MrAndrewBradley

Dinner with reporters in Siena . Wine Tasting at B Cellars , Chimney Rock , Artesa (led by the winemaker ), and Domaine Carneros ? Meals in the Estate Cave with reporters, wedding planners, and a wine dinner with Silver Oak ? A trip to Newport Beach filled with tours of an industrial oven/kitchen manufacturer , butcher (well they cut and age meats), and more wine tasting? Wine Blending at Paraduxx ? Wine tasting at a Robert Parker event (some of the top wines in the world)? Yep, all those questions pretty much sum up my life over the last few weeks. Thankfully the last few weeks have also included a minimum of a five mile daily run (in some cases eight or nine) and were balanced by a couple of meals at both my house and much better cooking at my parents' house.  Plus the fence wrap is up for my "little" construction project, learn more here . Link to photos .

I've been running a lot lately. 167 miles in September and 133.5 so far in October, it gives me a chance to get outside and away from a computer screen for an hour ... and most importantly it allows me to see sunrises and the beauty that is the Napa Valley (it may also allow me to eat some really good food and have a few glasses of wine every so often). Beyond the running over the last month or so I got a new TV (it's huge), went to Bouchon Bakery for the first time, headed back to Roseville for the first time since I moved (tacos at Chandos were a must), went to CANVAS events at Ehlers Estate and the Napa Valley Museum , headed to check out the Napa Wine Yacht and saw the sunset at Kieu Hoang in Carneros . My parents came to Napa for a winemaker dinner with Robert Mondavi Winery , then we headed to Healdsburg for a tasting at VML (great Pinot Noirs) where one of our family friends works. As we headed back to Napa we did a quick drive by Trefethen Vineyards (we'll...

My life does involve some excellent food and wine thanks to an amazing job that has put me in one of the most beautiful areas of the world. There are nods to the past with a classic car show in downtown Napa or visiting some of most historic wineries in Napa ... Inglenook and Schramsberg   (some of their caves were hand dug by Chinese workers after they finished the transcontinental railroad in 1870) and the new, but still filled with history, like Darioush . There was eating out at restaurants like Bounty Hunter and Farmstead . There was a stop at Dean & DeLuca for some sweets, beer at Hop Creek , and BBQ from The Shed . There was also lots of work ... it took two full days of shooting for a one minute video, but " We've Been Expecting You " turned out amazing thanks to a talented team of "actors" and a production team that is among the best I've worked with. I even left Napa once to go to a concert in Concord with Hillsong , Kari Jobe and so m...

This month I've made it a goal to start running more (my goal for the year was to run an average of two miles a day ... with the move I kind of took 3 months off). I found a running group so I have been running with them a few days a week and also have been running in the mornings before work on my own. It's been great to get outside and get moving, plus running while seeing vineyards and the Napa River doesn't hurt either. I also had the opportunity to visit Silver Oak for the first time. I've had their wine many times, but this was the first time I had been able to visit the tasting room and walk around their grounds. I was fortunate enough to be shown around by the winemakers wife and a friend who I had met a few weeks ago, it was spectacular. The views (as with almost everywhere in the Napa Valley) are breathtaking, the Cabernet's from the early 2000's to current release were all spectacular, and what always impresses me ... the friendliness of everyon...

I've been living the Napa life, which also means I've been in Orange County a few times (including once with family ... we even took a Duffy Boat ride in Balboa Bay ), and, of course, have had some fabulous food and wine. I've been fortunate enough to enjoy winemaker dinners with Opus One and Pride Mountain Vineyards , I've been to the mountains at the Bradley Lodge and Big Trees State Park with family from Georgia who had never seen trees quite that large, seen two SF Giants games (second row first base side and a suite ... so not bad seats), headed to Point Reyes , and worked on a few video shoots and TV segments . See all the Photos .

One month ago I moved out of a storage unit and into Fort Bradley II. My new house in Napa . It's been a crazy ride to get here and I've still be traveling lots, but it's good to be home most nights and I'm loving the 7 minute drive to work (with traffic on the way home it's about 10 minutes). First the travel ... there was a trip to help with the Grand Opening of Paséa in Huntington Beach , which included working with a film crew ... from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. The good part about working all night ... plenty of time for a walk along Huntington Beach. There were also many trips back to Sacramento for soccer (including seeing Brandi Chastain ), seeing family, and even a culinary demonstration on KCRA (no, I didn't cook). There was also a little bit of travel in Napa ... a team building outing to Jamieson Canyon Vineyards for food, wine, and painting. Back in Napa I went from having all of my stuff in a storage unit to transforming my house into a home with...

I may be without a home currently, but it hasn't stopped me from enjoying life. I was back in Roseville for a family gathering ... we know how to do potlucks, then have been to two soccer games (go Republic FC ), went wine tasting at Bogle , walked around the Old Sugar Mill , and enjoyed a fun lunch at Freeport Grill . I even got to hang out with horses and get them on TV . In Napa there was an awards dinner with NorthBay Biz , drinks at T errapin Crossroads in San Rafael, meetings with reporters, including a sunset walk through our vineyards, an amazing tour, tasting, and lunch at Robert Mondavi (we have a winemaker dinner coming up in October to celebrate their 50th Anniversary ), plus a tasting and garden tour at Cakebread . So not a bad way to be homeless, but hoping I have a home for Memorial Day Weekend. See all the photos .