Amy's birthday

To celebrate Amy's birthday, we hit the road Saturday morning for wine country, a secluded hilltop bed-and-breakfast and an escape from the mayhem that is our house lately.

A leisurely drive down involved a few stops for wine tastings along the way before reaching Youngberg Hill.


The view from outside our room this morning, on the wraparound porch overlooking one of the vineyards as the fog burns off.



The birthday girl, as we strolled around the grounds after breakfast.


The pond, from which a brigade of frogs serenaded us all night long. It felt - and sounded - secluded and peaceful and perfect. And they have great wines on site, too. (Which I blame for not seeing the lunar eclipse last night.) Plus, I'm a sucker for staying anywhere that has a remote-controlled fireplace in the bedroom.

All in all, it was a great way to clear our heads from all the chaos around us lately. We got back early this afternoon, picked Wiley up from the boarder, did a little yard work and then had a tasty birthday dinner with the gang at a fun Mexican restaurant Amy likes in Northeast. The weekend was a nice reminder that even when things seem most crazy, we're lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the country, to have such a fun, good group of friends and to simply have each other.

As our buddy Erik said once or twice tonight, "Feliz!"