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Saturday, June 9, 2012

Our Wanderings this Week

We arrive at Morgan Hill, CA @ 1300 on Friday 6/1.  After much deliberation on whether to be in a site where we could get satellite reception or in the shade to be cooler, we opted for the shade.  Cookie is going to the lodge to watch the NBA playoffs and I have put the satellite on vacation until later. 

Saturday was Walmart day for items we can get cheaper than at the commissary.  It was also KFC day for me.  It had been awhile since I had a bucket of the tastiest artery clogging stuff in the world.  We chose to get all our sides in mashed potatoes.  Cookie doesn't eat chicken but will eat the potatoes and biscuits.  I made the chicken last 5 days but I think we still have potatoes and gravy. 

We chilled on Sunday.  Monday was commissary and med refills day.  We left early for Travis AFB.  With little traffic delay we made the 103 mile trip in an hour 45 min.  Went right to the hospital to get the meds taken care of first.  Normally when we refill at a different base than the time before there is a 72 hour wait, which means we have to make another trip up and back.  Fortunately the pharmacy wasn't busy and they did the transfer that day.  This made us VERY happy.  So while the prescriptions were being filled we had lunch in the hospital cafeteria.  The food was remarkably good.  We also did the commissary run.  When did food get so expensive?  We buy less and it costs more.  WOW!
Errands done, meds refilled we head back to Morgan Hill.  Ran into some rain but not enough to slow us down or anything. 

We have some baby birds in their nest just outside the door to the lodge.  I think they are in the swallow family.  The parents have a split tail.  There are actually 5 babies but only 4 are sticking their heads out.
Tuesday we went to a couple of the local wineries for a tasting.  The first one we stopped at was "Clos LaChance Winery.  They were making a video or interview for TV or something so we didn't try to go in.
Beautiful gardens and landscaping.  Our second stop was at Kirigin Cellars.  Kirigin Cellars is a small winery with only 40 acres of grapes.  They sell a mere 3,000 cases a year.  This winery was on our list specifically because of a dessert wine that they produce.  Cookie wanted to taste more so than I.  Wine was never a favorite drink for me and Cookie doesn't drink at all.  Weird huh. 
 The tasting room is the original from 1917.  Small inside can only handle 10 people comfortably.  There was no-one there but a sales person, Lizz.  We told her how we were and what we wanted to taste.  She was very nice and polite to us.  Lizz showed us the distill house and explained all the up grades going on and the process of making the wine itself.  The specific wine we wanted to taste is called "Vino De Mocca", a fortified wine.  It is made from red grapes and has coffee, chocolate and orange added during the distilling process.  It was originally made for the owners wife who liked the drink "white Russian" but did not like the wine.  The employees liked it so the owner kept it.  It contains 18% alcohol, has a distinct coffee and chocolate taste but I was unable to determine the orange.  It was actually very good.  So good we went back on Friday and bought a case.  I'm sure we'll give some to friends along the way.
It is indeed a great dessert wine.  It goes well with "Fig Newtons".  I would rate this wine at 9.5.  I can't wait to try it with ice cream.
On Thursday we took a trip to the coast to scope out a possible picnic site for when our Louisiana friends arrive next week.  The parks along the ocean were ,to say the least, expensive.  We've decided against the ocean.  Instead we found a nice county park closer to us.  It's less crowded and much more cozy.  During the trip to the coast we came across a vegetable stand/grocery.  Some of the items they had were reasonable but most were not.  We bought a miniature watermelon to taste.  It's not all that good. 


We have encountered several vegetable stands like this.  We surmized that they are all owned by the same people.  We discovered another smaller vegetable/fruit stand not far away, "LJB Farms".  LJB has better quality produce than we seen so far.  We got a very good & large cantelope for $3 a 3 pound head of cabbage for 50 cents and a huge pound and a half tomato for $1.50.  All very good tasting. 
Being in the heart of garlic country I got a bottle of garlic balsamic dipping oil.  It's great with crusty french bread.

Well, that's all the fun we had this week.

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