Valle de Juarez

Arrived in Mexico
 
The next morning we met the owners of the RV Park, Sal and Barb Contreras. They had arranged a tour of a small dairy and for a special treat. Pajarete,this is a traditional drink made with milk straight from the cow mixed with chocolate, sugar and a shot of pure cane alcohol.
Here you see the cows having their morning meal and getting ready to be milked. Each cow has it's designated spot and get upset if another cow takes it's spot.

Left to right we have Doug, Danna, Barb, Nancy and Sal waiting for the fresh milk.  
 

Danna and I got our glasses filled first.
 
What surprised me was how warm and rich the milk was. A real taste treat that is not available at Starbucks.


Here Doug is trying on his new pair of sneakers with the red racing stripe.



Later in the afternoon we had lunch at "Alpina Posada & Restaurante". Simple looking food that tasted good and of course we had a bottle of Mexican beer.

The blog is a couple of days behind schedule because my iPad does not connect to the wifi provided at Hacienda Contreras, other computers are working perfectly. Finally got things going by getting a sim card for Danna's computer. 

The next day was uneventful but there are always things to keep us busy.
We had a dentist appointment scheduled to have our teeth leaned but instead Danna had a root canal. The dentist specializes in root canals so I knew Danna was in good hands.

Lazy afternoon reading a book and relaxing in the sun. Our only work for the day was to walk across the street to feed Fiona and Don Quiote. 

From the looks of Fiona we think she is pregnant. Make sure you do not stand behind her as she likes to kick if she feels threatened.

The fields in this area have fences constructed of stones brought down from the mountains. Donkeys pulling special sleds we're used to haul the rocks.
 

"Take only memories, Leave only footprints"

Napa Valley

Sunny day again in Sacramento! I think I like this place. First thing was to drop off Larry and Lynda's grandson at his ball practice. In his last game Mason had 5 hits and seveal RBI's. Then to another park to see their granddaughter Emma at her game. We got there just as Emma was batting. Things did not look good, two strikes and then she hit a home run.  And the crowd went wild!

Then off we were to visit a few of the winery's in the Napa Valley. First stop was at the Bouchon Bakery. It seems as if everyone going to Napa stops here to get a treat and our group was no exception. We had to wait in line and once inside we knew why. Many different types of pastries and some with a twist on the usual recipes. My treat was a maple filled brioche with maple icing topped with bacon bits. Truly a taste of heaven.

Next a stop to see "The French Laundry" restaurant and their produce gardens. Would have like to sample their food but you are required to make reservations 3 months in advance.

I was able to view part of their kitchen and you can tell that care is taken in their food preparation. Look forward to eating here, maybe on our next visit.

  Even before you officially enter the Napa Valley you see the vineyards beside the highway.
 

Greetings as we entered Napa Valley.

  First tasting was at the Sattui Winery. We sampled 6 wines ranging from a Dry Riesling to Cabernet Sauvignon. For dessert we had a Moscato Frizzante. Looks like we are having fun.

Larry and I thought that one of these barrels would make a great addition to any home. 1186 gallons = 4483 liters, that should last us a few years.
 
The wine gave us an appetite so we stopped in St. Helena and at at the Cook restaurant. My gnocchi with pancetta and a cream sauce was not shared with anyone, not even my best friend. Yummy sums this dish up.

After a short drive we stopped at Sterling Vineyards. The tour starts by taking a gondola up to the winery. There are several spots along the way where samples are available. 
Now this is what I call a wine cellar!

On the road again and heading towards San Francisco we stopped at the CIA, Culinary Institute of America. Their gift store had all sorts of cooking utensils required by both the new cook or gifted Chef. Our son-in -law Graham would have spent his whole afternoon here looking at all the "toys".

Unfortunately our next stop was going to be our hotel but Larry and Lynda had other plans. We stopped on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge and went to one of the many lookout points. Our view was the typical shot of the bridge but when you are there it is more majestic than you imagine. As you can see there are many ships entering and leaving this busy port city.
 
 

The vessel below seems very small in comparison to the bridge.
We made it to the hotel and then said our goodbyes to Larry and Lynda. Thanks for all the sight seeing, hospitality and fun we had together. When you come to Vancouver we hope to show you as many sights. Enjoy your cruise and we look forward to getting together later this summer.
 
"Take only memories, Leave only footprints"

Sacramento

Today started off with a visit to the California State Capital Building. Found it strange to see oranges growing on the trees in the gardens. Usually the only orange things we see in the trees are leaves when they change colour.






The dome you see is very impressive from the outside and even nicer inside.

There are two domes in this building, one inside the other. The following picture is of the interior dome. I was told that there is a walkway around the dome that is used when light bulbs need changing. Today there were numerous school children going on tours. While waiting they stood around an upper level and this made for silhouettes against a backdrop of the dome.


The building has gone through a complete restoration to it insure it will make it through an earthquake. When the building was inspected prior to the renovations the engineers said "the only thing holding it up was gravity." During the renovations they made reproduced of several offices to they way they were on April 18, 1906, date of the great earthquake in San Francisco. We were luck to get a private tour of this office.







Some of the light fixtures had light bulb that looked like the ones produced at the turn of the century. This bulb was in the chandelier lighting this office. Must say they look nicer than the compact fluorescent lights we are now using.

Larry and Lynda kept us busy so off we were to Old Sacramento State Historica Park.

The old west setting made you think a cowboy would walk outof a store, get on a horse and ride off into the sunset. So much for my imagination but see for yourself in these two pictures.








While at the park Danna had her fortune read by "Zoltar". Feed him a dollar and he tells you what is going to happen. His loud voice tells you something humorous about your future and then he give you a card with more things about your future. Wonder if he can predict the winning 649 numbers?


For lunch it was off to Chandos Tacos a small but busy place. My choice was three tacos, chicken, carnitas and chorizo and I must say I made a good choice. All three tacos tasted fantastic. They were even worth the 20 minute wait. Larry and Lynda were getting us prepared for our trip to Mexico with some authentic Mexican food.



Looking at this picture do you think we have been busy today. The weather may have been cool to the residence of Roseville but it was warm enough for us to sit outside and relax.

Another great day on our adventure. Thanks Larry and Lynda!

California Adventure

Well folks it is time for another adventure.

Our next adventure started in Sacramento, California.

We are lucky to have met Lynda and Larry on our cruise last year. When making friends on a cruise you always say "drop in if you ever get to our town." we decided to take advantage of the offer. Our hosts put together an itinerary that took us from the mountain town of Truckee near the Donner Pass to Fishermen's  Wharf in San Francisco with many stops in between.
Here are some pictures of what we saw while in sunny California.
Seeing that we are from the far North. Larry thought I may be missing the snow and cold weather so he drove us through the mountains where the temperature was only 28°.


The drive took us to Lake Tahoe where we stopped to view Emerald Bay. With the shining down on us we hardly noticed the cool weather and blowing wind. Besides, us Canucks would ever admit it was too cold!


Lynda, Larry, Danna and me sitting in the "Big Boy Chair"







As you can see from the picture this was the location of the 1960 Winter Olympics. Now it is one of THE places ski in the USA. This ski season is almost over for the skiers and boarders.


Our drive took us over the famous Donner Pass. In early November of 1846 immigrants to the West coast travelled over the Sierra mountain range to reach California. A snowfall stranded them in the pass. Of the 81 who started the trip only 45 survived by resorting to cannibalism. Seems strange that behind the memorial to those travelers we now see a sign for a Food Market.



The  next day  it was off to see the sights of San Francisco. It helps to have guides that have lived in the SF area all their lives. We went to places that would be missed if we had travelled here on our own. Back streets, shortcuts and background stories about each part of the city were shared by Lynda and Larry. After driving over the Bay Bridge we went to a park that gave us a fantastic view of the city.






Then off to see the AT & T stadium where the Giants play. For those that do not follow baseball the Giants won the 2012 World Series. Last year when we were in Italy Jeff and Mallory came to visit us. Jeff, being from the Bay area was always checking to see how his boys were doing. So Jeff this picture is for you.

Next stop at the "Ferry Building" to see some of the shops. Larry gave the ladies 90 seconds to do some shopping before our tour continued. Now I know why I like this guy! Then it was off to "Twin Peaks" to get a panoramic view of the city. Market Street is the tree lined street in the centre of the picture. At the far end you can see the "Ferry Building".



There were many stops on the tour and I am only telling you about a few to them. To list them all would take at least 10 pages.

The homes in the background are "The Painted Ladies". Very popular backdrops for movies shot in San Francisco. Today people were sitting in the park soaking up the sunshine.


Pier 39 is a must see for all visitors to the Bay Area. Here you find shops with all types of clothing, food and souvenirs. Along with the usual visitors we saw these loud chubby fellows relaxing on the wharf. The young sea lions took great pleasure diving into the cool water and them climbing over the others. Many of the older ones displayed their displeasure by barking at the youngsters.



Looking out towards Alcatraz we saw a number of sailboats. The one on the left was moving fairly fast in the brisk wind and the other one was going backwards.



Here is the Swedish yacht practicing for the next World Cup.



Larry had told us that the first genuine Irish coffee was made at a bar called "The Buena Vista" in 1952. Being chilled by the cold wind Larry did not have to twist our arms to have us go in for a coffee.


A visit to San Francisco is not complete without seeing the world famous cable cars. This shot reminds us of our first trip here when we were young and foolish. In the background you can see Alcatraz.

Dinner tonight was at "Original Joe's" another busy tourist spot. Three of us had the chicken parmigiana and Lynda chose the ravioli, all good choices.

Last stop today was at a book store, "City Lights Booksellers & Publishers". This store has been through the times of the Beatnicks through to todays Hipsters.
That is all for this edition.