The Day Before...

Napa Valley Vineyard
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Tomorrow is a big day for us. We are going to try a one-week stay for my husband at a memory care facility about 40 minutes away. This is partly because I need a break, and it's partly because I want to make sure it's going to work. We've had a week or two of pretty good days, which I know will make tomorrow all the more emotional and guilt-inducing. But that isn't what this post is about.

Anyway, I wanted to make today all about him, doing the things he enjoys most right now. Those would be eating and riding in a car. We had lunch at a local restaurant, and then I decided to drive up the east side of the Napa Valley, up Silverado Trail to Calistoga. It was an absolutely spectacular day. Warm temperatures, bright sunshine, blue skies, beautiful scenery. It's been a while since I drove up that side of the valley, and it's really lovely.

As we came around a bend revealing a particular scenic vista, I exclaimed, "Wow. It's really beautiful up here, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," he replied, "But it isn't really made out of leather."

I had to smile.

We had a snack in Calistoga, stretched our legs as we walked down the main street of this quaint town, then headed back down the west side of the valley via Highway 29. It's very pretty there, too, but lots busier. And the road is flatter and straighter and goes through several towns rather than simply meandering through vineyards. If you've never been up Silverado Trail, give it a try. You'll find lots of wonderful wineries there, too, that are open just for you.

It's been a pretty good day.

By the way, kudos to the first responders who kept people safe and also protected their property during the fires last fall. My goodness, it's just amazing that some of the properties we saw were preserved! Absolutely astounding. But the spring grass is growing, and soon the scars left by the flames will fade, except in the memories of those most affected.