Vintage Tuesday - Wine, Food, Travel and Insanity

Life is just weird.  The evening began with a really bad bottle of wine and ended up with “get your hands in the air” being shouted at me by one of our local policemen carrying a very deadly looking gun. 

It was the first day where the temperatures were finally warm in the State of DeNial.  It has been a very long winter!  After a busy day, Trixie and I decided to enjoy the evening with a nice bottle of wine while sitting on the deck overlooking the woods.  Listening to the birds during their evening feeding, a bottle of Bordeaux in hand and we were ready to just relax.  I poured the first glass and took a whiff.  Uh oh, this doesn’t smell that great.  Trixie took the first taste and I could tell by the look on her face that this was not good wine.  I tried it and thought, “this won’t even be good by the third glass” - a theory that I always count on.   

Trixie said “do you want a seriously good wine?”  I’m thinking that she meant I raid the top end of our wine collection.  She told me to go into the kitchen and there is a bottle of Seriously Good Wine under the counter.  I asked what the name was and she said “Seriously Good Wine.”  I know, you already said that but what label is it?  She again said “Seriously Good Wine”  OK  I remember this gag, who’s on first - right?

How about that, there really is a bottle named “Seriously Good Wine”  who knew?  It is a 2005 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stag’s Leap District. I popped the cork and we were on our way.  This was really a seriously good wine.  There was an awesome scent of heavy berries and since we were sitting outside, I could imagine the smell of our grapes on the vines towards the end of summer.  We were sitting in the Adirondack chairs sipping wine without a care in the world when Trixie saw me with a strange look on my face.  (stranger than my face normally looks)  “What happened?” she said.  I just bit into a bing cherry!  She was confused.  I said I picked up a taste just like those big huge dark cherries - it was awesome, now I wanted a cherry pie.  No cherry pie but we did barbeque a few shish ka bobs and finished the bottle.

One of the things I love to do on a quiet peaceful evening is lay outside on the lounge chair under the stars… and sometimes I fall asleep.  This was one of those nights.  Drifting off into another land, I began to dream I was a deer stuck in the headlights.  Out of nowhere a blinding light hit me in the eyes.  This wasn’t a dream, this was real.  What was this, the light is so bright I can’t see a thing.  Then I hear it.  Put your hands in the air!  said with a very loud and authoritative voice.  Huh?  Jake is that you?  I hear it again.  Put your hands in the air this is the police.  Not sure what to make of it, my hands go up as if I am about to become part of an episode of Cops or Reno 911.  I am thinking what the hell is this?  Trixie and I live in a pretty quiet rural area where the most dangerous thing that happens is when a squirrel gets stuck in the fireplace (another story!). 

The bright light moves around focused right at my eyes.  I yell out - “Hey I Live Here!”  The light goes off and the officer says he had a report of suspicious activity in our back yard.  Yes there is usually a lot of suspicious activity when I am home.  Over the years, our neighbors have become used to it and even look forward to it.  Spontaneous back yard barbeques, wine tastings, music filling the back yard including anything from Sinatra to the Ramones and everything in between. 

To the North of us live Mr. and Mrs. North (what a coincidence).  They know that I travel a lot for my cork slaying adventures however last night they had no idea I was actually home.  Being the great neighbors that they are they were watching out for Trixie.  Mr. North heard a noise in our barn (me looking for seat cushions) and suspecting trouble in our quiet little neighborhood he called the police.   The next thing I know I hear “Get you hands in the air” guns ready and the whole bit. That was a new experience for me that I don’t care to repeat.

After a few laughs, I thanked Mr. North and our local Policeman for watching out for Trixie and Vintage Tuesday’s corporate headquarters.  This morning my heart was still pounding and my underwear was quite a mess.

Stick em up!

Angus