A Drive In the Countryside

A week and a half from now we will be entering November. How fast this 2010 flew by me. Maybe I was too busy still sorting out the 4,000+ images from the 2009 cruise and generating posts that had me whirling.

Anyway, this year when I was not in front of the computer sorting and editing photos, or writing some posts and/or bloghopping, I was out and about taking photos.

A drive to the countryside, Sonoma Valley, is one we take whenever we find the time. On this mid May weekend, we found ourselves at loose ends, no errands to run, house had been cleaned, laundry washed, dried, and folded (glory be), no church meetings to attend. And so we loaded the car, my point and shoot hanging on my right hand, and no drive would be complete without zipping thru the Starbucks drive through window for some americano.

This particular drive was quite memorable, maybe because of the photos I took and the fact that we actually went down our car.

Sonoma Valley is not as popular to outsiders as its neighboring valley, the Napa Valley. Both have beautiful rolling hills with corn rows/vineyard, lovely weather, fantastic restaurants, world-class wines and restaurants (Morimoto just opened a restaurant in Napa), but for a quiet soothing drive, we often 9 times out of 10 choose to go Sonoma. It feels less hurried, more homey, and it always suited our mood.

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Taking the same route each time, it was only on this drive that we noticed this little shopping center on the side of the main road.  This is in the town of Glen Ellen.
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Powered by caffeine from the americano and lulled to complete relaxation by the passing scenery, we thought we needed to stretch our legs, even though it wasn't a long drive.  I was into my photo taking mood and the place seemed interesting.  A sign advertising wine tasting that weekend also lured us into pulling over.

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You can really feel the country atmosphere even if it is along the road side.  So very quiet here.
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The view from the parking lot.

Writer Jack London lived in Glen Ellen from 1909 to his death in 1916, where he devoted much of his time to development of his Beauty Ranch and the building of his mansion, Wolf House. Many of his novels and stories, notably The Iron Heel and The Valley of the Moon mention Glen Ellen and Sonoma County. ("The Valley of the Moon" is a translation of Sonoma Valley's name given by the Pomo and Coast Miwok peoples.) - wikipedia





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The sign post.
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No wine tasting for us that day. 
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Pleasant surprise to find this eye-catching restaurant - I promised to stop by here again next time and sample their menu.
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A cool car was parked infront and I'm pretty dumb about cars and car models.  Is that the motor showing in the hood? 

Comments

  1. wow! ang ganda! ang sarap maglakad dun sa unang pic! *inggit*
    Since I was a kid,dream ko tlga mag-visit ng countryside sa West,kaya mahilig ako manood ng mga movies noon na yung setting eh countryside, parang yung sa A Walk in the Clouds. thanks for the virtual tour photo cache! :)

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  2. What a refreshing sight. Pag ako yan malamang supre bagal ako mag-drive to enjoy the view.

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  3. I like the line pattern in the top photo and red car! how adorable!

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  4. the first photo alone is already beautiful. i like how they line up those plants making it photo perfect spot

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  5. first off, cool,cool car, i don't have any inkling about it, but all i can say is that it looks wow! ^0^
    apparently, the place itself is totally huge and i think you can't pick a better weather than this. all your fotos looked fantastic! ^-^

    Ps: i don't know why but i like the sign post,reminds me of those old movies.^-^

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  6. hhmm, i'm not sure, but the car might be a ford mustang shelby. customized k'se yung body eh. and yep, it's part of the engine, i think it's a hot rod :)

    btw, ken rockwell has almost the same image as your first photo and that's what i have noticed agad. the place is perfect for photo opportunities. i love all the colours. :D

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  7. All are good but the perspective of the vineyard on top is fantastic! Great shot!

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  8. What a nice relaxing tour through the countryside! Beautiful set of joyful pictures, the vineyard and the red car are fantastic!

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  9. I totally LOVE these images - the post, the car, the buildings....brilliant!

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  10. Absolutely gorgeous, Maria! You captured Sonoma wonderfully! Love the bright colours.

    Hope you have a great start to your week!

    Many thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your comment. Come visit again tomorrow!

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  11. Buenos disparos¡¡¡Buena forma de distrutar la fotografia sin pretender se Ansel Adams :)
    Me alegro que tu estancia en Barceloan fuese feliz.
    Saludos

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  12. Impressive winery....this year DID go by fast!

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  13. love the first photo. seem so nice to walk there. also i like the cool car hmmm malakas kaya asa gas yan hehehe.

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  14. i love the first photo. it must be nice to shop around there.

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  15. Sonoma Valley is one of my favorite places in San Francisco. i love our shot of the vineyard and the names of the restaurants.:p

    2010 is almost over--couldn't wait for the new year.:p

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