Company!!!!

A great picnic with Dawn and Bill at Curtis Winery

Overlooking LA from "the Getty"

Having been away so long, it is always wonderful to see people from “home”. We spent the past two days with Dawn and Bill, fellow wine lovers from Waterloo. They arrived on Wednesday and helped us tour yet more wineries. Great friends, great wines, and fun times. We even watched the movie “Sideways” in an effort to figure out why both couples thought it had been filmed in Napa. All the places we have been visiting were clearly there!

The visit seemed to pass in a heartbeat. We then drove back into LA to pick up Jonathan and Meghann who will be with us for a week. While in LA, we took in the Getty Museum, a spectacular hilltop complex, unlike most museums. Very modern, very busy but, very efficient. It is itself an architectural artwork.

Our wonderfully democratic group decided to buy a “star map” and tour the homes of the Hollywood elite. We saw some wonderful gates and hedges!!!! Then up the Pacific Coast highway for the 2 ½ hour drive back to the old “Pecan” in Buellton. Along the way, we passed through Malibu and the sea-side towns. 100’s of hearty surfers were in the surf all along the route. It is difficult to see the appeal of Malibu real-estate given that the beach houses are literally touching each other. Not our cup of tea!

We are very much looking forward to the next week of touring with the kids. After the wine region, we’ll be heading back across the desert to Las Vegas for a few days of “livin’ large” at the Luxor.