Kids and Kids of Kids

Flamingos greeted us at Sacramento Zoo

Summayeh and Grandma Kathy

 We headed to Sacramento to visit Sara, Yousef and the grandkids. We'd not met Summayeh yet and she is 1! Sulayman is 3.  With no TV, we were all busy interacting - reading, playing, preparing food, eating.  Sleep came easy for us all.
Sacramento has proclaimed themselves as the country's most socially diverse city. This seems believable as we found a large number of various nationalities of Hispanics and a very active community of Muslims from many countries.  Per census info: 45% White, 18% Asian, 15% Black, 27% Hispanic.
Food choices are fun in that you have the same diversity in restaurants and groceries. Sara did a great job keeping all of us fed with healthy, home-cooked meals.

Happy Grandpa

Busy Sara

YEAH!!! It doesnt stop..

Grandpa is busy

Sulayman waiting for us to catch up

 We headed to the Sacramento Zoo.  The lion roars could be heard throughout the zoo making us wonder if they had a microphone around their neck.
Our favorite animals to watch were the small monkeys. There was a batch of babies who were so goofy that we, and everyone else who watched, were cracking up.

Sara and Sulayman watching the giraffes

Hello

Summayeh likes her grandpa

Everyone takes a break

Sulayman checking out ape statue

This ride scared the adult more than the child

At the park

driving lessons

Chef Sulayman

figuring out the puzzle with grandpa's help

chef lessons baking pumpkin pies

Some Time in Sonoma

Turk surveys Susi and Fred's winery

fall at the winery

 We had the pleasure of spending a couple days with old friends who have purchased a winery outside of Healdsburg. They took us wine tasting to some tasty wineries.

Preston farm and winery - This organic farm and winery also had fresh bread and farm animals.

MacRosti Winery - the tastings were fun and delicious. But the highlight was the location. A beautiful tasting room atop a hill overlooking the area.

Amphora Wines - creative wine maker Rick Hutchinson is fun, energetic and has some interesting wines. We enjoyed the Mourvèdr, a grape I typically see only in a blend.

Who knows what they are figuring out

Susie works with her greens

Fred's wine cellar

Bottles of Fred and Susie's Pinto grapes used by wineries

men are cooking

Amphora Winery with Rick Hutchinson, Owner/Winemaker

Through the Redwoods

Leaving Mendocino, we got to travel through more redwoods. In Klamath we drove through a tree, observed by some pet Emu's.  

 

 

Turk drives thru

curious Emu

outhouse beside the drive thru tree

 

golden bears protect the bridge over the Klamath River

beautiful coast

Hiking and Fooding in Ft. Bragg, Mendocino

Mendocino sunset on main street

 One of our favorite places is the north coast of California. But getting there from Willamette Valley Oregon is not easy. This was a 13 hour drive through the redwoods. Unfortunately most of our driving was at night so we missed so much! The challenge of this drive, in day or night, it that the road is an extremely windy forested, mountainous trail. The Turk is my hero for doing this long trip at night.
We were happy to arrive in Ft. Bragg to our hotel, Columbi Studios,  built in 1955 and still owned by the same family. True to the age, the rooms include a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. While they have been updated, they retain the original look and feel.
Our visit here was about hiking and enjoying towns. 

water tower house

Turk finds 'goats' who dont eat much

typical coastal view

tunnel in Menocino coast

wood heaven!

 We enjoyed talking with the owner of the wood shop in Mendocino. He specializes in exotic and local woods to be used for furniture and counters.

sign next to pottery on the sidewalk

pottery for sale  - honor system

more hiking views

Statues atop old bank

closeup of the bird hat on statue

buried chain on cliff - for ship?

Turk checks out sunset

hiked to beach

natives

 

 Checked out Ft. Bragg sites. Looks like they are ready for the next election.  The tattoo museum was ornately tiled and decorated with tattoo memorabilia.

Ft Bragg tattoo parlor

Turk continues his mushroom hunt

Wining in Willamette Valley

Willamette Valley started growing grapes for wine in 1966 with Eyrie Vineyards planted their pinot noir grapes. And vineyards have been popping up ever since.
The Turk and I wanted to explore the pinots of the area and we dedicated two days to this noble endeavor. We stayed at a simple hotel - but it included a heated indoor pool and a big St. Bernard who came to the hotel's front door each morning.

our morning greeter

 Our favorite wineries were: 
Eyrie Vineyards  - because they were the first winery here. But we enjoyed this tasting because we met a couple who live in ... Dunedin FL! In fact, they live in the neighborhood next to ours. What are the chances?!

White Rose Estate - these wines are delicious and expensive. Located in Dundee Hills, we enjoyed every wine from this area.



 Lange Estate - We enjoyed these wines and thought they were the best we tasted, for the price. The tasting room has an amazing view of the mountains and sunset. They did not have enough of the wines we particularly liked, so we couldnt ship any home.

Archery Summit -  This was another beautiful winery and the only one in Oregon with natural caves.

Dundee Hills

We enjoyed the food in McMinnville, the town where we stayed. Our first night's dinner came from La Rambla, a Spanish tapas restaurant with remarkable food and service. The Turk enjoyed his seafood stew alot.   The next evening, we went to Gem, a creole restaurant for another delicious dinner.