Wine Fest 2008

In honor of Michelle Wine-O-Wednesdays I thought I would post about my weekend at the Red, White, and Blues Wine Festival in Santa Barbara, CA. It was a huge festival with over 400 California wineries. Needless to say, I wasn't able to taste from every winery, but I tried my best! I tried to only taste the wines that were the specialities of that paticular winery. I also tried to stay away from wines that are from the nearby Santa Ynez valley. I was a little disappointed with some of the vendors when I asked them "what is your speciality?" and their reply was "wine." I was hoping for a little more insight than that.


Of all the wines I tasted, I do have a favorite from the afternoon. A 2006 Pinot Noir from Peter's Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast crafted Kokomo Wines. I am not a huge Pinor Noir fan but this wine was fantastic! The wine gives a bold flavor of ripe strawberries and spices. It also has a wonderful smoky vanilla aroma. It is way more than I would regularly spend on a bottle, but it would be great for a special occasion.


I may try to follow Michelle's lead, but with a teeny, tiny twist. I may try "Vino Venerdi." Vino Venerdi will be dedicated to trying new wine and preparing new dinner dishes to pair with the wine. Thanks for the great idea Michelle!

It's Official

I am a card carrying member of the SCUBA community. Mark and I had our final certification dives last weekend. We saw a ton of aquatic life including a color changing octopus and a Volkswagen sized Gaint Black Sea Bass. I can't wait for our next trip.

Julsrud Family Visit

My family came to visit this past week. It was great! We did so much stuff that I think we all need another week off to recover. We did everything from wine tasting in the Santa Ynez valley to hiking on Santa Cruz (one of the Channel Islands). Everything we did was incredibly fun, but truly the best part of all was just being with family. I can't wait for the next time they all come out.

Culinary Exploration

One of the best parts about moving to a new region of the country is culinary exploration. And who better to tryout previously unexplored foods than family. My family is staying with me this week and both my brother and mother are excellent cooks, who are undaunted and adventurous in the kitchen. So why not ... Jon wanted crab, we can make crab! It was one of the most fun meals both in preparation and consumption that I have had in a while (minus my anniversary dinner at San Ysidro Ranch).


Jovial Crabs

1 cup Kosher Salt
2 tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup distilled vinegar
live Dungeness or Rock Crab

Don't cook alone! Get family and friends gathered. Add salt, seasoning, and vinegar to approximately 10 qt. of water. Laugh and have a great time with family/friends while waiting for pot to boil. Add crab to boiling pot. Take approximately 10 minutes to enjoy your company or until crab turn a lovely shade of pink. Let crab cool enough to handle. Enjoy!


Rasmussen Butter

Melt butter add fresh lemon juice and enjoy with crab.

The 731 Happiest Days of My Life

Open Water

Goldfish Bowl

I went on my first dive this weekend. It was awesome! I was introduced to a whole new underwater world. It had just been lying there in wait under 30 feet of water. It was a totally great experience and I can't wait for my next dive...but I must admit that I was really nervous. I had a momentary panic attack on my second dive. Fortunately, I had a great dive instructor, Michael from Anacapa Dive Center, that got me through it. I am actually a little relieved that I had a moment of panic. It gave me a bit of confidence. I am really looking forward to the next dive when I can relax a little more and just enjoy what is going on all around me.


The dives were at Anacapa Island. The Raptor took us to three different locations: Windfield Scott, Goldfish Bowl, and one other one I can't recall the name of. We saw a Bat Ray, an Angel Shark, and a Spanish Shawl nudibranch on our first dive. The Spanish Shawl was my favorite. It is this incredibly vibrant little slug looking thing with a purplish/bluish body and orange gummy bear like spikes coming out of it. I have never seen anything like it before.


The dives were all in Kelp forests. I never thought kelp was anything special but swimming amongst it underwater really changed my mind. The kelp was gorgeous. The little bulb bits seemed to emit their own light. It was something magical and other worldly. It was very dream-like "floating" through the kelp. It was like nothing I had ever experienced, the way the light filters through the water and between the kelp. It was crazy to be swimming through the kelp looking up at schools of fish. I really can't wait to go again.