Wine Tasting Redux

Mary Gilbert Food and Wine, United States August 3, 2013American Viticulture Area, AVA, Boon Eat + Drink, Chardonnay, Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery, Guerneville, Healdsburg, Pacific Ocean, Pinot noir, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Valley, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, Wine, Wine tasting, Wineries, Zinfandel 4 Comments

Posted from Glen Ellen, CA After a couple of weeks in Sonoma Valley enjoying the local grape with most of our evening meals, both home-cooked at our cottage and at various restaurants, it was time to stop at a wineryRead more

To Market, To Market

Mary Gilbert Food and Wine, Shops, United States July 28, 2013Acme Bread Company, America's Cup, Berkeley, Cowgirl Creamery, Della Fattoria, Embarcadero, Farmers Market, Ferry Terminal, Happy Quail Farms, Hog Island Oyster Company, Larkspur, Petaluma, San Francisco Bay, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing 2 Comments

Posted from Glen Ellen, CA When it’s Saturday morning in San Francisco, the place to be is the farmers market at the Ferry Terminal at the Embarcadero. Within the Ferry Building itself is the Marketplace, an enticing array of largeRead more

Feasting in Napa Valley

Mary Gilbert Food and Wine, United States July 24, 2013Auberge du Soleil, Bob Hurley, Bottega, Brix, Hopper shrimp, Hurley's, Michael Chiarello, Napa, Napa Valley, Oakville Grade, Relais & Chateaux, Restaurants, Rutherford, St. Helena, Tour de France, Tra Vigne, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, Trinity Road, Yountville 2 Comments

Posted from Glen Ellen, CA We visited recently with six friends from Pittsburgh who were vacationing in the Napa Valley. As is our custom when we’re together, Jan, Art, Tim, Terri, Bill, Sandy, and Bill and I devoted quality timeRead more

Lions and snakes and ticks, oh my!

Mary Gilbert Food and Wine, Health and Fitness, United States July 21, 2013Glen Ellen, Hiking, Mayacamas Mountain Range, Sonoma, Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma Valley Regional Park, South Carolina Lowcountry, Sutton Lake, The Fig Cafe, The Girl and the Fig, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, Wizard of Oz 8 Comments

Posted from Glen Ellen, CA This, essentially, is our back yard. It’s Sonoma Valley Regional Park, where we spent the morning hiking. The 162-acre park serves as a unique natural corridor for wildlife to traverse safely between Sonoma Mountain andRead more

Bastille Day at Bodega Bay

Mary Gilbert Food and Wine, Tours and Sightseeing, United States July 16, 2013Bastille Day, Bistro des Copains, Bodega Bay, Gray Whales Migration, Occidental, Pacific Ocean, Sonoma Coast State Park, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing 2 Comments

Posted from Glen Ellen, CA Sunday, July 14, Bastille Day, seemed like a good day for a road trip to the Pacific Coast. We met up with our friends, Penny and Gil, in Santa Rosa for the 20-mile drive toRead more

Becoming a Valley Girl (and Boy)

Mary Gilbert Food and Wine, Hotels and Rentals, United States July 14, 2013airbnb, America's Cup, B.R. Cohn Winery, Cafe Citti, Cline Winery, Glen Ellen, Glen Ellen Village Market, Golden Gate bridge, Highway 101, Kenwood, Kunde Winery, Marin Headlands, Oak Hill Farm, Padron peppers, Pinot noir, Radio-Coteau, San Francisco, Sonoma Valley, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing 0 Comment

Posted from Glen Ellen, CA After an uncharacteristic spring and summer of mostly dreary skies and steady rain in North Carolina, California looks and feels like the promised land. We arrived at the San Francisco airport under an azure sky,Read more