MAR 2022: Weddings, Puppy Adventures, & Plants!
3.4.2022
Weddings were definitely in focus at the beginning of March. Our wedding invitations arrived and we spent the day assembling and sealing them with wax seals! We previously ordered some custom wax seals and rubber stamps that we’re excited to put to use. We ended up ordering our invitations through minted. We enjoy how they put the spotlight on artists & can’t wait to order a commissioned piece of art for ourselves!
3.5.2022
We attended a family wedding for Alma & Javier. It’s always lovely to see everyone together, and the energy didn’t disappoint! We aren’t big partiers, but we love seeing everyone enjoying themselves.
Weddings in general seem to get people thinking about what they value most in life. Cheers to the happy couple!
3.8.2022
At the very beginning of the month, we started taking care of a family members new puppy. He was very shy and stubborn at first, but with a little patience we eventually gained both his trust and affection. After some effort, leashed walks around the neighborhood started to become something he enjoyed.
The floofs’ name was supposed to be Fletch, but we rudely decided we didn’t want to call him that, so we call him Ollie – like olive!
In previous/early attempts at getting him to walk, we ended up having to carry him part of the way, and he would just allow himself to flop and become dead weight.
Once we made progress on leash walking, we decided to push it and take him to a coffee & donut shop, and we realized he DOES NOT LIKE car rides. He drooled excessively due to stress, so we’ve been gradually working with him to help him relax during car rides. (Spoiler alert: we’ve gotten to the point where sometimes he doesn’t drool at all in the car).
3.12.2022
We officially introduced Ollie to Finn, and Ollie finally got a bath! Since he’s a great pyrenees mix, his fur gets matted easily, so we bought him proper brushes to remove the mats & prevent them from coming back.
Unsurprisingly, Finn isn’t a huge fan of sharing attention, so he pouted most of the time.
3.13.2022
The next day, Ollie got his second round of vaccines at 12 weeks old.
3.19.2022
With the arrival of Spring, it was time to clear out the garden! We weeded & planted some new additions: including a variety of Dahlia tubers. We hope to establish a bed specifically for flower cuttings. This is our first year growing them, and with any luck we will have a bunch of additional tubers to grow next year.
3.20.2022
Ollie accompanied us on our adventures for the day. We started off with reservations at Elliston Vineyards. It was an adorable property with several water features, an outdoor patio, and ostriches! Ollie seemed just as intrigued by them as we were, but we were proud that he kept so calm.
We ordered two tasting flights, the “Classic” flight & “Sommelier” flight:
The Classic Flight included glasses of: 2018 Sémillon, 2016 Chardonnay, 2014 Syrah, & 2018 Pinot Noir.
The Sommelier Flight included glasses of: 2016 Chardonnay, 2013 Napa Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2016 Napa Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2020 Rose.
Out of all the wine we tried, we enjoyed the 2016 Syrah the most, and purchased a bottle to take home.
Following the trip to Elliston Vineyards, we made a stop at the Plant & Pottery Outlet in Sunol. After that, the day wasn’t over yet! It was time to party up at the ranch! (Carlos’s brothers birthday).
Ollie finally got to enjoy a nice long nap on the drive home.
Most of March included adventures with Ollie, so here’s a few extra photos of the floof:
We celebrated the end of the month with reservations at Chez Panisse. We’ve been hyping ourselves up about this meal for awhile (since we’ve consumed a lot of Alice-Waters-based-content recently). The ambience and service at Chez Panisse did not disappoint. The staff were superb, all of them were incredibly friendly and attentive. The food was good, but not exceptional. Granted, we’re vegetarian, so we have no idea what their fish & meat entrees are like! We will certainly return for the service alone, and also because maybe the menu just wasn’t at it’s best! But, of course we were comparing the food to the food at one of our favorite restaurants: Greens in Fort Mason (SF).
The wine selections were delicious, if you’re a fan of reds, the Chez Panisse Zinfandel & Guimaro Ribeira Sacra were very enjoyable.
The food:
Crema di ceci: Chickpea soup with Crispy Sage & Chili Oil
Star Route Farms Garden Lettuces with Banyuls Vinaigrette
Casarecce Pasta with cauliflower romanesco, saffron, currants, walnuts, breadcrumbs, and pecorino
Cheers to another wonderful month of memories!
