Archive for October, 2011

Could this be Paul’s calling?

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

It is beautiful here in the Napa Valley; Fall is in the air, the leaves are turning and falling to the ground and the grapes are just starting to be harvested.  It is very late this year and with the rain they had things may be difficult for the 2011 harvest.  The weather has been excellent, in the 80’s this week!

Napa Valley

Rows and Rows

Cab Grapes

2014 Summers Estate Cabernet

All the vines are still mostly green and loaded with fruit.  We stopped into Summers Winery as we could see they were doing something in the barn!  They were crushing the Cab Grapes and we were lucky enough to meet Ignacio who is the winemaker!  He was supervising his small crew in crushing grapes and checking the vines where they are being sprayed for a form of fruit rot which is happening because even though the weather is warm it is very humid here in the mornings.  Ignacio took the time to chat with Paul and I about his grapes and what they are doing.  He says they are behind by several weeks, picking has been slow because the fruit hasn’t been ready but they are picking now and will be done soon.

Paul got right in there and helped to remove the stems that the machine missed!

Ignacio invited Paul back to help whenever he would like!  Maybe Paul can earn enough money for us to enjoy a bottle or two of this fine wine!

Do you love Apples?

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

Amy had to attend a career fair in Fresno so I rode with her and she dropped me off at my mom & dads in Hanford for a visit.  The weather was great and I spent the week visiting, reorganizing our storage room, picking walnuts and shelling walnuts and almonds.  That is about all they are harvesting this time of year although my dad is still picking vegetables from his garden.  The tomatoes still taste way better than what I can buy.

Saturday, Stephanie goes to the Apple store to get the newest Iphone using my upgrade.  We have done this before and it is no big deal, however this time the Apple store said it was fine that I wasn’t there but as soon as they did it, Stephanie had my phone, not hers!  How do they do that?  They just hijack my account, put my info on a new phone and send her on her way.  They told her to change it back she had to go to the AT&T store.  In the mean time, my phone quits.  Stephanie goes to the AT&T store and gets her info on to the new phone, but they have to have my phone to get me back in service!  Oh well,  I will be back in San Jose on Sunday and can return myself to the AT&T store and get my phone back even though I have my phone with me!  Sunday went perfect at the AT&T store.  We had a very nice sales girl, named Denise!  She fixed my phone, made sure our accounts were intack with no additional charges, Stephanie’s phone works great (the assistant really works!) and everything looks great.

I spent some time with Stephanie before deciding I was heading home Sunday night rather than sticking around for a dentist appointment on Monday.  I caught a cold while visiting my mom, felt crummy and didn’t think it a good idea to spread my germs at the dentist.

When I get home Sunday night Paul upgrades my phone to the new software that everyone is raving about.  He had done his earlier in the day, Amy had done her’s on Friday so it is my turn! Yippy!!!  It took 3 tries before it would upgrade and restore or whatever it does before I could use my phone again.  Worked great all day Monday but this am, it won’t work and needs to be restored again.   We try 3 times and nothing.  So, I spend some time on the phone with the AT&T tech who tells me I can stick a paperclip in the little hole, removing the sim card!  Those guys at the Apple store act like that is some secret tool they use.  Anyway, I remove the sim card, still no phone.  She tells me I have to restore again!  OK.  Right now my phone is in step 5 of 5.  I hope it works this time!  In the mean time, Paul also did the upgrade to the Ipad which took a couple tries and then this morning he can’t get it to work!  This time it is operator error.  He put a password protect in and apparently he put the wrong one in, TWICE!!!

No technology is without it’s problems.  I say, don’t fix it if it ain’t broke!  But I am guilty of wanting the newest fun stuff too.  Can’t wait to play with the CLOUD!!!

Home sweet Home

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

We arrived in Calistoga on Thursday in the rain and got set up in our new home and packed our bags to head to San Jose for the weekend.  Driving up Hwy 29 thru St. Helena and into Calistoga you can see the vines loaded with grapes.  They are picking now and will continue to in the next few days.

San Jose will always be home and it felt so good to get there and see as many as we can in two days.  Dinner with friends, a lazy afternoon with others, sleepover with Stephanie, breakfast with Amy, Stephanie & Nick, Stephanie cooked, dinner with more friends and Karokee too!  We even spent a couple hours helping my old company move and then back home to Calistoga.  When we drove thru St. Helena this time you could smell the grapes, love the smell of crushed grapes – WINE!!!

Monday we woke to more rain!  It was warm and sunny on the weekend and now rain!  I hope this is not the norm because I am hoping to get in a lot of golf at the course right outside my front window.  We did our training today for the RV job.  This is going to be a fun job, especially since Paul is going to do most of the hours and I am going to golf.

Today I am off to visit my parents in Hanford.  I hope when I get back next week I can hang out in Calistoga for a few days and enjoy this new home!

PS.  The RV was repaired and has started every tim

Not quite there yet!

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Everything was going great on Monday.   We left Redding Monday morning and headed south with the intention of stopping in Williams for the night and taking the car to Marysville to visit friends whom we had met on our first workamping job in Branson, MO.   We did that and had a great dinner and caught up.  Dan & Jan have recently moved out of their RV and back into a Townhouse complete with Jan returning to Real Estate at least temporarily.

We had a great evening including  birthday cake, singing and candles for Paul and then we returned to Williams.

Tuesday morning we get up, ready the RV to travel over the mountain into Calistoga and nothing!  Our problem is back.  The RV doesn’t want to start.  The local dealer in Yuba City had a guy out doing calls and had him come out to the RV park (about 30 miles!)  He comes and after fiddling around a few minutes it starts again!   It currently starts every time Paul tries!

This being the second time in a week that we could not get started we decide that we better take it into the dealer and get it really checked out.  All Seasons RV in Yuba City has been great even though they can’t find the problem either.  It has been decided that the starter must be bad so we are waiting for a new one.  We hope it is here tomorrow, they put it in, the RV starts and off we go!

More Waterfalls

Sunday, October 2nd, 2011

After deciding to stay in Lakehead, CA which is on the Sacramento leg of Lake Shasta we stopped in the local tavern/restaurant for lunch.  Pretty good food for a tavern and friendly people.  Paul notices there is a note on the door that they are going to have a “R” rated hula hoop dancer Saturday night.  So of course he asks about it.  The nice waitress says you got to see this girl, she does amazing things with the hula hoop and of course she is dressed for the occasion.  Paul is all eyes!

We return in the evening about 9 pm to see this show.  Inside the bar there are about 8 people and 3 of them work there!  Where’s the hula show Paul asks the waitress.  Probably around 9:30 -10:00 pm after dinner is over.  OK, ordering drinks.  I stump the bartender with my order of a cosmopolitan.  The good news is I got to tell her how to make it!  It cost me but it was the best one I have had.  I even learned something, put the lime in the shaker and don’t over shake.  Two drinks later the crowd is down to 8 including us  and the guys playing pool have decided that if the hula hoop girls shows up it is going to be a low tip night cause we have spent all our tip money in alcohol!    That’s the other thing about small towns, things don’t always work out!  We waited till 11 but we just can’t sit there all night at $15 a round, hula girl or not!  She was a no show, we dropped $30 so the bar made out!

Try my recipe for cosmos!  They are the best ones you will ever have.

1 shot Absolute or Grey Goose Vodka
1 shot Grand Marnier
1 shot triple sec
1 shot cranberry juice
1/4-1/2 lime squeezed into shaker
Shake well and serve in a martini glass, Cheers!

Today we decided to take a drive to Burney Falls, which is where we we going to spend the weekend but the weather did not look good for the roads.  It is about 70 miles on a windy, 2 lane highway into very steep terrain.  Taking the car there was a great idea.  What a beautiful park and the falls are amazing.  We hiked a couple of miles around the park, had a picnic lunch at Britton Lake and headed home as the weather started turning again.  The drive back took us up close to Mt. Shasta and today you could see the peak for a few minutes.

Not the biggest, but beautiful

You can walk right down to the pool where there is a bit of spray from the falls.  The water is pretty cold so staying out of the water is a main goal!  After viewing the falls we took the trail downstream and enjoyed a short walk until you cross the bridge where we saw this guy trying to fly fish for trout.  He didn’t catch anything while we were there but I’m thinking there has to be warmer streams to fish in – 42 degrees is chilly.

Fly Fishing

More disasters

Saturday, October 1st, 2011

It’s ok, the RV is still starting every time.  After our morning yesterday we decide to head to California and we spent the night on the road.  This morning we get up, put everything away and head down Interstate 5.  We decide we will take a detour and see Burney Falls before heading to Calistoga on Monday.  About Weed, CA  it gets really windy and rainy.  Paul decides we don’t need to take the rig out into the mountains where they are suggesting snow dusting this weekend and passes up our turnoff.  We stop at the next rest stop to rest and decide what to do now.

We stop and Paul heads down the hall to the bathroom.  “Uh, Denise you are not going to be happy!”

Not good!!! That is a really nice vase in the middle of the floor!!!

Water Bubbles

They are suppose to be in that vase with a nice plant growing!  I am having a few bad days lately!  First it was I dropped my purse with my phone in a pond; then I left the car in drive for about 20 miles while we towed it; then the RV won’t start and now this!  All I can say is I am one lucky girl!  My phone started working again after 2 days of nothing; the car seems to be fine; the RV keeps starting and all I lost here was the $10 of bubbles cause the $25.00 vase didn’t break!

We stopped near Lake Shasta for the weekend.  Taking it easy and hoping for good weather and no more trouble.

Lake Shasta near Lakehead, California