Monterrey, California and Wine Vineyard:
Now That’s The Mink’s Kind of Place!

“This was my first trip with Minkey, but (hopefully) not the last. He was a great traveling companion. He could get a little cranky when he was tired or bored, but mostly we had a lot of fun together. He was a bit wild a time or two after too much wine but then he’d just pass out for a while and then be ready for the next stop.

We stayed with my brother Bruce and his wife Sheila in San Jose. They were great hosts and took us to Monterey/Cannery Row, Berkley, Napa Valley, Cache Creek Casino, San Francisco, and all over San Jose.

My brother seemed to get a kick out of taking Minkey’s picture, posing him just right, and making sure we had good shots of him at various places.We drank a lot of good wine, ate a lot of terrific food, visited some great places, and spent time with family and old family friends. The Minkster made a great good luck charm for me at the casino. He wasn’t allowed to play but he was with me for every spin. We got a few odd looks but we were on a roll so we didn’t care.

To celebrate the unexpected boost in vacation funds, we were going to get matching tattoos, but Minkey chickened out at the last minute.  Maybe I should have given him a glass of wine first…All in all it was a great vacation and I’m glad Minkey was there to share it with me. He’s welcome on any trip I take.

Our first night in San Francisco, Minkey, me, and new friends to him — Lance, Sheila and Bruce — had a wonderful meal in a place called Little Italy. The restaurant had the words “pizza institute” in it, so Minkey got upset because he thought they were going to teach him how to make a pizza himself. He wanted to toss it in the air and all that, but I can only imagine the mess we would have had!

Next day, we went to the Ballentine Vinyards in Napa Valley. The people there were really nice — especially the hostess, Kym. She took a pic of Minkey for a new collage they’re making for their wine-tasting room. Then afterwards, she got the vineyard owners (three generations) to pose for pictures with him as well. They were sort of dignified, so it wasn’t an easy thing to do!

 Some of the other pics you’ll see are all of us at the Gargoyle Castle, the castle bridge and beautiful surrounding countryside. Minkey came very close to a tantrum when I kept hanging him from these huge chains near all the doorways of the castle.  lol!         

From there, we drove down the spectacular Monterey Coast and went to the beaches and piers there before we went on to the historic Cannery Row.  I hope I get to go back to California again soon, and if we do, the Mink will go with me again. He absolutely LOVES that state!”

Ok, guys this is it! These two trips to the San Francisco area were just fabulous and great fun because Faisal, Robin and all my other new peeps were a blast to be around. I hope I get to go there again real soon. My energy’s gone, so I have to go to bed now. Hope everyone has been having an awesome holiday season! “