The Wine Commonsewer™

And I Bring You Fire

On my way home from the House Blond's track meet at Mt San Antonio College last night, I could see billowing smoke and the eerie glow of this fire for a dozen miles. The fire is burning at the south end of Highway 71 in an area behind Prado Dam that we used to call Green River.

Prado Dam was built to create a retaining basin on the Santa Ana River after the massive floods in the 1930's that inundated much of Orange County. I don't know if all that riparian environment existed before the dam was built or not, but today it is a vast area of green open space in an increasingly urbanized area of Riverside County.

I was the worst Boy Scout ever, but I loved the camping part of it. My one forte, was food. For my entire tenure with BSA I was in charge of the campout menu and our patrol ate well on account of it. One of the better outings was the Boy Sprout Camporee back in behind the dam somewhere. As I recall, it was quite a hike to get to it. The thrill for us vagrant yoots that weekend was crossing the Santa Ana River on a rope bridge. A lot of dads put a lot of work into making that happen for us boys. Something we probably didn't appreciate as much as we do now.

As Always,

Soak Up The Sun

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

TWC has been workin' on his tan. Gotta be ready for the tropics when The Boy and I  touch down in Honolulu next week.

Sometime back, Jacob applied for a paid, four-year apprenticeship program at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. When you're done you've got an AA in science and an awesome job. In Hawaii.

 

He's scheduled to sit for the apprenticeship exam and needs my moral support. It'll take several days to recover from the stress and rigor of the test, so we'll be there a week. It's a tough gig, but someone has to do it. So I raised my hand and volunteered.

There were thousands of applicants for the 300 slots, which translates into a thin chance of acceptance. But, Jake was invited to take the apprenticeship exam and I take that as a good omen. Those who do well on the test have a better chance of an interview. If Jake can snag an interview, he's in like Flynn. The kid could sell ice makers to Eskimos.

Dad worked for Northwest Airlines when he was just a bit older than Jake and NWA offered him a transfer to Honolulu International. Can you imagine? This was like 1950 and he'd have been in on the ground floor. Pop was hot for the deal but my mother put a stop to that nonsense in a New York minute. No way she was leaving frigid St Paul for paradise. She did, however, consent to a relocation to the former Land of Milk and Honey we all know as Southern California.

Us on the Road to Hana in 2003

Other than flying through once, I've never been on Oahu. It should be interesting to see how it differs from Maui and the Big Island. Any must-see or must-eat advice is surely welcome. Mahalo.

For the longest time The House Blond wondered why Sheryl had her .45 on, so she could rock on. At the beach.

Why'd she bring her gun to the beach, Daddy?

That's Banana Boat.

Not Sam Colt.

I'm off to soak up some sun. 

Aloha,

The Morning After Tax Day

 

 

April 14

2009 Montevicor Garnacha

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Today No Star fills in as guest blogger de jour.

Last night I fired up the backyard grill with a mixture of briquettes and hardwood charcoal to rotisserie a 3.5 lb. boneless Ribeye Roast. I used a mild BBQ rub on the meat and cooked it for 90 minutes (5 minutes less would have been better, but the center was still pinkish.)

Roasted baby red and gold potatoes and steamed sugar snap peas accompanied the half inch slab of roast on my plate, along with a big dollop of horseradish sauce.

A while back, I had found a 2009 Montevicor Garnacha for $10.99. I thought it might pair well with Ribeye. It did!

The wine is an opaque reddish purple, almost inky with notes of blue and black fruits and berries. The licorice, leather, and spice complimented the BBQ rub. It is neither a dry wine, nor a sweet wine, but is exactly in that murky middle that needs nomenclature. If I find more of this, even at $15 a bottle, I will buy it. On the NoStar Spillable-Swillable-Refillable scale, this Spanish wine is muy refillable por favor.

Winemaker's Notes:

Deep purple in color, this wine exhibits elegant and complex aromas of spices, cedar, cherries, and licorice. On the palate it's rich ripe red fruit flavors shine through, backed up by well-balanced acidity and gentle tannins, all leading to a smooth, round finish. This wine is the perfect accompaniment to tapas, red meats, stews and cheese

Photo appears courtesy of Vivino.

With thanks to No Star,