Victoria British Columbia

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Paul
Welcome to Delta Tsawwassen

Welcome to Delta Tsawwassen (Photo credit: J. Stephen Conn)

Our trip to Tsawwassen was uneventful. We waited about 10 minutes at the border, which shows what traveling at midday on a weekday can do. Weekends can mean an hour or more wait. The Tsawwassen (after a while it rolls off your tongue) ferry terminal is quite nice. There are five different coffee shops, a dozen fine food stalls, gift shops, and rest rooms. On board the ferry there was a noisy deck and a quiet deck, three restaurants and a gift shop. Washington State Ferries can’t hold a candle to this system.

We sailed through the Gulf Islands under a grey sky. Thankfully it was not raining so we could go out on the deck and take some photos. How many pictures of grey are possible? The channels through the islands are beautiful with rock cliffs, garry oaks, and arbutus trees.

Swartz Bay arrived before we knew it. We unloaded and followed “Suzie” our GPS to a Country Grocery that I knew carried our favorite Canadian brand of sauerkraut. If you’ve never had Kuhne kraut, you don’t know what you’re missing. It has a famous secret recipe: cabbage and salt. Just like grandma used to make (at least my grandma). We bought six large jars. Five will go home and one will be baked with the country pork ribs we bought today.

Our condo was the next stop. For this trip I splurged and reserved a penthouse unit on our Worldmark timeshare. It is two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, etc., but the real highlights are the hottub on the deck and the view overlooking Victoria’s Inner Harbor. Float planes land outside, tour boats leave (brightly lighted after dark), and the harbor’s Christmas lights call to us across the water. Unfortunately, it was getting dark quickly when we arrived, so photos are few. What photos I do have will not upload on this slow connection.

More tomorrow.

Paul

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Victoria Ahead

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Paul

We’ve had a long spell at home with no travel. I have spent much time painting and posting my finished products on Facebook and my art web site www.paulbauck.com  Now it’s time to travel a bit. This week we’re going to Victoria, BC to celebrate Jean’s birthday. We haven’t been to Victoria/Vancouver Island for about 24 years. Of course going at Christmas will be an added treat.

We will take the Canadian ferry through the Gulf Islands on the way over and the U.S. ferry through the San Juan Islands on our return. That should mean some good saltwater photos. If we’re really lucky we’ll see some whales as well.

If all goes according to plan our first travel post should be tomorrow evening from Victoria.

Paul

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Post-Wedding Relaxation

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Paul

After the wedding we took one more day at Bodega Head and Jenner to see the ocean, the cliffs, and the birds. Then we headed to Yosemite for a quick visit. Day one saw us go to Hetch Hetchy to see the valley that was flooded early in the 20th century to give water and power to San Francisco. On our second day we visited Glacier Point and Yosemite Valley. It was beautiful. All of this was done without telephone or internet connections.

Yosemite evenings were in the company of friends Marc and Candace (the bride’s parents) and Antoinette and Steven. We stayed at the Evergreen Lodge and ate in their dining room. Over dinners we shared our day’s activities. Marc saw a bear and cub one day! Here are a few pics to capture this interlude.

Tonight we’re back in Seattle.

Paul

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Emily and Adam’s Wedding: An Evening To Remember

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Paul

Here are a few pics of Emily and Adam’s wedding last evening on top of Mt. Tamalpais. As you can see the weather was beautiful, the scenery spectacular, and the wedding truly an evening to remember.

Congratulations to Adam and Emily!

More photos from everyone present will be shared on their Shutterfly page as noted on their wedsite: http://www.eatdrinkbemarried.wedsite.com/

Paul

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Emily and Adam’s Pre-Wedding Party

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Paul

Tonight was Emily and Adam’s pre-wedding party at his step-mother’s home in San Francisco. It was crowded and the lighting wasn’t ideal, but here are a few snaps. Seattle friends may recognize some folks. The sleepy little boy is suffering jet lag, having just flown in from the Ukraine.

Paul

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Armstrong Redwoods

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Paul

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the Armstrong Redwoods State Park near Guerneville. This gem of a redwood forest should be on your list if you’re visiting Sonoma County. We drove the one lane, two-way road to the top of the mountains above the redwoods. Up there it is grassland and oak forest with views for miles. Back down in the redwoods the light filters down in dramatic flashes.

Paul

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More From Sonoma County

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Paul

Tuesday we lazed in the sunshine. In the afternoon our friends Marc and Candace stopped on their way to Petaluma. These are the parents of the bride, Emily, for whose wedding we are in California. Everyone is getting more excited as the day approaches. Watch this weekend for wedding pictures.

Wednesday we visited Bartholomew Park Winery where we are members. It was a rare chance for us to pick up our quarterly wine in person. Bart Park is a small winery that only sells direct. Their production of each variety is measured in hundreds of cases rather than the thousands produced by other wineries. We love their wines. This quarter we got two bottles of 2007 Zinfandel and 2 bottles of 2010 Zin. Of course as members we got free tasting and came away with two extra bottles of a wonderful Saugignon Blanc.

Then we drove north to visit Castello di Amorosa Winery in northern Napa county. This Italian castle was built by European artisans largely without mortar in the old style. It is owned by the Sattui family that has a winery of their name. Castello was built to make Italian wines. The castle sits on a hillside surrounded by vineyards, some small midieval buildings, and yards of sheep, chickens, cows, etc. to make the scene complete. Unfortunately, they have changed their admission policy an no longer allow you to roam the castle without paying for tasting. We passed on the $18 dollar admission because we didn’t want to taste and they don’t offer a non-drinking admission. Boo to them. We roamed the grounds outside the castle like serfs hoping for some recognition from the royalty inside. It is a beautiful setting and the animals are quite fun.

Paul

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Coppola’s Vineyard and More of Bodega Head

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Paul

The last couple of days we visited Francis Ford Coppola’s Winery for tasting and a look at movie memorabilia as well as made another trip to Bodega Head to enjoy the ocean. Coppola’s vineyard is just a few minutes north of our condo and we received a complimentary tasting with our condo. Why not take advantage of it?

The Coppola Winery includes a reservations-only swimming pool. Your reservation includes a private cabana, reserved lounge chairs, and umbrellas. There is a pool-side cafe that delivers to your chair. We were crushed that it was fully reserved for the day. (Not really.) There are bocci courts (free), Coppola movie memorabilia (free), a fine dining restaurant, a full bar, a cigar store, and (of course) a tasting room.

His Oscars are on display (I’ll bet they are copies). There’s a large display of artifacts from Apocalypse Now in the tasting room that can really put off one’s appetite. The bamboo cage and accompanying video were particularly frightening. The Godfather‘s desk is there along with many stills and artifacts from the movie…no horse’s head. The ships used in Sophia Coppola‘s Marie Antoinette are on display. These 15 foot replicas were sailed in the Versaille fountain pond at night with charges loaded in their tiny cannon to depict the night naval battle.

On to the tasting room. Coppola makes dozens of different wines from basic red and white varietals, European style blends, sweet dessert wines, and even a powerful grappa. Everyone can sample the Rosso & Blanco wines. These are blended table wines. Our complimentary tasting gave us the Family Tasting of 4 of their premium wines. After our tasting we bought a Diamond Collection Chardonnay, a Su Yuen red blend, and a Late Harvest Semillon.

Yesterday we returned to Bodega Head. The fog was thick, but breaking when we arrived at Noon. We settled into our chairs and watched it break up. There were lots of opportunities to photograph birds, read, and take a nap. By 2:30 it was clear and time for a hike. We hiked north on the cliffs, which we had never done before. A short way up the cliff we encountered a herd of deer. Flowers and birds filled the hike with lots of memories and photographs.

Paul

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Bodega Bay

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Paul

Our first day in Sonoma County and we couldn’t resist returning to Bodega Bay. This has become one of our favorite places anywhere. The drive there through farmland and low coastal mountains is beautiful. Blink and you’ll miss the village of Bodega, the “New England” village in the Hitchcock movie The Birds. Finally you emerge from the hills onto the bay.

It was a blue sky day, but we were worried about fog on the coast. However, when we got to the bay about 11:00 AM the fog was burning off rapidly and within an hour the sky was clear. We drove through Bodega Bay and out onto Bodega Head. This headland rises high above the surf and juts out into the Pacific. We had no sooner parked than I saw a grey whale a couple of hundred yards offshore. Gulls, terns, vultures, harriers, ducks, and ravens soared in the strong winds. Bodega Head always has wind and lots of it.

Jean took off on a hike along the cliffs. My left leg was not up to it after tweaking a quad while packing the car a couple of days ago. Therefore, I kept close to the parking lot. It took only a few minutes for me to decide that I needed to capture the glorious colors of the cliffs and the sea. First a photograph, then a pencil sketch, and then a quick watercolor study to capture the colors.

When Jean returned we drove back through Bodega Bay and to a small Sonoma County Park that is a bird watching trail. This trail is level so I thought I could walk it. We hiked a great loop out into the marsh. Few birds were evident due to the dry conditions. The marsh was mostly sand. However, we did see harriers and gulls. The best sight were the parasail surfers and windboarders. They buzzed around the bay in a colorful high speed parade.

It was a wonderful day in this fantastic place. Although late in the season we did see lots of naked ladies grouped along the road. This showy pink flower always elicits lots of hits when posted on Flickr.

Paul

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Washington In Our Rear View Mirror

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Paul

Yesterday we left the September heat wave that enveloped Washington and headed south. The temps reached the mid 90’s during the day. Our stop last night was in our favorite I-5 motel at Rogue River, Oregon. The Best Western Inn At The Rogue is affordable, has Wifi, free breakfast, a darling little park across the street along the river, and Rogue River sports one of the best restaurants on the I-5 corridor, The Station. All of which made for an enjoyable overnight.

This morning we headed west from I-5 toward the coast. Vegetable and fruit check, $4.50/gal. gas, redwood trees, yep we’re in California. There was a 40 degree difference between the I-5 corridor and the coast. We took a detour on the one-lane road that cuts through the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. If you’ve never driven Howland Hill Road, you should the next time you’re in the Crescent City area. It was beautiful even in the foggy conditions.

Our trip continued down the coast with stops to view the flowers, the ocean, and a herd of elk grazing along the seashore. You don’t see that every day! We stopped in a couple of health food stores that seem to be common along this coast. Lunch at one and some groceries at one closer to our destination – our Worldmark condo at Windsor, California. This is the heart of the wine country. Our hosts gave us their recommendations for wine tastings and didn’t include any in Sonoma or Napa valleys!

Tomorrow we are heading to Bodega Bay to do some sightseeing and painting (if the weather permits). We expect it will be foggy again, but hope for some afternoon sunshine. Until then here are a few pics from today.

Paul

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