Happy Friday!
Before we continue to the main text, some new items:
Announcements:
Introducing: woof winery adventure!
Woof Winery Adventure is a new section that I will be occasionally posting to highlight wineries and other dog-friendly locations that I have visited with Katara. Since it’s a natural combination of wines and dogs, it will be the alternative to “a wine & a woof”.
July Writing Challenge
With baby imminent, I have challenged my self to write 500 - 1000 words every day towards a creative project (or until baby shows up). If you would like to join the challenge, let me know by leaving a comment below. I would love to hear about your projects!
woof winery adventure
Happy Forth of July Weekend!
When we drove over the Santa Cruz Mountains, my husband and I were planning on taking our dog, Katara, for a walk and buying olallieberry pie from Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero.
It was a beautiful summer day along the coast, with a light breeze off the Pacific Ocean. The small costal town of Pescadero, located roughly 47 miles south of San Francisco and with a population just shy of 400 people, was overrun by cyclists and weekend tourists.
We found our olallieberry pie and some lunch— poke drowned in soy sauce and green onions (excellent) and chips— and noticed a wine tasting sign directing people towards Harley Farms.
Even though I have bought their dried fruit covered goat cheeses since I’ve arrived in San Francisco in 2015 and I own a shirt from the farm, I actually haven’t had the chance to visit.
We parked in the shade next to the goat and alpaca pasture to give Katara something to look at while we investigated the farm and browsed the shop, before wandering over to Sante Arcangeli, located in a large barn across an open field from Harley farms.
We ordered the wine flight, which included two whites (both Chardonnays) and four reds (two Pinot Noirs, a Syrah, and a Cabernet Sauvignon), to split between the two of us and sat on one of the several picnic tables scattered close to the barn.
For as crowded as Pescadero was, it was rather quiet. Harley’s, only 500 feet away, had more visitors. Maybe it’s because Napa and Sonoma County get all the eyes, but on such a beautiful day, I think those people missed out.
Costing about $30, the flight was delightful. What I noticed the most was that each of the samples had pronounced fruit flavors— lots of topical and creamy notes in the Chardonnays, and strawberry and pomegranate notes within the Pinots. Sante Arcangeli promotes itself as a maker of Burgundian varietal wines. I personally noticed the influence and the Pinot Noirs, in particular, reminded me of Oregon Pinots.
Additionally, since this is Wines and Woofs, Sante Arcangeli is dog friendly. There were actually several dogs enjoying the afternoon with their people. Unfortunately for me and this newletter, my dog, Katara, has decided that she is not a fan of getting her photo taken with me, so the “classic-on-Instagram”-style photo of us walking away will have to due for now. Or until I remember to bring treats next time.
i’ll drink to that
Shows: the Acolyte (Disney) - Season 1. The latest episode was stressful. But I also haven’t been able to stop saying “Bortles!” and other Jason Mendoza quotes (The Good Place (NBC)), whenever actor, Manny Jacinto, appeared on screen.
Books: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Eats: Vessel Kitchen- nice little lunch spot with fresh food that comes out quickly.
I’m looking for a fun book to read in July! Let me know below your recommendations in the comments below.
Happy Independence Day!
~Kir
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