Back from Dreamworld

Hello Loves! Just flew in from Napa, and boy, are my arms tired!

Thanks, I'm here all week!

Ah, Napa. Sweet, sweet land of wine and olive oil. Palm trees and pine trees. Heat and chill. Food and fun. How we love you... So, yes, yet another trip to Napa. It was hubsy's birthday weekend, and every restaurant seemed to have a candle for him. We stayed again at the Napa River Inn, that lovely haunted place. They kindly greeted us with a bottle of wine for our return visit. We went to Taylor's Automatic Refresher for lunch and Angele's for dinner. Apres Angele's, we went to Silo's for some amazing old dixieland jazz, played by guys (and a girl), who were just fantastic! We visited Far Niente on Saturday for a fabulous tour and tasting with Walt. Breathing the gorgeous air in the barrel fermentation room - heady aromas that I wish I could re-experience at will. Their grounds are spectacular, by the way, and the staff could not be nicer. And Dolce! OHMIGOD, the Dolce! We tasted a '99 vintage that was gold and honey and flowers and everything nice. Sweet, yes, but cloying? Never! That afternoon we went to Frog's Leap. While I really like their wines, I have to say the tour disappointed a bit. Kinda snarky mixed with Valley Girl. Maybe you have to be in the mood.

And if you are in Napa, please go to Ubuntu for their intensely creative vegetarian fare. Vegetarian, yes, and oh so indulgent.

Sunday brought us back to Duckhorn. Tom gave us a VIP tour and tasting that was an absolute joy. Doesn't hurt that their wines are fantastic, that the property is gorgeous, that the people are really nice and knowledgeable. I love this place! Sunday night's dinner was at Celadon, which, like Angele's, is on the Napa River Inn property. And again, the food was awesome.

Crap, I'm fawning now. How embarassing.

Did I hook? Did I stick?

I sticked, mostly. Hooks were in the bag, but I pretty much sticked on the plane. We were on the go quite a bit, with less time in the room than normal, so the trip was about enjoying what we could about Napa. All that said, I made a bit of progress on the Shipwreck Shawl, undoing the massive screw ups of yore and slowly moving forward. We'll see how it all looks, won't we, when a few more rows have been created...

Till later!

xoxoxoxoxo

Miss Me?

Yeah, that's right. I've been eating and drinking my way (well, our way -- the hubsy was there, too!) across the gorgeous Napa Valley. Can I tell you about it? Got a minute? We went to a few wineries, it's true.

Let's see: Charles Krug (SO underrated for a place that produces consistently wonderful wine); The Frank Family (SO overrated, though their sparklers are worth a try); Mumm Napa (Mmmmmmm, Napa)Self-explanatory, dontcha think?

Duckhorn (how is it that everyone I know already knows and loves this place and, in particular, their Three Palms Merlot? And it's news to me? And it's so good!);Pretty Duckhorn Winery

Silver Oak (good lord, their Napa Cabernet is sex in a bottle and cheaper than a hooker -- well, cheaper than a pricey call girl, anyway); Whitehall Lane (oh-so-lovely cabs); Artesa (stupid, sucko winery - all "experience" for some truly half-assed wines - don't waste your time); and my beloved Grgich Hills Estates for an awesome celebration of Mike's 50th vintage.Me and the great Mike Grgich

Did I mention food yet? Okay, started at Angele, downstairs from our room at the Napa River Inn (fabulous place, right on the river. Did I mention it's haunted?);
went to Ubuntu on Main Street in Napa (TOTALLY lives up to the hype);fregola finished with corn pudding melon rind & FRIARELLI PEPPER relish, of course!

Auberge du Soleil for their staggering vegetarian tasting menu and wine pairings (amazing view of the valley and discovered some new outstanding wines. JC Cellars Preston Marsanne is to die for);Why yes, those ARE goat cheese beignets!

Taylor's Automatic Refresher for way pricey California drive-in fare); Cook St. Helena (try their brussels sprouts), Market (fabulous); and (drum roll) Chez Panisse Cafe in Berkeley (best fish, ever. And the best Sauvignon Blanc - Merry Edwards.)The heart of the "gourmet ghetto" in Berkeley

roasted zucchini and cherry tomatoes with Bellweather Farms Ricotta

halibut baked in a fig leaf

I'd order this online if their site worked!

So, we ate, we drank, we slept in a haunted hotel. What, no crochet?

But OF COURSE crochet was involved, my friend! I made the bulk of this on the flight out and in our room:
This is, of course, MK Carroll's Anne design, done in a ancient skein of LusterSheen.

Oh, and one final story! I had also brought with me the WIP Betty Shrug, whined about elsewhere in this blog. The day we were leaving the hotel, hubsy asked if I had a scissor with which he could cut a tag off of a clothing purchase. I had my cherished folding scissors in the Betty bag, so I pulled out the bag to dig out the snippers. In our haste to leave for Berkeley, the Betty bag got covered in the bed's duvet. Our quadruple check of the room never revealed that the bag containing hours and hours of my blood, sweat, and tears was still on the bed and not in our suitcases.

I realized the loss the day we got back home. I called the hotel, but the crochet was not in the lost and found room. The clerk told me that all was not lost -- it still might be with the cleaners and I left a message with housekeeping. Bless their hearts - my crochet was indeed with them and safe. "Will you be stopping by to pick it up?" the clerk asked. As much as I need little excuse to haul ass to Napa, I asked them to ship it to me. The VERY next day, my precious cargo arrived!

And THAT's what I did on my summer vacation.

Rockpoolcandy and the Betty Shrug

When I started this blog on in August of last year, I had no idea where it would go or what it would bring me. It began and continues out of a passion for crochet, a fascination for design past and present, and a love affair with the arts. What I didn't know was that it would open the door to my meeting, virtually or in reality, some extraordinary people. There are too many to list here and there is a risk that my feeble brain would leave one or more of these gorgeous people out, and that is a risk I dare not take.

Charlie and I had the great fortune of hooking up, literally and figuratively, with the amazing Inga of rockpoolcandy and her equally extraordinary husband, Andy. They were en route back to Ireland after spending time in LA, where Andy had work in a gallery show. I took this with my new fancy-schmancy camera at St. Germain, a fab little bistro in my nabe:
One of the things we talked about, and I share this with you because I find it so important, is how much I admire the treasures we gather through self-determination. Inga and Andy are both perfect examples of this - both are successful, working artists whose work touches people in incredibly personal ways. They've gotten to where they are not by sitting on their asses and waiting for things to happen, but by taking action and setting into motion a myriad of possibilities. While I can't compare myself to the likes of them or to any of the many fabulous people I've been privileged to meet through this blog, I like to think that subwayhooker has opened a few doors by exposing me to people I treasure. Whether I've met you in person, on ravelry or crochetville, or via email, I'm humbled by the lovely, gifted and warm people I'm proud to call friends.

And just in case you think this is my way of weasling out of having to show some progress in my own crochet projects, I give you the status of the Betty Shrug:
While right now it has a more than passing resemblance to the stripe on Charlie Brown's t-shirt, I assure you it has many new squares attached to it, methodically and by the book. While I am sorely distracted by wanting to start a slew of even newer projects, I am resisting so I can finish one bloody thing. Anything.

Oh, guess who's going back to Napa? That's right, Charlie and me!!! We head out Thursday for a long weekend of eating and sampling this nation's finest wines. Next weekend, it won't suck to be me!

Taste THIS!

There are times when I'm not thrilled with my job (the one that neither costumes nor crochets), I'll admit it.

I'll wait quietly as you are blown over with a feather.

Done?

But by and large, I consider myself pretty fortunate with the gig that's developed over the many years I've bled for my paycheck and benefits. And one of the payoffs happens next week when I get to go to Taste 3, a wine, food, and art conference in gorgeous, seductive, saliva-inducing Napa, California. Oh, I'll be working alright, but peppered in all that nose to the grindstone stuff are going to be some pretty sweet moments when I get to rub elbows with some legends of wine and food. The really hard part will be when I have to control myself and act like I somehow belong in that crowd. Hell, I'll be having champagne with Margrit Mondavi, widow of the late wine guru, Robert! In her house! I mean, sweet mother of crap! How did THAT happen? Perhaps it's all some huge mistake, some software error that will no doubt be discovered as I'm about to take that first sip of champagne.... ["uh, we're sorry ma'am, but there seems to be a terrible mistake here. Next stop, Guantanamo"]

But there I'll be. I've been sweating over what clothes to bring and more specifically, what crochet projects to bring. Because if you've read this blog before, you'll know that there is no love lost between Continental Airlines and me. They suck, they blow, they bite....words fail me. My company is paying beaucoup bucks for my crapola coach seat and I can guarantee that I will not be able to open my computer during that endless flight to SFO, no not even once. Oh, right. I did, in fact, perfect the technique whereby I shove the lower half of my laptop under my boobs. That works just fine. But I'm not in the mood for that this time around, not nohow. Instead, I'll be working on this fabulous wavelength scarf using some unidentified yarn I purchased at the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck last year. I may resume work on the cover shrug of Loop's Vintage Crochet, reviewed in this here blog, oh, about a month or two ago.

Anyhow, there will be four days of wine, food, and crochet in luscious Napa Valley. Ya really can't complain about a gig that takes you here....