We escaped the
Bay Area fog for the weekend, heading to Valley of the Moon in
Sonoma where we rented a house with a small pool. The wine country is just an hour drive away, but with Mediterranean temperatures.
A very vintage kind of place.
There was slip-and-slide in the backyard, climbing through the broken fence to retrieve the ball from the neighbour's yard, palm-wrinkling hours in the pool, sipping full-cal Coke and lattes from a place that sells old scooters. And the kids uploaded some vintage photo apps onto my i-phone (which is the best, do you reckon?) and tried to teach me that new-fangled
Instagram.
 |
| Teddy with the High Schooler |
 |
| Cy and The High Schooler at Yeti restaurant |
 |
| Cy retrieving the ball from the neighbour's yard |
 |
| Backyard Slip'n'Slide |
 |
| Me and Cy at Cafe Scooteria |
Vintage also because there was some curly-round-the-edges moments when the kids resumed their at-home bickering. No wonder really, they each have a different MO: Cy, 8: to live each day as if it's his last, The High Schooler, 14: to lives each day as if he will never see TV again, the daughter, 11: to get to the nearest nail parlour and ....
I can't remember the other one's name (that's a Fifties thing, right?)
 |
| Cafe Scooteria |
Driving home Cy opined: "This wine country is great. But it's like we're paying someone to fight at their house." He added with a satisfied sigh: "Let's go back next weekend." And we are.
How terribly vintage - a new family tradition.
While I was away I was featured on Chocolate, Cookies and Candies, written by Marlene, a fellow Kiwi, who now lives in London. Her blog is a delicious treat of outfits and scenes from her life. How chuffed am I to find myself in such stylish company - thanks Marlene!
Looks perfect. That is the thing about traveling: you can take the kids away from home, but they are still kids. Mine bicker everywhere!!!
ReplyDeleteWe are so done with the Texas heat and leave tomorrow for NC. Yea - just me and the kids in the car for a solid 12 hours tomorrow and 8 the next!!! I'm certain they'll be on their best behavior. Ha!
Good to hear we're not the only ones!
DeleteI only have one child (and she's 26 now) so I didn't have to go through that as a mother. It's nice to get away from chores and errands, even if it isn't too far from home. I would LOVE to have played on that slip 'n slide!
ReplyDeleteDid you see the movie? I enjoyed it :)
Jeanette - I only got to chat to the wax lady at the ticket office...looking forward to seeing it.
DeleteI love your posts Jody, they always make me laugh. And your weekend away--it sounds wonderful! Sonoma is such a gem. I moved there for a summer after grad school and go back whenever I'm in northern cal. And you're going again in 3 days--yay!
ReplyDeletexo Mary Jo
Sonoma is top of my list of places I haven't visited in the US. Sounds perfect (apart from the bickering).
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHa! How familiar the bickering sounds ! Love Cy's line about paying to fight at someone else's house...I have a feeling our hols may turn out the same!
ReplyDeleteLooks lovely. Our kids (31 and 26) still bicker on occasion.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a wonderful weekend away!I love instagram too... a lovely way to add a vintage touch to photos:)
ReplyDelete~Anne
What kids don't bicker, that's what I want to know. And if not, why not?? (hint: are they robots?)
ReplyDeleteI love the look of the slip 'n' slide too, just my thing that, although at my age one doesn't launch oneself on it for fear of not being able to get up...
The scooter looked fab too, would love to have a go on that. What a marvellous place you found.
You always make me laugh...looks like a fun place. And I loved slip and slides as a child...we couldn't afford the expensive ones at the store and always made our own...was better that way!!! Love the photos! Hope your week is going great so far!! xxx
ReplyDeleteWhat a great mini vacation! My grandmother lived in Santa Rosa, I think that's by Sonoma. I was little, don't remember much, it's a fifty thing, LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteLove Di ♥
Ahhhhh... I need a weekend away! Terribly. But alas, my husband new job has been all consuming. FRUSTRATING!
ReplyDeleteYou have such an incredibly gorgeous family; love these photographs - though that slip 'n' slide dive looks like it ended very painfully. :P
ReplyDeleteMine are only 3 and 6 and they bicker. I've got years of it to come then? The Instagram photos are lovely but my phone doesn't support the app and I'm too lazy to take on an Iphone just so I can do the pics - actually that's not a bad idea. Maybe I should.....
ReplyDeleteSo funny Jody.. the bickering happens no matter where you are! What a wonderful trip! The CA wine country is amazing. I love the Los Olivos area too.. have you been? (talk about vintage!) It's nice that you rented a house so the kids could have the pool.
ReplyDeleteHope your week is going well.
leslie
how wonderful for you to be in napa. my oldest son went to college there. i loved visiting him a lot.
ReplyDeletealso love that you forget your kids names. i still do too.
xo
janet
going over now to see what other people really think of you.:)
You two ! My mum still calls me by sisters names too!
DeleteCy is hilarious, but we know where he gets that from. :D
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had such a delightful time. I've been as far south in California as San Francisco. Being there was a treat, believe me.
ReplyDeleteBTW, how much wine did you bring home from wine country?
Great little weekend. Yeah, I don't think there is such a thing as rest and relaxation with kids around....at any age.
ReplyDeleteI am FREAKING out over that scooter that you are on!!! SOOO SO cool! :-[)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by so I could find your wonderful illustrations!
Deleteoh lucky you..just the IDEA sounds good to me! I do not even realize my kids are arguing or bickering ... haha
ReplyDeleteGood skills!
DeleteYou are giving your kids such a wonderful childhood Jody....and getting to record images and thoughts for posterity along the way......I'm a little jealous...firstly that there was no internet/blogging when mine were small and secondly that you get to visit such great places at the weekends!
ReplyDeleteit's like we're paying someone to fight at their house...hilarious! i love that quote. what a fun weekend. the picture of the run and jump slip and slide scares me just a little!!
ReplyDeleteYou look so eternally cool on that bike!!
ReplyDeleteGreat images - I'm addicted to Instagram. Love Cy's comment. My kids have been bickering a lot lately, too - what is it about the dog days of summer??
ReplyDelete"we're paying someone to fight at their house!" I love that, at what age will the fighting/bickering stop?!
ReplyDeleteWhen you have more than 1, they bicker. If you have just the one, she moans and whinges. Just can't win :P
ReplyDeleteAwww.....you're so welcome, Jody. I always look forward to your posts. I'm so thrilled to connect with a fellow Kiwi.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteJody,
ReplyDeleteLove these kind of getaways. Sonoma is really cute. Love the old time square there. The kids sounds like ours! Of course when the a vacation is over we only remember the fun parts thankfully. The bickering is wiped out of my memory thank god, or I couldn't do it again. Guess it's like childbirth! ;p
xo
Kim
sounds like good times...love the slip n slide picture! I love the vintage effects...there are so many out there, hard to choose a favorite. I'll check you out on instagram!
ReplyDeleteOops, I thought the link would take me to your instagram. If you feel like sharing your name and photos, pls do? Or you can find me @rockoomph.
DeleteOOps sorry, I haven't really signed up yet, just taking the pictures, now you can see how technically useless I am...
DeleteNow that you mention it, there is a dazzling resemblance between you two. I think you just need to sew some pompoms on one of your tops and it's a done deal!!
ReplyDelete