Driving along Dry Creek Road

We got an early start today and drove down to Santa Rosa. There were two different farmers markets that we went down to and got some very nice produce. There were some tiny  nectarines and peaches that looked like they were just cherry tomatoes they're so tiny. They have tiny little pits but tastes just like the real big items.  We had a great time and then got back to the house and got ready for some wineries. Some of the roads were closed due to a Ironman bike race. We saw lots of bikes on the road and several people out cheering for them with signs . We were driving out West Dry Creek Road to a winery called Bella Vineyards, the end of the road. Kim saw on the map that there was one right around the corner so we stopped there for 2 hours! It was great fun !  The server's name was Sarah and she was from South Florida. She's also an artist and showed us some great work that she had made. The wines were all superb and top-notch. Plenty of zinfandels for me and other tasty wines for the other folks. She went off the menu and gave us extra wines to taste we sure liked that!

Tiny peaches 

Morning light

Bike race

Pepper sign at the farmers market

3 barrels to go please 

Hi Sarah, thanks for the fun!

Sara gave Kim this fine map as a gift. 

Fritz Winery

The Fritz Winery was just up the road. Actually it was up Dry Creek Road and then up Dutchers Road to the Winery. We got back to the house and had a swim. Then just as We were ready to go to dinner Maria and Oscar showed up.  We all had a great dinner at Dry Creek Kitchen, even if our waiter was a bit forceful.

This is the wine tasting menu. Lots of tasty wine on hand. 

These spigots were wine aerators and pourers as well

Unicorn and a Dracula too

George Louis was our ambassador to the Fritz Winery. Chock full of knowledge and funny too!

I don't know why it's backwards

It's two Fritzes

A quick trip to some North California Wine Regions

We were back from our South America Expedition for only two weeks before heading out again. It was an eventful two weeks; power issues at the house,  a four day AP seminar,  new appliances delivered and installed, appliance repair, car maintaince.....  We need go head out on another vacation. Kim G. Is turning 60 and has rented a house outside of Healdsburg in the Dry Creek wine region. We were invited to share in the festivities, so here we are. It's a great location and a great group of friends !  We flew through Atlanta to San Francisco and then drove up to Healdsburg. We settled in to the house with Kim and Ken. We got lunch at the Dry Creek Store and then off to the wineries. 

This is the rental house on JackPine road

Great deck

Das pool

It's Kims birthday, time to celebrate 

In line for sandwiches at the Dry Creek Store

Mooo 

Picnic table lunch

Chrome chicken

Old time California 

400 wineries to choose from

Adjusting the World Map

We bought a map mounted on cork board. It came with pins of different colors that you could use to identify places you've been, places you want to go, and a dream trip. So we switched over the blue flags of South America to red flags, from plannwd trip to compleated trip. Now ALL of Scandinavia has got the blue flags up! Already thinking about the travel blog card to make.

333 days until the next international  extravaganza!

Scandinavia here we come

Switched over from Blue Flags to red dots

Back home!

We made it back with a six hour flight from Lima to Miami. Our driver was there waiting for us. We made it home to sweet little pickles and are wild house guests. We can put this trip completed!

Downtown Lima is taking out all the stops. They are lighting up our way to the airport!

We flew in over western Florida and this is the thick of the Everglades

We had a welcoming committee of giant land crabs. Pinch pinch pinch pinch pinch pinch pinch

Here's cuteness pickles so happy to see us. Her tail is going to hurt tomorrow from wagging so hard

Matt Knight take a six mile bike ride to the beach this morning Sheridan along the beach and back up Hollywood!

Moisture palm tree Sun waves and humidity ahhhhhhhh

Got a nice little rain shower to go with the bike ride

South America trip is in the bag

Last day in Lima

Our last day in Lima is today. There's some things we need to do to get ready to go tomorrow, such as pack, get our boarding passes, and verify our car to the airport. There's some things we did  for ourselves, spa treatments.  For instance a hot stone massage for me and a Swedish massage for Leslie.  Another fine dining experience at Astrid & Gaston. We decided to do the tasting menu at 2 pm as we would have time to digest. There were eight dishes, however the desserts were two so really 9 dishes in the tasting menu. Standouts and noteworthy items: sea bass ceviche, the guinea pig done like a peking duck with a pancake, the suckling pig, and the  pot stickers filled with octopus and squid. The clouds are dissipating today so we get to see the islands and actually had a little bit of a sunset at the end of the day.

We could see to the South to the whole elevated area

To get to the restaurant we decided to take the hotel car.  The ride was 49 Sole but the driver only had 35 Sole for change when I gave him 100. We got ripped off since it only cost 11 Sole to get back. 

Cool building

Looking over the restaurants Garden towards a church steeple

20 foot ceilings and beautiful woodwork throughout the restaurant. The restaurant is located in an old mansion.

The best traveling partner in the world

Our table top sculpture

An entire cabinet for wine glasses. Reflected in the back of the cabinet are the people that could have drink the entire wine cellar.

Rocking the bow tie

Bread with a layer of tasty apricots baked into it

More bread yummy

A classic Peruvian soup

The menu theme.

The crispy guinea pig on top of a pancake

Two fabulous dishes ooh la laa

The outside bar

Ropes all over the exterior walls.

Very ornate tile work

The sea bass

The suckling pig is very tasty

Desert number one tres leches

Ropes on the wall again, perhaps in honor of the Rope knotted rope language of the Incas

Desert number two, endless tasty treats. Sometimes too much is really just too much

 

Cardinal flamingo

Andy Grande Mansion it is. It's 350 years old and going strong

The Mansion so big you can only photograph it through panoramic technology

The edges of the garden behind the restaurant were marked  using wine bottles.

The first blue sky we have seen in Lima

The first actual Sunset we saw in Lima. It's not much but at least the clouds cleared slightly