Wine, wine and more wine (and a little bit of fabric)

     Weekend getaways without the kids are very few and far between.  With my parents in town for a week, my husband and I took the rare opportunity to go down to the central coast of California to do a little wine tasting this past weekend.

     Paso Robles is a wonderful alternative to Napa Valley.  The vibe is laid-back and the scenery is absolutely beautiful.  If you love bold or complex reds, then Paso Robles should be on your bucket list.  It's what they do best.

     Not wanting this trip to be a blur of wines we couldn't remember, we selected a handful of wineries that we wanted to try at a slower pace.  This was a much more enjoyable experience than the usual vineyard crawl.  Highlights were lunch and wine tasting at Cass Winery, wine tasting and a cave tour at Eberle Winery, and our last stop, Calcareous Vineyards, where we had lunch outside enjoying the 50-mile view, delicious food and great wine.

     A non-wine highlight of the trip was a visit to Birch Fabrics.  It's a charming little shop with a nice selection of modern and Japanese import fabrics.  I liked it so much I went twice!  My husband was such a sport while I shopped.  It would have been quite easy to break the bank, but I showed restraint with my fabric haul.  No easy feat, but only fabric I needed to round out my stash for Flickr bees came home with me.

     My husband and I felt guilty about leaving for the weekend while my parents were visiting, but the wine helped.  As did the fact that the children seemed unconcerned when we said goodbye to them Friday morning (they knew they were in for a weekend of getting anything they wished).  And the fact that my parents could enjoy their grandchildren without us to reign in the treats.  Winners all around!