Diamonds For Women

[stlred]

Hey girls just wanted to let you know we are leaving for vacation on the 12th and won't be back until the 20th so I won't be able to be on the board that week since I won't have a computer available to me. Will try to keep caught up until then and catch up after!

[dodgerblue6]

Have fun, Stlred! Where are you going?
_________________
"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

-Baseball Hall of Fame

[stlred]

Dave is taking me on a 50th birthday cruise (albeit a month early) but it was the only time all of us could go. We are going to St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

Thanks Linda

[dodgerblue6]

"All of us"? All two of you?

That is very nice of him!
_________________
"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

-Baseball Hall of Fame

[stlred]

No my best friend and her hubby are going too! Two years ago we went on a cruise for her 50th. Funny thing is we are actually going on her birthday so she gets to celebrate again.

I started a new job this week for the holiday season at the mall so that was kinda bad timing so I have been packed since Saturday.lol

[dodgerblue6]

How do you get time off so quickly after starting a job?
_________________
"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

-Baseball Hall of Fame

[stlred]

It's only a job for the holiday season at the mall and I told them during the interview that I was going.

[dodgerblue6]

That's great it was not a problem. Good for you, getting away and hopefully the job goes well.
_________________
"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

-Baseball Hall of Fame

[stlred]

Thank You Linda

[sunnyblue]

I hope you had a good trip stlred!

[stlred]

We had an AWESOME trip sunnyblue! It goes way too fast!!!! Plus I'm gone for just a week and the Cards have a new manager.

[forloveofthegame]

I am glad to hear you had a good time Stlred!

We went on a cruise this weekend, too. Kind of a last minute thing. It was only a 3 day to Baja, Ensenada, Rosarito Beach and then back up. My husband's friend and his wife had to give it up at the last minute because they had a sudden death in the family. We were sad for them but happy to take over. I didn't have to miss any time off work, either. I'm sure they will reschedule soon as the cruise prices are pretty cheap. It sure was beautiful out there. I had not been to La Bufadora in awhile and we were with some people who hadn't ever seen it. Got a lot of really nice small gifts for people for Christmas, too. I love the handmade artisans and their craft items.
_________________
"Baseball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem." - Saul Steinberg

[GilHodgesFan]

I am glad you all had wonderful cruises. For Stlred I'm sure it was nice to get away from the cold weather for awhile
I'm glad that you were able to take your friends place Forloveofthegame on such short notice.
I've been to the Bahamas on a cruise but it would be fun to go some other islands like St Thomas.
What's nice about the cruises are lodging and food. Food around the clock if you want it! No need to have to pay elsewhere to eat unless you want to find out more about the culture.
_________________
"If you had a son it would be a great thing for him to grow up to be just like Gil Hodges" -Pee Wee Reese (Brooklyn Dodgers)

[dodgerblue6]

[GilHodgesFan]

Catalina sounds like a lot of fun! Lucky you I think cruises are a great deal. Well...back to cooking. Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone
_________________
"If you had a son it would be a great thing for him to grow up to be just like Gil Hodges" -Pee Wee Reese (Brooklyn Dodgers)

[dodgerblue6]

Same to you, GilHodgesFan...guess I should start a Thanksgiving thread too.
_________________
"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

-Baseball Hall of Fame

[sunnyblue]

[GilHodgesFan]

Thanks for the recommendations Sunnyblue All of them sound like fun - especially Hawaii.

Oh by the way, could you send me some wine samples It sounds better than Miller High Life
_________________
"If you had a son it would be a great thing for him to grow up to be just like Gil Hodges" -Pee Wee Reese (Brooklyn Dodgers)

[dodgerblue6]

This is turning into a fun thread!

Agreed, Cabo is simply sublime; I think I have told you (Sunnyblue) that my mom and uncles go there every year?

I haven't camped on Catalina in ages! I'd love to do it again. The last time I did was with some friends about 30 years ago, so as you can tell it's been quite awhile! I'll bet GilHodgesFan's brothers would like to take a trip there, LOL!

And it's been about that long since I've camped in San Felipe with other friends of my youth.

I would love to return to the Channel Islands again--haven't been there since my 20s. It seems it's so close, and yet so far.

[GilHodgesFan]

My preference is blush or white wine. Do some taste testing for me and let me know how they are

I don't buy wine a lot. Mom, Faith, and I usually go to the Amanas (a town founded by Germans and maintains it's German heritage) every Spring and buy wine there but we didn't make the trip this year because of mom's passing. I usually get Cranberry wine there. I like a semi-sweet wine the best. There are a couple of wine houses at the Amanas and you can sample the flavors before you buy.
_________________
"If you had a son it would be a great thing for him to grow up to be just like Gil Hodges" -Pee Wee Reese (Brooklyn Dodgers)

[dodgerblue6]

Since it's from the family reserve, there's no need for that, but I know I posted this numerous times during the recent playoffs--almond is highly recommended. Aahhh!

I don't buy wine a lot, either. But I enjoy comparing the rich offerings we have here.

By the way, I have been to Amana Villages years ago when traveling across country. I don't remember anything in particular that struck me about them other than they seemed the German version of Solvang. I'm pretty sure I never knew there was wine there.

Primarily I'm a beer drinker, but get me the right kind of (quality) wine and I'm pretty happy. Except for Two Buck Chuck, I don't make many exceptions for cheap stuff, and if you're going to make an exception, that's a very good one to make!

My favorites are sweet wines. Just a few days ago I had my annual tasting (which I do every autumn) at Witch Creek up in the mountains in Julian, which is well known for its fruit wines.

Although CA produces over 90% of the domestic wine in the U.S., we have five wine growing regions, and our area immediately north of the city is considered third best in the state. I have been on wine tasting trips in all of the regions. However, with Temecula Valley, the home of about 30 to 40 wineries, about 50 miles from my house, it makes for a great day trip and there are many companies who offer limo trips to and from town and between wineries.

Part of the fun is the tasting and the socializing, and another component is the scenery, as the views from the wineries are often quite breathtaking. It's all part of the experience.

I have been wanting to get back up to the Central Coast and try some of their offerings, as it's been since I was in my 30s that I last did that. That is generally considered the second-best region of the state.

As for locally produced wine, honeywood pomegranate is my absolute favorite, with muscat being second. I have always loved Kobai plum wine, which has its roots in Japan and was brought to California by Japanese farmers. The Santa Rosa area is said to have the best plum wine in the state. I like drinking it with sushi or other seafood.

That's probably more than you needed to know, but as a rule, I'm a dessert wine drinker.

I am far from the connoisseur many of my friends and family members are on this topic, though! They jokingly refer to themselves as "wine snobs" but there's so much to know on the subject.

I still remember being at a little market in Long Melford, England, three years ago, completely cracking up at the exorbitant cost of our local wine over there. In fact, I posted that story here on the board.
_________________
"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

-Baseball Hall of Fame

[GilHodgesFan]

I am a fan of semi-sweet or sweet wines also. There are a couple of wineries at the Amanas but we usually go to the first one we come to because we like their wine better. I sampled cherry wine a couple of years ago and bought a bottle but by the time I was finished with the bottle it reminded me too much of sweet cough syrup so I won't get that flavor again. Now I stick with cranberry but if I see plum when I go there again I will give that a try. Thinking also of trying grape or peach. Have you tried either of those flavors and if so, what did you think of them?

I agree with you there is no sense at all drinking cheap wine. It tastes absolutely horrid for one thing and is not even worth the little bit one pays for it. I guess that is why I don't drink wine more except on special occassions. Too high priced to get the really good stuff

It was interesting to read about the various wineries you have around your area. I think it would be fun to compare the various tastes between the wineries and would make for some great day trips as you said. I'm sure the scenery is breathtaking too

The fruit wines sound very good but I wonder if they wouldn't be too sweet like the cherry wine I bought at the Amanas. I also like Zinfandel as another choice if I am drinking wine.

Thank you for your wine commentary and for someone who is not a "connoisseur" you know what you like and have given me some options as to flavors to try I haven't heard of almond wine around here but the Amanas will probably have plum.

On a side note - have you tried Dom Perignon champagne? I am wondering if it is as great as some people claim it to be or if another has taken it's place.

The Vacation thread has turned in to a Drinking thread but then again that could be part of one's vacation
_________________
"If you had a son it would be a great thing for him to grow up to be just like Gil Hodges" -Pee Wee Reese (Brooklyn Dodgers)

[dodgerblue6]

Well, like I said, Two Buck Chuck is excellent cheap wine and so when needed, that's what I get because everyone seems to like it. I've known visitors from out of the country who assumed it was pricier than it was.

In fact, as a joke between a friend of mine and I goes, she had family visiting from France who really loved TBC. One cousin kept commenting on it. When she told them how inexpensive it was, that cousin suddenly decided she didn't like it anymore.

Domestic wine is also less expensive here than it is out of the area, just like many other things are, because there is intense competition, and shipping costs aren't factored in.

Witch Creek Winery has a few varieties of cherry wine and I've tasted one--I thought it was good enough, but I can tell where it might be borderline cough syrup tasting. LOL.

I have had peach wine, which was fine, but Witch Creek's apricot is just sublime--quite perfect, if you ask me! One of the new on-line local vendors is offering a special autumn variety of pumpkin spice which I'd like to try. "Grape wine" seems redundant...I'm not sure what would be meant by that?

[GilHodgesFan]

That was a funny story about the people from France who loved the cheap wine. I'm going to have to see if there is anywhere around here that sells that and the Witch Creek wine.

You can tell how much I drink, that I thought grape was a "flavor" of wine
_________________
"If you had a son it would be a great thing for him to grow up to be just like Gil Hodges" -Pee Wee Reese (Brooklyn Dodgers)

[forloveofthegame]

[dodgerblue6]

That'd be great. I'd chip in a few bucks for that!

As for Orfila, I've been there once--the one just down the road from Julian.
_________________
"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

-Baseball Hall of Fame

[sunnyblue]

Very interesting comments - Danny is a wine connoisseur and knows a lot more than I do.

I will have to weigh in on this one a little more later. We took a nice trip to Julian about a month ago - end of October, crisp weather, really pretty day. We love hiking up on Desert View Trail.

[forloveofthegame]

Desert View Trail is so pretty! There's another one up there too, name escapes me, that we used to hike at. Have not done that in a long time, though.

What a good time I had with you both in Temecula. The mulled spiced wine was a wonderful holiday treat!

Let's all take a deep breath and try and find the strength for the next few weeks until year end and holidays are over. I hope to get out and do some more Christmas related things and take advantage of some fun events when I can.
_________________
"Baseball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem." - Saul Steinberg

[stlred]

[sunnyblue]

I had a lot of fun in Temecula too! It was good to get some gifts purchased for others and myself too.

What else I like about wine tasting is trying it with fresh seafood, or certain kinds of meat, and just relaxing on the patios at some of those upscale tasting rooms. You really get a view and it's nice to relax when it seems so far away like you're on vacation, but it isn't really.

The muscat I've bought from Witch Creek is superb too, I meant to say that earlier.

To Cathy,