What a delightful afternoon of discussing old memories, and making some new, fun ones, with Karen and David.

One of the favorite old memories we discussed was our first ever lunch together. What made it extraordinary was the fact that it was in Spoleto, Italy (our meet cute is here). And while I no longer drink, I thoroughly enjoy the fellowship of those who still do.
No matter where we call home, we are always leaving someone behind. So this isn't a 'goodbye' to Southern California, and our friends there, it's merely a Ciao for Now.

Being as we're so infrequently in SoCal, we let our Annual San Diego Wildlife Alliance passes lapse. Thankfully, my wonderful Karen invited me to join her for our own little Safari.

My wish list was a simple one: meet the new gorillas, ogle the baby giraffes, and dine overlooking the African Plains. Needless-to-say, my wishes were fulfilled and then some.Meet Paul Donn. "He’s large, in charge, and the hair on his back is silver-gray. There’s someone new at Gorilla Forest. Paul Donn, a 36-year-old silverback, recently joined the family group at the Safari Park. He’s their first silverback since the passing of longtime leader Winston last year, and everyone is excited to see how he will carry on his generational heartwarming legacy."
Paul Donn’s arrival is a full-circle moment as he was born there in 1989, and his mom, Kami, remains a beloved part of the Safari Park troop today. In fact, he is one of only two males who were accepted into this gorilla family by gentle leader Winston, despite being unrelated to him. This was an unusual act of acceptance, as typically a silverback will not allow another male gorilla in his family group that is not his offspring. By welcoming Paul Donn, Winston cemented a bond that helped shape the dynamics of the troop. What fun!

Oh man. Don't you have days like this?
How fun to see two baby Masai giraffes together having just been publicly introduced by the park in mid-September. These calves have formed a close bond, creating their own little crèche under the watchful eyes of the adult giraffes. According to the San Diego Zoo, as giraffe calves grow older, their mothers often leave the calves together in a "nursery" group. One mother stays to babysit while the others go out to eat and socialize.
Matope ("mud"),  is the older of the two and it a boy.
Subeera is an adorable female baby whose name means "patience is rewarded" in Swahili. We were told there were complications with her delivery. How sweet is she!
Lunch was at the scenic Watering Hole restaurant whose view makes it that much more special.
I never looked into the building's history but WOW. The architect was Hubbell & Hubbell Architects, a firm co-founded by the late James Hubbell (an architect I've mentioned a few times on this blog). The rustic, 4,000-square-foot structure, completed in 2016, features a thatched roof, refurbished lanterns, and a large faux baobab tree that houses the bar itself.
The timing was perfect for us to join the preview tour to Elephant Valley. I do love elephants.

Once it opens next year, we will be able to "Step into a world where you can roam freely with the largest land animals on Earth. Experience what it feels like to coexist with them. To become one with the herd. To be more than just a passive witness to these incredible creatures. Here, you'll walk beside them. Together, on common ground. Because it takes standing by them for you to truly be inspired to stand with them. And become a part of a movement that helps protect them for generations to come. This is Elephant Valley. A space that will bring us together like never before. A place where together, we roam."



The rest of our day was spent meandering and marveling... two of my favorite things.





One never knows what one will discover here. This little guy was just sitting in the shade when we happened by. Servals are small, slender cats with long legs, a short tail, and large ears, nicknamed "giraffe cat". They have the largest ears of any cat for their size. He was pretty dang adorable.

Saturday was spent in the company of Julie. We delighted in gallivanting about, doing what we love to do. 

We met in Oceanside and after a coffee (me) and a Parlor Doughnut (Julie) we headed to San Diego for an estate sale, a peruse of a Mid-century Modern store, and lunch out.
The estate sale was more than we could comprehend. There were tables and tables of knickknackery throughout the entire 2,000 sq ft home. This woman was a collector on a level I have never witnessed before.

Oh man, and Holly Hobbie!!! This 1960s fictional character, created by artist and author Denise Holly Hobbie, adorned everything I owned at one time in my life. The character, a little girl in a rag dress and bonnet, was originally nameless but became known as Holly Hobbie and gained widespread popularity in the 1970s, leading to merchandise lines, dolls, and later, media. The brand has seen several reboots and revamps over the decades, with the character representing a nostalgic ideal of Americana. Oh you bet it does!
Funny. Both of our Moms had fur coats like this one. Yes, it was a trip down Memory Lane.
This was the first time I had ever seen a Charlie McCarthy ventriloquist doll in person. How fun is that? This one dates to 1968.

David and Karen have a wonderful home vineyard and since meeting them 14 years ago we have tried to be a part of their annual grape harvest, without success... Until today!

How gorgeous is this cluster?!

While the haul wasn't as large as they had hope (squirrels had a delicious summer of stealing grapes), David and Karen have enough to make their wine closet less empty.


After the harvest was weighed and documented, the grapes were transported to neighbors, Scott and Michelle's home for the next steps in the wine making process.

The second step in wine making is sorting. Grapes are sorted to remove unripe, damaged, or moldy bunches, as well as any leaves or stems (MOG—"Material Other than Grapes"). This was the perfect time to get to know Scott and Michelle a little more as it was the most intimate of the steps we were involved with.


Witnessing the third step, crushing and destemming was pretty cool.
The grapes are put into a crusher-destemmer machine. This process separates the grapes from the stems and gently crushes the berries to release the juice and pulp, creating a mixture called "must". This Italian made contraption was amazing.

For red wine, the must (including the skins and seeds) is transferred to a fermentation container. Maceration, the process of the juice soaking with the skins, provides color, flavor, and tannins.
Karen and David know what they are doing. Their wine is award-winning and being included in this year's harvest really was a dream come true. Timing really is EVERYTHING.