Tuesday, May 15, 2007

2007 Paris,Champagne,Bordeaux

 2007 Jon and I flew to Paris and spent a week provisioning for the trip to the Chateau Maroutte.  First we drove to Rheims to buy Champagne. Then to the Loire valley for some nice whites and to revisit our friend, Francois Cazin at his winery.  We then drove to Bordeaux and met some of our group.  Brad and Diana with Dario, age 6 months, Rick and Jenny Ferrell, my sister Helen , and Mary.
We visited wineries and stayed in wonderful old house/hotel run by a French Comte down on his luck.  Forced to let rooms at his home.  Great for us.   After 6 days our bags caught up with us here.
Rose Garden at Rothschild     Barrels at Palmer




 In the garden we had our favorite meal one evening.  Wine, sausage, cheese, fruit and shared it with the resident flock of peacocks.  Also the pair of nesting swans.  Idyllic does not even do justice to the setting.

        http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/francoiscazin.shtml       Francois has become famous since we first met him in 1999.  His wine is so drinkable.  He still has small winery at his home.

Rick and Jenny Ferrell

Baby Dario and mommy, Diana


Like the outfit?  I wore the same thing for 6 straight days and that was all I had.  Jon and I went to Paris and our bags went to Miami and then to Paris and then all over France trying to catch up with us.  Gave new definition to rinsy! rinsy.!


Wine barrel at Pommery


Art show in cave at Pommery



Friday, January 20, 2006

2006 a wonderful villa on St. Martin

                                           The master chefs in the kitchen

                            ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh    life is good

                      The princess runs the show   Swimming in the ocean with dad

                   




The beaches were terrific and Brad and Diana managed to have some romantic time while the rest of us took care of a baby and very pregnant mommy.


               That lobster is almost as big as Avery, one of my favorite pictures.
She was not getting any closer than the other side of grandpa and had a grip on him to prove it.




      Just engaged

                                           



 Lots of days of rest and enjoying the wonderful weather and the lovely setting

Friday, July 15, 2005

2005 Rome to met Diana and France and Holland

We flew to Rome and spend day at the villa d'Este gardens
 Brad and Diana and Jon and I spent weekend in Sorrento.  This is balcony view of bay of Naples

 This is our intorduction to the lovely Italian who would capture Brad's heart and ours also.

 Leaving Rome we flew to south of France and did the tour of Aix en Provence, Avignon and Chateneuf du pape.

 At our lovely hotel in Avignon we had dinner at the chef's table and this is our chef and famous author Jay McInerney . Another guest was the the worlds finest harpsicord player who had come to France to play a very fine 16th century harpsicord owned by a French noble family.  She left a cd of her work for us and to this day it is our favorite piece of music.  Exquisite. Serendipity is the best partner when travelling.

                                                       Everywhere a picture
 Elegant lobby of the hotel that used to be residence for guests of the pope who lived across the street during the time of the French pope.
On to Schinnen, the Netherlands, where we met Diana's sister Julia and her first born Manlio Valente.  On the way we spent two days in Paris and it was so hot we barely left the hotel until evening.  This was the second year we spent in Europe with really warm temperatures.

2005 Diana's trip to states to met family and on trip to Colorado anounce engagement.

 We all agreed that this was the tame version of the raft trip and we could have done with a bit more excitement.
 Meanwhile Grandpa and Jen took Avery on her own version of rafting and it was super fun for her.
                                                                 Brad and Diana
                                                On train to top of Pike's peak

                                           Grandpa getting practice with the stroller
Avery gets to feed a giraffe

                               Real thick glass has it's own advantage.  She liked Jen and Avery.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

San Juan Puerto Rico with Starwood

                                 This trip was all about golf and relaxing and enjoying friends. 

                      Jon and I have stayed in this wonderful old hotel many times and it is still cool.
                                    El San Juan Hotel we also like the Monesterio in downtown

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

2004 Ireland Jon and Brad to play golf

 Ireland is green and lush and has wonderful gardens. Weather was cool, rainy.
Even the guys enjoyed the gardens.  The weather was not great for golf but wonderful for my designated activity, sitting by fire and reading.


The other passion of the trip was for the males to stock up on good fresh draughts of Guiness.  They did a lot of that.

                                  
                                                  AHHHHHHHHHH

                                             Ballybunion

   Traffic jam Irish style.                                          
  Castle hotel we stayed in . More like a great house than a castle.
                                                      Thatched roof houses with loads of flowers.  Quaint