Stop the car!

Last week on our adventures in wine country, I asked the gal behind the front desk at the Inn to recommend the most scenic route between Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley.

"Oh... it would be really windy," she lamented.

"Perfect!" I explained.

"Well, uh, that would be Oakville Grade Road, just south of Napa, but it's really curvy and stuff.."

"Exactly what we want," I assured her.

The husband and I then began our adventurous route to Sonoma Valley via the most circuitous route possible. It was just as I had hoped: absolutely beautiful. We drove up, up, up, around hairpin turns, through gorgeous forests, enjoying the unique topography.

At one point, just as we had executed a 90-degree turn at the top of an ascent, I saw two deer grazing on the gorgeous hill to our left, and the sun was catching them at just the right angle to amplify the splendor of the spectacle.

"DEER!!" was all I could muster in my quest to get the husband to stop the car (NOW!!) so I could snap a photo or two.

To humor me, as he typically must, he patiently pulled the car to the side, without a word, while I exited the car as quietly as I could so as not to frighten Bambi. It wasn't quite the right angle (we had come too far), but I still shot some pictures and re-entered the vehicle.

The husband hesitated a moment, contemplating the effect of what he was about to say before he uttered it, looked straight ahead, and said: "you know, hon; we have deer at home, too..."