Your mom and I were invited on a short trip to Napa Valley with your mom's friend Melisa and her boyfriend Tash. Melisa and your mom have really hit it off lately and been having a lot of fun, but we hadn't all done something together yet, so we figured this would be a good opportunity.
 |
| These two are fun to be around when they're together. They make each other laugh a lot, and it's contagious. We met Melisa through her sister Natalia, who lives in Fresno and dates our friend Mathr. It's a small world, and you never know who your next good friend could be! |
 |
| Tash has some memberships at a couple wineries in Napa Valley, so he gets complimentary tastings from time to time. The first place we went specializes in sparkling wine, so we got to try a few kinds and enjoy a tasty cheese plate. |
 |
| Your mom and I had never been to Napa during the Fall, and it was clearly a good time to go. Everything was beautiful! |
 |
| The second place we went to was Acacia, and it reminded me of some of the cooler breweries I've been to, because their tasting room was butted up right next to the winery and pretty simple in its decor, distinct from some of the wildly lavish places that are in this area. We tried some red wine here, and while I don't have a very sophisticated palette for wine, it's always fun trying to discern different styles. |
 |
| I couldn't help but sneak around the barrel room a bit. Something about these things catches my eye every time. |
 |
| Outside they had a bocce ball court, and Tash explained the rules. |
 |
| They're cute together, and they both have a worldly flair to them. Her heritage is Greek and his is Egyptian, among other things. He's spent a lot of time living in various countries and has a lot of interesting stories to tell. |
 |
| Melisa is hilarious and has a tack sharp wit. Clearly she wasn't happy with her play... |
 |
| Somehow Tash and I figured a way to entirely win this game. As you can tell, the object is to get your balls as close as you can to the small white ball and keep your opponent's balls away. This is about as good as you can do right here. There was no rematch. |
 |
| It was a gray day but still beautiful and wonderfully chilly outside. The vineyards are quite pretty during the Fall. |
 |
| We made one more tasting adventure at BV, where we had taken my mom not too long ago when she was here with us. They seem to specialize in really tasty and rich red wines. |
 |
| To finish the day, dinner was next door at Rutherford Grill, where we shared this delicious corn bread right out of the skillet as an appetizer. Your mom was beaming with this one. |
