Spring is such a sweet time of year. It is as if the flowers and trees are reminding us that new beginnings can come out of that which looks completely bare.
There is almost nothing better for stress than being outside, fresh air, off leash dogs running with tongues floppy to the side of their mouth. It is effortless to stay home, or even close to home, but making the effort is always worth it. With that in mind, we got our butts in gear on Sunday and took off toward Napa.
With a bit of quick internet pre-planning, I discovered Canine Commons Park. In addition to a fenced play area for dogs, it has acres upon acres of off-leash hiking trails twisting along vineyards with evergreen hills in the background. We were stunned to just now discover this after having lived in Northern California for almost three years. This place was every dog owners dream. As an added bonus, it is only a little over an hour from our house.
With some uncommon foresight, I actually remembered to bring our camera. We splurged on a new DSLR cannon last fall just before our trip to Norway. I had intentions of taking up a new hobby, but typically only think, ‘oh, it would be great to have the camera right now’ rather than actually have the camera. My skills as a photographer are in progress; I don’t quite have the patience to actually sit and learn everything about our new toy. Hence, I’ve decided on an organic approach of learning while I shoot. Napa on Sunday was a great playground to catch the first glimpse of spring.
After letting the girls run with this fenced in dogs, we took off along the trails. I’m not big on uphill hiking and this was a perfect mix of meandering along dozens of interwoven trails.
We were stunned at what a beautiful blue-sky day it was. The air was clear and you could see miles away.
This tree was just awesome, so wild.
The vineyards along the trail were barren along the vines, but the ground beneath was a pure sea of yellow. I became slightly obsessed and overly camera zealous. But how beautiful is this?
Taking a break with the girls. We did the picnic thing after our walk, but there were tons of benches and tables that would make this a perfect spot for lunch.
I noticed bird houses everywhere. We guessed they were for owls based on size.
Maybe the house is for this little bird on a wire?
The fall squirrels missed a few acorns.
After we walked all around, we headed for Whole Foods which is just across the freeway. Napa isn’t huge on vegan-specific restaurants, so we made our own picnic. Whole Foods is heaven. I could seriously live there. For lunch I limited myself to:
- Vegan “chicken” salad sandwich on sourdough.
- Garden minestrone soup.
- Mixed berries with some pineapple.
- Vegan chocolate chip cookie.
While I grabbed lunch, Phillip researched a dog-friendly winery that allowed picnics, and we headed for Pine Ridge Winery.
It is an exquisite property. They have numerous picnic tables tucked into various places on their meticulously manicured grounds. It would make for a phenomenal wedding location. We snagged the end of a long table with cozy chairs perfectly positioned in the sun.
Abbey was quick to make herself cozy.
Phillip got a bit of white wine to sip while we chatted and socked in the vitamin D.
This afternoon was absolute bliss.
While not all of the flowers were in bloom. Pine Ridge had the coolest idea to create a kale garden. It was super full and vibrant.
It is way too easy to blow-off plans and stay home. Sunday morning on the couch in our jammies was pretty cozy. It would have been effortless to stay there all day. It took all sorts of willpower to get up and going, but I am so very glad we did. Being tired trying something new is a way better tired than being tired from not moving all day. Napa was a great reminder to have more small adventures.
What is your favorite place to catch the first glimpse of spring?