[1st of 2 'catch-up' posts, covering Wed 8/25 thru Mon 8/30]
We started a 3 1/2 week roadtrip on Wed 8/25. The first leg took us to San Diego to help our daughter, Victoria, move into her sophomore dorm at the University of San Diego. And to deliver a new companion to Karri's mom!
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| About to hit the road with Karri, Victoria and Toby - Karri's mom's new puppy! |
We had two long, 10+ hour days of driving with an overnight stop in Red Bluff, CA. Karri and Victoria took turns alternating between driving Victoria's car and entertaining Toby while I drove the van. From southern Oregon to Southern California we experienced varying levels of wildfire smoke - a sad reminder of all the fires burning.
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| Barely discernable Mt. Shasta through forest fire smoke |
We arrived safely at Karri's mom's - Hillside Ranch Vineyard (aka 'the ranch') - on Thursday evening. Donna was thrilled to meet Toby. He seemed pretty excited too!
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| First meeting! |
We relaxed on Friday and most of Saturday. Saturday night we got to help pick Donna's crop of Viognier grapes - waiting to start until 8pm to avoid the heat and bees. It was a successful harvest although a smaller crop than previous years. Her winemaker says the quality is excellent - can't wait to find out!
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| Sauvignon Blanc vines that were harvested a week earlier |
Sunday we prepared to host 7 of Victoria's friends and their parents for a dinner party. During their freshman year, the ranch was a frequent weekend getaway for the girls, with most on-campus activities limited or canceled due to Covid. The girls' parents were excited to meet 'Mimi' (Donna) - who always pampers the girls when they visit. We had a lovely evening. It was really great to meet the girls and their parents.
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| Mimi and the girls! |
Monday morning we moved Victoria into her dorm at USD. After lunch, Karri and I left Victoria to nest a bit while we walked around the San Diego waterfront. Late-afternoon we returned to campus for a sophomore parents 'Welcome back!' session, followed by a dinner for families on the main lawn of the beautiful USD campus. It was a very nice event, one we especially appreciated since these type of events had all been canceled freshman year.
We returned to the ranch Monday night, gave Donna a quick update on the day's events, then headed to bed - exhausted from a hectic couple of days and with the hope of resting up for the next leg of our trip - Joshua Tree National Park.
