DINNER WITH THE WINOS

My husband and I belong to a group called the "Winos" and yes, we do drink and learn about wine. (Hey, I didn't pick the name) The Winos met for their yearly Holiday Dinner at a place near the Dayton Mall called CENA. You might want to check it out online to see if there is one near you if you don't hail from the Dayton, Ohio area. Very unique and positively worth a second visit. Buffet style salad bar that has a complete selection of everything you might want for appetizers and salad. Several cuts of beef, shrimp, fish, chicken, sausage, and pineapple were served tableside on large skewers as long as your card is green side up. Red side up means you don't want to be bothered. Several wines were served with each entree and I found the wines to be a nice variety and complemented the foods nicely. Check it out and let me know what you think.And if you are interested in forming your own wine tasting group - GO FOR IT. There is always something to do with this group. Everyone sends out emails regarding events around the entire area and some even travel abroad to different explore wine country. Great fun especially if you enjoy wine. Did you know there are American Wine Society groups all over the nation? Check it out to see if you have an AWS in your area. Another good way to learn about wine and meet folks who are experts at it. We love our Wino friends and spending the evening celebrating the holidays with them is always special. Cheers.

NO ONE READS THIS

Most of the stuff I read on blogs is just people (like me) who are sounding off. The younger generation seems to just be yelling obscenities and shouting "watup" or some garbage that doesn't have any significance. It's so generic and impersonal. We all do it. Maybe just to snag someone into talking to you. Why is it that we all seem to search out new friends to talk to online? Is it easier to find friends that way or is it just out of boredom that we find time in our somewhat busy schedules to update our very important "blogs". For whatever reason, I'm finding it more and more difficult to justify taking time out to update this space. Give me a reason to keep it up. Later, Sandy

MySpace

MySpace

Who's Your Presidential Candidate?

Go to the site below and take the quiz and see who your candidate is.....it might surprise you! Each candidate is rated and your score will reflect who thinks most like you. Check it out and let me know what you think. Is it really on?

http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460

FUNDRAISER WINE TASTING PARTY IDEA

A friend of ours told us about a fundraiser idea that a Cincinnati wine group is doing. Sounds like a great idea. Invite everyone over for say $10 per person. All the $$ goes to your favorite charity. Each couple brings 3 bottles of wine (all the same). Two of the bottles are for the wine tasting and one bottle goes under the table. Everyone at the wine tasting must sample each wine and give it a grade based on overall best by scoring 1-10 points. At the end of the evening, grade the wines and the couple bringing the best wine gets all the bottles stashed under the table. You might want to keep the price within the $15-20 range so no one will bring an outstanding and expensive wine to outshine all the others just to win and stock up their wine cellar. Each bottle is 18 one-ounce serving so depending on the number of invitees - everyone should be able to get a good taste. There are bottle pourers that will measure out one ounce with each pour to help with the measuring. Have everyone bring an appetizer and wine glass - your work is done. You could have groups of 4 be teams but figure out the math to see how much wine and how many folks will be attending.
CHEERS TO ALL.
Later, Sandy

Testriffic | Quiz your friends | Test Complete

Testriffic Quiz your friends Test Complete

Celebrity Wine Tasting Party Idea

Last night my husband and I attended a wine tasting that had a really fun theme "Celebrity Wines". It was a blind taste test and everyone was given 3 glasses and 3 pours per round. The bottles were covered in bags and numbered. The host gave a clue for each # and the guests had to determine from the clue the name of the celebrity that was on the bottle or had the winery (you'd be surprised at how many have vineyards). After tasting determine the wine such as Chardonnay or Shiraz and so on. At the end of the 9 tastings, we voted on which 2 wines were the best of the lot. The host then told the price of each bottle. Turns out I chose the 2 most expensive wines. Hmmmmm.

If you google "celebrity wines" you can find a lot of selections for your party or you can go to your favorite wine store and make selections. Each participant paid $15.00 and brought an appetizer to share. Great party. Great idea. Give it a try.
Later, Sandy

Blahs

Some mornings I just don't feel like getting out of bed......nothing inspires me to rise.....don't feel like taking a walk.......cleaning the house or doing the laundry doesn't sound appealing.......reading the newspaper or a good book doesn't peak my interest......What happens on those days when you just don't want to get out of bed? Is it the cloudy day? Lack of energy? Same old thing every day? Am I alone out there? Does anyone else ever get these kind of days? If so, wanna go out for coffee and talk? I think that might help. Yes, liquid and chatter. hmmm
Later, Sandy

Back From Hilton Head

Tumbling into the waves at Hilton Head, South Carolina gave me a warm sense of comfort and relaxation. Just three weeks before I had forced my feet to wade over the hard round rocks leading into the ice cold waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Once in the water my body adjusted only slightly to the frigid shock and although vigorously jumping and swimming about to keep the body temperature up - the temptation to run back to shore overcame my desire to boast of my interlude with the waters in the south of France. Flat solid sand met my soles in the Atlantic leading me into tepid salty clear water.Glorious sensation.Perfect conditions.But I shall keep it my secret. You see, thousands upon thousands of gas economy sized vehicles were taking over the highways in France the weekend we left.It was the time for school children to be out and everyone was on "holiday".All going in the same direction - south. If they find out our beaches are worth the trip, they might come. Shhhhh. Let's keep it to ourselves.

Wine Enthusiast

Spent a few weeks in France this summer and are envious of the prices the French pay for good wine.Also spent time in Canada at the wineries and found some acceptable vineyards with okay prices.The challenge now is to find decent wines for under $10.00 (used to be our hobby to find under $20 wines but now think the stakes are too high). Share your find with everyone if you know of a good wine for a terrific price. Looking forward to hearing from you and stocking our wine cabinet. Cheers.
Later, Sandy

Hilton Head

Going to Hilton Head Island for the first time. Any tips on where to hang out or tips on places to avoid? Thanks. Later,Sandy

World Clock

Just got an email from friends in Arizona that is awesome. Great articles that are worth a peek. Check it out and share your thoughts.

<http://www.peterrussell.dreamhosters.com/Odds/WorldClock.php>