Wine Tasting & Social Connections

We had a great night last night. We were invited to a wine tasting and tour at the Vezer Family Vineyard. Mike S and wife Audrey invited us to be a part of this by invitation only event. We met at the wine tasting room in Mankas Corners. There were quite a number of people there and I believe most were invited by Mike and Audrey. They know and party with so many people.

Mike introduced us to a few couples and everyone seemed very nice. We looked around the grounds and the wine barrel room. The wine barrel room had a very distinct aging wine smell. The area was very nicely designed and landscaped. It had a Tuscan courtyard feel. Audrey was the landscape designer and had her name on the plaque just before you enter the public wine tasting room. She freigned embarassment but I know she was reveling in the attention it brought her. And she should, it was a nice job.

Not long after we got there we got back in the car and drove to the farm. The trip was a nice but short caravan of vehicles in which we saw some beautiful homes and landscape. The farm was a private tour given by, Frank, the owner and his sister Giselle. He showed us the vineyards, which at this time of the year are gorgeous deep shades of gold and maroon. Quite beautiful. Next up was the processing area where they de-stem and pit the grapes. Then Frank discussed the process in which they ferment the juice, and when and why they remove the grape skins. Did you know that white wines are from grapes with the skins removed and red wine has had the skins left in? Yeah, I thought you did. :)

After a sample of the not quite finished and unaged wine currently in process, we went back to the main tasting room and courtyard at the farm. This is a different one than where we all first met. Here they were serving hors d'oeuvres and wine. First up was some White Zin, very good flavor. Later dinner was served buffet style. We found a table and had nice dinner conversation with a couple from Gorden Valley who are planning a very small vineyard for their own private label. I akin it to My Guy making his own beer. Nothing fancy, just some people who like to brew thier own. There was a another couple from the area as well. That guy and My Guy had a Harley Davidson in common, so they talked about driving the Harleys. His wife and I had our names in common. She didn't talk much so I don't know much else.

My guy surprised me by suggesting that we join the wine club and have wines delivered to the house. This wine club was described as not only a wine delivery service but a social connection with private dinners and concerts. One a regular concert and the other a black tie event featuring opera (eww). I figured that the bit about the black tie opera event would be enough to put a kibosh on the Wine Club membership. haha, but my guy wanted to do it anyway. I think he was having a good time there.

After dinner, dessert and much wine and conversation, we headed home. My guy purposely didn't drink as much wine as I did so he was ok to drive. Good thing because it was a 40 minute drive home. Over all it was a very good night.

Daisy

This is a new painting called Daisy is a Sun Worshipper.

Dream Home never realized

DreamHome

This is my newest art journal entry about the dream home planned but never built. We have a beautiful new home now but it will never be as special as if we had built it ourselves. There was something wonderful about planning ever aspect and putting your heart and soul into every board and nail that would have gone into that house. The day we realized it wasn't wasn't going to happen was a sad day for me.

Off-Balance

Created this today after we returned from the home show in Sacramento. I just realized that the last few figures I've drawn are posed on one leg, for some reason. Do you think that means something? Have I been off-balance longer than I think I have been? Don't answer that! Yes I'm looking at you.

This journal page didn't start off to be negative, it was going to be my assignment for the Suzi Blu art prompt. This week we were supposed journal, using collage, about our Muse. Do I have a muse? I do, but she's off some where dancing at an INXS concert, drooling over JD, and left me here to brood alone. Ok I'm not really alone as evidenced by the journal page above but maybe alone might have been better this weekend considering our moods. Nah... I spend enough time alone and semi-moody times with My Guy is better than no time at all. I know if we were feeling well things would be different.

The home show wasn't bad but it was poorly attended. I felt bad for the vendors. In fact, attendance was so low they decided to let people in free. We did see a nice gas heater that would look great in the master bedroom. It's one of those that looks like a fireplace but runs on natural gas. Our bedroom is always so cold in the winter and we think this is a great solution. I'd like to wait until the bathroom is done so we can see how much room we have left after reducing the bedroom for the walk-in closets. The room is so big we can take 4 feet off and still have a big bedroom but still we haven't planned the layout. So until we do that, I don't want to make a major purchase that we won't be able to move around if we change our mind.

This is going to sound strange but we also saw a huge wind powered mobile that we both loved. When I say huge, I mean 15 feet tall. We both looked at it and said "front yard" haha. Our house dwarfs the landscaping we now have and that mobile would be great. But yeah, we're not spending 2 thousand dollars on a mobile.

Blah day

There was something off today. Not sure why but I felt restless or bored or just off. I only spent a few minutes in my studio today. Now I have a headache.

When My Guy came home he wasn't feeling well, catching a cold, poor baby. ( My Girl, if you read this call your dad. :) ) It was his turn to make dinner and I offered to do it since he wasn't feeling well but he wanted to go out instead. Applebees, the old standby...I getting bored with it but there aren't many choices without driving 30 minutes. Anyway, My Guy decided he's staying home tomorrow.

I worked on an ATC for the Claudine Hellmuth Swap at http://www.atcards.com/ but I'm not sure I like it enough to send it. I also have to make one more ATC for the Make a Statement swap. I also need to make a cover for the new journal My Girl and I will be working on together. Once that's done, I'll take it to Staples and have them bind it and send it to her.

I was just at Suzi Blu's blog. That girl just cracks me up. I love her videos and her art. If you have time, I suggest watching her videos at YouTube, her channel is called SuziBluTube. There are about 30 videos and I just love them all.

Another funny lady in the art journaling world is Val who's channel is named Batatakley. She had this video offering travel for Art Journals.

Flower love is good love

This is a new journal page I made. Since I have the biggest brown thumb in the neighborhood, I thought I'd better start drawing my flowers instead of wasting seeds and nursery plants. :0

I guess I've been in a good mood recently because this is pretty upbeat for me. Things are going well and I am a happy camper. Oh yeah things could always be better. My daughter could decide to move back to California, I could win the lottery, someone could pay off our mortgage and my guy could find a new job he is really happy with. But other than that, things are going well.

Inspire Me Thursday - Hats

Everybody loves wearing pretty hats.

OK, even though I'm not a hat wearer I still like to buy them. I fancy myself wearing a beautiful hat in the garden, or while out walking the dog ... ah..the dog I don't have but hey it is my fantasy. But alas the hat stays in the closet because once I get it home from the store I never put it on again. Why? because it flattens my hair, or the wind is blowing and it's too hard to keep on. Or any one of a hundred other excuses why I don't wear hats. Oh well, I look good in them in my day dreams.

In Her Minds Eye

She stands near the gate
holds her hand over her brow;
It shades her eyes
from the bright sun.

"There he is" she says softly.
"There he is" the sound

of her voice getting louder.
"There he is" she yells out excitedly
I see only the breeze rustling the trees.

Minutes later he rounds the corner
of the brownstone.
So close she can taste him,
A chilly breeze brushes my cheek,

but I still can't see him
as clearly as she does
in her minds eye.

The collage was inspired by the poem.

Art Purchased 2

This is another piece we purchased earlier this month. The texture in this photograph is fantastic. The picture is printed on canvas and is 24x42. We both fell in love with it instantly. I'll post the artist soon, I promise.

Inspire Me Thursday -Birds

When I read the theme I immediately thought of the Beatles' song lyric "Black Birds Singing in the Dead of Night."

This weeks art projects

Here are some ATC's made for a trade at Atcards.com This was the Vintage Men swap:

I have also finished a "self-portrait" drawing from the SuziBlue journal class assignment.

Art Purchased

Aren't these beautiful? We think so, they are our new additons to our art collection from our trip to the Sacramento Art Show held at the Convention Center this weekend. We went yesterday and spent at least 3 hours there looking at all the beautiful art. We were throughly impressed at how beautiful and well done everything was. And as it should be the show was a juried show, thank goodness. No offense to crafters who make crafty mailboxes that look like cows but that wasn't what we wanted to see but were afraid we were going to find. Whew, we got lucky.

On the top (or left depending on your monitor) is a beautiful glass "lamp" in a style called Kenetic Casting by it maker, Rick Jarvis. Rick's website is You Can Kiss My Glass I call it a lamp only because it is lit up with a lampbase behind the glass, not visible here.

On the bottom (or right) is a photograph mounted to a wood board, called "450". It's a close up image of a railroad car layered over an image of a peeling paint wall. The textures in this photograph are amazing. The style called Urban Expressionism. The photographer is a very nice young man named Daniel Newman who's website is http://www.danielnewman.info/

I encourage you to visit both of these wonderful artists. There were so many others to see. Here are some other websites I collected as well:

http://www.housejewelry.com/
http://www.metalphoria.com/
http://www.skysongstudios.com/

There were others I loved that I missed getting a website address for, darn it.

What possesses people to be cruel?

What is it that possesses people to be cruel for no reason? You put yourself out there to be seen and someone comes back at you with a cruel comment without knowing who you are or what you meant to say.

Is art supposed to be a complete and end all statement on a subject matter? Ah no, how can any art piece be a statement that encompasses all possibilities and solutions. It's a moment in time, one person's expressions of their feelings no matter how cliche those feeling are to you.

The way I see it, ms P, my art made you react and that is what good art is even if your opinions are based on your own biases. Wake up and quit making assumptions. Realize, before you go out and infect another with your bad karma, that it's not about you.

The Blues - Illustration Friday

This was my very first ATC and it was inspired by the Rob Thomas song named "I don't want to be lonely no more." I thought it would be a good entry for the Blues theme on Illustration Friday. This is not a statement loneliness as a whole or how others should react to it but one persons feeling on what they think they need.... someone compatible who loves only them.

Love Letters Inspire Intimacy

love_letters

This is my latest entry into my art journal. It is my intrepretation of the Intimacy challenge from Inspire me Thursdays. Love letters used to be the only way for long distance lovers to communicate. I still have packs of love letters from my husband when he was in the military.

Taxes bah humbug

It's October 1 and I just started doing our 2006 Taxes. (I told you I was a procrastinator.) I made a good dent in the process. But it's such a chore, especially last year because we had so much going on. It's always a surprise how much money goes out to the various bills, such as real estate taxes and mortgage interest. Yikes. I wish I could put that money away for retirement instead. I had to do my mom's tax return too because she can't. Hers was just for refunds due, thank goodness.

I didn't work on any art projects today, too busy.