Cambria - 02-Sep-2009 - 20th Anni Trip

Breakfast arrived at 8:30 and we dove in. Nice strong coffee, hot breads and fresh fruit and juice. Showered and packed because we had to go home. When we dropped off the key, the lady behind the desk offered us an additional night - FREE - because they had so few bookings. We almost took it, but I had already been in touch with colleagues from work and there's this huge project going on and they were expecting me back, and....sob! We thanked her for the offer and went for a walk along the boardwalk on Moonstone Beach. It was already getting hot - very unusual for Cambria, but like everywhere else, they're having odd weather. There was NO onshore breeze; the sea was almost still. A few seals splashed around; some tourists climbed thru the rocks looking for tidepools. I kept an eye on the water - I had a feeling and was rewarded. A small pod of dolphins came into view - playing or feeding or just hanging out a few hundred yards from shore. What a gift! We stayed as long as we could and bade farewell to our favorite stretch of shoreline. Went into town for a quick bite at Linn's. John had a glass of Hug Viognier, always delightful, and I had a glass of of grape I had never heard of - Fiano, an Italian grape from Avellino in southern Italy. Seghesio is growing it up in the Russian River appellation. It was served cool, not chilled, and was full of peach and honey in the noise. The mouth was stone fruits and some minerality, with a slightly creamy finish. $8 for the glass. Linn's had the bottle at $32. I'm going to do a little more research. It reminded us of a Roussane or Marsanne. Very interesting. And both wines accompanied our chicken pot pie (me) and crab sandwich (JD) perfectly. We got on the road and sadly drove straight home, leaving fresh air and blue skies for the fire and smoke-darkened air of home. But safely home, and back to work. A good trip, if too short.