Tour Tuesday - Wine Country

As promised on my previous blog, here are some of the photos I took at the Korbel Champagne tour.  The tour was free as well as the four sample.  It started with the guide explaining the location and then we were seated in a room to watch a video of how it all started up to the present.  It was perfect way to do a tour inside as it was 113 degrees outside.  After the video we were taken to different rooms of the winery where they have a lot of historical items, photos and memorabilia.  The most important part of the tour was at the end where we get to sample the Korbel Champagne.  It started with their original which was the Natural.  I have to say it's a bit too dry for me.  The last one was their sweet type and for me that was the best.  It was served cold and on a hot day it was perfect.  Jeff had a sip and I drank the rest.  After the tasting we headed to their Deli/Cafe where we were treated to a nice lunch courtesy of our friend's nephew.  The drive home was a little stop and go and it seem to take forever.  I did not want to forget to mention that the drive to the Casino the day before was much more pleasant as we saw a lot of the different wineries that we recognized the name.  We did not stop to do wine tasting but it was just great to see the majority of the big wineries such as:

• Robert Mondavi
• Beringer
• Inglenook
• Arrowood
• Clos Du Bois
• Kendall-Jackson
• Sutter Home
• Opus One
• Domaine Chandon
• Ravenswood

 

Meaningful Monday - Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day to all my family, friends and blog followers celebrating this wonderful day.  I say meaningful Monday because being Canadian means a lot to me and my family.  When my parents decided to leave our country of birth, they opted for Canada and not the USA.  They were concerned about their childrens future and we are very appreciative of what they have done for us.  There are so many great things to be thankful for as a Canadian.  Although I now reside in good old US of A, I am proud to say I am a Canadian.  

• Canadians are polite, friendly and enjoys good times with friends
• Who wouldn't like poutine and beaver tails
• Canada is multi-cultural all across the country
• Greatest hockey fans are in Canada
• Being a diabetic, I am thankful for Insulin (Banting and Best)
• Spicy Caesar which is better than Bloody Mary
• Snow Blower (for those winter storms)
• Butter Tarts and Nanaimo Bar 
• The Toque (keeps our head warm)
• Maple Syrup - cannot compare with any syrup for pancakes & waffles
• Tim Horton's  -open 24 hours for when you crave for that tiny Timbits

Happy 146th birthday Canada!  Thank you for accepting me as one of your citizen.

Scorching Sunday - Heat Wave

Last day of June and we are experiencing major heat wave.  We must have picked the two hottest day to take our two day trip to Napa Wine Country.  You are probably wondering how hot it was.  We left on Friday around noon and arrive at our destination mid afternoon and it was 100 F.   It was nice and cool inside the Twin Pine Casino and Hotel which we enjoyed a little gambling.  The next day after checking out, the temperature outside was 113F.  Here's my proof.

Our two day get away during the hottest days in both Napa and our home area, it was still a fun break for us.  I will have to do another post about the Korbel Winery and complete my report.  For now, I have to chill in our living room with my feet in a small bucket of ice water.

Sincere Saturday - Not a day I'd like to remember

When I was around five or six years old, I was so disappointed about having my birthday party cancelled, I cut out all the number 28 for each month of the calendar.  Today is one of those days, I feel like I should cut out this day from the calendar.  Maybe it's a bit extreme but my daughter tell it like it is, she says "it's not a day I like to remember and there's nothing to celebrate".  Each year after my son died, I would write a poem because it was a way that I could express how I truly feels.  This year is different because I have been trying to write a poem for day and it's not getting done.  I started asking myself the question "am I not in pain, am I finally accepting what happened to my son, does time really heals?

My son Gino and I used to sing this together on the PS2 game "Sing Star".  I cannot help but think of him every time this song is played on the radio.  

 

Fall Friday - It's autumn but it's about losing

How can all my favorites lose during the first and second round of Wimbledon? Is there a bad karma going around?  I was watching the last couple of days of the coverage and it was getting so sad.  And how many times can one slide, fall and hurt themselves?  If you have not followed any of the matches, here's why I am calling this fall Friday.

• Rafa Nadal lost on the first round to some unranked player.
• Roger Federer lost on the second round to a player I've never heard off.
• Maria fell so many times and it hurts and lost too.
• John Isner hurt his knee.
• Victoria Azarenka fell and had to retire.

The list can go on because there were so many upsets I am not sure if I am even going to watch the quarterfinals nor the finals.  But there's one important thing that I learned from Roger during his press conference after his loss.  It's called the 24 hour Rule.  It's simple but I believe it will be a great rule to follow on how you deal with life's disappointments or success.  

 

 “Well, what do you do after something like this? What do you do?” Federer said. “Do you do the 24‑hour rule? You don’t panic at this point, that’s clear. Just go back to work and come back stronger. Somewhat simple. Hard to do sometimes. But usually I do turnarounds pretty good.”

 

Truthful Thursday - Golf Shoes Wrap

One of our golfer on Thursday told me that I could probably make these special golf shoes wrap or accessories since she hear that I am very creative with my sewing.  So here is how it started and how it ends.

This is my Nike Golf Shoes with the new wrap I made which I wear with my pink golf outfits.

This is the extra one I made for my other white golf shoes and will use a matching green laces.

This is the original one that my friend lent in order for me to make a pattern.

This is how it looks once you lace it up.  They are reversible and so are the ones I made

Now that I have the pattern, I can create as many wraps as I need because I can just use some of my left over fabrics.  Truthfully, I am just too cheap to buy them but then again, the ones I made will be all original and I will be the only one who has those patterns and colors.

Win Win Wednesday - Golf treats

Remember the expression it's better to give than to receive.  When you do a lot of giving at some point something does happen and you end up as the receiver.  Since I started golfing with different friends during the week, I always try to bring a small snack for everyone.  I have to pack my lunch and a little treat for my self, so it's not a big deal to do some extras.

Today, my golf buddy Bruce brought me something special that he made.  At first I thought that he was just bragging about it and would not come through with his promise.  On the 13th hole, we stopped to have a little snack that he made specially for me.  Check it out.

Musubi (spam, nori, rice and special seasoning on top)

In return, I brought him the freshly made Brownies by Jeff which became our dessert after a couple of these awesome Musubi.  I will definitely start making these and creating several varieties in preparation for my daughter and SIL next visit.  For some reason I have a feeling that they will love it.