Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Wine Connoisseur
Here is another post about the wineries we visited. All of the wineries below were visited in one day. These wineries introduced Mr. Penguin into the fancy world of wine tasting and, I must admit, I fit right in.
This was the first winery on our list for that day and the first winery Mr. Penguin has visited in his short lifetime.
It was a good winery to start with because they had a viewing room where you could watch them make and bottle the wine. Too bad no one was working the day we visited.
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The guy pouring our samples was extremely friendly and very informative. The wine, however, was just ok, nothing to get excited about.
Ready to move on, we drove to the second winery, which was just a short distance away from the first.
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This place had real potential to be amazing. Outside the grounds were gorgeous and very lavish.
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I mean, just look at this table and chairs. Can’t you just picture Mr. Penguin hosting an afternoon wine party here? Such a beautiful view.
Inside was equally gorgeous, the tasting room was dark and intimate. My favorite part were the chandeliers.
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Unfortunately, I found the pourers to be rude and condescending. Again, the wine was just average. Had the workers been more friendly I would have enjoyed myself more and stayed longer. But their attitude just ruined this place for me.
I was glad to leave here and move on.
Next on the list was my lady's pick. She enjoys hard cider and suggested we check this place out.
It was a small, quaint building, with a fun tandem bicycle outside.
Of course I had to hop on and pose for pictures before heading inside.
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This was, so far, the best tasting experience because of the bartender. The bartender here was amazing. Incredibly pleasant and welcoming, such a nice change from the previous winery. Mr. Penguin recommends stopping by if you’re ever in the area, it’s definitely worth checking out. Just look how cozy and inviting it is. Mr. Penguin enjoyed himself immensely here.
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After leaving the cider place we went to the winery with the farm, that I previously blogged about. See this post for that tasting experience.
Our last stop was the best. The stand out of the day, head-and-shoulders above the rest. From the amiable bartenders to the fantastic wine, we really had a lovely visit at this winery.
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They had sparkling wines. For $5 you get 2 samples and some cheese and crackers. There is a wonderful outdoor patio that we sat at to enjoy our wine. We ended up buying a couple cases (yes, cases) of sparkling wine before leaving.
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I also encountered a strange kind of being here--two creatures, known as “whoo girls”. They are loud, crazy, fun-loving beings. I have heard of these mysterious whoo girls, but this was my first meeting with them in person. Must have been the bubbles from sparkling wine going straight to their heads that made them act this way. I was surprised to see such commoners at a swanky place like this. Someone needs to do a better job at keeping the riff raff out.
After this day of tastings, Mr. Penguin considers himself a wine aficionado. Being an elegant penguin,I fit right in the chic, glamorous world of fine wine lovers.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Down on the Farm
There are numerous wineries up north where we went for our vacation, too many to visit on one trip. We divided our winery picks over a couple of days. I have many pictures to share of these various wineries and I thought long and hard over the best way to blog about them. I need a few posts to tell all my adventures, and this post covers one winery in particular that was more than just a winery.
It was an Inn...
...a restaurant...
...a farm...
...and a winery all in one location.
Walking toward the tasting room, we came upon this docile creature…
...who was kind enough to allow me to climb on his back for a picture.
Inside, the tasting room was very appealing, filled with lots of natural sunlight from large skylights.
In the center of the room was a circular bar, while around the perimeter there were bottles of wine and various gifts available for purchase. My favorite items were these unique glass wine bottle stoppers...
...and these funky spoons:
After making our purchases we headed back outside to check out the farm.
I wanted to check out the giant pumpkin,
...but it was in the middle of a fenced field. The man said I wasn’t allowed to climb the fence in order to get a closer look. I thought about doing it anyway, until he reminded me how dirty my feet would get since I wasn't wearing shoes. Mr. Penguin likes to stay clean.
To distract me from disappointment, the woman quickly suggested we go check out the animals.
As we made our way back to the animal pens, I happened to notice this sign:
Phew, *wiping flipper across forehead*,I feel better after seeing this. Now I can relax enjoy my delicious wine and picturesque surrounding guilt-free knowing that Mother Earth is protected.
The farm had a nice variety of animals, most of which I have never encountered before.
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The man was fascinated by the chickens.
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This one in particular was his favorite.
His brother seemed to favor this guy:
My lovely lady liked the horses.
I’m really jealous of this guy.
By this time it appeared that the man had his fill of the animals;
I know that look, he was ready to continue on to another destination. I was ready, too. The animals were fun to pet but they sure were smelly.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Mr. Penguin's Pigskin Picks: Week 2
It’s time for week two of Mr. Penguin’s Pigskin Picks. Last week Mr. Penguin relied too heavily on the man and his “knowledge” when it came to making my selections. I was only two out of five correctly picking Miami and Arizona State; the worst loss was Alabama and Florida, it was roll tide all the way. Anyway, this is a new week and I am going to trust my acute penguin instincts in my decision-making and only humor the man with his advice.
UCLA at California
This game pits one type of bear against another (Bruins vs. Golden Bears). Mr. Penguin is not a fan of bears, he much prefers the company of smaller woodland creatures, I miss Reggie. Off topic I know, nevertheless, Cal is favored by 7.5 points I think that is too much in what will be a close game, take UCLA.
USC at Stanford
Staying in the Pac-10, both of these teams are coming off big losses last week. USC just dropped out of the AP poll for the first time in a long time. The odds makers have lost faith in the once mighty Trojans and are a 10 point underdog, lucky for them Mr. Penguin still believes in them and will pick them this week.
Arkansas at Texas A&M
In this game I think that experience at the quarterback position is going to be the difference in this game. The Razorbacks are a 5.5 favorite and should be able to cover the spread easily against a mediocre Aggie team.
LSU at Florida
It is miracle that LSU is undefeated at this point in the season they are terrible and as such they are a 6.5 underdog. Florida just came off an embarrassing to Alabama and should be hungry for a win. Mr. Penguin despises the Gators but must admit they will take this game with ease.
MSU at Michigan
To me this is the most captivating of the games this week, as the two long time rivals face off both undefeated. The Wolverines (yuck) are 4.5 point favorites over the Spartans. Mr. Penguin thinks that the Michigan quarterback will finally be shut down by the first real defense they have faced this year, and once the clamps are put on the offense has no other options. I like the Spartans to win with the emotional return of their coach from a heart attack.
That’s it for this week make sure to come back next week and marvel at my brilliance when I am five for five and showthe man how it’s done.
Feel free to leave your own picks in the comments section. I'll also be tweeting throughout the games tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
About Town
Finally, another vacation post for my fans.
Near the end of our trip, we got out to explore the city we were staying in. It was very charming, lots of quirky businesses and buildings.
First up was the Totem Shop.
I had fun outside, but inside it just a lot of touristy trinkets; nothing sophisticated enough for a fancy penguin such as myself.
We headed over to the local bookstore to check things out; the woman likes to buy used books. It was located in a fun cottage. I really liked the flower boxes, they added a nice, homey touch to the place.
However, once inside, we discovered they mostly sold new and local books, not so much used books. But that’s okay, it was entertaining to flip through and look at the local books.
Resuming our sight-seeing, an interesting vending machine caught my attention:
At first I got excited, I thought it was stocked with tasty fish. But upon closer inspection, it turned to be just bait to catch the fish, not the actual fish itself. *Puff* All excited over nothing.
Continuing our tour we came across this place:
The man loves fresh, juicy, Michigan cherries. While we were there the cherry season was already over, but we stopped by this place just in case they happened to have some fresh cherries. No luck. The place did have all kinds of fun signs and décor that we enjoyed looking at.
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We ended up making a few purchases; some cherry ginger ale, and two types of wine.
At this point we were pretty tired, and with the woman not being very durable, had to sit down and take a break before heading back to the house.
On the way back to the house we stopped to get some ice cream. I didn’t get any pictures because my flippers were all sticky from the ice cream. But I assure you, you’re missing nothing, just a playful penguin enjoying his ice cream.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Mr. Penguin's Pigskin Picks
Due to the woman being pretty ill lately, there has been a delay in my vacation posting. But don’t worry, those post will come (hopefully) soon. In the meantime, I know my fans anxiously await a new post from me. Therefore, the man and I have decided to take posting matters into our own (very capable) hands.
Fall: leaves changing, warm days, crisp breezes, cool nights, pumpkins, apples, and cinnamon. These things are a great part of the season, but the thing I love best about fall is football. All day Saturday and Sunday I get to sit on the couch, eat snacks, occasionally sneak a taste of the man’s beer, watch football and have some male bonding time with the man. This year, we thought it would be fun to try to predict the outcomes for some of the games.
So now I would like to introduce a new weekly segment to my blog titled "Mr. Penguin's Pigskin Picks". Each week the man and I will be selecting a few games from around the country and try to predict the outcomes. If I were a betting penguin I would place money on these games, but penguin’s aren’t allowed to gamble. So do with this info what you will.
And now for this week’s picks:
Arizona State at Oregon State
First, Oregon State is favored by 3½ points over Arizona State. The Sun Devils should pull out the upset over an overrated Beaver team.
Georgia at Colorado
Georgia is a 5 point favorite over Colorado. I like the Bulldogs in this game even though they are traveling without their fallen mascot, Uga, who has yet to be replaced.
Miami at Clemson
The Miami Hurricanes are traveling to South Carolina for Clemson’s homecoming and are favored by 3½ points. I think Miami will win, even though they were beaten soundly by the man’s beloved Buckeyes.
Northwestern at Minnesota
In the Big 10, the underrated and high-powered offense of Northwestern, who is favored by 5½ points , should crush a Minnesota team in disarray.
Florida at Alabama
And, finally, a game with national title implications: Florida is traveling to Alabama and is an 8 point underdog. While ‘Bama should be able to pull out the win, it should be a lot closer than other “experts” think. Mr. Penguin says take the Gators and the points.
Feel free to leave your own picks in the comments and be sure to check back next week for a recap of these games and more exciting penguin pigskin picks.
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