Alexander Valley - Sonoma

Last weekend I left the craziness of the NY party boys and had a wonderfully relaxing and beautiful weekend in Healdsburg for SarahG's bachelorette getaway. Just what the doctor ordered really - R&R. All the girls were so sweet and nice and it really is great to meet these girls before the wedding so I know more people and get a new perspective of Sarahg's life.
Smesh and I got there Friday afternoon and it was blazing hot out. The house was gorgeous, on top a of a hill overlooking vineyards - felt like Tuscany. There were 4 bedrooms and 3 levels with a hot tub and a huge deck. Two of the girls made meals throughout the weekend - and all I did was help eat and cleanup. Lots of deer and wildlife and the quietness at night was blissful.

Saturday morning the we had a scrumptious breakfast and made sandwhiches for lunch and the stretched limo picked us up at 10am to begin the wine tour in Alexander Valley. It was fun riding around from winery to winery - checking out the beautiful landscapes and catching up on Sara's life and connections. By late afternoon, we were all slowing down, even those of us who weren't drinking... and a nap ensued at Striker's winery on their fountain while we waited for the drinkers to return. The weather was extremely warm with a soft breeze - making it very difficult not to stretch out somewhere and snooze.

When we finally got home late afternoon early evening, I was ready for a real nap on the couch and woke up to a beautiful dinner of Dr. Pepper drumsticks on the deck watching the sunset. Ahhhh, quite the life. For dessert, we ate warm chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven with a milk chaser - yum. Then spent the rest of the evening being silly and fully enjoying ourselves with the latest hollywood gossip and a game of thumbs up or down for certain celebreties. By midnight I was out of steam.

In the morning, Jeannee made a delicious breakfast buffett of chocolate banana waffles made from scratch, fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon and hashbrowns with a huge fruit salad. While some of the girls left to commute home, 5 of us stayed and checked out downtown Healdsburg, the church where Sarah will be married - the restaurants - the little nooks and stores that made up charming downtown. We ate lunch at a cafe along the road and I felt as if I was in another country. It felt so summery and idyllic - not always the feeling that you get in SF. Before I knew it, the weekend was over and it was time to head back into the city. Back to life in the fast lanes and stress at work and going through the list of to dos that must happen before September. Oy!