– Original date: 2015-11-06
– Labels: Photography, Recycled

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I had a moderately successful blog before called Sara Ivy (or SaraIvy.Org as I always wrote it). It’s pretty much defunct now and the URL re-routes here. But I wanted to pull some of the blog posts from that blog and recycle them here (they will also be under the Recycled label). They are some of my favorite and some of my most viewed posts and this was one of them.

On Tuesday my mom, my grams and I went on a little trip up the California coast and went wine tasting at the Gainey winery and then went onto Chumash Casino (it was dreadful) and after that we stopped for some picture taking in Solvang. My grams lives in a gated elderly community and they do these outings every once in a while and my mom and I like to go with my grams because whenever my grams wants to do something we humor her. As she puts it, “I’m old. I have to do it while I’m able! Since Louie passed I can do some of the things we wanted to do but couldn’t do and I want to do it before I can’t!”

The Gainey vineyards were spectacular. They were established in 1984 (so not much older than myself) and are completely family owned. We were given a tour, followed by a tasting and we spent about an hour and bought one bottle of their delicious wine.

The vines are labeled, this was my favorite from the vine.

Wine tasting is done in the barrel room

My Grams

The Bottle Room

Full o’ wine

My First Red

This summarizes my family pretty well

Wine Glass Selfies are the new Solo/Red Cup Selfie

California

No dogs allowed

I took this last picture because the lady at the gift shop was literally gushing over me. It was kind of weird. She had been staring at me in the beginning of the tour because the first place you go is the gift shop, then you go through the tour and end up back at the gift shop. So in the midst of the woman ringing us up she stops what she is saying and she turns to me and she goes “I’m sorry but you are just so gorgeous.” Being me I didn’t know what to say. No one ever says to me, like they are Regina George, “You’re like, really pretty.” That’s not just not something that gets said to me. Sure, guys who I’ve gone on dates with have said I looked very beautiful or pretty but I feel like they say it because it is expected. I mean I would and have taken note when guys have said it and when they haven’t. Every now and then I’ll take extra care to do my make up or something and my mom will say I look nice. Funny thing is, the second this lady started doting on me my mother and my grams were tripping over themselves to say they were my mother and grandmother. It was hilarious. Mom: “Oh thank you! That’s my baby. I have one other daughter and a son but she’s my baby.” Grams: “And that’s my granddaughter. She’s the second youngest I have….”

Anyways, after this we went to the casino. I blew the only $20 I had in one machine but I’m pretty good at picking out machines for my grams to play because she won $55 on the first machine I set her down on and then the last one I picked out for her she won $80. So it was a good day for my grams. After the casino we went to into Solvang.

Solvang is pretty much a touristy replica of what little towns look like in Denmark. I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been but I hope it’s true. Otherwise I demand a refund! My pictures are but a mere fraction of what you can see and do there. Seriously, it’s so cute and so big and festive. I’d love to live in a little town like that and have a neat little soap shop right there!

Because wine tasting isn’t enough, my mom stole my flask to put gin in for my grams and herself. I realize my family looks like a bunch of alcoholics right now and I can’t even care.

I hate the glare but it’s too cute not to post a giraffe in viking armor!

Oh and I almost forgot. I got this cute little mint “tin” but I threw away the mints because they tasted like caca and I’m going to use it to put my SD cards in. So cute. It was between this and sugar skulls. My mom and my grams said fox. Looks like you guys aren’t the only ones who are sick of the skulls!

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