"Thanksgiving weekend in the Williamette Valley in Oregon"

While planning our Thanksgiving weekend, I came across an article about a giant festival in the Williamette Valley with food, music, games, and of course Pinot Noir.  Since I am becoming a self proclaimed foodie, I had already heard about the amazing Pinot Noir wines in that valley.  I think this would be a wonderful family vacation!  The Williamette Valley is about 45 minutes from Portland, and is an area with grapevines, hazelnut orchards, quaint farmland,  and rolling hills.   There are numerous local inns, affordable restaurants, and children are allowed and welcome at the wineries. 

Where to stay:

Though there are many places to stay, one that caught my eye was the Deer Haven Bed and Breakfast (18685  N.E. Deer Haven Rd., Newberg, deerhavenfarmsbb.org.)  This B & B even has a family suite, if you book early enough.  What I love about this place is that guests are encouraged to pick the ripe vegetables or berries, collect eggs, or hang out with the farm animals- peking ducks, holstein cows, and chickens.

Where to hike:

For those of you who like to get out and appreciate nature, there is the Silver Falls State Park (oregonstateparks.org),  one hiking choice is the eight mile "Trail of Ten Falls."

Where to see Alpacas:

Children may like to visit the Willakenzie lavender Farm to see the Alpacas, which is open November 25-27 and by appointment. In the gift shop they have little soft teddy bears made of alpaca fiber.  I tease my husband sometimes that what I'd really like to do is have an alpaca farm.

Where to taste wines:

There is a three day barbeque at Erath Winery (November 25-27, $15, erath.com.)  This would be a great place to see how ribs pair with pinot.  Also, the winemaker Mark Vlossak at St. Innocent Winery (November 25-27, wine $12, food free, stinnocentwine.com), cooks a batch of cassoulet big enough to serve 600! The Adelsheim Vineyard (November 25-26, $25, adelsheim.com); tastings also include artisanal cheeses and charcuterie. 

Where to picnic at a vineyard:

A great store to pick up lunch fixings and snacks is the Red Hills Market (115 S.W. 7th Street, Dundee, redhillsmarket.com.)  The Vista Hills Vineyard and Winery (6475 Hilltop Lane, Dayton, vistahillsvineyard.com; tastings, $10), has  a large outdoor space and big decks, children can throw rocks in the pond and run around the large grassy area, and then have a picnic. 

Three Cozy Oregon Retreats in the Fall!

Sisters, Oregon

FIVEPINE lodge, an oregon retreat

www.fivepinelodge.com

This lodge is in Sisters, Oregon.  Though the original log building was destroyed in a fire in 1964, this newer "largest log cabin" was built using the same scale as the original building.  Part of the lodge was built on family member Elda Teresa Willits property, and she called the lodge "a bridge between two worlds."  Her wish was that the guests would cross the bridge and leave their old thinking behind.  The three words that guided her life were love, acceptance, and forgiveness. This lodge also has a Shibui spa, an oasis for wellness and relaxation.  

Breitenbush Hot Springs

www.breitenbush.com

PO Box 578

Detroit, Oregon 97342

503-854-3320

A friend of mine who lives in Portland, Oregon told me about these hot springs.  This hot springs retreat is about one hour and 40 minutes from the FIVEPINES lodge in Sisters, Oregon.  This retreat includes three meals a day.  One thing to keep in mind in the fall and winter is that some roads are closed during this time.  

Deer Haven Farms Bed and Breakfast

deerhavenfarmssbb.org

Newberg, Oregon

Guests of all ages at this B & B are encouraged if they want to pick vegetables or berries, collect eggs, or hang out with the farm animals (holstein cows, chickens, peking ducks).  

During Thanksgiving, there is a giant festival in the Williamette Valley with 150 wineries with games, food, music and wine.  There is a three-day barbeque at Erath Winery (November 25-27, $15., erath.com.)  The ribs are supposed to go fabulously with pinot!  There is a wine trolley in Carlton (the-trolley.com) for a hop-on, hop off tour of more than two dozen wineries.  The winemaker, Mark Vlossak, winemaker at St. Innocent Winery (Nov. 25-27, wine $12. food free, stinnocentwine.com), cooks his special cassoulet to feed around 600 people! 

--COTC

Thanksgiving for Procrastinators

For those of you couples who have procrastinated as far as what to do for Thanksgiving, what about visiting Berkeley, CA.  Both expedia and hotel.com have rates at the Hotel Shattuck, a small boutique hotel walking distance from BART, on Shattuck avenue, of around $193.00.  Plus, the hotel is connected to Five restourant, a great farm-to-table place with a delightful Thanksgiving dinner available.  Also, there is an elegant bar.  What a romantic Thanksgiving!  On Friday, you can take bart to Union Square in San Francisco and catch the tree lighting, or do some holiday shopping!

Dining in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thanksgiving

San Francisco Bay area is one of those cities where there are many restaurants open on Thanksgiving.  This year our family is dining at Five, a farm-to-table cuisine restaurant at the Hotel Shattuck in Berkeley.  Though they have 23 tables, the earliest we could get a reservation was 2:00PM (had to leave a credit card).  We are looking forward to trying their Thanksgiving feast!  

I first discovered Five from a Green tour (I'll blog about these outstanding tours later).  The prices for Five are $55.00 for adults and $25.00 for children.  Five is large and spacious, with a gorgeous bar.  I'll report on the food after Thanksgiving. 

Revival:  Revival is also in Berkeley, and although they aren't open on Thanksgiving, they are open Wednesday, Nov. 23rd and Friday, November 25th for their version of a farm to table Thanksgiving feast.   The easiest way to make a reservation is by going to Opentable.com.  

Here are some other restaurants I looked at, some of which looked really enticing!

*Deer Park Villa, Fairfax, CA  (Marin)

  -buffet, child friendly

*Mountain Home Inn, Marin, $38.00 per person.  

  -Amazing views, also hotel

*Left Bank, Larkspur

*Murray Circle, at Cavallo Point Resort, Sausalito, 

  -There are two choices, a downstairs sit down experience and an upstairs (elevator available) buffet.  

  -The upstairs is mostly for bigger parties and families.  

  -Cavallo is an amazingly beautiful resort, wonderful for nature-lovers.  The Bay Discovery Museum, which I'll blog about later, is a short walk away.  

  -The food (which we've experienced, but not on Thanksgiving) is amazing!

*Rickeys, Novato, $32.95 per plate. 

   -Connected to Inn at Marin if you'd like to stay.

*Ensalatas, San Anselmo, $56.00 per person

*Beach Chalet, San Francisco 

  -A San Francisco staple, across road from Ocean Beach.

  -Views of Pacific Ocean

*McCormick and Kuletos, Ghiradelli Square at Fisherman's Wharf

*Lark Creek Steak (child friendly), San Francisco at Westfield Mall (mall closed for holiday, but may be great place for your child to run around afterwards!)

*One Market, San Francisco

*Paragon, San Francisco, $39.00

*Paragon, Berkeley (inside the Claremont Resort, beautiful views of city and bay, great ambiance!)

*Skates, Berkeley Marina, (normally a seafood restaurant, beautiful views of San Francisco Bay!)

*Zut, Berkeley

*Cetrella, Half Moon Bay, (on Main street, so no views), $50.00 adults, $15.00 children

*For more child friendly selection, see www.redtri.com/san-francisco/bay-area-kid-friendly-restaurants-for-thanksgiving

Fourth of July on the USS Hornet

Following up on our post about the Fourth of July on the USS Hornet, we wanted to post a few pictures from our day.  We had a great time.  The ship is fairly crowded.  I vividly recall a lot of kettle corn.

On the flight deck, the Hornet sets up "bouncy houses" for kids (a big hit with our 3-year old).

The fireworks were a bit disappointing.  Everyone moves to the stern of the ship, where you have a view of the -- very very distant -- fireworks out in San Francisco.  Alameda didn't have fireworks, and there were no fireworks within many miles of the vessel.  Fortunately it was a beautiful clear night without fog.  Our three-year-old expressed it best:  "That's the fireworks?  Really?"  Our recommendation:  Come for the food and the patriotic crowd; leave before the fireworks and find a better spot to watch them.

View of a neighboring dry-dock vessel:

View of the bridge from the flight deck:

Sunset:


Bouncy houses:

Kettle Corn on the airplane elevator:

 View of San Francisco:

Crowd gathers by the flag in anticipation of the fireworks: