photo home-76.png photo about-71.png photo contact-65.png photo press-19.png photo LDV.png photo services-7.png

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Whirlwind California Weekend

I'm back from a fabulous weekend visiting my dear friend, Jeni and her family in Northern California. Our weekend was full of activities, yet it felt very relaxing, though it would be hard not to be relaxed in such a lovely setting. Jeni and her husband, Robbie were the most amazing hosts. They went out of their way to take me to some really great places and treated me like family in their gorgeous home. It was so fun to meet their sweet baby William who is almost fourteen months old now. He has such a fun personality and is a little flirt! I didn't take as many pictures as I thought I had and really dropped the ball by missing out on some great food and scenery shots. I must have been too busy eating! Every restaurant we went to had wonderful, seasonal California cuisine. It was so nice to spend the weekend with Jeni and Robbie and Fabian and I really hope that they will come visit us soon!


After Jeni picked me up at the airport, we headed to Ella Dining Room and Bar to meet Katie Denham of katiedid for lunch. Isn't the setting gorgeous?


The walls and ceiling are lined in reclaimed shutters in a lovely range of colors.


Katie and Paloma
It is always so nice to meet other bloggers and Katie certainly did not disappoint. She is absolutely delightful! Candid, funny, sweet, and incredibly talented...she was just as I thought she would be. She also has gorgeous hair!
Jeni, Katie, Paloma

Jeni loved this setee and the fabric it was upholstered in. Isn't it lovely?


Ella Dining Room and Bar


Next, Jeni and I ran a few errands and I had the chance to meet a few of her friends and neighbors who were all super nice. Afterward, we went to her house, which has gorgeous views from nearly every room.


Breakfast Room


The house was filled with so many lovely touches, like these pumpkins and beautiful flower arrangements. Not only is Jeni very thoughtful, she is also incredibly talented at creating gorgeous flower arrangements.


So Sweet

Jeni's to-die-for kitchen is bananas!


Family Room

Has anyone ever heard the term "keeping room"? Robbie was telling me that he has heard several people use the term in place of living room.

Beautiful Mirror and Flowers


Dining Room
I loved this mirror!



More Beautiful Views





Lovely Courtyard off the Kitchen



On Saturday, we headed up to Apple Hill for some fall fun. We visited the Rainbow, Inc Orchard where we enjoyed the most amazing, piping-hot apple donuts.


Robbie, Jeni, and William
Aren't they a gorgeous family?


Me and Silly William
Love him!


A Cool Eucalyptus Tree in Napa, where we spent Sunday afternoon.


Cute Shop in St. Helena


I loved these etched demijohns.


Aerial View of the Store


Next stop, Woodhouse Chocolates which carries an incredible array of beautiful and delicious chocolates.




Paloma and Jeni

The chocolates were divine!


Erin Martin's Showroom was so fun. Her style is eccentric and a little subversive.


Erin Martin Showroom

Coral Roses are very popular in Texas!


Pretty Flowers


Main Street in St. Helena


C'est moi!


Hendry Vineyard

Jeni and Robbie's friends, Chad and Allison went tasting with us. They were so sweet and were both really funny. They suggested we try Hendry Vineyard, a more low-key place which turned out to be great. The tour and tasting lasted two hours. George, the owner was a little long-winded at first explaining all of the ins and outs of winemaking, but I think the girls were all itching to go inside because it was absolutely FREEZING!


Jeni, Allison, Chad, Robbie

The tasting was actually really nice. The wines were great and George did a great job of explaining each wine and its complexity to us.


We tasted two wines at a a time and would observe weather a wine went straight down the tongue or if it spread to the sides. Then we would taste the first wine again after tasting the second to see how it had changed. It was actually quite interesting and George did a wonderful job of explaining the science behind winemaking to us.Tasting is free and you pour your own wine, which is relatively unheard of. If you're in Napa, you should definitely pay a visit to George and everyone else at Hendry Vineyard.


Barbara Colvin's Place in Yountville


So pretty!




We walked around Yountville for a little bit before heading to Redd for a delicious dinner.


It was a such a fun weekend! Thank you so much, Jeni and Robbie!

24 comments:

Lara said...

glad you had a great time! Jeni's house is absolutely beautiful! Your pictures are inspiring me to head North and try all these delicious restaurants and wine tasting!

Averill said...

Wow! Looks like a fabulous time! Dave and I have been itching to make a trip to NoCal (specifically Yountville and St. Helena) and you're pictures have really got me desperate to go now!

Jaime @ laviejaime said...

What a gorgeous home and that shutter ceiling is so cool.

Anonymous said...

Paloma,

Your friend has an absolutely gorgeous home!! To answer your question on the "keeping room": Here in the South, everyone I know refers to the keeping room as an area extended out as a part of the kitchen which may have a small seating area/fireplace around which to gather while a meal is being cooked, or just for casual conversation. Keep up the great work!

Tammy@InStitches said...

Just beautiful ! Looks like a fabulous weekend.

Sarah Ring said...

Everything was so beautiful! I would love to attend a get together with local bloggers. Brings a whole new element to blogging. I am glad you had such a wonderful time!

DrBabyMamaDrama said...

Love the pictures. What an awesome house!

LindsB said...

Girls weekends are the best, looks like you had such an amazing time!

Laura Casey Interiors said...

Love the house and what a great kitchen! So glad you had a fun time. Was hoping to drive up to HP on Tuesday AM to meet you and Heather and come to the HC event but have too many meetings to get up there. Next time and have fun!

shelter said...

Her house is insane.
I can't imagine having such a big yard and that pool...
Glad you had a great time. It looks so pretty there.

Jaime Rogers said...

Your girlfriend has a gorgeous home, I love the plaster walls and the beamed ceiling, the oversized wooden doors, the metal window frames, terracotta floors...beautifully executed and not in that faux forced Spanish Colonial/Mediterranean aesthetic I ranted on earlier this week, lol. Her home is very well done and still completely unpretentious...heaven. Thanks for sharing, is she in the business? Isn't Erin Martin divine...I love her work, it's so cheeky;) Love your blog, placed you on my blog roll this morning, thanks again for the post, looks as though you had loads of fun!

Hello Lover... said...

Jeni's home (and family) are absolutely gorgeous! Looks like a fabulous weekend!

DecRenew Interiors said...

Looks like you got a taste of everything fun from friendship, eating, wine and shopping! Perfect!

katiedid said...

Paloma, again...SO great to meet you! It sounds like the rest of your weekend was fabulous. Maybe it will prompt you to come back soon! (Oh...and I wish my hair looked that good today! Hahaha!)

Leigh Chandler said...

I enjoy your city tours so much and this one is just fantastic! Wish I could tag along to all of the fun places you've been. By the way, I was born and raised in Kansas City and I was so proud of the wonderful way you handled that city! Keep up the great work...

Fargerike Dagny said...

Looks like you had a fabulous weekend!!! :D

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite places in the world! Awesome pictures; her house is SICK! p.s. I love Woodhouse chocolates, I ate them on my honeymoon in Napa--and my last name is Wodehouse so I found them especially delightful! :P

bandelle said...

Looks like you had a lovely time, Paloma. I wish I could sample those chocolates but they almost look too pretty to eat. Silly William is just the cutest.

I'm putting together my post for you next week. Hope you like it :) Also please pack your bags and visit. I miss you too!

Kylie

Michele said...

Jeni and Robbie's home is to die for. I love their sense of style.
The shutters on Ella's ceiling are such a whimsical and unexpected element! I adore their dining area as well.

Megan said...

Wow! What a lovely trip. This recap has me itching to visit Ella's Dining Room and all that Northern Cali has to offer. Jeni's home is beautiful- thanks for the tour.

jennifer @ fog city sparkle said...

no time to visit fog city on this trip?!

Anonymous said...

i'm so happy i found your blog today! i love it. you know what else i love? those gray boots you had on in california. can you tell where you got them??!!

Unknown said...

Thanks, Anon! I hope you'll keep coming back. My friend thought my boots looked like Costume National, but they are actually from Target! I bought them like in December, so I'm not sure if they still carry them. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

thanks! and yes, i'm back today and loving your latest posts!