The Days of Wine and Roses

    You would think I would learn. Mark Twain wasn't kidding when he said long ago, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." Try March. Duh. I spent most of the six days we were there in this glorious area shivering. It didn't help that three of the six days were rainy. Let me clarify that: it was not just raining, it was pouring. Envision sheets of water falling from the skies. Chicken Little wasn't happy and neither was I.  I wore my husband's sweaters. I wore his socks to bed. I even wore my own sweaters to bed. How romantic. And yet...and yet, it was probably one of the best vacations The Husband and I have ever taken. We spent the first night ensconced in relative luxury atop the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel at One Nob Hill in the heart of San Francisco. It sounds as impressive as it is. Never mind that I tried to walk down a hill that boasted a 85 degree angle in search of food, my I-sure-don't-want-to-roll-down-this-hill antics made The Husband nearly fall down with glee. I guess I am glad that I was good for some comic relief.
  From there we traveled to the delightful town of Napa and most notably to the Cedar Gables Inn. This home away from home was to be our base of operations for the next five days. We fell in love. Not just with Napa and the wine country, but with Cedar Gables Inn and our amazing hosts: Ken and Susie Pope. They have a great story, they have a lovely home, their hospitality is incomparable, and my, oh my, Susie's breakfasts and her homemade chocolate chip cookies are almost worth the three pounds I put on during the trip. We now proudly claim Ken and Susie as our new friends along with some other delightful folks with whom we spent the better part of a week. We forayed out to the surrounding countryside to visit wineries each day and then gathered each evening in Cedar Gables' tavern for a taste of Ken's wines of the day accompanied by Susie's impeccable cheese pairings. After that we forced ourselves to eat some of the finest cuisine the other side of the Mississippi river. Some of our favorite spots included Napa's Angele, Allegria and Celadon, where we enjoyed the best New England Clam Chowder I have EVER eaten. We also ventured into St. Helena one evening for a meal at the vaunted Mustards Grill which did not disappoint. All in all it was a fabulous trip and one that we will be remembering and savoring for a long time to come.