Getting everyone together was hard enough on its own but so worth it. The zipcar made it really easy and it was just a matter of picking people up. Once we did and were all together the fun could really begin.
Napa is just so lovely and we had a sunny day. Everywhere there is love rows of green everything so perfect and neat. I usually am not a OCD clean neat girl but love watching the rows. How you can see perfect straight lines in the diagonals too. The drive is lovely but then you get welcomed into a relaxing world where water plays everywhere.
There is something about running water that is so relaxing. It really sets the mood of a tranquility, of another world. Anyone just looks around and with the views, the green, the blue of the water its just like a painting.
As we walk up the stairs, being able to choose from two, our eyes follow the water. This place is like art itself, no wonder it is called Artesa. So far it seems like a promising day as the car ride was full of laughter and good chatter.
We are greeted at the door by Ms. A a wonderful women who invited me and my friends to this great night. Ms. A was great, a wonderful educator in the vineyards and in wine tasting. She greeted us with a bottle of champagne as we started the tour.
The building is really interesting and quite green especially considering how old it is. They cut off the top of the mountain, dug in and created the cellars. The whole building is naturally with out air conditioning it regulates correctly to store the wine.
The Spanish are known for bringing the outside indoors with courtyards. I have to say it is something I love and the place is spacious and elegant without being stuffy or pretentious.
Ms. A told us a story of the owners as they were working and exploring a property they found a statue poking out of the creek. They pull it up, had it touched up and appraised. Found out that the statue did date back to the 1600's and donated it to a museum, but not before making replicas for their properties. To this day it is the only Madonna that has been found holding grapes.
The picture above is not a reflection as one cannot be photograph. Somehow quite by accident when they built this courtyard they manage to create a hologram. I really am not one to believe in divine interventions but that is pretty mystical. Wine makers finding the only Madonna of the grapes on their property, then having one of it's replicas creating a hologram. Hmm.
After a serene tour we sit down in our own private room looking out into the courtyard. As Ms. A starts to pour and explain to us the finer points of tasting. The swish of the wine to help open it up, allow the wine breath.
The smell of the wine is really interesting, trying to figure out what it is... even more interesting. How can wet stones be a smell?? It is. I fell in love with the reds, they were so smooth and well rounded. Ms. A was amazing, helping us figure out and distinguish the wines.
As we go through the flights, tasting and trying. We each settle on a glass that is our favorite and Ms. A reloaded us generously and continued to introduce us a bit before she had to part to pick up her poor kitty from the vet.
The special treatment was amazing, being introduced around and given the "insider's discount" of 33% off!!! You know we couldn't resist that and with our own tender Jesus, yes Jesus was his name. We were very well taken care of.
We proceeded to hang out, enjoy the sun and the view while we chatted amongst ourselves. Every so often one of us would get up with somebodies glass in hand too and go get a refill extension of our tasting from Jesus. The more I hang out with these girls the more I realize how cool they are. I can't believe that it is the first time for two of them and been such a long time for the other.
We finally decide that our grumbling tummies needed to be listened to and we start to head off. Of course this isn't before a bit of prancing and posing and being tipsy goofy girls. OK well three of us were! We piled into the car and off were went.
Driving around and using cell phones for GPS is so the way to go. I specially remember playing fire drill. Not because we wanted to run around the car at a stop light, but rather because of starting to feel car-sick. Let's face it if that is the case they do better in the front seat. Thanks for giving up the seat I really do appreciate it! Yet my home girl has always taken care of me, so not surprised she did here.
ZinValley was a great place to stop and eat; we were very thankful for the recommendation. They really were great and in good humor which helped keep our group flying high. It was wonderful to see friends all click and everyone blend. Who would have ever guess that many just met for the first time that day, not the waiters that is for sure! They all thought we were old hat friends.
More of everything kept coming, from drinks to food and then dessert. We laughed and talked and it is great. Heck one of my girls even stuck a feather in my hair, make sense since we were headed back to San Francisco.
All I know is that I have to do this again. Lets keep STRONG!
My friends invited and kinda dragged me to this event. I am not a big competition person cause once I get in them I really do. Figures that everyone in my group doesn't know SF so let's hope that at least they are great with their Smart Phone cause we will need them. I mean really these questions are bewildering. Who the heck knows this?
Did I mention running is really not my favorite thing? Yet neither is being last, thus we race around the city stopping in order at the statues. Yet we do have to figure out their order first! Oye.
Which of course sends us around the whole park, ugh! I mean this is the first stop and we are getting a work out. It doesn't help that we all have to be in the picture.
Not sure why this was a stop, plus we ended up eating to go the subway across the street but hey they said to stop here. Hmm. Filler maybe?
After bowling we got one of the bonus q's done. It was really easy. Why people doubt me I don't know but not hard to get people from a Moscone conference to join in SF fun.
Now this is a random but so well deserved stop on the check point. I seriously love them for having us stop in here. While I am getting sick of this figuring out and running around I do not mind having to riddle dessert out.
Being in SF is famous for being 7 by 7 miles, as well as where gold is struck niners. Hence our football team is called the 49ers. A easy way to earn points, time whatever was have your picture taken with 49s.
We needed a fortune cookie, a person who spoke a different language and something written in another language. This was easy stop and even a fun one in China town. The sun was starting to come out, the atmosphere is completely different.
49's start to appear everywhere. It is easy to find places to stop and get our picture taken with one of these numbers.
Another 49! Yes and who cares if its fruits or an apartment. Ok I would have really loved it to have been the 49 bus. I kept my eyes peeled but we were not on their route.
Ms. J " I just can't run not in flip-flops" and she is right she can't. Leading me to say, "What want me to carry you?!" Naturally the answer was yes, and I ended up carrying her for a bit. This was with the understanding that the boys could keep up with me. Do you think they did? No not really. Here I am with a whole other human being piggy back, and I am not talking a toddler.
North Beach, the International Sport Club, where lefts face it we grabbed the drink. It was nice to hang out with other contestants out for fun. Plus we needed a rest break cause while I might be driving this mish mesh group my girl is down.
After our break we start adding in some of the other parts of the request the hunt had which were images of the Golden Gate Bridge. In this picture we have two!
Thankfully many people along the way helped us out in solve the clues or finding where they were. The silver man was one of the more interesting characters we ran into.
I finally was able to break through Ms. J think scull that she need to buy shoes. It took the shoe breaking to do this but hey, message received right? Lucky for us we found a "49" thus allowing us to make this a fun useful stop too.
Janis Joplin was the answer to one of the questions that took us to my dreaded Fisherman's Wharf. I really hate this place. It is like an instant sour mood settling on me. Doesn't matter that the sun is poking out.
