Suzy Says

Megan and I headed to the beautiful Valley on a sunny Saturday morning.

The Valley was looking beautiful, still green from the winter’s overachieving rains. There were baby lambs and calves in the fields, which were full of white, purple, pink, and orange wildflowers. The vines were beginning to leaf out, and in one orchard, the white wildflowers under the trees looked like snow. Spring is a magical time of year.

Our first stop was Offspring Pizza:

where we ordered our pie to go, and then went next door to Paysanne, where we discovered that they had renovated and reconfigured the space to make it work much better. I asked for some bread and pastries to take home, and also enjoyed my first ice cream of the season (pomegranate!).

We looked around in the Mercantile, where Megan found really cute reading glasses, and I found two more fabulous scented candles by Tita Flora, one called After the Rain and the other, the Promise of Spring. I love their candles and always buy them when I see them, since you can’t get them online.

We headed homeward, putting the A/C on for the first time this year. And for the first time in years, we decided to stop at Roederer, to get some sparkling wine. Even though we pass it every time we go to Boonville or Philo, somehow we never stop there. I’m pretty sure I haven’t been there since our friend Mark J. worked there, probably more than 20 years ago. So we were overdue for a visit.

Like many things, it has gotten more fancy, but unlike many things, it is fancy in a good way. Here’s the entrance to the tasting room:

It was quite lovely, and the helpful concierge helped us to choose some wonderful wines, including the special Collection 243 from France, saying it was her favorite.

We admired the view over the Valley from the winery:

and then headed back to Megan’s place, where we discovered that the Collection 243 was everything we expected (and more):

It was so nice to sit in the sun in the garden and sip our fabulous wine as we watched Stella and Millie play together. A really good day.

A YEAR AGO: A wonderful evening with the legendary Lindsey Buckingham.

FIVE YEARS AGO: The mattress saga had a happy ending after all.

TEN YEARS AGO: Running errands with my sister is always fun.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Some wonderful concerts.

TWENTY YEARS AGO: Doing some shopping.