The Golden Time

How do you beat the LA heat, fly to New Hampshire. LA 92 today, Hancock NH 74. I am visiting with Linda and enjoying the cool weather and beautiful New England countryside. Fall colors are creeping in. The trees on wet, boggy ground are the first to show off. Linda tells me that Oct 8th will be the peak of the fall colors, which means that hordes of peepers will travel north clogging the local byways.

Its begins

one year ago

two years ago

three years ago

Great News

Last August my sister received devastating news, she had a brain tumor the size of a lemon. Dr. Steiner, neurosurgeon extraordinaire, did the surgery and thought he got it all.
Well, the good news is that he did. Wendy met with Dr. Steiner today to go over her recent MRI.

No sign of cancer.  Yea!

Koren Taco :-)

Finally made it to the yummy Kogi food truck. I have always enjoyed food trucks and think they have some the best food anywhere.

My sister Wendy holding our place at the front of the line

Chicken Taco, 4th fav and Spicy Pork, 3rd fav.

"Chicken marinated in a light ginger-soy marinade and grill twice to caramelize the way good chicken should."   "Our special blend of pork belly, butt and shoulder is massaged with our sweet and spicy gochujang marinade and dialed back with a lusciously subtle heat."
 

Spicy Chilaquiles, a special  Wendy's 1st  my 2nd choice

Sweet Chili Chicken Quesadilla Wendy's 2nd, my 1st choice

"Caramelized onions, chicken and our sweet and spicy salsa naranja join forces with our crisp and chewy flour tortillas generously stuffed with ooey gooey jack and cheddar cheeses. It’s then topped with toasted crushed sesame seeds."  

We ordered first and by the time we got our food the line was 30 minutes long. The food delicious. 

one year ago

two years ago

Family Time

Spending a wonderful Labor Day weekend with my son's family. My granddaughters are amazing. I need one of those t shits "My grandchildren are cuter than yours".
We went Ardenwood, an historic working farm near Hayward. George Washington Patterson began farming this land in 1857. Labor Day weekend there was lots to see and do.

My two wonderful granddaughters, Emma and Rachel

Working early gas engines were on display

I spy...

Milk Weed bugs doing the tango

Historic narrow gauge railroad...

and model trains too.

one year ago

two years ago

Two Bin Zin

My brother Don, a retired vintner keeps is hand in by teaching an online wine making class for UC Davis extension and making wine for his personal consumption. He buys his zinfandel grapes from a small two acre vineyard.  Usually the 1.5 to 2 ton harvest will fill two bins, but this year it was only 0.4 tons,  half a bin. 

Checking the temperature

Checking Brix (density). Brix decreases as sugar is consumed by the yeast and alcohol is produced. Don is checking to see if the Brix has stopped changing, which indicates fermentation has ceased.

And finally the taste test.

He pressed the grapes yesterday and he will have 1 to 2 barrels of Zinfandel.

Some excellent 2013 Zin