Sea, sun, seals, sauvignon

We're back in the East Bay now, having wound our way down through wine country.  Unfortunately a lot of it was shut for Easter Sunday (the Jesuits planted a large proportion of the vines, so I guess that's fitting).  We did manage to find a few godless wineries and enjoyed some cheeky Zinfandels and a Pinot or two.

Our money-saving cottage of choice next time.

The old man and the sea.

But what have these two nature lovers spotted?

It's baby seal season!  So cute!  And I was after a new fur coat too.

Mum is a bit exhausted by all the attention.

Wildflowers on the cliff top.

All the relaxing put Dad in a happy mood.

It got a bit chilly in the evenings, but the cottage provided for that too.

Driving south on Sunday.

An open winery!  This is a brand new one called YMV.

Mum sniffs the floral notes.

All of California should look like this.

Hannah and Dad choose the next bottle.

And this is me enjoying my first coffee for 40 days!  Ian and I gave up the black stuff for Lent, which turned out to be a lot harder than abstaining from alcohol.  Anyway, I was very thankful to be back on it...and haven't slept in the last 24 hours.