Southern California has a very successful wine industry. AS we found in Oregon and Washington in July, many of the wineries survive now on wine clubs. The drop in rate for many of the wines is ridiculous so we have to be mighty impressed to consider $30 a bottle. Some of the Bordeaux look-alikes sell for $50 but they don't seem to be getting many takers. Some previously good wineries have hit hard times, e.g. Rabbit Ridge from Healdsburg in N. Sonoma, which moved down here with a $1.5 million debt for selling out of bond, apparently. They ahve a huge inventory so you can go to the winery and buy really good reds for $8 a bottle. Of course, at the supermarkets, you can get really good wines for that or less too. Even at Trader Joe's famous for its "two buck Chuck" wines a few years back. They are now $5-6! Talking of Trader Joe's we finally found one in Sacramento and stocked up on all manner of chocolate goodies, the best choc madeleine cookies imaginable!
Last night we went to the local Basque Cafe. You eat at long tables with people you've never met. The chef comes out, bangs a pot lid and tells you what she cooked this evening, that's the menu!
Last night we met a great extended family of Jean and Warren. They had invited guests who just moved back from 25 years in Alaska. These people had had lunch with a guy from Calgary yesterday. When they told me his name, I know him! It's John Katz, the cello teacher on the faculty at Mount Royal University Conservatory of Music! Small world.
Dinner was a 9 course affair with 5 tapas, pumpkin soup to die for, a wonderful fresh salad of local greens and things, and a paella, then dessert. Chef insisted we all take leftover paella home for breakfast or to stuff in peppers. We are not hungry yet - it's 11:30am! Maybe avocado stuffed with shrimp for lunch?
It is the big wine harvest time this weekend so we visited a number of wineries and had some really interesting chats with winemakers, etc. yesterday. Today we will tour some more. Then head to the coast to find fresh seafood again. We've had some good steaks, lamb and pork on the way down, it's time for fish and seafood now.
The little birds are chirping outside my window in our tree so I think I should go see what today brings. It's great to have email connection again but it sure uses up your time!
Monday, October 18, 2010
On the road again, October 2010
It's been a while since I blogged. So here is an update.
WE are on the road again our RV in southern California. Still searching for sun and heat that lasts more than an afternoon. WE wended down through Idaho, visited capital Boise for the first time, through Nevada, into California, around scenic Lake Tahoe (not visited for about 20 years) and into S. California. WE are half way between LA and San Francisco, a notable wine area. Down through the central valley, a vast agricultural area, is flat and dry, but everywhere irrigation hits, crops and fruits grow. Important for peaches, apricots, nuts and also ground crops like strawberries, replaced the wheat and potatoes of S.Idaho.
Staying at RV parks, we notice a lot of people living here now, going to work, kids going to school, obviously they don't have homes any more. In S.Idaho the rate for people who have lost their homes is 10%, a huge number. I don't think Us citizens recognize a way of life has gone for many of them and is not coming back, certainly while unemployment is so high, also 10% in places.
But there are a lot of retired folks on the move, in fancy big million-dollar motor homes, pulling Cadillacs behind them. One place quoted us $47 for the night for a parking spot. Mostly they are around $30 with very good facilities, power, TV and wifi.
Meantime, since I blogged in May, I went in August for more follow-up surgery from my reconstruction. I now have a cute nipple and it will be tattooed in December to look like one. Very simple and painless procedure.
WE are on the road again our RV in southern California. Still searching for sun and heat that lasts more than an afternoon. WE wended down through Idaho, visited capital Boise for the first time, through Nevada, into California, around scenic Lake Tahoe (not visited for about 20 years) and into S. California. WE are half way between LA and San Francisco, a notable wine area. Down through the central valley, a vast agricultural area, is flat and dry, but everywhere irrigation hits, crops and fruits grow. Important for peaches, apricots, nuts and also ground crops like strawberries, replaced the wheat and potatoes of S.Idaho.
Staying at RV parks, we notice a lot of people living here now, going to work, kids going to school, obviously they don't have homes any more. In S.Idaho the rate for people who have lost their homes is 10%, a huge number. I don't think Us citizens recognize a way of life has gone for many of them and is not coming back, certainly while unemployment is so high, also 10% in places.
But there are a lot of retired folks on the move, in fancy big million-dollar motor homes, pulling Cadillacs behind them. One place quoted us $47 for the night for a parking spot. Mostly they are around $30 with very good facilities, power, TV and wifi.
Meantime, since I blogged in May, I went in August for more follow-up surgery from my reconstruction. I now have a cute nipple and it will be tattooed in December to look like one. Very simple and painless procedure.
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