Daytripping: Apple Hill

Fall is here. In these parts, that means it is time for the yearly trip to Apple Hill. Apple Hill is one of those places that pulls at your heartstrings.  We moved to Northern California about 20 years ago now, and started our family here. Ever since our teenage daughters were little, we have taken them to pick apples, drink apple cider, and eat apple pie in the beautiful hills North East of Sacramento. It was the place my youngest daughter decided she wanted to spend her sweet sixteenth birthday..... with her best girlfriends...so off we went last weekend.....a car full of six teens and me.....

The beautiful rolling hills of the Apple Hill region

 Since we first started coming here, the Hill has grown. The apple growers that open their farms to the public has probably tripled. There are maps and guides telling one where to find locations where there are fresh apple pies, where you can pick your own apples, where there are pumpkin patches, and where you can find BBQ for lunch.....or where there are hayrides, animals to pet, or pony rides.

Freshly picked half peck of apples...they were delicious!

And the pumpkins patches?  They are not just your average orange pumpkins.....

Pumpkins at Patrick's Mountain Berry Farm

Although there are plenty of those too....

High Hill Ranch is one of the main draws with its many craft booths, huge cider press with free cider samples, pony rides, hay rides, and large produce shed. And then there is the fishing pond which overlooks the valley....

It makes for a nice shower if you are so inclined.....

 We stop here because they have carmel apple milkshakes.....could you resist?

We also like to stop at Bavarian Hills where we can get Bratwurst, Polish Sausages, Schnitzel and Brockwurst....and maybe a stein of beer....OK....and maybe some Apple Strudel. There is a very relaxed uncrowded feel here when you compare it to High Hill, which I really like. It feels like Oktoberfest every time I come and sit in the Beer Garden and listen to the German music while eating my Bratwurst and red cabbage....

Next stop,  Denver Dan's where these cuties live....

Alapacas seem to be a growing industry in the hills between Sacramento and the Sierras.

Denver Dan's has a huge shop with another fruit treat everywhere look. There are fruit jams and syrups, and chutneys. There are frozen pies of every sort: apple, apple rhubarb, olallieberry, marion berry, cherry. There are Bavarian Cream Tortes, Pumpkin Rolls, Apple Crisps. There are Chicken Pasties, and Turnovers, home made chunky Applesauce.....

 And then there is Big Al. He's the guy you want to see for his famous apple slinky. If you are daring, he will give you the full treatment....that would be every syrup Denver Dan's makes on top of that apple slinky....

Big Al with a famous special Apple Slinky on one daring person's thumb. You will need a paper towel for this one.

We ended up taking home a frozen Pumpkin Roll (we ate it a couple of days ago....Soooo good!), a package of Chicken Pasties and an Apple Rhubarb Pie. All can be transported home in a cold storage pack also sold at Denver Dan's. But if you remember to bring a cooler, you will be set!

Next up, Apple Ridge Farms is perhaps my favorite place for treats. I cannot leave without a fresh warm  apple doughnut......

Apple Ridge, I am told, is also the only place that makes their own carmel for the apple slices in a bowl. And you can taste the brown sugar and butter in every bite! It is decadently delicious. I do not have a pretty picture...it is not that pretty....but I am pretty sure they eat these apples and carmel in heaven.

I have also been told that they have a new chef...so the BBQ is touted as being the best on the Hill as well. If I had only known.....we would have eaten lunch here! Luckily we are coming back up in a couple of weeks....so I will let you know!

The Flower Garden at Patrick's Mountain Grown Berry Farm

One of the last places I like to stop at the end of the Apple Hill loop is Patrick's Mountain Grown Berry Farm. The berry season has past (but during the summer you can come up and pick your own!), but they have such a beautiful flower garden, I cannot resist stopping to see it every year. It makes you feel like Alice in Wonderland.....

Happy birthday my own Alice on your sixteenth birthday....

I hope you all have a weekend full of wonders....

Wine and Design...and all for a great cause!

Helwig Pavilion and Winery Building

Some of you know by now that one of my favorite things....after great design....is good food and great wine! Throw in some great music and I am in heaven. I have recently had the great pleasure of visiting the growing Amador Wine Country a few times over the last couple of months, and it has been bustling with activity. There are new wineries popping up and wonderful events luring me back again and again. You may remember this blog post.

The latest "must attend" event is coming up soon....September 17th.... so mark your calendars for Triumph Uncorked Fundraiser! The new Helwig Winery, designed by dynamic husband and wife team, Paul Almond and Pam Whitehead of Sage Architecture is the fabulous location for a very special evening of delicious wine, gourmet picnics and smooth jazz. The event benefits the Triumph Fitness Program for Cancer Survivors and the Livestrong Foundation. My friend Pam Whitehead is not only one of the most talented architects in the region, but she is herself an 11 year cancer survivor...AND...the director of the Triumph Uncorked fundraising event in partnership with Spokes of Hope, an organization that supports cancer-related programs.

Helwig Winery Amphitheater with Picnic Pavilion and Winery Building Above

I thought you might enjoy a little peek at the Helwig Winery with its breathtaking amphitheater views of the Amador Wine Country...... isn't she a beauty?

Just a hop, skip from my front door.....aren't I just the lucky one? See the lady in the crocheted sweater? that could be you...sipping wine....snacking on goodies and listening to .....

Views from the Amphitheater

.......Utopian Dreams.....

Utopian Dreams 

Will I see you there?.  I'll be the one staring off into the distance at the Helwig Three sisters, wine glass in hand......

The Three Sisters at Helwig Winery

For all of the information about the event, and tickets (must be purchased by September 14th BTW! Ticket sales close by noon)....... hop on over HERE. 

Daytripping: Winters in the Summer

 Last weekend, the whole family hopped over to the town of Winters for a visit with family. (We just so happen to be related by marriage to the Mayor....our BIL Mike Martin of the Walnut Ranch Martins!) Tim's sister is lucky enough to have married Mike....or should I say he is lucky enough to have married her? Either way, they are both lucky, and we are lucky to have them as family.  All of Tim's sisters (three) and Mom were in town, and Mike played the perfect host. We have been to Winters many, many times, but Saturday we decided to walk the downtown area so I could show all of you what a charming place this is.

Winters incorporated as a city back in 1898, and is lucky to have many of its historical building intact. It is charming, and is getting more so every time I see it.

 The main street has some great restaurants including the Buckhorn, famous for their steaks, and yes....I can say first hand they are delicious. Lots of outdoor seating on the main street, and some great events take place here as well. ....like their annual Earthquake Festival....oh, those crazy Californians!

I realized on our stroll that Winters has a bit of a European flavor to it. Perhaps it comes from the families that first started the Walnut farms in the area, or the influx of wine growers in more recent years. Whatever it is, it works for the romantic in me.

It did strike me fully when we went to Ficelle for dinner, a Spanish Tapas restaurant. The owners had traveled to Spain to study the cuisine and it was very good! We ordered one of everything...sometimes two. (There were 12 of us...don't judge).

Everything was being devoured so quickly, it was hard to get photos, but here are a few of the delectables:

After dinner, one of Tim's sisters took the kids out to the Walnut Ranch to drive the "gator" around the the orchards while some of us strolled over to taste a little wine and play some bocce ball at Main Street Cellars Wine Tasting Room, the newest of the tasting rooms in Winters......ahem....did we not have enough with dinner? Apparently not.

Great atmosphere,  very nice wine selection, and they serve beer too! 

We worked it off with a very strenuous bocce match...

Next up, a peek at Preserve Public House, a restaurant and bar that specializes in .......preserves....and cheese made right here in Winters. This place has been on my radar ever since I had heard of it a few months ago.  Next time for sure! 

Loved the industrial chic decor...lots of reclaimed woods, metal table tops and very cool one of a kind metal and leather chairs.

A look at the Preserves Room.....

Wine staves create an arch down a corridor...

Woven wine staves front the bar. I have seen these stools before, but not with the leather cushions....

There was a case full of vintage cameras...I was mesmerized...I was almost left behind just gazing....

We continued our tour passing the outdoor pizza oven in front of the Putah Creek Cafe.....always a winner...

....and on to the Turkovich Wine Tasting Room. They are doing well and expanding their tasting room. Good things have a way of flourishing.

We had to look in the window at Arc Guitar. Tim plays a bit and they make their own guitars here. If they had been open, I suspect Tim would have been plucking away still.

But we were full and sleepy from our dinner, our wine and our stroll....happily so.

It was time to collect kids and drive home.....

I had to make one last stop to see the community garden right across the street ....

It is one of those places where one thinks, "I could live here..." ....in a day dreamy sort of way. I will be back this Fall with the change of season when the leaves on the walnut trees turn and the roadside farm stands sell pumpkins and gourds.

 If my little story hasn't tempted you quite yet, hop on over to the Fare to Remember blog for stunning photos of Winters that put mine to shame.

FISH: It Must Be Friday

Whenever in Sausalito, I always try to make it over to one of my favorite restaurants. This restaurant specializes in, you guessed it....FISH. It follows that it is aptly named.......FISH.

Since it was Friday, I felt it was appropriate to let you know where the best fish on the Northwest coast of California could be found. A couple of weeks ago, Tim and I made it over to FISH and I had the most incredible trout I have ever had. Moist, tender and a hint of smokey flavor, this trout must have been 15" long. It was served on what was really a platter, not a plate, with grilled corn on the cob and beet salad. We also got a side of succotash made with the sweetest corn, fresh baby tomatoes, green and yellow string beans and fresh basil. FISH is a place that takes pride in local and sustainable ingredients and has amazing specials every day. (I also had the Sweet Potato, Pea soup with Creme Fresh). It is a very casual setting, but do not be fooled. The food is creative and perfectly prepared.

I could have settled in at the picnic table outside the restaurant and nibbled on the delicious fish all day while watching the boats come in and out of the marina. Hope you have a chance to stop in!

Happy Friday Everyone!

A Date with Shakespeare at the Lake

 Every year about this time, I head up to Lake Tahoe to spend time with a couple of girlfriends I have known for 18 years or more. We all lived in the same neighborhood when we met, and one of the trio, Diane, moved to Lake Tahoe about 12 years ago. Ever since, we have gotten together at Diane house which overlooks the Lake up on Kingsbury Grade.

We all have summer birthdays, so we exchange gifts the afternoon we arrive. And it never hurts to celebrate with a little wine and a few things to nosh....a little triple cream cheese with fig jam....do not mind if I do! We discovered that a few sprigs of Lemon Thyme in a dry Sauvignon Blanc is quite wonderful as well! We caught up sipping cool wine and took in the breathtaking view. The weather decided to be very kind!

 As for the gifts, we know each other very well. We all love to cook, and garden and entertain....so pretty easy to please us all. I gave the girls each a set of napkins and some great marinades for Asian cooking. Diane gave Lori and I some special herb and spice blends from her company, Heart Rock Herb and Spice Co. (ahem....we were hoping she would! They are so fantastic and makes dinner that much easier). Lori gave us beautiful candles, one shaped like a pear, and a pair of tapers...perfect for hosting that next party!

 We talked and talked while letting go of the weekday world. Pretty soon it was time to hit the hay.....

The next day we relaxed over  a breakfast of pastries from HERE and peaches from my tree HERE. Then we headed off to the Thunderbird Lodge, where Diane is Master Gardener. We never pass up an opportunity to use the beach there. It is one of the most beautiful anywhere around the lake. We caught a glimpse of the Thunderbird Yacht, the 55 foot speedboat owned by the infamous George Whittell commissioned while he was building his beautiful estate on the shores of Lake Tahoe. It was completed in 1940. The Yacht has quite a formidable history.... HERE

Diane laid out a beautiful picnic while Lori and I braved the winter melt in the Lake....yes, we went swimming. Refreshing, bracing, and one of the best parts of the weekend! (That is me on the rock out in the Lake!)

 I little more relaxing was in order before freshening up for the drive up to Incline Village, home of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. I had never been, although I had known of the Festival for years. I was so happy to get a chance to experience a little Twelfth Night with beautiful Lake Tahoe as the backdrop, stars onstage and stars overhead. If you are ever at the Lake when the Festival is open, it is not to be missed...

 It was worth the wait. The sets were exotic...

 Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek left us in stitches....

It was a beautiful performance and a beautiful night....

And this was just Saturday.......

I wish you all a beautiful weekend!