Few things in life are as sweet as time spent with family, but when that time is spent hanging out around the pool on a warm sunny day in beautiful Calistoga and the food and wine are bountiful...well, I guess it just doesn't get much better. My sister has a big sprawling home on a huge lot that backs up to the Napa River, five blocks from downtown Calistoga. She has a Santa Rosa Plum and apple trees growing out by the pool that provide shade and sweet juicy fruit to snack on while lounging and swimming. Behind a hedge is a garden with vegetables and herbs, in the front of the house, olive trees provide shade and more abundance. Her son Ben and grandson Chris drove down from Sacramento to spend the day with us and to reconnect with Kaylanne, whom they hadn't seen for at least four years. It was the first time they had a chance to meet Isabella and by day's end they were all thick as thieves. Izzy was totally enamored with her "uncles" and it was wonderful to sit back in the shade and watch this handsome group of 20 somethings laughing and joking with one another while Izzy drifted from one to the other for giggles and 'bites'. When she finally went down for a nap, exhausted from the swimming and running, the three cousins headed down valley for a wine tasting and returned with a rich and full bodied Petite Syrah from the Raymond winery (2006 for you connoisseurs) that we enjoyed with a dinner that Roxanne served al fresco by the pool.
Tom, Kaylanne, Izzy and I have been camped across the river from Roxanne's at the Napa Valley Fairgrounds Campground so it has been easy to walk or drive back and forth to visit as well as into town for dining, shopping or morning coffee at the local roaster. On Saturday we visited the open-air market/farmer's market and enjoyed the live music while we shopped the various booths. We came home with a dozen fresh pork tamales and home made salsa which we shared with Roxanne and her roommates. They were having a yard sale to thin out their 'junk' and we spent that afternoon chatting and visiting while the browsers drifted in and out. Roxanne's roomies are massage therapists...who'd have thought being 'spa town'...and it was lovely to meet these interesting and traveled women. Everyone in the household has a dog, Roxanne two, so their was plenty of canine entertainment for Izzy. I was so impressed by how good natured and well mannered all four dogs are.
I lived in Calistoga years ago, before we moved to Mississippi, and I had forgotten what a special little town this is. Several motion pictures have been filmed here, the latest was an Adam Sandler film, 'Bedtime Story'. The downtown is basically one main drag that is lined with interesting shops, art galleries, restaurants, a bike shop, bakery, coffee roaster, book stores and more. It has an old California flavor with turn of the century architecture and much of the side walks are covered. A local artist has painted murals on a few of the buildings, others are draped with ivy and other climbing greenery, trees shade the side streets and outdoor dining competes with great opened windows that look out onto the street of other restaurants. It is relaxed, and pleasant, perhaps because so many of the tourists are there for the spas and mud baths. Everyone has a little expression of bliss on their faces and the seem to kind of float as they walk along, drifting in and out of the galleries, shops and gourmet eateries. All of the pastries are totally over the top with fresh fruits and fantastic flavor combinations encased in buttery pockets, scones and tartlets. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee entices as one nears the roaster's and glasses of amber brew adorn the out door tables of the microbrewery. It seems every doorway beckons with delicious smells, whether it's food or scented soaps and candles. Even the bookstore has a special scent that seems to invite browsers. This little village takes aroma therapy very seriously.
Calistoga has been a place of healing and 'good medicine' since American Indians occupied the area and was then discovered by the elite and artistic that traveled up from San Francisco by rail. 'Incorporated as a town in 1885, Calistoga was founded by Samuel Brannan, California's first millionaire, who was fascinated by Calistoga's natural hot springs and purchased 2000 acres to develop a spa reminiscent of Saratoga, New York. His resort (originally located where Indian Springs Resort is today) opened to California's rich and famous in 1862. With the completion of the railroad in 1868, Calistoga became not only a destination but the transportation hub for the upper Napa Valley. The town's name comes from Brannan's tipsy malapropism that he would make this the Saratoga of California, which came out as the "Calistoga of Sarafornia." '(copied from the Calistoga Visitors web page). Guys like Samuel Clemens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Lily Langtree and other colorful characters frequented Calistoga as it developed into the destination resort that it is now. Land that was once farmed with dairies and orchards are now planted with grape vines and wineries have popped up everywhere. Calistoga sits at the north end of the Napa valley and is flanked by dramatic rocky outcroppings that seem to shoot straight up into the clear blue skies on the east side and steep hills of golden dry grasses and sturdy oaks on its western side. The valley floor spreads out to the south and to the north a winding road that was once the path of the early stage coaches ascends through shady evergreens, occasionally breaking through open spaces that allow for breathtaking vistas. A mile or so north of town, before the ascent, is an active geyser that regularly sends a steamy plume into the air that would rival the famous Old Faithful of the Yellowstone.
This time of year is pretty perfect for falling in love with this area, and having family here certainly lures me to linger. Kaylanne, too, feels the pull to stay or in the least plan to return. She has wanted to attend the Culinary Institute of America, located nearby just outside of neighboring St. Helena, for many years. I think after this visit she has been reminded of the beauty and bounty here and will be far more focused in achieving her dream of pursuing a career as a pastry chef. I think maybe tomorrow we'll have to drive down valley to visit the 'CIA' for lunch. I know for sure the food will be superb and the weather promises to ensure another opportunity to dine outside. ....I know, what a drag, but someone has to do it.
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