Last night I went up to wine country to see some of my family who were in town visiting from South Africa. They were staying at the Sonoma Mission Inn, a pretty hotel about 2 miles outside of the main square in Sonoma.
I am always surprised at how rural it is out there, just an hour's drive from San Francisco. I saw cows, sheep, and horses along the road, and even a couple of chickens taking a stroll right outside the restaurant where we ate breakfast.
The pace of life is much slower there, too, in accordance with the relaxed, natural surroundings. After a very nice meal at The Girl and the Fig, we all turned in and got cozy in our rooms. The fire in the fireplace cast a soothing glow on the ceiling, and I remember feeling extremely content as I said good night to my cousin (whose room I was sharing) and closed my eyes. We woke up about 11 hours later, ready to slowly start the day and have some breakfast, with no pressing agenda. It was so nice.
I sometimes forget how easy it is to change your environment just by getting out of town a little bit. Living in Northern California, we are so fortunate to have a multitude of places to visit, whether it is a redwood forest, or a coastal village, or a wine country retreat.
