So, here it is . . . Friday night – Wow . . . this is one that just couldn’t get here soon enough.  Or, as they say in Jean’s family – Freitag gott sei dank (Thank God it’s Friday in German) – Freitag is Jean’s maiden name and many years ago her whole family had t-shirts made up with that saying . . .  in fact, Jean still has one buried deep in a tub in the garage.  Regardless of how you say it – we are glad this week is over.

As an aftermath to last week’s tragedy’s in Boston and West, this week seemed to be one of closure.  Boston has reopened its doors for business and three funerals were held to bury those killed at the marathon – prayers for those families.  The community of West held a memorial service yesterday attended by dignitaries of national proportion and close to 10,000 people.  Jean had the honor of attending a Rosary last night for one of the firefighters killed in West – and the chance to extend condolences and hugs to family members.  Events such as these are gentle reminders that we are not in control and should not take anything (or anyone) for granted.  Life indeed is too short.  Collectively, our country and communities will heal and store our reserves of resolve for the next event that sadly is lurking around the corner – we ARE the land of the free and the home of the brave and can overcome ALL adversity – we are proud to be Americans!

Even in sadness there are events that bring a smile to our face – last night Jean and co-worker traveled north and since they had events scheduled up that way today had the opportunity to stay at a somewhat isolated retreat center in Belton.  Knowing they would pretty much be the only inhabitants of this remote space didn’t cause any alarm until they started chatting about scary movies as they headed to the mostly dark facility.  Laughing about movies such as Bunnyman (ok, just curious if anyone but us has actually seen this movie – – – anyone, anyone . . Bueller?), Friday the 13th, Maximum Overdrive and Candy Cane seemed quite humorous until they found themselves solo and tucked into a one bedroom, two bed cabin.  Not that they are chickens by any stretch of the imagination – but both did sleep with one eye open and more than likely would have had to been peeled off the ceiling should a knock happen on the door or window (for the record, Jean slept by the window and neither Bunnyman nor any of his creepy counterparts showed up).  The light of day couldn’t come any too soon – both will no doubt sleep like logs tonight to make up for last nights lack of.

Tonight’s wine hails from Spain – a 2008 Pagos de Familia Langa Calatayud – ok, now that’s a mouthful!  Our eyes were drawn to the great color – deep dark ruby-red.  On the nose you could tell that it had potential – nothing overpowering, but certainly tickled our fancy.  Truth be told, this was a fun little wine – lot’s of fruit, but yet some backdoor pepper.  We found that as it aired out it lost a bit of the fruit and mellowed into a nice little treat for a Friday night.  It would most likely fall into our “deck wine” category – big enough to hold its own, but would certainly enhance just about any meal it was served with.   The price was right in our wheelhouse – under $11 a bottle – another gem that we plucked off the shelves at Central Market.

Reading the label, we noted that the wine is from the Aragon region, which upon a google search was found to be rich in history, and once the home of celebrated 16th century royals Ferdinand and Isabella and their daughter, Catherine of Aragon, maligned first wife of England’s King Henry VIII. Aragon is spread between the Pyrenees at the French border to the central Iberian plateau. Because the climate ranges from cool, mountainous conditions to warmer climates in lower elevations, many different styles of grapes are grown.  Calatayud is located in southwest Aragon and known for big, bold wines.  We wouldn’t classify this as overly big or bold – but certainly a wine that can stand tall among some of our other tastings thus far.  We are going to have to try to locate more wines from this region – or perhaps pack a bag and go check it our for ourselves . . . sounds like a road trip in the making!

So, as we wrap up another week, we hope that you and yours have had a good one and are ready for a weekend of some much-needed R&R – we know we are!  The forecast calls for some rain – but never fear . . . that won’t stop us from some type of adventure over the next 72 hours!

Get some rest tonight – and remember to enjoy responsibly and recycle whenever possible.