An Easter in Napa Valley

After yesterday's entry on spring-themed table settings, I kept having thoughts of spring...which led to thoughts of Easter...which then led me to fondly remember a past Easter weekend trip to Napa Valley. (I'm pretty sure thoughts of Reese's peanut butter eggs snuck in there somewhere, too, but let's stick to the Napa trip.)

Ah, Napa Valley. Amazing wines, beautiful landscapes and good company. With all this and more awaiting us, our group arrived at our rental house in downtown Napa and settled in.

Todd, Shelley and I sitting amongst the vines in Napa.

My favorite part about being in a rental house is that setting up for meals is like your own scavenger hunt...where are the plates? How about serving bowls? What can I use for a vase? It's these scenarios that bring out the creative gene in all of us.

We stopped at the local drugstore for some cheap Easter flair - candy, colored grass and the like - and the table started coming to life. I rolled a small clump of plastic Easter grass between my palms until it maintained a somewhat circular shape then placed it in the middle of the plate. On top I placed a few small green leaves brought in from outside and finished with a malted candy egg on top. Instant spring placesetting.

Leaves, flowers, petals, sticks, pebbles...never underestimate
what you can find outdoors to create placesettings indoors.

After adding more vines & flowers from outside, brightly colored plastic Easter eggs and white votive candles in drinking glasses, the table was set & ready for an Easter feast. And what followed was a very memorable Easter brunch and a weekend full of stories and laughter - but mostly laughter. (For an example of this laughter, see photo below.)

Our best "Food & Wine" photo shoot impression.

Celebrating the holidays with friends is something very special because friends are indeed the family we choose for ourselves. Yes, the food, drinks, placesettings and decor add great ambiance, but it's important to remember the most important part: the people that add a spark and bring it all to life.