California Dreaming

And thats exactly what it seems like....... a dream. Went by way too fast but I've captured all the great moments in my mind (and heart). Last week we left for Healdsburg (Sonoma Valley) California. The hubs was racing in the Vineman 70.3 and the parents were happy to join us this time. Who can pass up a trip to Sonoma to see their favorite son in law race? hehe. So, lets begin.

We arrived in San Francisco and started our drive to Sonoma.....yeehaw!

Crossing the Golden Gate

Our lovely vacation home

Yes, its on a VINEYARD and here is backyard. Breath-taking!

James' favorite asset of the house.....an apple tree. Yes he did actually bite an apple. I called him Adam from that point on. haha!

Our first night post dinner on the porch.....so relaxing.

the lovely parents enjoying the view

Saturday we hit up the farmers market. Lots of fresh fish, flowers, fruit, veggies, my HEAVEN!!

Saturday evening was very relaxed. I cooked up a pre-race meal for the hubs and got the oats all set for the morning. 3:45am wake up call in order to get down to race site. Luckily my parents could stay at the house because the bike course went right by the house. Perfect for them!

Race morning was chilly and foggy. The swim was in the Russian River. Here are the pros waiting for the gun to go off.

 The swim was super fast because of the currant. The hubs was 4th out of the water and now onto the bike he goes. A scenic 56 miles of biking to go.

I love this picture. Cotter on the butt. Thats one good lookin' view!

After those grueling 56 miles, it was into transition and off for the 13 mile run

Luckily the hubs is fast and ran himself up into 3rd place....WOOHOO!!

Christ Lieto 1st, Keirin Doe 2nd, and the Hubs 3rd.

I was one happy wifey!

The boys were quite exhausted from the heat.

 

3rd place Pro also won this great prize

Signed by the wine maker himself. Try carrying this in your suitcase, HUGE!

After the awards and a much needed nap and shower, w e headed to the cutest general store on Dry Creek.  You can sit on the patio, have drink, and relax.

We decided to enjoy their famous homemade kettle chips. DELICIOUS! Better than a store bought bag any day! I also had to get my FRS fix.

Then it was celebration time. We dined at an all ORGANIC restaurant called the Barn Diva. All the vegetables, meat, and fish were all within a 30 mile radius. Very local and fresh!

The freshest dessert I've ever had

And of course, a toast was made!

The next day we ventured out to the wineries.

This was Bella Vineyard. Very cute barn and lawn area. They even had a cave where they did the wine tastings, store the wine, etc. Beautiful!

James and the cave....the wine is flowing inside!

Inside the cave. Its not even noon I already looked too relaxed, haha.

Next up was Truett Hurst Vineyard. It was a very small vineyard. We LOVED IT! We sat down by the creek and enjoyed our wine tasting. I ended up buying a bottle of their Rose. It was scrumptious!

At this point, the hubs was pretty relaxed. hehe!

The last night was spent on our back porch, enjoying good food and beauty of the vineyard. We loved being out there with no cell phone reception or Internet.

I am also so proud of the hubs for placing again in the top 3! His hard work is starting to pay off. We hope to continue down this road. Being a pro triathlete is never easy, living paycheck to paycheck but we would never give up this dream. Its a true passion of his which I support 110%. I love being part of  "Team Cotter!"
 :)

Well, that's it for now. It feels good to be home.

Cheers,

LC

p.s.

A recipe will be on its way soon. Can't wait to get in the kitchen and make some goodies!