I’m not a wine snob by any means, the lack of a sense of smell relegates me to the sidelines when talking about wine among friends whom know their wines…but I love wine. I cannot isolate the fruit or the herbs or the sweetness overtones but I can detect whether or not I like it, don’t like it or love it and thankfully my husband and I are usually on the same page. Our “wine cellar” is full of wine that we both enjoy together and yesterday we returned from our favorite wine tasting areas in California with more to add to our cellar. What made this trip to Santa Ynez/Paso Robles/San Luis Obispo different is instead of going with our children, we went with another couple. The boys had prior invitations to sleepovers so we took the opportunity to invite a great couple for a quick trip up north.
We had a wonderful time – well except for the fact that I caught a cold the day before we left….so no wine tasting for me. My motto: If I can’t taste it, why drink it? So I was automatically the designated driver which was fine by me as I love to drive – especially around Central California where the rolling hills punctuated by Oak trees gives me a sense of peace and openness which is hard to come by in suburban Los Angeles.
Here is a photo journal of my {non} Wine Tasting trip... hope you enjoy. I'll talk all about the trip on my next podcast. So for now, just photos.
|
My favorite place - under the Oak Tree @ Rusack Winery |
|
Peacock @ Kelsey See Winery |
|
Tri-Tip Sandwich @ Firestone Grill in SLO |
|
Fish Taco @ Firestone Grill in SLO - delicious! |
|
4pm arrival @ Graveyard Vineyards in San Miguel |
An hour later...
|
Sunset @ Graveyard Winery in San Miguel |
|
Guess who bought fabric at Fabricworm's Brick&Mortar store? |
|
Sun & Vineyard Mosaic @ Tobin James Winery in Paso Robles |
|
Christmas Tree made out of Oak Barrels @ Pear Valley Vineyards in Paso Robles, CA |
|
Picnic Lunch while warming up in the sun @ Calcareous Vineyard in Paso Robles, CA |
2011 was an amazing year for me in many ways: school, crafting, blogging, podcasting and in some very personal ways too. No long retrospective here as all I have to do is read through my posts of 2011 or listen to my podcast episodes to remember what 2011 held for me. Bottom line is that I grew and I blossomed and at 42 (almost 43…omg) I am the happiest and most fulfilled than I have ever been in my life. Thank you all whom are reading this for being a part of my 2011. I can’t wait to experience what 2012 will hold for me ~ make sure you come back because I’ll be sharing it with you all.
Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve ~ wherever you are! Be safe and have fun.
Susan