napa

Finally got to editing some photos from my napa trip.  I didn't take anywhere near what I would have liked to, but sometimes you just need to stay focused on things without a lens in between, you know.  We spent our first day in Napa - started at Opus One for a tour of their facility - upon arrival it seemed a little stuffy, but our guide was really great and down to earth.  We learned a lot and are completely inspired to come back during harvest.  Would be completely amazing to see all those grapes in motion!  Totally amazed by how much of the work is still done by hand!  And enjoyed two glasses of their wine 2009 vintage of Opus One and their lower level Overture, both very good.  From there we headed over to Oakville Grocery - perfect place to pick up gourmet snackin's and they have a great wine selection too!  Stop there for lunch - They have picnic tables outside so you can sit among the vines and enjoy.

Then it was over to Domaine Chandon for bubbles!  It was crazy busy in the tasting room, so we bought a bottle and sat on the patio enjoying the day... and some chocolate covered strawberries!  I loved the reserve so much, I bought a bottle to bring home with me!  Ohhh I do love bubbles! 

We ended the day with dinner at Tra Vigne - their mozzarella is made in house and is ridiculous good!  Let me just say ... one day in Napa is not even close to enough time.  I wish I lived closer so I could just pop in for the day and do a couple of new places each time.  And be able to take photos of the beautiful vineyards.  ... Will have to go back!

beautiful napa

I think northern California is one of the prettiest places I've ever been.  The lush green rolling hills always drenched in the warmth of the sun ... These are my two favorite iPhone photos from Napa.

napa : phoned in : people

Just a quickie to share the iPhone photos from my lovely weekend in Napa with the girls... Such a beautiful area!  We loved every second of our trip and I cannot wait to go back!  Maybe we should make this an annual trip... just sayin'

The 10 Best

The 10 Best Chocolatiers in the World – Intelligent Travel.

The 10 Best Chocolatiers in the World!!

I will consider myself extremely lucky... I have been to three of the ten!!  Vosges Haut-Chocolate, Jacques Torres Chocolate and Puccini Bomboni!  Not bad ehh?  I made my friends crazy the last time I was in Amsterdam getting to Puccini - the previous visit they had been closed - so glad I did too, it was so good.  Give me dark chocolate anything and I am pretty darn happy!

boone

During my last trip to Charleston, SC I finally got to visit one of those old plantations you always hear about. Boone Hall Plantation, my friend Laura's favorite.  The property is huge!  I loved the house interior - and our guide was super cute in her period outfit and calming demeanor.   The weather didn't really cooperate for us - very cold and rainy - but we managed to make our way to the house, slave quarters and this beautiful old bar and dock - that has apparently been in a lot of movies! Recognize that dock from The Notebook?

Charleston : take two

Spent the weekend with my friend Laura - a cold beach walk, rainy plantation visit and lots of food and drink with friends new and old.

And I had to grab a little video on Vine of the bubbles along the shore.  I was a little bit on the fence about Vine, but it's actually kind of fun.

FLW

Finally made my way to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio.  I have to say, learning how he built this place in the middle of the desert while living in the structures as they were being built with no electricity, water and such is pretty amazing.  Somehow he makes these linear structures fit within the Arizona landscape - the use of local materials and pulling the reds direct from the earth - quite a talent indeed.  It's sad that he died with pretty much nothing, but he was clearly an artist that lived for his craft.  

My favorite room was the theater (last photo).  He designed the space in such a way that performers need no equipment to amplify the sound.  You can speak facing away from the audience and hear just as if they are facing you.  You can even hear a whisper! And the angles of how the seating are so that when sitting with your right arm behind your neighbor and left leg crossed over put every single person at the perfect angle to view the center of the stage is nothing short of brilliance!  A great way to wrap a quick weekend in Phoenix with my design friends!

 

forty what?

Had the best time celebrating my friend Kathryn's birthday last weekend in Scottsdale.  She's got a great group of girlfriends that made the drive up from Tucson while Kendra and I flew in from Chicago.  I got there a little early on Friday so we had a chance to catch up on all of life's happenings.  Funny that neither one of us could remember how long it had been since we've seen each other, but no matter ... we just picked right up where we left off.  The girls started rolling in early evening and the fun began!  Who has the bundt cake? 

Oh and we stayed at the Hotel Valley Ho and loved it!  The mid-century mod vibe was great and the staff super attentive.  I could hang out by that pool every single day! 

107 wizard of oz festival : chesterton, indiana

Spent the day in Chesterton with the Pittman crew to take some Sloane photos and attend the Wizard of OZ parade and festival. It was full of folks dressed like the characters, some folks that were really in the movie, some real munchkins - that Bella's cheerleading group cheered for - and etc. It was interesting for sure. Being from Kansas, I find it funny that we never had an OZ themed festival or parade. Might be time for LV to step it up!

166 bridges. bouchon. empire state.

I have to say it was hard to get up this morning! The heat, the walking, the cocktails and late night shenanigans. I did manage to get myself into a cab to Rock center for macarons at Bouchon Bakery. (Wanted to do Laudree, but it was too far away!) I had a delightful chocolate almond croissant and tea while watching Kathy Lee and Hoda do their thing over at the Today Show studio. It's crazy to look into the studio and see all the people and equipment that surround the in this little tiny set space. Funny to watch people try to get on TV too!

Had to walk a few blocks to catch another taxi and as I am standing on the corner with my arm in the air, I look left and there was the Empire State building. See what I mean? Photographic moments just pop up! You don't even have to go looking for them... Once I finally got a taxi, it was off to Lombardi's Pizza - for 'za to go and then back to the hotel with about 10 min to spare before I had to check out and hop on a conference call.

Took the FDR back to the airport and snapped a few photos of the beautiful bridges. NY really does have some fabulous bridge architecture! I really do need to go back and be an actual tourist for a few days to explore and see my NYC friends!