Jackie, mom and me...
Jackie and I spent a couple of days with mom
before we took off to see Jimmy & Linda and
the wine country
Mom doesn't know who we are, but she did
enjoy the visit...often with a quizzed look on
her face, as tho to say, "Who are these
people and why are they here?" But that was
ok with us...we love her anyway...
We arrive at Linda and Jim's house
to a warm kitchen, down home welcome...
always feels so comfortable in their home
Jim sharing his camera collection with us
Shana, Jim & Linda's daughter, with Jackie
Jim in his favorite room in the house...
the one that is filled with his collections
Jim with one of his treasures...
L-R
Linda, Jim, Jan, Jackie, Niki
When Jan heard Jackie & I were going
to be visiting Jimmy, she drove down
to join us and say howdy!
Having fun...
Drive up to castle
Jan, Jackie and Jim
in front of Castello di Amorosa
Vineyard, Winery and Castle
Jackie at door to castle
Court yard
Hall
Chapel
Into dinning room
Fireplace in dinning room
Dinning room
Whisper room...if you whisper in one of these
corners, you can hear it across the room as
clear as day!
Tower
View of vineyard from tower
Modern vats seem out of place in such
an ancient place...
Tools of the trade...
Wine storage for VERY large bottles
Candle making room
Deep in the cellar
Jim...he looks like the owner of the place!
No castle is complete without a torture chamber!
Jackie, Jan, Jim and Niki
I don't drink, but wanted to get a photo of all
of us at the Castle...so here we are
with empty glasses!
Jan and Jackie enjoying a taste of wine
Jim enjoying a taste of wine
At the end of the tour everyone
joins together for wine tasting
This was truly an amazing place. As I said before,
I don't drink, but found this incredible piece of
architecture an amazing find...who would ever
believe a castle of such authenticity would be
in the USA?!
On our way to the next winery...Beringer....
Entry into Beringer Winery
Spring flowers under the grape vines
Beringer home as seen from garden
Beringer home
Inside of the Beringer home
More wine tasting...
...and more wine tasting...
Jackie & Roger Harrison, wine maker
(not sure that is the "proper" title?)
Jackie tried his desert wines and found
them to be wonderful...ended up buying
So long to another great winery...
Every time I visit Jim I love going by this artists
studio of Rock Art...so very creative!
Cuz Jan and Niki
I wish this artist lived a little closer to
Florida...I'd love to have some of his work
in our garden!
Since we were so close to Calistoga, where all of the
hot springs, massage locations, and mud baths are
located, we thought we'd give a mud bath a try....
Ahhhhh....mud.....????
A unique feeling...takes some getting use to!
Would I do it again? mmmm......
Jackie and Niki
We always have a great time together, and this
trip was no exception! Makes me want to travel
around the world with Jackie because she is so
much fun to be with!
3 comments:
My father tried the mud baths in Calistoga once. He said, "They strip you naked (he's from MO so it was "neked"), drop you in the mud and there's nothing to do but think about all of the people in that mud before you, and what they were doing in it! Then they haul your muddy body out and turn a fire hose on you!" Connie
P.S. In case some are wondering who "Cousin Jim" is, he's my cousin on my mother's side; but he heels related to everyone he meets.
Hi Niki,
Looks like another wonderful trip! How fun to spend it with Jackie! Glad you got to see your mom, too.
Keep up the good work:) Ahhh, to travel!
Looks like another beautiful trip to California. Those flower shots were great. The Beringer Winery looks like the one your folks took Mom and me to when we visited in '68. I was 20 and couldn't sample a dang thing. Now I can't sample because it screws up my heart. From one end of the age group to the other. Not used to seeing Aunt Betty without a smile but I understand the situation.
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