It's Was A Whirlwind Day This 13th Of June 2015!
Two wine tastings, a great lunch, a walk through the gardens and capped off the day with dancing! What could be better??
It was a nice day... Some June Gloom but it cleared up later on.
Did You Know? - June Gloom is a southern California term for a weather pattern that results in cloudy, overcast skies with cool temperatures during the late spring and early summer, most commonly in the month of June.
Low-altitude stratus clouds are formed over the ocean, then transported over the coastal regions by the wind. The overcast skies often are accompanied by fog and drizzle, though usually not rain.
June Gloom in southern California is caused by the marine layer effect common to the West Coast, and is enhanced by the Catalina eddy local to southern California.
May and June together are usually the cloudiest months in coastal Southern California. June Gloom has other colloquial names (ie. May Grey) The positive colloquial for locals is 'Summer's Comfort Cover'.
Great times with wonderful friends!
Laguna Canyon Winery First Stop!
The girls taste wine... The boys look at the cars!
Love the red truck!
Blue truck next... Where is the white truck?
We are now patriotic!
Love the old Mercedes!
Quotation To Remember: We cannot even imagine where we would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given us a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun.
We Are Beckoned Across The Parking Lot
We are well aware! We are all Wine Club members!
We had the end of the counter!
Cyndy casts the "Evil Eye"
"Slurp Gurgle.... Strange sounds eminate from the corner area"
"Dad! You mean these drinks are alcoholic?"
"Oops... I thought she knew!"
Sue keeps Marlowe busy at the register
They work as a team... Sue buys... Marlowe rings up!
Time For Lunch!
Javier's was four miles north of Laguna Beach!
Tropical setting for upmarket Mexican fare &
margaritas made with an extensive list of tequilas.
Address: Crystal Cove Promenade,
7832 Pacific Coast Hwy,
Newport Beach,
CA 92657
Phone:(949) 494-1239
Everything was wonderful! We dined on the patio and had a great time!
Great decorations (wine bottles everywhere)
The meals were beautiful
Cyndy did the pinach Enchiladas
- Two enchiladas stuffed with sauteed spinach, corn, tomato
and onion covered in a light pasilla sauce. Served with white rice and black beans
The presentations were to die for...
Donna had a shrimp salad (Javiers's Ensalada
fresh green with slices of avocado, onion, tomato, cucumber, sweet corn, grated monterey jack cheese, our house dressing and a choice of: grilled jidori chicken, grilled shrimp, fresh dungeness crab.)
Bob did the Enchiladas Poblanas - Two chicken enchiladas covered with mole poblano sauce and cotija topped with sour cream and onion
Great family!
(We were directly in the sun and the pix would have been difficult at best)
Next Stop Orange Coast Winery
Just three miles further north on PCH
This is the "Gee that's good look!"
Making decisions... What next to drink!
"Donna never leaves a bottle untasted!"
"Me, on the other hand, carefully review and decide"
Caugh with his fingers in the cheese!
"Why no Bob, I would never think of flipping it up and sticking it to the ceiling!"
Sue says... "Don't you dare!"
There it goes!
"M-m-m-m-m-m-m-m"
"I can't believe he just did that!"
Cyndy joined her first wine club...
Little did she realize that the entertainment is extra!
Cyndy is now official!
Cyndy sneaks the wine glass into her purse!
(Not really but the story is good!)
We met new friends...
Just us!
Paul attempts to smile!
Can't even be fixed with photoshop!
We got help to the car.... We are loaded with wine!
"Stop and smile!"
"Hey Mom, can I take Colin home with me?"
Bye for now... See you soon!
Someone Said "Let's Go To Another Winery" -
We Decided Rogers Gardens Would Be Better Than More Wine!
Right on time.... 4:17
They always have interesting fountains!
We heard Donna say this under her breath!
Rogers was having complementary wine and cheese
Cyndy attempts to hide her massive plate of cheese and quart jug of wine!
CAUGHT!
Cyndy was caught!
Sue found the wine!
Cyndy makes a third pass... She wears a mustache this time
so as not be be recognized!
Getting to be near July!
Time to plant??
"Look at these hang on the wall gardens"
"Perfect Bob.... We need some!"
The Passion Flower
Did You Know? - Passiflora, known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 500 species of flowering plants, the namesakes of the family Passifloraceae.
They are mostly vines, with some being shrubs, and a few species being herbaceous.
The passion flowers have a unique structure, which in most cases requires a large bee to effectively pollinate. In the American tropics, wooden beams are mounted very near passionfruit plantings to encourage carpenter bees to nest. The size and structure of flowers of other Passiflora species is optimized for pollination by hummingbirds (especially hermits like Phaethornis), bumble bees, wasps or bats, while yet others are self-pollinating.
Most species have round or elongated edible fruit from two to eight inches long and an inch to two inches across, depending upon the species.
In Hawaii, passion fruit can be cut in half and the seeds scooped out with a spoon. Lilikoi-flavoured syrup is a popular topping for shave ice. It is used as a dessert flavouring for malasadas, cheesecakes, cookies, ice cream and mochi. Passion fruit is also favoured as a jam or jelly, as well as a butter. Lilikoi syrup can also be used to glaze or to marinate meat and vegetables.
"There it is... A Passion Fruit"
The orchids were beautiful today!
Blue hydrangeas
Every shade of blue under the sun!
Did You Know? - The color of a hydrangea flower depends on the chemical makeup of the soil it is planted in. If the soil is high in aluminum and has a low pH, the hydrangea flower will be blue. If the soil has either a high pH or is low on aluminum, the hydrangea flower color will be pink.
To encourage blue hydrangea flowers, grow the plant in soil that has a pH of 5.2-5.5. If your soil is more alkaline, you can lower the pH by applying Soil Acidifier at the rate specified on the package. Soil pH can also be lowered (more gradually) by applying an acidic organic mulch, such as pine needles or pine bark.
Mother Nature is amazing!
Pure whites
Inside The Roger's Gift Store Are Treasures
Amazing vases...
Donna needed this!
Clever... The books have holes in them and rebar is used to supprt the arch!
Getting "gee-whizzed"
Did You Know? - Sound: Red Red Wine
"Red Red Wine" is a song written, performed and originally recorded by American artist Neil Diamond in 1967, included on Neil's second Bang Records album "Just For You". The lyrics are sung from the perspective of someone who finds drinking red wine the only way to forget his woes.