HOLIDAY REUNION IN MURPHYS

Summertime and the livin’ is easy. Come Independence Day in Murphys, we celebrate with a family and friends reunion. Doug spends a couple days mowing and weed eating; raking the horseshoe pit, blowing up inner tubes and a multitude of other tasks to make ready.

Sister Karen set up his chair with a humorous note and identified garbage from recycling.

Preparation counts.

By 11:00 on Saturday, people began putting up their tents.

The adults enjoyed snacking…

while the kids jumped on the trampoline until they were temporarily exhausted and needed a rest.

Squirt guns were  popular items for keeping cool.

Sisters, Bev and Cathy.

By 2:00 everyone was ready for a cooling flume ride.

That is, everyone except our youngest, 4-year-old, Abbie, who fell asleep on Dad’s lap.

Doug challenged Anthony to swim to him in the swirling current.

The chicken and tri-tip are Doug’s strong forte.

The two best cooks. Norma brought her famous home-made Chili Verde with Peruvian yellow beans and rice.  (To die for.)

To by-pass mosquitoes, we hid inside and played Black Magic for a couple of hours.

The kids got to stay up really late and played on the trampoline with light sticks until everyone was ready to call it a night.  More tomorrow.

CAVERNOUS BEAUTY

Calaveras County has a series of underground venues-Mercer Cavern, Moaning Cavern and Cave City. Since Mercer is near Stevenot Vineyards, that was our first choice.
Mercer is a big cave and dates from 1865. The guided tour history is well done and fascinating when you review how Mercer and his friends went in on ropes with a candle for light, all of which is demonstrated.
Now stairs, (152 of them), platforms, and electric lighting, reveal the beauty of the formations. Mercer Cavern contains a rare formation that has a specimen housed in the Smithsonian. The place, in a word, gorgeous. Don't miss it if you travel to Murphys. Its only one of the reasons to love the motherlode

It was serendipity to meet Mike, the friendly, knowledgeable tasting room concierge. I've been here 31 years and still learned something new about wine. I love the Chardonnay and 2004 Cabernet. Mike found out about my friends, and our finding each other after sixty years. They found out it was his birthday, and serenaded him. So, of course we had to have a picture.
Can you tell we are having fun?

The lady at Upscale Resale in Murphys suggested we come to her store AFTER we went wine tasting. Love her sense of humor. And we did.