My brother's job brought him out to California last week and he arranged to take a few days off and drive up to San Francisco for a long weekend. I was so excited to see him. He hadn't ever been to California . . . meaning, he hadn't come out to see us since we moved. I actually hadn't seen him since my sister's wedding last year. So this visit was much anticipated.
And it didn't disappoint! We spent Friday night (his 27th Birthday) at a German restaurant enjoying beer, meat and a huge piece of chocolate cake. On Saturday we drove up Twin Peaks to catch the view of our foggy city. The weather was actually quite beautiful and the fog gave way soon enough.
One of the things I love about February is the weather. We do get some rain, but usually it seems to be a sunny month filled with blooming flowers. This weekend we had gorgeous weather; I was even without a jacket for a good portion of it! I was so thankful that John got to experience the city with the sun.
From there we made our way to the ocean. John said he had only seen the Pacific Ocean from Australia and needed to at least drive by it while he was here. Well, we got to do more than that! This is the first time I've actually been warm on this beach. It's usually cold, foggy, and windy to say the least, but this was paradise! I even put my feet in the water (only took me three years)!
There were a lot of surfers out, but the beach was almost empty. John and I walked up to the water's edge, John being braver than I and getting in ankle deep. Soon, I decided to follow. My toes felt the water. It was cold, but not freezing like I had expected. The water receded. I walked a little further. I stopped, daring the water to approach my toes and feet. John saw it coming before I did and turned back, but I just kept watching that wave come at me. I started giggling, anticipating the cold around my ankles . . . and then shock and screams of childish delight came rushing up as I found myself nearly knee deep in the wave. I turned and ran back to the sand but the wave just stayed with me drenching my jeans. I couldn't stop laughing. The surprise, the cold water, the playful joy I felt being with my brother, it all just caused me to laugh until I was crying.
Then we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and headed to Sonoma. We hit up our two favorite (affordable) wineries: Cline and Jacuzzi for wine tasting and enjoyed a picnic on the lawn of Cline. The sun was warm and the afternoon so pleasant. The wineries were also hosting an Olive Tasting Festival so we tried a few of those as well. Among them was a cheese stand passing out samples of Havarti. It was the best cheese I'd tried in a while, so we bought some of that too (and it went great with the wine)!
We spent Sunday at home playing games and watching movies. Just spending time together. I thoroughly enjoyed John's visit and I hope he did too! Happy Birthday Brother!
My brother's job brought him out to California last week and he arranged to take a few days off and drive up to San Francisco for a long weekend. I was so excited to see him. He hadn't ever been to California . . . meaning, he hadn't come out to see us since we moved. I actually hadn't seen him since my sister's wedding last year. So this visit was much anticipated.
And it didn't disappoint! We spent Friday night (his 27th Birthday) at a German restaurant enjoying beer, meat and a huge piece of chocolate cake. On Saturday we drove up Twin Peaks to catch the view of our foggy city. The weather was actually quite beautiful and the fog gave way soon enough.
One of the things I love about February is the weather. We do get some rain, but usually it seems to be a sunny month filled with blooming flowers. This weekend we had gorgeous weather; I was even without a jacket for a good portion of it! I was so thankful that John got to experience the city with the sun.
From there we made our way to the ocean. John said he had only seen the Pacific Ocean from Australia and needed to at least drive by it while he was here. Well, we got to do more than that! This is the first time I've actually been warm on this beach. It's usually cold, foggy, and windy to say the least, but this was paradise! I even put my feet in the water (only took me three years)!
There were a lot of surfers out, but the beach was almost empty. John and I walked up to the water's edge, John being braver than I and getting in ankle deep. Soon, I decided to follow. My toes felt the water. It was cold, but not freezing like I had expected. The water receded. I walked a little further. I stopped, daring the water to approach my toes and feet. John saw it coming before I did and turned back, but I just kept watching that wave come at me. I started giggling, anticipating the cold around my ankles . . . and then shock and screams of childish delight came rushing up as I found myself nearly knee deep in the wave. I turned and ran back to the sand but the wave just stayed with me drenching my jeans. I couldn't stop laughing. The surprise, the cold water, the playful joy I felt being with my brother, it all just caused me to laugh until I was crying.
Then we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and headed to Sonoma. We hit up our two favorite (affordable) wineries: Cline and Jacuzzi for wine tasting and enjoyed a picnic on the lawn of Cline. The sun was warm and the afternoon so pleasant. The wineries were also hosting an Olive Tasting Festival so we tried a few of those as well. Among them was a cheese stand passing out samples of Havarti. It was the best cheese I'd tried in a while, so we bought some of that too (and it went great with the wine)!
We spent Sunday at home playing games and watching movies. Just spending time together. I thoroughly enjoyed John's visit and I hope he did too! Happy Birthday Brother!
No comments:
Post a Comment