5-1-10

DINNER SPOT

FIRE HOUSE

RAINBOW BRIGHT

TWIN TOWERS

MAN'S BEST FRIEND

FUN HOUSE

ALLEY CATS

HINT OF OAKINESS

We hit the wine bottles pretty hard in Sonoma County earlier this month, but we haven't been drinking much at all in Mendocino County. So we decided to even the score a little bit, and went for a tasting today at Pacific Star Winery. We sampled eight wines in a small tasting room right on the coast. Maybe we're getting snobbish, but we didn't particularly care for any of the wines. Or maybe we got spoiled in Sonoma because all the tastings were "free." Whatever the reason, we felt a bit ripped off having to pay $10 for really skimpy pours of lousy wine.

Next stop on our day off was a small lunch. We purchased two freshly made sandwiches at a small local health food store. One had hummus, avocado, sprouts, and other veggies, while the second contained fakin bacon, tomato, and lettuce. With our bellies no longer rumbling, we visited the library in Fort Bragg. We did some research and watched the Kentucky Derby on Justin.tv, which if you have never checked out, you should. Congrats to the winning horse, Super Saver, and congrats to the bunch of rich white horse owners. The announcing during the Derby is always exciting, but all the lead up is too much. "Fear and Loathing at the Kentucky Derby" by Hunter S. Thompson, is a fabulous short story that paints an entirely different picture than the one NBC portrays, and we recommend it to horse racing enthusiasts interested in an alternate view.

Luckily, we wagered a heavy bet through OTB on Super Saver, and took our $17,000 winnings and treated ourselves to a 18 course dinner with four bottles of wine.

Obviously we don't bet, so instead, we took our $0 earnings and headed to the quaint ocean village of Mendocino for a one course meal with tap water for $29. In town, we also stopped in a chocolate shoppe, jewelry stores, and card shops. Mendocino is a cute historic town so there are no billboards, it's not built up, and most of its original architecture is still intact. But it's very reminiscent of most New England beach towns so it didn't blow our minds. The only thing that blew our minds was looking at the prices of houses for sale at the local real estate offices; the asking price for a one bedroom/one bathroom was over $700,000. It was an enjoyable and relaxing day filled with laughter.

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