Ironstone Vineyards: November 2007

Off to Cali for Thanksgiving 2007 (but not before a quick trip to Costa Rica with Jill)! Thanksgiving 2007 hosted by the Matter side of the fam and also Aunt Sue's 5-0 celebration. Me from DC, my immediate fam from Boise, the Grandparents from Reno-ish and Aunt Sue from Seattle all converged in Groveland aka Yosemite at my Uncle Don, Aunt Karine and their plethora of children's mountain home for an uncomfortable family reunion-cause when are family reunions comfortable?  Seriously.  We've got the right wing, religion hopping folks who think I'm a nut & a half (or maybe just the Antichrist) because I believe in climate change,  some closet liberals who just giggle and go with the conservative flow, the home-schooled bunch who love their organics & raw milk, oppose modern medicine & somehow adore Palin all at the same time, throw in a couple of alkies for good measure and you've got a roarin' good time!

Well as previously mentioned wine can often make an awkward situation comfortable, some may disagree, but since I picked up that bit of knowledge as a terrified college freshman at a school where I knew not a soul, I fall back on that one...perhaps a bit to frequently.  Off we went to wander around some cute country towns, peek in art shops, "oooh" an "ahhh" nic-nacs & ice cream parlors. After a full day of wandering cobblestone streets we ended up at Ironstone Vineyards. It was a breath taking view & a bit of a history museum on the gold rush inside with huge piece of gold on display as well as jewelry for purchase.  I think there was a full floor of artifacts, jewelery & history and then downstairs there was the tasting room. We all left with bottles, making the rest of the week a bit less grating on one's nerves and I even ended up with a bottle back here in DC. A bottle that I did not open until April 2011! Hey, I was saving it for a special occasion ok?! The only problem was is that it was a Viognier not a Cab Sav or Merlot, so as you can guess it tasted a bit like skunky fruit. Ew. Its still in my fridge, waiting to be used for cooking, but I'm also afraid it could mess with my cooking. Live & learn right?

GOLD!
(Forgive the blurriness)

Chris, Jenny, Jodie, Mom, me & Joe
We all do actually like each other, most of the time!

Goofin' with the sibs