I’m a little behind, so a monthly wrap-up it is! The month started off with a trip to FL. My grandfather passed away, which is sad and he is missed. He would have been so happy to see his family and friends get together in his honor. And don’t worry, we did this when he was living too! He had a few epic birthday parties but, of course, funerals are a time for getting together too. It was great to see my extended family, who I rarely see. My immediate family was incomplete since my sister, her husband, and one sister-in-law couldn’t make it, but it was so fun to see everyone who was there.
On the way back to the airport, SMS and I stopped by manatee bridge, listed as a tourist attraction. This might overstate the appeal a little bit, but it’s true, we did see manatees surfacing just past the bridge. It doesn’t rival our Wakulla Springs adventure, but it was still a worthwhile stop if you’re in the area and have literally nothing else to do.
On another family note, I did pret-ty well in the gift-giving game this Christmas. I think I got great gifts for all my nephews. Slight miss for the niece who I think may fit into the unicorn shoes I bought her when she’s 7 years old (she’s 3). But for one of my nephews, who was showered with gifts from both sides of the family, loved the Brio train set I bought him. So much so, that I bought him a tracks-only booster set and the above madness occurred. I feel like a winner!
Later in the month, SMS and I took a quick trip to Healdsburg. We love the town and wanted to take a more mellow trip. We went for a short hike up Fitch Mountain, where there were comfortable benches underneath the oaks. It was serene! Next time, I’ll bring a book.
The next day, we went to Cade winery. We wanted to check out the Howell Mountain appelation. Prior to the winery, we went on a short hike to Linda Falls Preserve. This article gives a good description of where to park and how to walk to the trailhead. It’s not hard, but you do walk along the road and down a little side paved road before you get to the trail. It’s a short hike, but there are some steep parts with slippery leaves. I was also pretty shocked that a slightly imbalanced appearing older man was stepping out onto the creek rocks, but he made it. Which just goes to show that not all dumb decisions have unfortunate consequences. Thank goodness.
Cade winery is high up on the mountain and has a beautiful view. It was a windy day and seeing the forrest sway was impressive. The wine is delicious and it’s a great atmosphere, but it’s pricy and now that we’ve tried Howell Mountain wines, I don’t necessarily have to pay for the experience again. But I am glad we went! Howell mountain wines are pretty well-structured and tannic. SMS and I slightly preferred that valley floor wines, but we bought a Howell vineyard wine for a more unique souvenir.
Our last weekend adventure was seeing the Mary Cassatt exhibit at the Legion of Honor. Thank goodness for the blogosphere because I only heard about it through Jules’ lovely post. While we didn’t have as nice of a lunch as she did (although it’s on my TTD), we had a really nice time at the exhibit. I really liked Cassatt’s minimalist drawings that are considered complete given her sign-off signature in the corner. Above, I took pictures of Portrait of Mabel S. Simpkins (later Mrs. George Russell Agassiz)(1898) and The Long Gloves (1896). I was also interested in the techniques of drypoint and aquatint she used in her Set of Ten prints (1891). Aesthetically, I wasn’t as moved but the skill, time, and attention needed were impressive.
In getting ready for the exhibit, I listened to the applicable episode of Who ARTed, a podcast with a slightly unfortunate (but also funny) name that is quite good.
We walked around the collection. I took a picture of the above Self Portrait and sent it to my sister saying, “Feeling cute, may delete later.” And she thought I was hiwawious. Which always makes me feel good. Then, SMS and I did the only pose possible in front of a cast of The Thinker.
Oh, YAY! I’m so glad you went to the Cassatt exhibit! I loved it so much. And like you, some pictures weren’t really aesthetically pleasing so much as just really interesting to know the work that went into them. That often doesn’t interest me, so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed that aspect.
My daughter was really into trains when she was little, so I bought her a train set, but she didn’t really play with the tracks much. She just wanted to take her little engines around with her, to the park, in the bath, whatever. Your nephew looks very happy with his train set!