Where the Hopkins Family Shares Stuff
Outside at the Aquarium
Originally uploaded by mathagat.
Last weekend Lindsey and I took a drive down to the picturesque Monterey Bay area. We ate some great seafood, visited the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and saw some of the area’s coastal sights. I believe Lindsey is going to write up a more detailed account of our trip, so check back soon for that.
Yeagers & Hopkins
Originally uploaded by mathagat.
Matt and I are thrilled that we have officially entertained for the first time. Mom and Dad came into town this past weekend and we had a great time here in San Francisco. They arrived on Friday night and after dinner and talking we all headed to bed to get ready for an exciting weekend. On Saturday morning we set out for Napa Valley and enjoyed a stop by the Robert Mondavi winery. We chose the Kaldon tour which included a tour of the vineyard, we even got to eat some grapes right off the vine, and a tour of the actual winery and barrel rooms. After taking time to learn and enjoy the wine making process we got to taste – the best part! After the tour of the beautiful winery we enjoyed a great picnic at the Oakville Grocery. It was such a treat to sit and enjoy a meal underneath a huge shade tree and gaze out over the vineyards and up into the mountains. Just gorgeous!!! We continued our drive down highway 29 into St. Helena. St. Helena is a very cute valley town with plenty of great little shops to browse through. Mom and I enjoyed looking over racks of clothes, through piles of antiques, and at rows of knickknacks. The day in Napa was great but after eating, drinking and shopping we decided it was time to head back to Oakland and rest up before our day in the city.
On Sunday morning Matt and I had the pleasure of sharing our new church with mom and dad. They enjoyed their Cornerstone experience and were ready to rock and roll after hearing the great band. We headed over to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Warf to see the sea lions, eat lunch and watch the Navy air show. Mom and Dad fell in love with the Pier 39 sea lions and loved watching them bark and play in the warm sun. After eating lunch we walked down Embarcadero to the Marina green to watch the air show. It was an amazing display of aeronautical acrobatics. The Blue Angles were the last planes to fly over and were truly an amazing site. After the air show we headed over to the Golden Gate Bridge. We parked at the Golden Gate monument and enjoyed spending time walking around the base of the bridge. There was the most amazing view of the bridge, the bay and the Pacific Ocean it was a very San Francisco moment – the bay was full of sail boats and wind surfers and the fog was rolling in over the bridge. After a very full day of San Francisco fun it was time to head home. We were all wiped out and ready for a hot shower.
Monday was our laid back Oakland day. I enjoyed showing Mom and Dad around Lake Merritt, Piedmont, and Berkeley. They were able to experience Telegraph Avenue, University of California at Berkeley and the Bay Street Mall. It was so much fun to show them where we spend our time and share our daily routines. After all of our Oakland fun we returned back to the apartment so that Mom and Dad could begin packing their bags for the trip home – they had bought almost as much as they brought and needed to find places to store it all. Luckily they found a place to put everything and were able to get on the plane with out leaving anything behind.
It was a great weekend of family and fun. Matt and I thoroughly enjoyed having house guests and can’t wait for the next group to arrive. We welcome visitors at any time. Until next time.