Just beautiful.
July 7, 2013
We just got back from visiting Chris’s brother and his wife in Lexington, VA. We haven’t been back since winter of 2012, so it’s been a while. And since they have three kids, there were definitely some changes!
Summer, age 5
River, Pierson, and Summer
It rained almost every day, and while that may seem tedious, to us it was a welcome reprieve. Of course as luck would have it, Flagstaff also got rain while we were gone. C’est la vie…
Anywho, we got to watch the fireworks in a place that wasn’t ready to blow. And we drove a bit on the historic Blue Ridge Parkway.
Chris and his bro on the Parkway
The Hull Family
Us with River and Summer
And we spent a lot of time with some great people, so it was an extremely memorable trip.
River, after crashing on his bike (no harm done!) after the Fourth of July parade.
Lexington, Fourth of July
Chris in downtown Lexington on the Fourth
Max, Robert, Chris, and us girls
Chris and me, Fourth of July
Chris, me, Robert, Bethany
Bethany with River and Summer
The boys (minus Pierson)
There you have it! Oh, if you’re wondering why Pierson is missing in so many of the pictures, it’s because he was in Lacrosse camp all day and wasn’t always with us. There’s always next time!
June 14, 2013
Chris and I just got back from a trip to Sandpoint, Idaho. Why Idaho? Chris took a class offered by Diedrich manufacturing company on their coffee roaster. Chris is going to go into business roasting coffee!
Sandpoint is beautiful, and while Chris was in class all day I explored the town.
Sandpoint is built around the shores of Lake Pend Oreille, which has a surface area of 148 square miles and is roughly 1100 feet deep. It’s also surrounded by the Selkirk, Cabinet, and Bitterroot mountain ranges. Despite all this beauty, the population of Sandpoint is only 7,000.
It’s even got a little beach! It was just gorgeous.
While Chris was in class, I walked all over-went to the library, ate downtown, and read on the beach. When Chris got out, we went to dinner and drove all over the scenic road that spans the lake.
It actually reminded me lot of Flagstaff, vegetation-wise. Only it had water…
We flew into Spokane and had a few hours before our flight out to do a little sight-seeing there, too.
We went to the Manito Park, which has a bunch of different gardens, including this Japanese one. I wish we would’ve thought to take some pictures in the rose garden!
These are only the pictures from my phone; I’ll post the ones from Chris’s phone later.
March 22, 2013
We went to Napa specifically to tour some wineries. I love wine tastings-I love wine and I love to see the inside of the tasting rooms. The ones in Napa far surpassed any I’ve ever been to before; you could tell that there was some serious money being spent on the public image.
Napa Valley is gorgeous, too.
Trefethen tasting room
This is Shannon. She was nice.
Robert Sinskey tasting room
Interior of Robert Sinskey
Trams to Sterling
On the second day we went to a few wineries after lunch. The first, Sterling, required you to take a tram to the winery. A tram! And then we were given directions to go on a self-guided winery tour across the property.
View from the tram
From one of Sterling’s terraces
Some of the aging wine
My future wine cellar
Sterling tasting room
Another Sterling terrace
PlumJack Winery
Besides touring some wineries, we also ate. A lot.
Seafood cioppino at Sotto Mare in San Francisco
I had one of the best meals of my life at Mustard’s in Napa. Thank you, Cindy Pawlcyn.
Mustard’s
And like I mentioned before, we walked. Everywhere.
Chinatown, San Francisco
Tea house in Chinatown
Butcher in Chinatown
The photos tell it all: San Francisco is an amazing and energetic city and Napa is verdant, lush, and beautiful. It was great to experience the fast-paced environment of San Francisco with the laid-back one of Napa. Honestly one of the best trips we’ve ever taken!
March 22, 2013
We just got back from a fun-filled week in San Francisco and Napa to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. It was an amazing and event-packed trip; we both feel like there was very little that we didn’t do, and we are both in love with San Francisco! We had both been there before-him for quite a few Grateful Dead concerts, and me when I was 18 with a girlfriend. I hadn’t really explored the city too much on my earlier trip (it was very short and I was very young), so I was unprepared for how much I would love it.
We stayed in San Francisco for two days in the Embarcadero district, then we rented a car and drove up to Napa for two days. Our final day we drove back to San Francisco and stayed in the Union Square area. And I know San Francisco has got a great public transportation setup, but Chris and I used very little of it-we walked everywhere! From the Financial district to Golden Gate park to Haight-Ashbury to Chinatown and Little Italy…I almost wore through my shoes. We both loved looking at all the beautiful architecture and all the unbelievably vibrant and diverse scenes. But enough talk.
Chris’s favorite coffee company-Blue Bottle. We went to their shop at the ferry building (Pier One) and the one in Mint Plaza and we had breakfast there every day while we were in San Francisco. So good, and I’m not even a coffee aficionado.
Bay Bridge
Inside the ferry building
There’s a market in the ferry building that houses individual stalls selling local produce, artisan cheeses, flowers, wine, chocolates and gelato…the list goes on and on.
More Blue Bottle photos-these were taken at the one in Mint Plaza.
This is the custom-built machine they use to make iced coffee. It drips through so slowly. There’s a reason for it, but I don’t know what it is. Ask Chris.
This is the siphon area. The water is heated and then sucked through a tiny tube into the top portion of this custom thingamajig. Again, ask Chris. It tastes good.
The siphon
This is the Blue Bottle sign. I thought it was cute.
This is just a pretty tree. Chris thought it was more important to get the tree than my entire head. Granted, I do have a large noggin.
At the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park
I sure do love the drama of an aquarium…seriously, it’s awesome: the dark lighting, the somber voice-overs, the artfully lit displays… just love it.
Jelly fish are cool.
I had raw oysters for the first time. Not too shabby…not too shabby at all.
Heading over Golden Gate on our way to Napa
Can I just say something about driving in San Francisco for a minute? I’m not a wuss, but there’s something about driving fast in tiny lanes over A BRIDGE and knowing that you’re going over WATER that makes me feel a little…nervous. Just a little.
We went for a hike in the Muir Woods on our way to Napa.
Woodpecker
Wowza, this is a long post. And I’m not even into Napa yet. More to come!
October 8, 2012
GToday we were able to get up on the Peaks and take advantage of the beautiful fall colors once again. The hike of the day was Humphreys Summit trail-a trail that leads up rocky climbs, over rooty trees and past old lava flows, eventually culminating at the top of one of the San Francisco mountains-Mt. Humphreys.
Needless to say, Mae enjoyed herself tremendously.
Gotta love that smile!
We didn’t go all the way to the top-it takes about 4 hours to reach the summit, and we only hiked up for about an hour and a half. Regardless, Mae is pooped! I love wearing her out on the weekends-that way I don’t feel so bad leaving her at home while we’re at work during the week. 
The hike was awesome and the colors are still incredibly vibrant. I drove up the mountain with my cousin on Wednesday, and it was amazing to see all the changes even in that short time. It won’t be long before the leaves fall and the temperatures drop. Gotta take advantage of it while we can!
September 29, 2012
Fall is officially upon us, and Chris and I have been trying to enjoy it while it’s here. The months seem to go so quickly, and winter will be here before we know it.
Someone else really enjoys this time of year.
Mae and I have been hiking and Chris has been biking, and whenever we can we all escape to the woods together.
These photos offer just a small taste of the beauty that’s around us right now. As I type this I can see the aspen trees in our front yard-they are just beginning to turn to yellow. There’s a nip in the air and the light is golden. All that’s missing is a fire and a cat on my lap! Wonder where I can find one?
August 11, 2012
On the fourth day of our Colorado adventure, we got up fairly early in Golden, grabbed a coffee and a breakfast burrito downtown, then began driving back to Telluride. It was a five hour drive, and we wanted to make sure we had time in Telluride to play. We got into Telluride at about lunch time (Chris was very proud of the time he made), and we grabbed a bagel at Baked in Telluride. After eating, we went and checked into our hotel and went on a short hike at the top of the gondola ride.
Prospect Trail
(For those of you who don’t know, Telluride is situated at the bottom of a box canyon. Mountain Village is a few miles away, and to travel between the two towns there’s a free gondola. It offers amazing views and stops at the top of a mountain before dipping down into the two towns.)
View from Sophia Station (the gondola stop between Mountain Village and Telluride)
After our hike, we went to dinner at a Thai restaurant called Siam. It was so good! I had scallop fried rice and Chris had shrimp pad thai.
The next day we got up early to drive back to Flagstaff-we were anxious to get back to our animals! All in all, it was an awesome vacation and a great respite from the day to day routine. Our annual Telluride trip is definitely one I hope we can continue in the years ahead!
August 4, 2012
On our third day, we woke up to drive the final leg to Golden where our friends were getting married that night. We grabbed a quick cup of coffee that morning, and ended up running into another farmers’ market in Salida’s local park. It was the perfect opportunity to pick up a gift for our friends, and we chose a local wine and some fresh, homemade artisan pasta with garlic. We thought our gift would make a great night for the newlyweds!
Oh, and it just happened that there was a bike race going on downtown that morning. Chris had a good time watching.
We then began the drive into Golden. I had specifically planned to have this day of driving be the shortest, but unfortunately, traffic was horrible. The road was really curvy, and people were driving like mad men. We finally got to Golden tired and hot, but figured we should investigate the downtown area or we would regret it later. Golden, CO, is very famous for one thing: Coors. The Coors plant is a very obvious part of the downtown area, and the illustrious river runs right by it and through the downtown area. As luck would have it, we also hit downtown during their yearly Buffalo Bill days, and it was crazytown. Regardless (or maybe because of), we got a great feel from the town. It seemed very friendly and community-oriented.
Clear Creek in Golden, CO.
We then headed back to our hotel room and began getting ready for the wedding. The wedding was to take place in Dunafon Castle in Idledale, and to get there we had to drive through a tiny, old-fashioned western town called Morristown. It was awesome! The road was windy and surrounded on all sides by tall hills, and when we got to the castle we were astounded. It’s actually a private residence, and surrounded by green fields, small ponds and tiny bridges, and beautiful, leafy trees, including an incredible weeping willow. The whole scene was incredibly picturesque-just like something out of a fairy tale.
The water wheel at the castle.
Me at one of the entrances to the castle.
The castle.
The bride-isn’t she beautiful?
The groom and his wine.
After we partied at the wedding, we drove to our hotel and on our way saw a black bear! He looked right at as and lifted himself on his back legs. It was one of the most amazing sights I’ve ever seen and something I’ll never forget. Unfortunately, it was too dark to get a picture, and we wouldn’t have wanted to startle him any more than we already did.
August 3, 2012
After our night in Telluride, Chris and I slept in just a bit and then hit downtown Telluride for some coffee and window shopping. After fortifying ourselves, we went on a small hike on a really amazing trail that offered some breathtaking views of the downtown area.
Morning coffee.
Morning hike.
View from the hike.
Us on our hike.
We then began the 3 1/2 hour drive to Salida. On our way, we stopped in Ridgway and hit up their local farmers’ market. We bought some fresh peaches, a couple of bean burritos for lunch, and some local apricot jam.
The drive takes you over Monarch Crest Pass, an over 11,000 foot mountain pass that serves as the gateway to some of the 14ers (14,000 ft. mountains). It’s also the continental divide between the Atlantic and the Pacific.
View at Monarch Crest.
When we got to Salida, we headed to the downtown area to check things out. The downtown runs alongside the Arkansas river, and it was very artsy and quaint. We had a great time looking at different artists’ shops, and then strolled along the river for a bit.
View along the river walk in Salida.
We had dinner at a great local restaurant called Laughing Ladies which was voted the number one restaurant in Salida on several websites. It had great fresh seafood and a variety of local wines. Chris had the snapper with crispy polenta, and I had the goat cheese stuffed chili relleno with a mushroom and sweet potato tamale. Everything was delicious!
After dinner, we just headed back to our room to watch the opening ceremony for the Olympics. We were preparing for another day of driving-this time to Golden.
high country chronicles 