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Inspiration for this blog came from my cousin Roy. His daily reflections of the events in his life have been thoughtful and interesting. Family, friends, colleagues are welcome to read my blog.



Showing posts with label bottle of wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bottle of wine. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

VISITING WORLD WINERIES


It's on my bucket list to visit and tour as many wine regions of the world. My favourite is white wine although I will drink red wine if it suits the dinner. On three occasions, wine regions have been visited. On our anniversary trip to Italy in 1996, Adolph and I took a day trip to Frascati- a small town in the Colli Albani- the small towns- just an hour from Rome. By train we passed many vineyards terraced on hill sides. Frascati is famous for its Villas and white wine. Since that trip I have enjoyed the wine Frascati and Fontana di Papa -two wines from the region even though there are many more. It helps to remind me of that special vacation. Near my folks in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia is the winery- Mission Hill. Took a tour there and was able to sample their fine wines. The Okanagan Valley is noted for its fruit belt and wineries- large and small. I will buy a bottle from that region occasionally to support the industry there. The Niagara region in Ontario is famous of course for Niagara Falls but due to the Niagara Escarpment is able to produce fruit and of course vinelands for many wineries. Several years ago Adolph's social club was hosting a day trip to the area, lunch at Brock's Monument and tours of several wineries- Jackson Triggs and Carolines to name two. My goal for the trip was to buy a bottle from the various wineries and they continued to be enjoyment at several dinners after that tour. Niagara is also known for the famous Canadian Ice Wine. It is always interesting that every year the right cold must happen to pick the grapes at the right moment to make the wine. On one trip to Italy our Ice Wine was a special gift to a cousin there. Europe has many fine wines but not Canadian Ice Wine. So three tours already completed. I like a nice white wine from South Africa called Two Oceans- maybe one day I will tour there. Love the wines from the Rhineland- know there is a wonderful boat cruise down the Rhine stopping at several locations- sounds inviting doesn't it? California has some great wines- love to tour there. That Mateus- white, rose from Portugal- a vacation there would be okay. Of course, the wines of France- their vineyards would be wonderful to visit. And I hear the cheese is good. Wine and cheese parties every day! Australia has some wines- don't know if they are great but the continent itself would be a wonderful place to see anyway. Russia is known for Vodka- like wine but maybe it has possibilities too to visit. Have you toured any wineries? Do you even like wine? Is there a wine region you would like to visit? Do you like white wine or red- or really do not care! Maybe you are a beer drinker- hear there are some great beer tours like in Belguim that has more beer than any other country and a glass for each kind!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

The State of Marriage


I was asked by a young colleague who was about to enter the state of Matrimony in May about one week after my 39th anniversary about marriage. She wanted to know how someone stays married for over 39 years.
I thought briefly as I had considered this question many times.
Well I stated you love someone through all the times not just the good times.
Then I continued to ponder the question. Anyone can love when there is enough money and things are fine. The true test of love and commitment is to love for better and for worse.
Marriage is really a roller coaster ride of life. There are always phases and stages that can bring conflict, heart ache and the need to reach deep inside and just hang in there. Times when you feel good, happy, content.
Your spouse may be going through his own difficulty and you need to take a step back and not consider everything so personal. Your strength, your ability to love and support are so needed. Then there are times you may need the extra support for your trials of life.
The strength of character of the marriage comes from the ability to get up and stay up and keep going when you do not feel like it. Get out of bed, put on a friendly smile, go about your day making things happen.
A good marriage is like a bottle of wine. You may not get the best vintage but you open the bottle, smell the cork, sniff the glass, look at the colour, take a sip and drink it anyway or you can send back the bottle, hoping you will get a better one next time.
How is your marriage? Are there times you struggle? Have you found strength by persevering? Have you tried things to improve your marriage?