On the Wine Road

We decided to commemorate our 7th anniversary last weekend in our own unique way - by hitting the wine road! Every 1st and second weekend in March, the Russian River has a barrel tasting, and for 20 bucks you can hit over 100 wineries - we didn't make them all, but we sure had fun trying! Friday night we had a luxurious dinner at our favorite place, Ruth's Chris, and subsequently returned to our Kamping Kabin in beautiful Cloverdale - ok stop laughing....you know who you are! While many found it very unusual that we stayed in a KOA campground, holed up in our little Kamping Kabin with the bare minimum of amenities (a plastic bed and some electricity) while wine tasting and fine dining - it just works for us! It's one of the many reasons we have stayed together, laughed so much, and loved together for the past seven years, with many more to come. The quirkiness of this type of adventure defines us and completes us, and I wouldn't change a thing about my wonderful husband or the life we are building together. I am truly grateful God has chosen to bless with me with such an amazing man! Aside from that, the campground and the area was absolutely beautiful. Not many campers at that time of year, therefore very quiet - we were situated by a serene pond surrounded by green hills and trees and the sounds of wildlife - mostly ducks, but a few other creatures too - at night it was nothing but quiet puncuated by sparse noises of night creatures - in the morning, warm sun sparkled off the pond right outside our porch (we were not up in time for sunrise most mornings, though we tried, we really did). Brian was our designated driver and typically does not like wine much, but I was on a mission to find him a wine he could drink. In the end, mission accomplished! We found a wonderful dessert wine at Simi winery, and would have cleaned them out of it if we could afford it. Alas, we only bought a few bottles. What a shame - we might have to return for more....poor us......!!!!!

Rainy Dog Daze..

In our quest to ensure the happiness and fulfillment of our newest adopted dog, Jack, a Miniature Australian Shepherd, we decided (or should I say I decided and Brian came along for the ride) to try sheepherding. Though he appears to be a very happy, healthy dog, I wanted to make sure he wasn’t missing out on anything his little heart might desire. Saturday morning, we arose at 6 a.m….errr..actually Brian arose…I arose a short while later (after coffee was brewed and one eye managed to open), dressed in heavy raingear and boots, packed up Jack and all the things we thought we might need, and headed out the 40 minutes to the sheepherding farm, where a day-long clinic was being held. Jack was scheduled for an evaluation that afternoon (we didn’t know the time until we arrived or perhaps would not have dragged ourselves out of bed at such an hour on a rainy Saturday) and we were left to observe the evaluations and training of others throughout the morning. The dogs and trainer were amazing. Some dogs were absolute naturals, others needed a little more work, but all seemed to know exactly what to do with sheep. I eagerly awaited our turn to see what our little Jack would do.

After lunch, Jack had his time in the sun (literally and figuratively, as the sun came out just before his evaluation). Into the evaluation pen he went, spectators all around, watching in suspense to see what this little mini aussie would do. He was greeted by the instructor, and we waited for the sheep to come in. Once the sheep were safely in, he was walked over to the sheep, then let go. He looked at the sheep, looked ‘round. Um…”Where’s Dad? Where’s Mom? Oh, there he is! Hey, that dog’s barking over there, what’s that? Oh look there’s mom, hi mom! Ooooh the water…oh hey, I’m free!” Run like the wind! And he did, except not towards the sheep! The instructor proceeded to ask the spectators, “Is this dog paying attention to the sheep? NOOOO!” And indeed he wasn’t. Little Jack paid attention to everything around him, and very little attention to the sheep. The instructor asked Brian to chase the sheep around, perhaps even catch the sheep, to try to get Jack interested and see if his instinct would kick in. Brian chased the sheep, and Jack chased Brian, around and around they went! Occasionally, Jack would decide something else was more interesting, and take off the opposite direction, leaving Brian foolishly chasing the sheep alone.

Soooo…that was our Saturday adventure. I went home tired and happy, knowing our little fur-baby didn’t feel deprived of sheep. For some reason, Brian went home disappointed – that he would no longer have the opportunity to herd sheep. Sometime during the day, unbeknownst to me, he had become a sheepherding convert. Do they offer lessons for people?

Welcome to our world....

Welcome to Brian & Angela’s blog! This is my first attempt at a blog, so if it’s sketchy at first, forgive me – I’m sure it will improve as I go. This blog is about life, love, exploration, new experiences, fun and all manner of things in between. I so often have thoughts and experiences I wish I could share with people, but all too frequently, a busy lifestyle intervenes and I forget, move on, or share with some and not others. This blog will provide me with an outlet for sharing with many so I don’t forget – a diary of sorts. Most reading this are great friends and family, but if you happen to stumble upon it, don’t know me, and are still interested…well, what can I say but….enjoy (and good luck!)

I did say part of this blog was about new experiences. In a way, our most recent new experience is what promoted this blog. You’ll find as you read, that I love to explore new things and try new ideas, so if it has any consistent theme at all, it will be to live life to the fullest, exploring and learning as you go. The other consistent theme – our beloved adopted fur-babies - a gift from God, lighting up our lives and warming our hearts and home each and every day. My first entry is the best of both worlds….