Wine Country and Libations

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and looking back at this fantastic city by the bay and all the beautiful memories we acquired the past five days, made me feel quite melancholy.  But, new adventures lay ahead and we were ready for the change of pace and scenery.  The short drive to Sonoma county was filled with rolling hills and farmland.  We arrived at  Benzinger Winery too late to take a tour but made reservations for the next day and upon their recommendation, found a quaint little Italian Restaurant nearby.  While dining on caprese salad and glass of wine, a party of six sat at the table next to us.  We joined in conversation with them and Catherine graciously invited us back to her house and offered for us to stay the night. ( I know my dad is probably a nervous wreck reading this part of my blog. afterall, these people were complete strangers.)  All of them were warm and welcoming and we were graciously welcomed.  Catherine and Dave's home was fabulous and Guy and I loving realestate, quickly asked for a tour.  They recently built this country home and no expense was spared along with intricate attention to detail.  We fell in love with this house and is exactly what we want to build.

Even a wine cellar is housed in their barn next door.

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Of course, we opened a bottle and engaged in great conversation while listening to wonderful music.

Thank you Catherine for your warm hospitality.  It's wonderful to know that world is still full of people like you!  The next morning, after a cup of java in her beautiful kitchen, we were on our way to the family owned Benzinger Winery for our "Partners Tour".  Situated on 85 acres of rolling hills the view afforded grape vine after grape vine, with about 1000 olive trees surrounding this bio dynamic farmed vineyard.  We toured through the property and into the caves where the wine is aged.  It was here we had our private tasting of their premium wines.

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A grand time was had by all and since Guy didn't partake in the libations, I had double the enjoyment!  Later in the afternoon, we moved along to the town of Petaluma. A beautiful small town with all the amenities.  It was here, we decided to chill for the night and took in a comedy at the local theater.  We found a spot for the night in a KOA campground and enjoyed a restful night.  We are certainly enjoying all the experiences we are encountering and growing closer to eachother with each passing day.  Does it get any better than this?