skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Vacation to San Francisco/Napa Valley
Vacation was everything a vacation should be... relaxing, enjoyable... so fun. There was also a HUGE surprise for me! Bryan proposed on the back terrace of Artesa, a beautiful winery in the Carneros region of Napa Valley. Here he is right after the proposal. 
And here's a couple more pictures of the beautiful view from Artesa.
And while this picture is definitely not the best in terms of photographic prowess, I had to include it.
We stayed at an "eco-friendly" hotel called Gaia, in American Canyon, California. All of the rooms have corresponding animal or bird names. You can see our room's name here. Very fitting, indeed. 
Our hotel is also home to two beautiful swans. At first we just noticed the big male swan, seen at the far end of the lagoon here, preening. 
We eventually discovered his lovely bride. We only saw her on her nest, presumably incubating their future family.
The beautiful swans weren't the only avian fans of the terrific climate and beautiful scenery. Any of the gourmet delicatessens in the area (Oakwood Grocery and V. Sattui were our favorites) were home to what the locals refer to simply as 'blackbirds.' These gregarious birds enjoyed the delicious panino sandwiches, along with the occasional insect as well. 
As you can see, they were not shy. We missed a photo of one of the birds perched on my purse. 
These birds also seemed to understand human empathy, and would 'pretend' to limp or hold one foot up to evoke pity and perhaps extra bread and meat from picnicers. Here you can see the bird standing on one leg.
The pigeons, too, seemed to use this "limping" to their advantage. The seagulls, very plentiful near the bay, used their intelligence in other ways. In San Francisco, near Ghirardelli Square, we saw a seagull attempting to empty his "dinner" from a bag he snatched. He worked for a couple of minutes before ultimately discarding his prize.
As you can see, some might think vacation is "for the birds..." We think otherwise! More to come later...
Jenny
And here's a couple more pictures of the beautiful view from Artesa.
And while this picture is definitely not the best in terms of photographic prowess, I had to include it.
We stayed at an "eco-friendly" hotel called Gaia, in American Canyon, California. All of the rooms have corresponding animal or bird names. You can see our room's name here. Very fitting, indeed. 
Our hotel is also home to two beautiful swans. At first we just noticed the big male swan, seen at the far end of the lagoon here, preening. 
We eventually discovered his lovely bride. We only saw her on her nest, presumably incubating their future family.
The beautiful swans weren't the only avian fans of the terrific climate and beautiful scenery. Any of the gourmet delicatessens in the area (Oakwood Grocery and V. Sattui were our favorites) were home to what the locals refer to simply as 'blackbirds.' These gregarious birds enjoyed the delicious panino sandwiches, along with the occasional insect as well. 
As you can see, they were not shy. We missed a photo of one of the birds perched on my purse. 
These birds also seemed to understand human empathy, and would 'pretend' to limp or hold one foot up to evoke pity and perhaps extra bread and meat from picnicers. Here you can see the bird standing on one leg.
The pigeons, too, seemed to use this "limping" to their advantage. The seagulls, very plentiful near the bay, used their intelligence in other ways. In San Francisco, near Ghirardelli Square, we saw a seagull attempting to empty his "dinner" from a bag he snatched. He worked for a couple of minutes before ultimately discarding his prize.
As you can see, some might think vacation is "for the birds..." We think otherwise! More to come later...
Jenny
1 comment:
Jenny & Bryan,
Thank you for sharing your awesome vacation. Commentary made me feel as though I was there. I am anxiously waiting for the next installment.
Mom in Warsaw
Post a Comment