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- January-March, 2007
- April-June, 2007
- July-September, 2007
- October, 2007
- November, 2007
- December, 2007
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Back in November of 2005, Bob and I visited some of his relatives (photo album here) in Gardone Val Trompia, Marcheno and Marmentino, Italy. One of whom was Patrizia Borghetti, a distant cousin (Bob's grandmother and Patrizia's great-grandmother were sisters). Patrizia returned the favor and came to California to stay with Bob's parents for a week. The four of us did our best to give her a sampling of the different areas and respective activities from San Francisco to Mendocino County.
Patrizia had never seen the Pacific Ocean, nor had she ever ridden horseback. Bob and I figured if you come West, you've got to spend some time being an American cowboy and what better way to enjoy an ocean view? So off we went to Fort Bragg on the Mendocino county coast and Ricochet Ridge Ranch.
Patrizia was a little intimidated at first (you would be too your first ride out and being told your group had been assigned the three largest horses in the stable), but she quickly acclimated to the saddle while her horse, JB, took the opportunity for a last-minute snack.
Soon we set out for our 1-1/2 hour trail ride on Ten Mile Beach. As typical of the time of year, it was foggy and we couldn't see out very far, but we did glimpse some seals and took in the rolling waves. Our guide was kind enough to take a photo of the three of us on our mounts - Bob on Mustard, me on High Roller (yes, he is a type of Shire horse and h-u-g-e) and Patrizia on JB.
After a quick lunch in Fort Bragg, and a shopping excursion in the town of Mendocino, we headed back inland via Hwy 128. Along the way, we stopped in at Husch Vineyard's tasting room. Room is a liberal term, in that it's really not much more than a quaint shack and has none of the prentiousness of some other vineyards. It's a really fun place to taste local wine (Italians aren't the only ones who can make a good vino!).
Late October and early November found Bob and I exploring the Ukiah valley in search of capturing the rainbow of autumn colors. The vineyards in particular offered bright greens and yellows to vibrant reds. One weekend included a hike in Low Gap park, another a drive through the backroads of Talmage and Hopland.
It was a great opportunity to break in my new Canon PowerShot Pro Series S3 IS digital camera. Visit the photo gallery (in thumbnail and preview form, along with the option to download the full photos in 1600x1200 resolution) to see a compiliation of the best shots.
My father-in-law, Al Beltrami (pictured with his mother, Annie, on our wedding day in July, 2004), was involved in a major, single-vehicle accident on Friday, November 16th, while returning from a conference in Oakland. Al has numerous injuries including a broken nose, clavicle, 2 neck vertebrae and 6 ribs. He faces a long recovery. Please keep him and our family in your thoughts and prayers. For updates on his condition, please visit my husband's website - www.bobbeltrami.com.
Back in August, the 20-year reunion for Healdsburg High School's Class of 1987 was held. I was part of the reunion committee. We promised that after the 20-year reunion that we'd make it a point to set up opportunities for those who are in the local area to have mini-reunions every 4 months or so to help us keep in touch. We'd meet at a restaurant for dinner or elsewhere for potlucks, etc.
We had our first mini-reunion on Saturday, November 17th, at Giorgio's Restaurant in Healdsburg. We had a pretty good turnout of local classmates with Rachael Rosales and her daughter; Elizabeth (Liz) Puccioni and her men; Aram Sohigian and his girlfriend, Katia; myself; Rob Theissen; and Jackie Jones. Not pictured: Jackie Biocca and her son; Bryan McBurney and Paul Downing. We enjoyed good food and good company and agreed that these gatherings really give us more time to catch up with each other and learn more about the people we've become.
On December 2nd, Bob and I traveled to Oakland to watch the season re-match between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos. In their first meeting, Oakland had the game won in the final moments with a field goal, only to have the Broncos call a last second time out, making the field goal invalid. On the second attempt, we missed it and lost. So this game was highly charged.
Though we only stayed for the first half (in order to stop by the hospital and visit Bob's dad on the way home), we caught a couple of touchdowns (including a McCown pass to Miller - pictured) and JaMarcus Russell's NFL debut. We were happy to hear the second half on the radio on the way north and a final score of 34-20 Raiders.
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