I Do Stuff…

wave that flag

Last weekend we (Nancy, my dad, Pat, Matt and I) went to Wisconsin for the high school graduation of my cousin David’s oldest son, Andy.  It was going to be a giant party at the park across from Rose’s house as we would need all the space we could get.  We flew out on Friday morning to Milwaukee and from there we drove across the state to La Crosse.  On Sunday we would head back to Madison to visit more family and catch the plane out of Milwaukee on Monday.

I couldn’t wait for the long four day weekend in Wisconsin.  I was looking forward to introducing Nancy to the rest of the family and for her to see were I spent many summers, a few Thanksgivings, and Christmases thrown in for good measure.  Once we landed in Milwaukee the first thing we noticed was the severe temperature drop.  We just left temps approaching 100 degrees in DC and Milwaukee was a brisk 60 and cloudy.  When we got to Rose’s house a few hours later everyone kept apologizing for such cold weather.  I was loving it, I could have used a sweet shirt, but I was not going to complain about the cool weather.  I didn’t complain about the cool temps in San Francisco either.

After getting the rental car it took about three hours to reach  La Crosse.  We arrived at Rose’s house and walked right into a party.  We were offered something to drink and gladly took up the offer.  Not 10 minutes after we arrived others started showing up to welcome us back to Wisconsin.  In no time the house was filled with guests and everyone was having a great time.  Some of these guys I have not seen in five years so it was great to catch up with everyone.  Nancy, Matt and I spent most of our time outside on the deck, even thought it was drizzling.  It was just great to be outside enjoying the company.  Eventually we got the fire pit going and enjoyed a toasty fire with our drinks.  We did eat as well, someone brought authentic German potato salad and it brought back memories.  That and the brats and locally made hotdogs and I was in heaven.  Even had a few local brews from the New Glarus Brewing Company, the Spotted Cow was taste.  Late into the night we bullshitted.

The sleeping arrangements at Rose’s house are limited so us kids shacked up at David and Teresa’s house just down the street.  David came back to pickup us up so we wouldn’t have to stumble, I mean walk in the dark.  On the way back we got lost so we stopped by The Ridge to get some directions.

Five years ago, the last time I was in Wisconsin, turned into an epic and memorable trip.  Not only for me but for my entire family as well.  It was Mike and Roses 40th wedding anniversary so I went up to help celebrate.  After a welcoming house party we headed to The Ridge for a few more drinking.  I really wanted some scotch but they didn’t have any so I got tequila instead.  This was my fatal mistake, Jose and I just don’t get along.  Every five years I need to challenge that friendship and this trip was that time.  I remember my cousin Kenny and I sitting at the bar just knocking back the drinks.  Needless to say the next day, not just the morning but all day, I was feeling rough.  I pretty much missed the ceremony and party afterwards.  I felt so bad, I was ashamed I drank so much.  My family took it all in stride and they have never let me forget about that night.

park where the graduation was held

Nancy has heard the stories over the years from different family members so as we drove to David’s house she wanted to see the now infamous bar.  The place looks exactly like I remember it five years ago.  We bellied up to the bar in the same spot and ordered a round.  For a mere $10 we got four drinks, including the Spotted Cow.  After the round we finally found our way back to the house and headed to the basement for a night cap.  By now it was late and we were all exhausted so to bed we went.

The next morning I woke up and was feeling great, no hangover this time.  All morning we did was we could to help get ready for the party.  From what I heard 200+ people from all over Wisconsin were showing up for this party.  Teresa’s family is rather large and four of the kids were graduating at the same time so they rolled the parties all in one.  The party was held at the local park which has ample space to accommodate this large crowd.  We spend the afternoon mingling with family, drinking a little, and stuffing our faces with pork BBQ.  A friend of David’s spent Friday roasting and entire pig for the party and it was awesome

By late afternoon most of our family was off at church or…..doing something else and it eventually was just Nancy, Matt, my cousin Kenny and I left at the party.  Not knowing anyone else we headed to Rose’s house for a private party, we cracked open some beers and enjoyed the view from the deck.  Ever since I was a kid the view has been the same, an panoramic view of green fields and farms with a blue sky and white fluffy clouds as far as the eye can see.  I was happy Nancy got to see this fond memory of my childhood.  It was amazing but as darkness approached more people migrated to the deck, by 8pm it was full.  We talked, drank, and eventually got the fire pit out to make some s’mores.  Afterwards imagine if you can, 10 drunks walking from Rose’s house to The Ridge.  It was a crazy site seeing us all walking down the street.  At The Ridge we had another couple of rounds and called it a night.

Statue of Ssgt. Raymond P. Olson.

Sunday, our last day in La Crosse.  Teresa cooked a great breakfast of sausage gravy and biscuits which kept us going most of the afternoon.  After we got a tour of the local fire station.  David is a volunteer firefighter and is very proud of his work and the new station they have on the ridge.  Saying our goodbyes to David and Teresa, Rose and Mike, and finally Marvin we headed for Madison through the rolling hills of the back country.  Highway driving might be faster but it certainly lacks the stunning beauty of the state.  On our way we stopped in Coon Valley to visit their recently completed war memorial.  The memorial lists all those from the local area that have fought for our nation starting with World War I.  I got to see my Dad’s name engraved in marble.

When we arrived in Madison we visited with Pat’s sister Eillen and her husband Gerry who cooked a wonderful meal for us weary road warriors.  Same pattern as the previous two days: drinks, food, and then more drinks outside.  It must have been well after 10pm before we called it a night.  There was no spare bedrooms at Gerry and Eillen’s so Kenny and Patti, who live in Madison, offered their place to Nancy and I for the night.  Their kids started summer camp so the four of us had a few more drinks and talked late into the night before catching some zzz.

The next morning was very low key, which I loved.  In their living room is a high square table that Kenny, Nancy and I sat at all morning talking, getting a little work done and generally just shooting the shit till 11am.  Precisely on time my Dad pulls up in the rental and we head towards Milwaukee to catch our flight.  It was a short drive and we made it to the airport in no time, got through security (even with my refusal to use the millimeter wave machine and have some dude feel my junk) and waited for our flight.

Finally got home about 7pm and Nancy and I just relaxed the rest of the evening.  It was a long day of travel and after three days of drinking our bodies craved rest and relaxation.  I only wish we took off Tuesday so we could recover properly from our little adventure up north.  It was great seeing everyone up there for the weekend and we are looking forward to seeing most of my Wisconsin family at our wedding were we will tear it up in a foreign country.

Potomac Point Winery villa

Full List of Wines | Bistro Menu

Nancy will agree with this, but I am not one for Valentines Day.  I believe everyday we should not only tell the ones we love, that we love them, but we should show it everyday of the year.  Why should I single out only one day to show my love and appreciation for someone?  So inline with my philosophy I don’t make a big deal out of the “holiday.”  Especially one exploited by retail businesses to make a buck and has long lost its religious meaning.

What I am not apposed to is doing something special for Nancy, we just happened to do something special this past Sunday.  Our local vineyard in Stafford, Potomac Point Winery, was having a wine and dessert pairing event on Sunday afternoon.  Living in the area for so long, we have never visited this winery less than 10 miles from the house.  The wine pairing sounds like a good excuse to finally visit this place we have been threatening to for so long.

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in front of the Golden Gate Bridge

Photo Gallery

Google Maps of the wineries

At last years Christmas party for Nancy’s company they had a raffle giving away three nights at any Marriott with airfare by Delta to anywhere in the continental United States.  It took us a while to figure out where we wanted to go, but we decided on San Francisco by night and Sonoma County by day for a long weekend.  My Dad and Pat joined us for the weekend and it worked out because it was my Dad’s birthday on Friday.

When we finally arrived in SF we meet up with my Dad and Pat right outside our gate, with no luggage to pick up we immediately worked on getting transportation to the hotel.  We had two options: 1) a taxi directly there and 2) public transit.  I for one was excited about taking BART and then the cable car to the Fisherman’s Wharf.  I had heard that BART was quick and clean and who doesn’t want to take the cable car, it’s one of the things San Francisco is famous for.  The train ride certainly was quick and allowed for some great views of the surrounding hills side.  We got off at Powell Street, right in the heart of Union Square.  If you like shopping this is the place to go.  I was surprised by the number of people walking around and the general hustle and bustle of the area.  The weather was perfect, the sky blue, temps low and a nice breeze coming off the water.  We quickly got our bearings and decided on lunch before starting the second leg.

at Gundlach Bundschu

For lunch we stopped off at John’s Grill, a famous landmark in the area.  The restaurant is famous for its steaks and fresh seafood and is the setting for the Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.  The restaurant has been around since 1908 and has the decor to match its age.  The floors are hardwood with oak paneling on all the walls.  Most of the walls on the first floor are covered with pictures of famous patrons, none which we recognize.  If it was just Nancy and I you could say it was our age, but even my Dad and Pat didn’t recognize anyone.  We had finally arrived and celebrated the best way we knew how, some Anchor Steam on tap from the bar to go along with great seafood.  I had the muscles in a white wine sauce and they where fantastic.

After filling our bellies we walked a few blocks to catch the cable car down to the historic Fisherman’s Wharf.  I would say that taking luggage on the small ass cable car might not have been the best idea, but it made for an interesting ride.  The cars are packed to the gills with people hanging all over the place.  Going up and down the steep streets made hanging on difficult, I kept trying not to fall into the people around me.  It took forever it seemed to reach the end of the line for a distance that really is not that far.  We checked in to the hotel and managed to get rooms right next to each other on the fifth floor.  After a few hours of rest we headed out to to celebrate my Dad’s birthday at the Franciscan Crab Restaurant right along the waters edge.  The food was pretty good, nothing to write home about.  What the restaurant really excelled at was the view.  With giant twenty food windows there is not a bad seat in the house.  In fact the tables are tiered so everyone has a great view.  We sat right next to the window over looking the water and Alcatraz.  I had the surf and turf, the crab was OK but the steak was incredible, very tender and juicy.

Irish Coffee from the BV Copyright Summer Park

Being the party animals we are we headed out for after dinner drinks.  My Dad heard about The Buena Vista which introduced Irish Coffee to America so we headed down a few blocks to taste their original receipt from 1952.  When we arrived the place was packed, we lucked out and got a table near the door and quickly ordered a round of Irish Coffees from the extremely friendly waitress.  In no time we had four pipping hot drinks in front of us, cheered once again to the old mans birthday and started drinking.  They are surprisingly good and warmed the body and soul as they went down.  We marveled at the days events, quickly realized the drinks went down to easy we had to ordered another round.  By the time we finished it was after midnight and time to head back to the hotel.  The following day we where headed to wine country and needed to get our serious drinking faces on.  Friday was only pregame.

The following morning Nancy and I woke up surprisingly earlier after a long night of drinking.  The hot tottie Nancy had at The Buena Vista seemed to help her cold as she was feeling better with a little more pep in her step that morning.  My Dad recommended it to help cure her cold.  His father would drink them whenever he felt a cold coming on, got to love those family traditions.  We all meet for breakfast at 8:30 and I got the rental car right on time at 9.  It was a short one hour drive out to Sonoma County and we hit the ground running with our wine tasting experience.  My Dad and Pat have been here before so we had a guide, but we decided to hit a few new places.  Neither Nancy nor I cared where we went, even if the wine was bad there would always be another place just down the road to sample.

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Wineries July 17th 2010
Larson Family Winery – Sonoma, CA
Homewood Winery – Sonoma, CA
Gundlach Bundschu – Sonoma, CA
Bartholomew Park – Sonoma, CA
Kunde – Kenwood, CA

All told on Saturday we managed to get to five different wineries all over the county.  For lunch we headed to Sonoma City to pickup some food before the next winery.  There is a large square in the city center that has a ton of great places to eat and shop.  We parked and walked around for a while before we found a great little place that sold “wine food”, Sonoma Cheese Factory.  Lots of cheese, cold cuts, weird sides, breads, everything you could think of for a wine picnic.  With food in hand we headed to Bartholomew Park for another round of sampling and to get a bottle for lunch.  None of us though the wine was that spectacular but the view from the picnic area was good and we had a great lunch.  After that it was off again to another winery.  Eventually we dropped the folks off at church so they could speak to God while Nancy and I headed to a local watering hole for some beer.  The wine was great, but I wanted a change of pace.  Shortly after that we started the long drive back to San Francisco.

Gundlach Bundschu tasting room

As we approached the bridge traffic got particularly horrible.  It certainly was no worse than Northern Virgina, but none of us wanted to sit in traffic if we didn’t have to.  Pat spotted the sign for Sausalito so we took the exit down to the water front.  Driving through this sea side town, which looks like it could be dropped into any country along the Mediterranean and it would fit right on.  We stopped at the No Name Bar for a quick happy hour drink and then did a little window shopping along the main avenue.  Near the end of our walk there was a small park, Yee Tock Chee Park, that overlooked the bay and SF (covered in fog that night).  Nancy and I were alone finally and just talked while looking across the bay.  While on this trip I planned to ask for her hand in marriage, I even got approval from her father.  Right here right now seemed like the perfect moment.  I told her how much I loved her and what she means to me, then got down on one knee, reach in my pocket and pulled out the right.  I think by the time I pulled the ring out she knew what was up.  Fortunately for me, she said yes.

We quickly found my Dad and Pat and told them the good news, they were excited for the both of us.  In such high spirits we celebrated with some beer and pizza at Caffe Trieste.  The whole time at dinner Nancy was text everyone she knew the good news and surprising, as late as it was on the East Coast, she got back a lot of responses.  Most of my family knew I was planning this and everyone else I called the next day.  When we got back to the hotel Nancy was fading fast so we went straight to bed.  It was actually Pat who couldn’t sleep and  was up for three hours that night.

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Wineries July 18th 2010
Kendall Jackson – Santa Rosa, CA
De Loach Vineyards – Santa Rosa, CA
Hook & Ladder – Santa Rosa, CA
Foppiano Vineyards – Healdsburg, CA

Sunday morning and another trip out to Sonoma.  This time we decided to head further north to check out the Russian River Valley.  I forget which wine they are famous for, but this is certainly an up and coming area of the county for wine.  First we had to make one quick stop, what I was most excited about this entire trip, Muir Woods National Monument.  I couldn’t wait to see some of the tallest trees in the world.  I reminds me of the Grand Canyon, pictures just don’t do it justice.  We got a little lost arriving to the park so we arrived a little late.  It was certainly a good weekend to be outside and a lot of locals decided to take a hike in the woods.  Both parking lots were full so we had to park on the side road about a half mile from the park entrance.

trail in Muir Woods

Before you even get to the ranger station at the entrance you can see the tops of the trees jetting high into the sky.  Once you are inside the park there is a very easy, level, paved path a few miles around the park.  There are certainly many miles of trails through the park, one that leads down to a beach I heard a park ranger talking about.  Other lead deeper into the woods away from all the hustle and bustle.  The whole time in the forest it was peaceful and calm.  The morning fog was not completely burned off so the tree tops where still bathed in fog.  I couldn’t get over how tall the red woods were.  Taller than other living thing I have seen, many building and huge trunks to support their amazing height.  Some of the older trees had to be over ten feet in diameter.  We saw several cathedral stands which are groups of trees growing near each other, usually sprouting from the same tree.  Many trees had scares from recent forest fires but managed to persevere any way.  The trees actually need fire to help them propagate, the fire clears the forest floor of debris allowing the seeds to sprout.  They need ideal condition to grow but once they take hold they grow like a weed.  The forest was a magical visit and I can’t wait to get back there to do a more extensive hike.  I told Nancy next time she could just drop me off at the forest and I would be happy and content to spent all day hiking around the woods like a crazy hippie.

After to short a time, probably 1 1/2 hours, we got back into the car and headed north to the Russian River.  The late start meant we only hit four wineries on Sunday.  Hook and Ladder had a free tasting and all the wines we sampled where excellent.  The prices per bottle were very reasonable with nothing over $20.  My Dad and Pat wanted to mix a half case of wines but unfortunately they can’t ship to Virginia and no one wanted to take it on the airplane.  It is actually run by Cecil De Loach who sold his last winery to start this one.  It still bares his name, De Loach Vineyards where we stopped at but the wines were not that great.  We also stopped at Kendall-Jackson which is a HUGE distributor of wines.  We have all sampled their wines but had a free coupon for four reserve samples is hard to pass up.

Nancy and I in Sausalito, just before I proposed

As the day wore on we headed to Healdsburg to get some food and do a little walking around.  Their city square was nice but easily half the size of the City of Sonoma.  Here we ate at a great restaurant, Healdsburg Bar and Grill, were I got the pulled pork sandwich.  They had this great bbq sauce to go with it and even put coal slaw like a true southern pulled pork sandwich.  The food was excellent and the atmosphere was great.  The restaurant was wide open with tvs everywhere, there was a nice pattio outside that would have been great if it was not so hot.

After lunch we walked around the plaza for a while.  It was certainly much smaller than the City of Sonoma but I would say much more upscale.  Nancy and I walked into one gallery and over heard the sale associate say “If you order over $15,000 in furniture you get free shipping.”  We heard that and walked out, we certainly couldn’t afford anything there.  I found a men’s clothing store that had some nice shirts, but at $120 I could buy two or three at Banana Republic.  There is even a Charlie Palmer restaurant, Dry Creek Kitchen, that I would love to eat at but probably like everything else is way out of my budget.  I certainly felt like I was rich for a few minutes.

Sunday night we took it pretty easy.  After a late lunch in Healdsburg we got a light dinner at Blue Mermaid Chowder House, a place we heard had award winning chowder.  We all got the chowder except Nancy and I must say it was rather good.  After two long days of wine tasting and Nancy still being sick, we headed back to the hotel early to catch up on sleep.  Monday would be spent traveling back to the East coast which is no fun coming from California.  Our flight left San Francisco a little late around 12:30 and we didn’t get into Dulles till 11pm that night.  By the time we got back to her apartment it was well after midnight, ugh.

This was a great trip out to San Francisco and I can see why people live there.  The city is full of sights and sounds that can keep anyone busy for a lifetime.  We spent only a weekend there and barely scratched the surface.  I could certainly go back for a week and stay within the city just exploring all the nooks and crannies it has to offer.  Plus the weather is just perfect.  It was the middle of July but the day time temperature never got above 75 and at night it was crisp with the breeze coming off the water.

Random photos from the gallery:

Paradise Springs Winery

It was Nancy’s birthday the other day and we had a busy day planned to celebrate it.  The party started at a brand new winery in Fairfax, the first in the county in fact.  Paradise Springs Winery had their grand opening the same day as her birthday and what a perfect way to kick off a full day of celebrations.  Nancy and I arrived just after noon with few people there.  Because the place was hard to find and in the middle of no where, I thought the crowds would be pretty small.  Parking was easy and getting a tasting took only a few minutes.  However as the day progressed, more and more people showed up, literally bus loads at times.  By this time reinforcements arrived with food, my Dad and Pat.

We spent hours around this wine barrel we commandeered for the afternoon.  It allowed us a place to put all the food my Dad brought with him.  Fortunately Nancy, Tracy, Rob and myself arrived early enough we were able to get a tasting in before the hordes came.  It was to late for them to get a tasting because of the lines.  They trusted our judgment and got a bottle of Chardonnay and a Norton we all agreed was drinkable.  To be honest none of us were to thrilled with the offerings.  The wine was simply, ok.  Nothing spectacular and certainly nothing that blew our minds.  A pretty decent view more than made up for the mediocre wine.

Alto Plaza Centreville, VA

Late in the afternoon after killing several soldiers we parted ways, Nancy and I continued our adventure in birthday fun and everyone else went home.  We headed back to her apartment with Doug who arrived supper late to the winery for about an hour before dinner at Alto Plaza.  This allowed us to change into appropriate attire for dinner, but more importantly, get some football in.  Doug and I couldn’t see the whole game, but we saw enough to know New Orleans was going to win against the Cardinals.

Around 6 we finally left for the short drive to Alto Plaza where we had reservations.  We arrived right on time, but like usually we where the first to arrive.  When we got to the third floor they had a large table setup for us right next to a large bay window looking towards the mountains.  If the sun was setting it would have been a great view.  Being the first to arrive we decided to belly up to the bar in the lounge for a quick drink and to relax before things got crazy.  By about 7pm everyone else arrived; Jeremy, Nichole and Jeffrey with Rob coming from the winery like we did.  Dinner was fantastic.  The food was great and the service was impeccable.  The only issue we had was when we tried to pay the bill.  I had $225 in gift cards that I wanted to use, this would cut the total bill in half for everyone else.  Unfortunately the waitress said the gift cards where for the old restaurant and they wouldn’t’ accept it.  I was pissed.  Thankfully, she went to bat for us and they used all the gift cards.  If they wanted to get our business again this was what they needed to do.

Lulu Cafe (karaoke) Centreville, VA

After a wonderful meal our group again parted ways with some of our dinner guest headed over to Lulu Cafe for some karaoke.  Here we meet backup with Tracy and Bobby, Matt showed up as well for a loooooong night of singing.  We got there just before 10pm and snagged a private room in the back.  The guy showed us how to use the equipment and it was on after that.  The machine was in constant use till well after 2am when we finally left.  Everyone, including Matt, sang songs for hours.  By about midnight I wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep.  In fact several times I almost passed out in the back corner which was amazing considering how loud the music was.

Close to 3am is when we finally got Nancy back to her house.  It felt so good to finally go to sleep in a comfortable bed.  The whole day was great and a lot of fun, even if it did go to the wee hours of the morning.  Not only did Nancy say she had a great time, I could also tell because all day Sunday she was hung over and didn’t want to leave the house.  I was grateful to everyone that made it out for all or part of the day, it really made Nancy feel special having so many people show up.  Next years is a milestone year for her, she has kicked around a few ideas on how to celebrate it already.  It certainly a good idea to start planning 12 months in advance for some of these.