*Note:  Due to technical difficulties, we weren’t able to publish last evening; so here is the Tuesday evening blog–and we’ll be back tonight with another!

So, do you hear the theme from JAWS playing in your subconscious??? dadadadadada – BOO!  Yessiree Bob – it’s Shark Week on the Discovery Channel…OMG, it’s Shark after Shark after Shark.  Must admit, having Daughter #1 under our roof has literally hooked us on SHARK WEEK!!!  What a fun time watching all the movies and docudramas playing out on our TV.

We SO remember going to see JAWS at the theater – Jean had read the book and was mentally prepared for just about every scene……EXCEPT (if you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want a spoiler . . . leave the room).  So – onto the scene . . . yes, Jean was so prepared for everything except the head popping out in the middle of the underwater boat scene.  And, Brian went to see it by  himself and was fine until the kid next to him grabbed his arm when the underwater boat scene came around. . .which in turn caused his blood pressure to spike. . .which in turn created a huge rush of adrenaline. . .and the rest of the movie was — well — predictable.

There aren’t many films that end up with their own attraction at Universal Studios–but we’ve been on the ride and had the experience of meeting “Bruce” aka Jaws first hand–it’s actually kind of cool because the exact place where the tram took us was the exact place where “Moses parted the Red Sea” in the 10 Commandments with Charlton Heston.  BUT, in this case we were stranded tourists on a tram from the studio and we got an up close and personal visit from ‘JAWS’!  Brian was holding the camera as we rode through the waters and the picture–while timeless–doesn’t give full appreciation to the moment of ‘impact’!  You can’t make this stuff up!

And so tonight we busted open a fine Zinfandel from the state of California! Yep, who would have thought that we’d open a Zin route, but there seemed to be enough demand that we moved on to different sort of zin…one that isn’t quite as big and bold but still had some flavor.  And since it’s Shark Week, we decided that it was ‘appropriate’ to try Bass Creek Zinfandel from California!  Yep…and you can almost here the theme from JAWS playing in the background.  The wine isn’t going to set you on fire. . .at least it didn’t do that for us.  The nose was a bit bitter. . .not what we’ve come to expect from good Zinfandels.  The initial taste was a bit tart…even tangy…and with little or no fruit to the taste.  As the bottle stayed open, we noticed a green pepper taste packaged with some earthiness and a bit of cedar.  Maybe it was just us but we also picked up on a serious chocolate note. . .and so, we had to pull out some dark chocolate covered almonds!  Ahhh, what better way to enjoy a so-so wine than to enhance with chocolate covered—ANYTHING!  Overall, not the greatest bottle of wine, but at the same time, it did get better as we enjoyed it.

Whether it’s SHARK WEEK or just another manic Tuesday, you’ll want to surround yourself with family and friends and share the good times.  Here in our part of the world it’s hotter than blazes. . .104 today and upwards of 107 to 109 before the weekend. . .whew. . .take a break and enjoy the coolness of the air conditioning!

Remember to enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and recycle whenever possible – and don’t leave your wine in the car during this heat wave ….. not good for it.