2006/07/08 Sonoma redwoods and wineries

I’m personally finding the challenge of keeping up with blogging on a regular basis, so I think that I’ll write less text, and show more photos. This will be a test of whether a picture is worth a thousand words! (I’ll have to manage down the backlog!)

I’ve been scheduled to attend the ISSS 2006 meeting at Sonoma State University for some time. I flew down a few days early to deliver a presentation at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose. In my 22-year career at IBM, I’ve never been at that location. While in the peninsula, Craig came over to my hotel after work, and we had dinner in a local Chinese restaurant. I continued up to Sonoma, and Craig drove up to spend the day touring the area with me on Saturday.

The day was set up on loose plans, because Craig and I have toured the Napa wine trail many times, and even the Sonoma route once. I suggested that we might pick a destination, because going any direction from the university in Rohnert Park would take us path a dozen wineries. Craig thought that the coast might be busy on the weekend, so we opted to head towards the Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve.

We also had a leisurely tour and al fresco lunch at Korbel Winery. (I like the original blend best). We then worked our way up to Healdsburg for the Kendall-Jackson tasting room before everything closed up. A rare non-work day for me, and a great chance to catch up on what’s been happening in our lives.