Rex Goliath

This is the second selection in my new hobby of learning about WINE.

Again, I chose this wine because of it's label. I have a love for roosters (...because of my grandmother. I'll have to blog about that sometime!), so this one caught my eye!

As I said before in my previous post, my favorite wine is White Zinfandel. But, because I like to be adventurous... I decided to try other types of white wines. This one is a CHARDONNAY.

I found this website on the bottle --- http://www.rexgoliath.com/. --- and here is what I learned about this particular wine...

HRM Rex Goliath California Chardonnay 2008

The Rex Goliath Chardonnay is fresh and lively with supple tropical fruit . . . a true expression of cool-coastal-climate Chardonnay. Abundant, ripe, tropical fruit flavors of pineapple and melon are coupled with well-integrated layers of creamy lemon curd and hints of vanilla.


I’ve added aromatic white varietals to provide layers of delicate floral notes coupled with bright citrus character. Round fruit and vibrant acidity are harmoniously balanced with the bold influence of French oak. The oak used for our wines is a proprietary blend of French oak, with varying degrees of toasting. This gives the Rex Goliath oak profile a distinct flavor, like no other wine on the planet!


To me, this is the ultimate food wine . . . it goes with everything from ahi tuna tartare, to Asian chicken salad, to good ol’ mac and cheese!


Cheers!
Marty Spate
Winemaker

This is what I found the most interesting about how the wine got it's name...

HISTORY

It is said that around the turn of the 20th century, traveling with a Texas circus, there lived a rooster named HRM (His Royal Majesty) Rex Goliath. A proud star of the circus, Rex was billed as the “World’s Largest Rooster,” weighing in at a “goliath” 47 pounds. Folks came from far and wide to behold the Giant, who proved to many he was no ordinary farm bird. Rex patiently sat at his circus roost, gazing fondly upon his many admirers, who traveled – some from across the state – to see him. A colorful poster, carefully painted with his visage, hung proudly above his throne.


In 2002, the Rex Goliath line of wines was born, with a colorful label replicating the one-of-a-kind vintage artwork from the circus banner that hung above Rex’s Roost (psst…the real vintage poster now hangs in all its glory, lording over the Rex Goliath headquarters in San Francisco!).


Our wines are a tribute to Rex's larger than life personality, with big, fruit-forward flavors that are sure to please. They capture classic California and express true varietal character. In essence, Rex is all about letting that robust California fruit express itself in an easy-to-drink, worry-free fashion. Enjoy!

Here's a photo of the poster in the above story --

I love stories, and what a great story this is! If you go to the website (above) there is information about the California vineyard and other wines that this vineyard offers.

My thoughts about this wine --- I didn't like it as well, at first. But, then... it grew on me and I really enjoyed it! It definitely gets a "Thumbs Up"!
Here is another photo of the back label.

I tried to "soak" the label off with hot water, but I failed to get it off. Oh well! Photo's will have to do as far as my collection of wine labels go. Here's a closer picture of the label.

A to Z Blog Challenge ~ G

Today's word is GOOD as in GOOD FRIENDS.

I have recently learned what a "good friend" truly is.

A good friend is one that is loyal and always has your back, no matter what. They watch out for you.

Good friends are with you through good times and the bad.

A good friend is one that is there for you in times of crisis.

A good friend is always willing to just listen and not necessarily give advice. They respect your needs for confidentiality so you feel comfortable telling them anything. They are trustworthy.

A good friend will not judge or criticize you.

A good friend will forgive you if you make a mistake.

I have to give a "shout out" to a few special friends who I am honored to call my "GOOD FRIENDS".

To Valerie who was willing to go with me to meet the surgeon that was to perform my gall bladder operation, ... was one of the few people who called to check on me after my surgery,...  and was one of only 3 people who have come to visit me since my surgery. She brought me this beautiful flameless candle!

The words that are printed on the candle say.. "The road to a friends house is never long." I love it, Valerie! Thank you, again!

To Diana, my long distance best friend, who called on Friday, after my surgery to check on me, and then again, yesterday. I really appreciated your kind words and I know that if you lived closer that you would be over here every day!

To Karen, for coming to visit me in the hospital, after my surgery. What a wonderful surprise it was to see your sweet face!! Thank you so very much for coming to see me!

To Barb & Retha for the sweet cards that you sent and gave to me.

There were many other friends that have prayed for me (and still are!) over the last few weeks. Thank you so VERY much! It has been so comforting to know that you are doing that for me.

Thank you, Lord, for the good griends that you have provided for me. I pray that you watch over each one of them and that you help me to be a "good friend" to each of them, as well.

A to Z Blog Challenge ~ F

Today's WORDS (Yes, there are two again!) are FALL and FOOTBALL because I couldn't decide between the two and.... they kind of go together anyway! **Smile**

I love both of these things! Fall is my favorite season (along with Spring) of the year and football is my favorite sport out of them all! I look foward to these two things all Summer long!

This weekend, the temps outside are beginning to FINALLY feel like Fall! I am so happy! We have had a HOT summer, here in Georgia! Feeliing these cooler temps, make me anxious to wear my Fall wardrobe of Levi jeans, henley's, hoodies and Timblerland boots. It makes me want to be outside!! I can't wait to get past this surgery and get back to riding my bike again. I miss that SO much!! I can't wait to go camping and sit by a warm campfire on a cool evening. I can't wait to go camping and leave the air off and sleep with the canvas unzipped in our pop-up camper! (The camper that we bought back on July 4th and haven't even used yet!! I can't wait!!)

Then, there's my love for Football! Since I grew up in Atanta and have lived in Georgia all of my life, my favorite college team is the Georgia Bulldogs (The "Dawgs" if you are a real fan!) and the Atlanta Falcons are my favorite professional team. My Daddy taught me all there is to know about the game of football. I really miss watching (and listening to!) the games with him.

A to Z Blog Challenge ~ E

The word for today is EVIL. As in anesthesia is EVIL! I just had my gall bladder removed on Friday - 9/3/10, and it was also the first time that I have ever been put to sleep by anesthesia. I was a little nervous about this to begin with because I didn't know how my body would react to it.

Well..... I guess it could have been a lot worse... but, my reaction to it was NOT fun!! I pretty much had 24 hours of dizziness, headache and nausea.

Those of you that have been "put under" before are probably laughing at me, but I don't care! For me... this was NOT a fun experience and one that I don't want to go thru again anytime soon!

I do have to say that it DID work, because once they put that mask on me in the operating room.... I didn't feel a thing until they woke me up in the recovery room! ~ Amazing! ~ For THAT I am grateful!!

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Today, in this segment of

FRIDAY FUNNIES

I will share funny stories with you from this website:

http://www.comedy-zone.net/jokes/doctor.htm

I picked these DOCTOR jokes since today is the day of my long anticipated

gall bladder surgery!!

Prayers would be appreciated

~ Thank you!

WILL IT HURT MUCH, DOCTOR?

A woman goes to her doctor who verifies that she is pregnant. This is her first pregnancy. The doctor asks her if she has any questions. She replies, "Well, I'm a little worried about the pain. How much will childbirth hurt?"

The doctor answered, "Well, that varies from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy and besides, it's difficult to describe pain."

"I know, but can't you give me some idea?" she asks.

"Grab your upper lip and pull it out a little..."

"Like this?"

"A little more..."

"Like this?"

"No. A little more..."

"Like this?"

"Yes. Does that hurt?"

"A little bit."

"Now stretch it over your head!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN OLD COUPLE AT THE DOCTORS


An old couple go to the doctor. The old man goes first to have his physical. When the doctor is done with him, he sends the old man back into the waiting room and calls the old woman in.

The doctor tells her, "Before we proceed with the examination, I would like to talk to you about your husband first."

The old woman says, "Oh, no, it's his heart. I told him to lay off the eggs."

The doctor says, "Well, I asked your husband how he is feeling and he told me he felt great. He said that when he got up to go to the bathroom, he opened the door and God turned the light on for him. When he was done, he would shut the door and God would turn the light out for him."

The old woman responded, "Dang it, he's peeing in the fridge again!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TOP TEN THINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR IN SURGERY


1 Don't worry. I think it is sharp enough.

2 Nurse, did this patient sign the organs donation card?

3 Dang! Page 84 of the manual is missing!

4 Everybody stand back! I lost a contact lens!

5 Hand me that...uh...that uh.....thingie

6 Better save that. We'll need it for the autopsy.

7 "Accept this sacrifice, O Great Lord of Darkness"

8 Whoa, wait a minute, if this is his spleen, then what's that?

9 "Ya know, there's big money in kidneys. Hell, he's got two of'em

10 What do you mean "You want a divorce?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Friday to you!!

A to Z Blog Challenge ~ D

Today's word is D'Allen's, for D'ALLEN'S SALON and SPA. I'm not quite sure if "D'Allen's" is an actual word, but hey.... for me and my blog... it works!

This is where I go to get my hair "done", as we say here in the south.

 I go every 8 weeks to get my hair trimmed and highlighted.

I have been going to this same salon for approximately 4 years, I think. My path to find this salon and my hair dresser was quite an interesting one!

I used to go to one of the "quickie" salons, as I call them. You know.... the kind where you can walk in without an appointment, sign the "sign-in sheet", and then wait for some random girl (or woman) to call your name to "come on back". After going several times to the same place, I did find a lady that I liked and more importantly.... TRUSTED to do my hair.

Everytime I went to this "salon", I would always get just a trim, until one day, when my precious Dtr. #2 pointed out to me that she saw a few (YES. Only a FEW!) gray hairs on the top of my head!! It didn't bother me at first, but when she kept finding more and MORE... I quickly decided that I was NOT ready for this! So.... on my next visit to the "quickie salon", I decided that it was time for me to start getting "highlights" put into my hair. My natural hair color is a dark brown, so I got blonde highlights.

The first couple of times that I had this done, my hair looked great! But then....... the day came when the quickie salon lady SCREWED UP!!!! She used the wrong dye and my blonde highlights turned BURGANDY!!! Now, for some of you... this might have been a "cool" thing, but not for me! The quickie salon lady offered to "fix" my hair after apologizing..... but, I said "No, thank you!"

I went home in tears and called the best salon in town that I new of --- which was also the MOST expensive, by the way! UGH! -- and got an appointment with them for the next day. I was afraid to trust the "quickie" salons again and vowed that day to NEVER go to one again!!! I had to pay OVER $100 to get my hair "fixed"! YIKES!!

So.... now that my hair was "fixed", I now had to hunt for a new hair dresser. A REAL ONE! (No. I did not go back to the expensive salon!) I asked a few friends and that's how I ended up at D'Allen's Salon & Spa.

I now LOVE my hairdresser!! She is young and fun, but most of all..... she KNOWS WHAT SHE IS DOING!!! **Smile**

A to Z Blog Challenge ~ C

Today's words are (Yes! There are TWO!)
COLLEGE CLASS.
At my church, I lead the College Sunday School Class and I LOVE it!! The kids -- well.... really, they are "young adults", but I can't help but call them "kids"! -- are what make it so much fun!! Of course, having my own two girls in the class, makes it even better!

Since my girls were little, I have always served in one way or another that has something to do with the age that my girls were. I have taught Children's Sunday School. I have taught "Bible Buddies" on Wednesday nights for the kids. I have worked in all areas of Vacation Bible School, including being the director! I have led a Bible Study for Dtr. #1's age. I have helped with the Youth Group in all kinds of ways, and now that both of my girls are in college... I am leading their Sunday School class! You would think that they would be sick of me by now, but I guess they love me! **Smile**

This past Sunday, we had an event at our church called GET IN THE GAME. It involved all of the Sunday School classes and all of the small groups that are in our church. The idea was to get people "Off of the sidelines and into the game"... the "game" being ... more involved in other areas of church besides just worship.

Each Sunday School class or small group had to decorate a "booth" for the event. The "theme" of the event was FOOTBALL! So... my class went ALL OUT!! We got T-shirts made.... Hubby made a goal post for us....  and some of us got into the spirit of "the game" and painted our faces!!

Here are a few photos for you to enjoy!

Here I am with my class -- Standing, second from the left.

My helper is in the middle, kneeling, with her daughter. The rest are my "kids".

Here's some of my "kids" at our booth. The two girls in the middle really are MY KIDS!

We won the prize for the BEST TEAM SPIRIT!

It was a GREAT day!