on a mission

My sister and I, in dastardly fashion, found a drop-in day camp that we thought the girls would enjoy, dropped them off this morning like hot potatoes, and escaped to the sunshine of Sonoma.

Okay, it might not have been quite so calculating as that. And we did feel *slightly* guilty leaving them under an endless bank of fog in 55ish degree temperatures with only light jackets while we went in search of heat. But they had a fabulous day and so did we. So there.

We grabbed a caffeinated beverage for the road and an hour later had emerged from the fog just in time for lunch at this lovely spot, where I had last eaten three or four years ago.

the girl & the fig, sonoma

We sat on the patio, ordered from an unfamiliar wine list with our helpful waiter's suggestion and both said "wow" at our first sip (mine: a red from Lioco Wines in Mendocino). We then ordered a goat cheese sampler plate and mumbled more than a few "mmmmm"s as we munched our way through it, followed by some tasty sandwiches on baguettes (salami, brie, caramelized onion for me; a grilled cheese with tomato confit for her, plus frites which she kindly shared).

hellooooo, goat cheese.

We waffled over profiteroles for dessert but were already uncomfortably full so we headed off for a walk around town. Sonoma is perfect for strolling - nice shops, good smells wafting from various cafés, restaurants and wine tasting rooms, a grassy park with nicely placed shade perfect for after-lunch naps, and also great playgrounds if you happened to bring the kids. Which we didn't.

I managed to grab my photo assignment for the day outside the historic Mission San Francisco Solano, as well as a nice shot of the blindingly white barrack walls. You might want to put on your sunglasses as you scroll down.

("positive" space, for picture summer)

We finished off the day by returning to the atmospheric tootsie roll hovering over the hills above my house, and decided instead of picking the girls up early we'd end the day with a pedicure. We were sure they wouldn't mind. And they didn't, hollering "can we come again tomorrow??" when I picked them up from camp.

Believe me, we're thinking about it.

My dining companion, aka beloved sistah. Love you, sis.