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Just catching up? Read “I Need to Take a Nap-a”: Exploring Wine County, Part I.

After Signorello, we hit up a much larger winery, called Mumm, that just specialized in sparking wine (they can’t call it champagne because it’s not made in the Champagne region of France).

Nothing particularly extraordinary happened at Mumm- just great company, plenty of chattiness, an array of delicous sparkling wine samples, rich caramel chocolate truffles, great views, and perfect weather. Definitely noooo complaints here!

mumm Collage I Need to Take a Nap a: Exploring Wine County, Part II

Ready for another San Francisco recap? Here are my other San Francisco posts so far: Happy Monday from San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge Day, A Big Thank You, and A Surreal Hiking Experience.

On Saturday morning, we picked up coffee at a nearby Starbucks- Karrie stayed home and we had a miscommunication, which resulted in forgetting her coffee. The barista wrote “Forgotten Friend” on her cup instead of her name. Haha so sad!

We drove to Benecia, my friend’s hometown, to pick up his dad, admire their view, and grab lunch at Kinder’s Meats and Deli (I got the marinated ball tip steak sandwich sans bread and it was delicious!).

Then off to Napa we went! Our first stop was at the beautiful Signorello Estate, where we sampled wines by the pool. We had a stunning view, great wine, perfect weather, and tons of laughs. What more can you ask for on a day in Napa?!

Signorello Collage I Need to Take a Nap a  Exploring Wine Country, Part I
P.S. Like the photo collages I’ve been doing lately? I’ve been using PicMonkey.com, which is a free browser tool that lets you edit photos and make collages. I’m a huge fan of their easy-to-use interface, numerous features, and obviously the free factor!

On our first day in San Francisco, we decided to tackle one of the top things on our list- biking across the Golden Gate Bridge.

We left the house around 9:30 but didn’t make it down to get our bikes until around 12:30 for several reasons. We stopped to grab the first of several soy lattes from Matching 1/2 in Nopa for the girls and Starbucks for me and then we got off the bus a bit too early but decided to walk through downtown toward the bike shop. After a tasty lunch of sandwiches (mine was gluten-free!) from a little kiosk at the Ferry Building, we were on our way.

We managed to find a bike store, Dylan’s City Tours, that only charged a daily rate of $22 (most stores charge much more). We examined the map, put on our helmets, and we were off! We passed some pretty darn scenic views of the San Francisco Bay and the area around the bridge before making it to the start of the bridge.
sanfranciscobay Golden Gate Bridge Day
The actual bike ride across the bridge is a bit chaotic because of all the pedestrian traffic, but we made it in one piece and were even able to coast pretty fast for the second half of the bridge.

Once across, we sat at Vista Point for a bit and stared at the stunningly picturesque city, Alcatraz Island, and bay before us.
goldengatebridge Golden Gate Bridge DayOnce we’d gotten our fill, we decided to keep biking to Sausalito, a quaint town beneath the bridge, for ice cream, coffee, and some other little trinkets (ahem, Karrie!). We ended up taking the ferry back to San Francisco and made it back to Dylan’s just in time (at 5:56; it closed at 6) to return our bikes. A few minor mishaps, including a fall and a slipped chain, almost made us late but we did it! Chaos follows us everywhere but we usually make the best of it icon smile Golden Gate Bridge Day

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P.S. Our friend Matt told us that we had an unrealistic view of San Francisco weather because it was perfect for us. See those blue skies? Not a cloud in sight!

As we sat at Hollymead on Saturday, we contemplated what to do with our last day. Our top choices included a trip to nearby Blowing Rock or a day at a local vineyard. Since we went to Shelton Vineyards last time, we opted for the hour drive to Blowing Rock, which I had never visited but had heard rave reviews about.

This time it was just me, my sister, and Larry- we managed to have a good time even with Larry there (just kidding- Larry reads my blog and I wanted to poke [more] fun at him!). It was a marvelouuuuus day in an adorable little mountain town. The drive to town through the mountains was beautiful, even though the leaves haven’t fully turned yet. We grabbed lattes at Revive Java, wandered through the shops, snapped a bunch of pictures, saw a couple we know from Raleigh (hi guys!), played a prank on Larry, ate lunch at Storie Street Grill (pot roast with mashed potatoes and green beans for me!), and then got ice cream at Kilwin’s (I got half cashew toffee and half signature turtle).

I would absolutely love to go back to Blowing Rock for a day or overnight. It’s a perfectly picturesque place and the perfect daytime excursion from Hollymead! Thanks for taking us, Larry icon smile A Day Trip to Blowing Rock, North Carolina

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I guess I should have put more thought into the word “relaxing” yesterday. Does mowing a pasture count as relaxing? Larry was gracious enough to “allow” me to use a zero-turn radius mower on the lower pasture again- my sister got to ride horses, I got to ride the John Deere! There is nothing like sitting on that mower seat on a perfect fall day in the country with the radio playing on headphones. I’m secretly a farm girl…

Other highlights of yesterday: 5pm snacks of spicy hummus and margaritas, delicious gluten-free eggplant parmesan and red wine for dinner, watching a very sweet 50th birthday video, and watching a few episodes of Modern Family.

On the agenda today: more mowing! Then a field trip to either a vineyard or Blowing Rock!

DSC 00042 1024x682 Just Another Day in Paradise
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(Yup, had to have my Starbucks cup on the farm!)
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(Should read Welcome to Paradise…)
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(The Kabota, which we nicknamed the Katubah)
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Feeling a little down on this gloomy Monday afternoon? I figured I’d share some cozy images from the past few months!

DSC 0033 1024x558 Cozy Images for a Rainy MondayVeil of Roses and Better Homes & Gardens
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A mug of coffee and a magazine
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Fall leaves (last year)
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Flowers at Duke Gardens
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More flowers at Duke Gardens
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And even more flowers at Duke Gardens!
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Bud Light at the lake mansion
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Shelton Vineyard in Yadkin Valley
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Sister and stepdad at Brightleaf Square in Durham

Last weekend, I stayed in a beautiful lake mansion with some friends. The following pictures make everything look very serene and calm. What you don’t see: the 200 Solo cups scattered around, the bar covered in handles, the ping pong balls all over the floor, the people napping on couches, the mess of a kitchen, and the dining room table covered in groceries. Oh the joys of young adulthood.

DSC 0009 1024x682 A Frat House by the Lake Fire pit
DSC 0007 1024x682 A Frat House by the Lake Back of the house
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Our dock
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Playing around with my camera’s aperture
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Lake!
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More pictures to come!

My friend Lindsay came to visit a few weekends ago and since she was taking the Megabus into Durham, I decided to give her a tour of my hometown.

On a side note, the city has changed so dramatically that I don’t even feel like I grew up there! The arts scene is booming, the culinary scene is hot (no pun intended), and the bar scene is hopping.

I took her to a few of my old haunts, like Bean Traders on Ninth Street, E Chapel Hill St (where I used to intern with the Volunteer Center of Durham!), and Duke Gardens. In elementary school, I used to climb the trees there and in high school, I used to just hang out with friends on beautiful spring and crisp fall days. What a blast from the past!

DSC 0059 1024x682 A Trip to Duke Gardens Entrance
DSC 0058 1024x682 A Trip to Duke Gardens Brings back memories of tons of Duke Gardens trips when I was little! DSC 0079 1024x682 A Trip to Duke Gardens Whoops, that title of this photo almost had a Y instead of a U in Duke! #awkward DSC 0064 1024x667 A Trip to Duke Gardens I packed a picnic! Carrots with Alouette, turkey sandwiches, apples with caramel, and Cool as a Cucumber Salad
DSC 0062 1024x682 A Trip to Duke Gardens Lily pads in the little pond
DSC 0078 1024x682 A Trip to Duke Gardens Bridge over calm waters icon smile A Trip to Duke Gardens

As I mentioned in my Weekend in Paradise post, I went to Shelton Vineyards in Yadkin Valley, North Carolina for the first time this past weekend. It’s owned by brothers Ed and Charlie Shelton and it’s apparently the largest family-owned estate winery in North Carolina.

We were blown away by the whole place, from the cozy albeit expensive on-site grill to the beautiful grounds to the vast inside winery to the welcoming service. Overall, it was a fun experience- it didn’t hurt that Larry knew everybody there icon smile A Trip to Shelton Vineyards

I was a huge fan of the Harvest White wine, so make to try that one if you ever visit.

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P.S. Like my Flickr slideshow? I’m using the Slickr Flickr WordPress Plugin, which I’m loving so far. To see all of my pictures on Flickr, click here.

As I mentioned, we spent Sunday morning at the State Farmers’ Market, where, shockingly, I’d never been. As an avid cook, I knew I would love the selection of unique farm-fresh ingredients. And nothing beats a Saturday morning strolling through the market- it reminds me of my childhood, when my mom and I would wake up at 6am on Saturday to go to the Carrboro Farmers’ Market. I would always get a smoky red tea sample and a big chocolate chip cookie icon smile field trip to the nc farmers market

 field trip to the nc farmers marketMy first time at the State Farmers’ Market Restaurant. It was a cute atmosphere with great service {the servers wear overalls!} but I wasn’t blown away by the food

 field trip to the nc farmers market Clearly our family loves half-and-half. The restaurant should use half-and-half quarts instead of the individual packages. Much more environmentally friendly!
 field trip to the nc farmers market Haha, typical North Carolina…the Battle of Tobacco Road
 field trip to the nc farmers market The whole place was full of fun, kitschy decor
 field trip to the nc farmers market Herb section of the farmers’ market
 field trip to the nc farmers marketJust thought this looked cool icon smile field trip to the nc farmers market
 field trip to the nc farmers market My new hydrangea- my favorite flower besides peonies and daisies
 field trip to the nc farmers market My dad’s housewarming gift for me: cilantro, basil, parsley, and dill plants. Grant total? $13! Very worth it

Though I didn’t love the restaurant’s food, it was decently priced, so I would go back for a pre-shopping brunch. It was also nice to have a giant cup of carry-out coffee to bring with me through the market on such a chilly day!

I also picked up spring onions and a pint of strawberries in addition to the flowers and herbs, which were both gifts from my dad. Potted herbs are such a good investment {if you can call $13 an investment}. A package of chopped basil is almost $3 at the grocery store, while a plant- which continually produces fresh herbs- is just $3.25.

I can’t wait to go back to the farmers’ market to load up on ingredients. I may also stop by Earp’s Seafood Market, which is a renowned hole-in-the-wall seafood store on South Saunders, on the way home!

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+Cristina Roman