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Updates and more vacation pictures!
First, I should apologize for the lengthy delay in posting. I had "part 1" of my rhizotomy on Thursday. Part 2 will follow on June 5. They did the left side of vertebrae T5,6,7, and 8. This procedure disrupts the nerves ability to transmit pain signals to the brain. While I have been in an unbelievable amount of pain since the procedure (the burning of the nerves also burns healthy tissue and muscle, thus causing pain and inflammation), I am so hopeful and excited to have less pain on a daily basis.
Without further delay, I'd love to share more pictures from our vacation. The first winery we visited was Artesa, which also happened to be the location of Bryan's marriage proposal.
Artesa is built into the side of a mountain/hill, and is reminiscent of Mayan architecture. It has been said that you can occasionally see Mountain lions on the surrounding hills and mountains. We, fortunately, did not.
The grounds of the winery are breathtaking. There are several fountains and numerous scultpures. We even saw a huge lizard in the parking lot. Sadly, he had fallen victim to a motor vehicle and appeared to have a head injury. I used appropriate discretion and chose not to photograph him, though his immense size was definitely memorable.
After visiting Artesa, we had a short drive to Robert Mondavi Winery. Bryan chose this winery for our visit with their incredible guided tour in mind. Mondavi was raised by poor Italian immigrants, but his entrepreneurial spirit and work ethic drove him to the heights of success in the wine-making business. He founded the first winery in Napa Valley following the prohibition. Many credit him with making Napa Valley wine famous and a fierce rival to the world-famous French wine-makers. 
The famous arch beckons visitors to enjoy the lush grounds and beautiful vines. This structure is also featured on the label of Mondavi wines.
I was so excited to see the grape vines up close. The viticultural science of growing grapes is complex and delicate. Some of the wineries we visited had a staff of vine workers who were employed on a year-round basis. Others had seasonal employees I like to refer to as "migrant guest workers." The month of May is a busy one in the fields. The workers were "suckering' the vines. They go through the vines and pull a number of leaves and shoots from each one, to ensure that the energy and sugar the plant produces will go into making quality grapes, not excess leaves and shoots.
In the picture above, if you look close in the center of the leaf cluster, you can see a cluster of tiny grapes developing.
The tour at Mondavi was terrific. The guide was a knowledgable fellow with an engaging personality. He was very warm, and indulged we participants by offering to take pictures. Here is one of Bryan and I.
This was taken in their cellar, where the wine will age for a number of months, to years, in the oak barrels. Robert Mondavi appreciated asthetics in wine making, and as the French winemakers would do, he stained the middle portion of the barrels with the wine to make the barrels look more uniform. You see, the oak barrels "drink in" the wine and some evaporates, necessitating that the barrels be topped off regularly. If the middle portion of the barrel was plain and unstained, the topping off of the barrel would undoubtedly leave streaks and splashes of red wine. Staining the barrels beforehand lends to a very organized and beautiful cellar. 
The cellars are kept at a cool 55-56 degrees with carefully monitored humidity. It was always a welcome treat to visit the cellars after being out in the 80 degree weather. I am not complaining, mind you, after the Spring Indiana has experienced, the weather was a delight!
One thing I noticed in Napa Valley was how well roses seem to grow. The wineries will often plant rosebushes at the end of the rows of grapes. There are various legendary reasons for this, but the guide said it was just to make sure that the lawn mowers didn't accidently run over the grape vines. Whatever the reason, they were gorgeous, and I couldn't help taking pictures of them.
One of the wineries we were most looking forward to visiting, especially Bryan, was Opus One. The history of Opus One dates back to the '70s, when Robert Mondavi and Baron Phillipe de Rothschild meet and Baron proposes a joint venture for the two. It was not until 1979 and 1980 that the first vintages were released, and immediately, Opus One was reknowned as an ultra-premium wine. There is only one release per year, and the composition can vary immensely. All of the work throughout the year is poured into one masterpiece bottle of wine, hence the name "Opus One." 
We were also treated to a guided tour at Opus One. The building was magnificent, and you can see the in view from the front that the entrance is flanked by Olive trees. The Valley is home to TONS of Olive trees, which are also especially well suited to the climate. Here you can see tiny clusters of olives.
The cellar at Opus One is similar in appearance to the Mondavi cellar, as Mondavi was highly influenced by the French and their asthetic approach to wine making. You can see that the barrels are stained in a similar fashion.
Opus One was in the process of replanting some vines. The typical age for replanting vines is 25-30 years, but some wineries we visited kept their vines for much longer. Here are some of the "baby" vines at Opus One.
They were in the process of painting the pergola during our visit, but we were able to climb to the terrace, which offered a beautiful view of the grounds. 
A funny little side note about the day we visited Opus One... It started out as "one of those days." I forgot to put on deodorant, Bryan forgot his camera, and there was no time for breakfast. As it turned out, we had a fantastic day, and my lack of deodorant was ample fodder to supply Bryan with a week's worth of teasing!
I hope you enjoyed this installment of our vacation. There's more to come.
Jenny
Artesa is built into the side of a mountain/hill, and is reminiscent of Mayan architecture. It has been said that you can occasionally see Mountain lions on the surrounding hills and mountains. We, fortunately, did not.
The grounds of the winery are breathtaking. There are several fountains and numerous scultpures. We even saw a huge lizard in the parking lot. Sadly, he had fallen victim to a motor vehicle and appeared to have a head injury. I used appropriate discretion and chose not to photograph him, though his immense size was definitely memorable.
After visiting Artesa, we had a short drive to Robert Mondavi Winery. Bryan chose this winery for our visit with their incredible guided tour in mind. Mondavi was raised by poor Italian immigrants, but his entrepreneurial spirit and work ethic drove him to the heights of success in the wine-making business. He founded the first winery in Napa Valley following the prohibition. Many credit him with making Napa Valley wine famous and a fierce rival to the world-famous French wine-makers. 
The famous arch beckons visitors to enjoy the lush grounds and beautiful vines. This structure is also featured on the label of Mondavi wines.
I was so excited to see the grape vines up close. The viticultural science of growing grapes is complex and delicate. Some of the wineries we visited had a staff of vine workers who were employed on a year-round basis. Others had seasonal employees I like to refer to as "migrant guest workers." The month of May is a busy one in the fields. The workers were "suckering' the vines. They go through the vines and pull a number of leaves and shoots from each one, to ensure that the energy and sugar the plant produces will go into making quality grapes, not excess leaves and shoots.
In the picture above, if you look close in the center of the leaf cluster, you can see a cluster of tiny grapes developing.
The tour at Mondavi was terrific. The guide was a knowledgable fellow with an engaging personality. He was very warm, and indulged we participants by offering to take pictures. Here is one of Bryan and I.
This was taken in their cellar, where the wine will age for a number of months, to years, in the oak barrels. Robert Mondavi appreciated asthetics in wine making, and as the French winemakers would do, he stained the middle portion of the barrels with the wine to make the barrels look more uniform. You see, the oak barrels "drink in" the wine and some evaporates, necessitating that the barrels be topped off regularly. If the middle portion of the barrel was plain and unstained, the topping off of the barrel would undoubtedly leave streaks and splashes of red wine. Staining the barrels beforehand lends to a very organized and beautiful cellar. 
The cellars are kept at a cool 55-56 degrees with carefully monitored humidity. It was always a welcome treat to visit the cellars after being out in the 80 degree weather. I am not complaining, mind you, after the Spring Indiana has experienced, the weather was a delight!
One thing I noticed in Napa Valley was how well roses seem to grow. The wineries will often plant rosebushes at the end of the rows of grapes. There are various legendary reasons for this, but the guide said it was just to make sure that the lawn mowers didn't accidently run over the grape vines. Whatever the reason, they were gorgeous, and I couldn't help taking pictures of them.
One of the wineries we were most looking forward to visiting, especially Bryan, was Opus One. The history of Opus One dates back to the '70s, when Robert Mondavi and Baron Phillipe de Rothschild meet and Baron proposes a joint venture for the two. It was not until 1979 and 1980 that the first vintages were released, and immediately, Opus One was reknowned as an ultra-premium wine. There is only one release per year, and the composition can vary immensely. All of the work throughout the year is poured into one masterpiece bottle of wine, hence the name "Opus One." 
We were also treated to a guided tour at Opus One. The building was magnificent, and you can see the in view from the front that the entrance is flanked by Olive trees. The Valley is home to TONS of Olive trees, which are also especially well suited to the climate. Here you can see tiny clusters of olives.
The cellar at Opus One is similar in appearance to the Mondavi cellar, as Mondavi was highly influenced by the French and their asthetic approach to wine making. You can see that the barrels are stained in a similar fashion.
Opus One was in the process of replanting some vines. The typical age for replanting vines is 25-30 years, but some wineries we visited kept their vines for much longer. Here are some of the "baby" vines at Opus One.
They were in the process of painting the pergola during our visit, but we were able to climb to the terrace, which offered a beautiful view of the grounds. 
A funny little side note about the day we visited Opus One... It started out as "one of those days." I forgot to put on deodorant, Bryan forgot his camera, and there was no time for breakfast. As it turned out, we had a fantastic day, and my lack of deodorant was ample fodder to supply Bryan with a week's worth of teasing!
I hope you enjoyed this installment of our vacation. There's more to come.
Jenny
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