Coast to Coast

On Thursday, July 13, Arne and I drove up to Atlanta, left the car at our hotel and on Friday morning, we flew to San Diego. Taylor and friend, Nikkole, had flown in from Portland. The four of us drove to the wine country of Temecula, CA, where we would be joined by Erik, Kadin, Gracie, Jeffrey, Nick, Sarah, Aaron, Moondog and Sonja. I had rented a 5000 sq. ft. house outside town which turned out to be only four minutes from the Lake Oak Meadows Winery where my nephew would be getting married on Sunday night.

Friday evening, I invited Marla’s family to join us, bringing our group to 22. A beautiful evening with kids splashing in the pool.

Saturday, Arne and I were invited to the rehearsal brunch at Wilson Creek Winery. It was a very warm day and we were seated outside in a large gazebo. Here I got my first taste of almond champagne and doubt it’ll be my last. Delicious! That evening, Marla’s family joined us again as our “view  is so beautiful.” With our house being so large, the extra people made no difference. Still plenty of open spaces.

Sunday was spent with pool activities and dressing for the wedding. Nephew Ron and his family dropped in around 3 for a visit before the festivities which were scheduled to start at 5.

The wedding was beautiful.

My family waiting for the bride and groom.

Matt with his nephew, Drew, and Nick, my grandson.

Parents of the groom, my sister Marla

Matt and Janelle

We had to be out of our house by 10 AM on Monday. In spite of being up late, the younger folks were all out on time. We headed back to San Diego, as did Nick, Sarah and Aaron. We met up for lunch and walked to the beach. About 3, we checked into our hotel which was not very nice. It was a Comfort Inn near the Gaslamp district so was walking distance to many bars and restaurants. After a sushi dinner, the young people went on their own. Arne and I walked a short time before heading back to that hotel.

Tuesday morning, we flew back to Atlanta. Picked up our car and Wednesday morning drove about 30 minutes to a new Hampton Inn within walking distance of the new Atlanta Braves stadium. We watched the Cubs beat the Braves. Very nice day!

Thursday morning, we took a city tour of Atlanta which was pretty much a waste of time. We did return to the King Center where MLK and Loretta are entombed. Then a 4 hour drive to Asheville, NC where we toured the Biltmore House and Gardens on Friday. The house was built in late 1890’s by George Vanderbilt with his inherited money. While he didn’t live in it long, he and his wife left a legacy of another time which has been enjoyed by millions. There were 4400 people scheduled the day we went.

Biltmore House, Asheville, NC

Saturday we drove to Augusta, GA. Got a glimpse of a fairway on Augusta National, home of the Master’s golf tournament. This is what we were able to see, outside the gates!

If you look thru the opening, you can see part of a fairway of August National!

Pacific - Mission Beach in San Diego, CA

Atlantic - Fernandina Beach , FL

Had planned to spend two nights in Augusta but since there wasn’t anything to view on Sunday, we drove to Amelia Island, FL. Outdoor dinner near the beach meant we had completed a coast to coast trip with lunch by the Pacific Ocean and dinner by the Atlantic!