rosa Preserve comprises several hundred acres of land that includes sculptures and art galleries, in addition to Di Rosa's home (which is filled to the brim with art).
The lake is peppered with sculptures around it, as well. Essentially Di Rosa spent his life, and still spends it, acquiring art from Bay Area artists in particular. It makes for a splendid afternoon to browse his collection.
I could not take pictures indoors, so I have some of the sculptures on the premises:
Here we see a car hanging from a tree. Don't we all wish we could sling our old car off a tree branch? Think of the space savings! Off to the left of that is an Angel statue suspended from the ceiling of the gallery. It twirls over a pile of other less noble statues.
The above statues appear to be drunk off their asses. They must have overdone it on the tastings over at Domaine Carneros.
The dirt roads on the land are lined with plenty of sculptures.
One of my favorite sculptures was the tall file cabinet. It was loaded with car parts on the bottom to keep it stable. It dances slightly in the Napa breeze:
After the tour of the preserve, we had an impromptu tailgate picnic, as S was starving. We gnoshed on sage cheese and a cranberry cheese, with some marinated olives and walnut bread. Our car was parked near wooden sheep. I'm not sure why they put sheep on the hill. It didn't quite suit the rest of the beauty on the preserve.
Then we went off to Whitehall Lane and tasted some of their wines. I acquired a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon for my collection. Next was Peju, where we partook of their abundant and tasty wines. Ron, the gentleman doing the pouring was quite a gracious host. We spent a nice while there, and he gave us a dinner recommendation, as well. Travigne. Four bottles of wine later, we staggered out. Two bottles of reserve Cabernet Sauvignon will be saved for at least 10 years. Yes, a good dinner awaits in 2015.
Travigne was fantastic. Since S is a vegetarian, we split the butternut squash and the wild mushroom risotto. As well as the Caprese hors d'oeuvres. We chased all that goodness down with a chocolate ganache torta and coffee. Sobered and satisfied, we took a drive through Calistoga to see the Culinary Institute of America, as I find it to be a beautiful building. I turned around and then took us home. S passed out for a little catnap while I drove. The moon was nearly full, if not entirely, and it was lovely.
Today featured brunch with
taogrl, where I relayed the previous day's art adventures. The rest of the day I've been a bit sluggish, but I'm feeling peppier, now.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
ooh, sounds like a PERFECT day!
Date: 2005-08-22 02:27 pm (UTC)LOVE Napa!
Re: ooh, sounds like a PERFECT day!
Date: 2005-08-22 04:31 pm (UTC)Yes, I'm so thrilled that Peet's is opening up in my neighborhood. The one we went to here was near where I work. But soon, I shall have one near where I live! Oh yes, it is so easy to amuse me.