Reconnecting

This week I've had the opportunity to reconnect with some friends I hadn't seen for awhile.

I saw my niece Savannah and helped her celebrate her 17th birthday.

I spent a little over an hour with JoAnn hearing what's happening with her and her husband Jeff.

I spent half a day with Steve, Susie, Mike, Mark and Janelle working on a new video for Compassion.

I ran into Randy and was able to spend a few moments with him just saying hello and chatting about life.

There was Stephanie, Steve and Suzie - different from the Steve and Susie above - who I am in contact with fairly frequently by email or telephone but I got to see them in person this time.

I met some new friends, Mike and Jeff. Great guys with great hearts and a lot of energy!

Next week I get to spend time with Keely again. I haven't had the chance to talk with her in...well, it's been too long. My friend Spence will be there, too.

Overall, I would have to say it's been a pretty good week! I hope things continue to go this direction.

Red Red Wine

I like red wine. Wait. That's a lie. I love red wine! For some reason I've never acquired much of a taste for white wine. I may even have a bit of an allergy to it as I tend to get a bit congested after drinking some. But pour me a glass or two of a rich, robust red and I'm your friend for life – or at least the evening. Of course my primary reasons for drinking a glass or two of red wine are the documented health benefits that come along with it. Yeah..that's it, the health benefits!

There's a whole mystique surrounding wine tasting and choosing a good wine that used to intrigue me. The reviewers talking about hints of chocolate or berries or other flavors always sound great. Personally I've never really been able to pick out those distinctions when I've actually tried the wine. I guess all the cheap beer I drank in college must have tainted my taste buds. My technique is far more simple than what the experts put themselves through. I find someone who has similar taste or make friends with the manager of the local liquor mart and ask for recommendations. So far I haven't been disappointed.

I've had the opportunity to drink some highly rated reds over the years. Silver Oak comes to mind as a nice, smooth, fine tasting wine. At $125 + for a bottle it's not something I have on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, I've only had it once when a great friend of mine shared a bottle he had been given as a parting gift when he left an internet design company he helmed for a period of time. Someone really appreciated what he had done and let him know with a great gift!

Here's a sample of some of what's in my "cellar" at the moment.





What I've come to discover is that it's not that difficult to find a really good bottle of red for less than $20 or $30. I'm talking something that really doesn't leave me longing for the Silver Oak but actually gives it some stiff competition!

These wines are very nice, full bodied reds that can either stand alone or go well with a meal. I've never really adhered to the white meat/white wine, red meat/red wine rules. I've found that you can pair red's with just about anything successfully. Some old school wine connoisseurs are probably picking themselves up off the floor about now.

Relaxing with good friends and a good bottle of red typically makes for a great evening. We should get together and try it sometime!