. . . the mice do play.

Well, only a little bit, the rest was business (Scout’s Honor – yes, Jean can say that because she is a lifetime Girl Scout).  Even though there was a chill in the air this morning, Jean felt compelled to take the top off the Jeep for her drive to Ktown to complete a very important task – getting a haircut (the hardest thing to replace when you move is your hairdresser – Brian is lucky, his moved with him).  Not quite ready to succumb to “Fall clothing” – shorts, tevas and a long sleeved shirt made for a cool ride, but the bright sun made the trip perfect.  The itinerary for the day was short – haircut, lunch with Terry, connect with JoAnn – back to San Marcos.  Haircut – check; lunch with Terry (toss in a Bea and it was double the fun) at Rails – this is one of the best places to eat in Kerrville – John and Melissa are the best! – check; connect with JoAnn – well this is where a slight left turn was taken in “the plan”.  Rather than meet out at OLH, the decision was made to meet at Grape Juice instead – well, it did give Jean a chance to sample a glass for the blog.

When asking Jared and Austin for a recommendation, they both were unanimous in saying ” Mr. Black’s Little Book 2008 Shiraz”.  What a treat, and great recommendation!  This wine is from Australia and more specifically one of our favorite places – Barossa Valley.  Barossa Valley is a major wine-producing region of South Australia, and no doubt on our bucket list to visit one of these days. 

The first thing you notice about this wine is the deep garnet color swirling in your glass – what eye candy!   On the nose you catch notes of anise, blackberry  with hints of  sandalwood.  The more you smell, the deeper the notes get.  The first sip was full-bodied, ripe and rich  – nice balance of fruit and pepper.  The best part was the long and savory finish – wow, wow, wow.  The glass went down smoothly – and with great company, the short stop at Grape Juice was worth it.  The price for a bottle was well under $20 (no fears Brian, one is now resting comfortably in the Bondy wine rack so you can try!).

Although tempted to settle down for a long afternoon at GJ, the reality that “the girls” were waiting at home nudged Jean to the exit.  A stop at H-E-B for yellow potatoes (sadly not available at the San Marcos store . . . not too sure why), and a swing by to say “howdy” to Ed and Lori completed the day.  The drive home was nothing short of spectacular – the sun high in the big blue sky made the 1.5 hour drive fly by.  Can’t wait to get back out on the open road soon!  Now for a nice quiet night for Jean with her three best friends (no, not going to watch Mo, Larry and Curly on the tube).  After the inspiration of the day at Grape Juice, the plan is to watch “Australia” with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman – not an Oscar winner, but details the story of the namesake of one of our favorite wines – Kathryn Hall’s “Darwin”.  Need to find a bottle of that to share on the blog.  Have to watch it tonight while solo as nobody else in the family wants to watch.

Brian reports in that the wedding has gone off without a hitch and the reception is in full swing – thanks to Tim (aka father of the bride) for making sure Brian (da Godfather) was able to attend at the last minute.  He will be home tomorrow in time to head north to Georgetown for a visit with Bill, Mary and Tom – who knows what kind of trouble we will get into then!

Have a great Saturday night and remember to enjoy responsibly and recycle when possible.