Happy Memorial Day
Did you all have a good weekend? I did. It was fun and relaxing. I've been stressed recently and this weekend was what I needed.

On Friday, I slept in and then headed out to check out some wineries. That's what normal people do, right? Wake up then go wine tasting!?!?! Okay, well, maybe that's not entirely true. My first stop was the castle. And, here's a picture of the beautiful Seneca Lake from the castle. Kelly and I had both fallen in love with the Belhurst Traditions Merlot 2003. I had already purchased a bottle. But since my parents were taking some of items (like wine) that I can't carry on planes, I planned to stock up on some more. Unfortunately, they were all sold out and I don't like the 2004 vintage. AAAGGGHH!! I tried not to be too upset and bought a bottle of red stuff that I'd never tasted. Maybe I'll crack it open one day soon.

Another tradition I've started up here is to visit Tim Horton's every morning. What is a Tim Horton's? Well, it's like a Dunkin' Donuts, but it's Canadian. I'm not a fan of their donuts or their muffins, but I've absolutely fallen in love with their "Mint Chocolate Iced Cappucino Supreme" with whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top. Wow - it's only 290 calories and 6 grams of fat. That's surprisngly low considering how tasty it is. Anyway...after my morning sugar and caffeine rush (and freezing my taste buds), I headed to my second winery - Ventosa. After I let my taste buds defrost so I could taste the wine properly, I selected four wines:
- 2006 Rosa which is a "dry rose is blended from Sangiovese and Pinot Noir grown here at Ventosa Vineyards. A light, flavorful and versatile wine with floral aromas."
- 03/05 Pinot Noir which is a "blend of 2003/05 estate Pinot Noir, this well rounded lighter style dry red wine expresses a bouquet and flavors of raspberry, cherry, currant and spice."
- 2002 Merlot a "New York State Merlot (that) expresses well ripened fruit from an excellent vintage. Flavors of blackberry & licorice pair well with goat cheese, chevre, tenderloin & chocolate soufflé."
- 2004 Merlot "this Merlot was aged for 20 months in primarily French oak resulting in characteristics of cherry, plum and licorice. This full-bodied dry wine pairs well with Gouda cheese, red meat and dark chocolate."

I bought two bottles of each of the Rosa and Pinot Noir. Both were very smooth. The Rosa may replace the white merlot I fell in love with in Arizona.

I was already feeling the wine and decided it would be smart to stop tasting. So, I took off for Ithaca. I couldn't believe it. I was a few miles down the road when I passed a rubber stamp store called "Pretty in Ink". Unfortunately they were closed in preparation for the Memorial Day holiday. But, I'm hoping to stop by some day at lunch to check it out. I hope it's not too far away.

A few more miles down the road, I saw signs about "falls". So, I decided to swing by and see what all of the fuss was about. Boy, am I glad I did!!! I had stumbled across Taughannock Falls State Park. But I was trying to get to Ithaca for lunch and shopping. I wanted to hit a shop called The Goat Boy to view their collection of Vera Bradley handbags. Well, turns out Ithaca has LOTS of one-way roads and construction. I finally found a parking space - the second time I had to park the Toyota Highlander last week (not fun). I had passed a few promising-looking places for lunch. There was pizza, sushi, chinese, pasta, and Mexican. What do you think I chose? Mexican, of course! It was tasty, but there were no free chips :-( I need free chips. After the parking and one-way streets, I gave up on shopping - besides, Elaine would only yell at me for buying another Vera bag.

The rest of the weekend was wonderful. Mom, Dad, and I spent a relaxing weekend at the lake. We hit yard sales (yes, me too), our favorite stores in Dickson City, and spent some quality time together. At the end of the weekend, I found myself wanting to go home, not back to my hotel in Geneva. What does that tell you? It was sending me a pretty clear message. I want to be home.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend as well. I only have to work 3 days and then I get to be home! See you soon.