Newport on the Levee is an entertainment complex located in Newport, Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati and I attended their Jazz, Art and Wine Festival Friday evening with my girlfriend and her husband. The gifted pianist William Menefield pictured below, along with two other talented musicians entertained the crowd!
Tag Archives: Wine
Lets “Wine” a little
I love wine! Up until a year or two ago, I was satisfied with cheap wine. That’s when I met my girlfriend Dee. She has turned me into a wine snob. I belong to an organization through meetup.com that devotes itself to tasting and drinking wine. My favorite is Chardonnay. You can find all types of unique glasses and products for the drinking, transport and enjoyment of wine.
Last year, the discovery of the world’s oldest winery in Armenia, was announced. Archaeologists from the University of California believe it dates back to 4100 B.C.
Which countries produce the most wine? Here’s a list of the top 10:
1. Italy
2. France
3. Spain
4. United States
5. Argentina
6. Australia
7. South Africa
8. Germany
9. Chile
10. Portugal
It is a common misconception that all wines improve with age. In fact, more than 90 percent of all wines should be consumed within one year
In 2008, the top five wine-producing states in the U.S. were California (3.4 million tons of grapes crushed for wine), Washington (145,000 tons), New York (45,000 tons), Oregon (40,000 tons), and Pennsylvania (13,200 tons).
According to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, there are 100 calories in a 5-ounce glass of wine (compared to 150 calories in a 12-ounce beer). Plus wine is a fat-free and cholesterol-free drink.
The wine skin is a great deal at $5.99 for a set of 2, through winestuff.com. They are leak proof and puncture resistant. Great for traveling! 
Cheers!
Painting Wine Glasses
Yesterday was a fun day! I arranged for some of my girlfriends to get together and take a wine glass painting class. Living Social had a deal for $15 per person. I brought some wine so we could loosen up as we painted! Jen (the artist) had some snacks for us. Here we are before we started painting…and drinking…
We spent about 1 1/2 hours being creative. Having looked at some examples on Pinterest first, I found it easier to become inspired. If you made a mistake or didn’t like the direction you were headed in, you could wipe it clean with alcohol. You’re supposed to wait 24 hours and then bake them at 325 for 40 minutes.
Our conversation was as colorful as our glasses!
April and Gina and their lovely creations…
I particularly liked the dot theme that Cindy and Dee chose…
I think Jen (the artist) enjoyed herself as much as we did…
I wanted a photo of us all holding our glasses and at first we were prim and proper and then Jen suggested we liven things up…so we did…
Thank God for girlfriends!!
Pinterest–Chalkboard Bottom Wine Glasses
I completed another Pinterest DIY project. Since I belong to a wine tasting club…and I love to drink wine, I thought this would be perfect for me. The craft stores now have a new spray paint that makes your surface like a chalkboard.
So…when sprayed on the bottom of your wine glass…you can then individualize each glass according to who’s drinking from it.The first step is to place painter’s tape around the stem and then I used alcohol on a paper towel to clean the rim. I used a box in the garage and held each glass inside where I sprayed a light coat on each.
You need to let that coat dry for about 20 minutes and then spray again.
They turned out pretty well. I need to look for chalk that has a smaller writing edge so I can make my writing look prettier.
The main ideas I get from Pinterest are recipes. I’ve been cooking more now than I ever have since finding Pinterest! I’ll post soon with my favorite recipes.
50 Things I Love
1. Hiking through the woods followed by a break
near Durango, Colorado
2. A beautiful sunset
Santa Fe, New Mexico
3. Talking to a friend
4. Pretty colors…the blue sky…green trees…colorful flowers
5. Watching the snow fall while sitting in front of a fire
6. The sound of church bells
7. Having a great dream
8. Cappuccino
9. Planning a trip…almost as good as taking the trip
10. Crying when you feel like it
11. The sound of crickets and tree frogs on a summer night
12. Having a clean house
13. Hot shower with yummy smelling soap
14. The feel of the wind and sun on you while riding in a boat
15. Finishing a project
16. Getting the job you wanted
17. A body massage
18. Lotions and Potions
19. The lazy warm feeling in the morning before getting out of bed
20. Lying on the beach soaking up the sunny sun
21. Reading a great book
22. Wearing a soft sweater
23. Stretching
24. Petting a dog or cat and watching their eyes droop
25. Listening to a great song while driving a convertible
26. Taking a nap
27. Feeling sexy
28. Laying down at night when you’re really tired
29. Sitting in a hot tub staring at the stars
30. Drinking a glass of good wine
31. Surprising someone with a gift or good deed
32. Visiting a beautiful European city or anywhere in the world…
Lisbon, Portugal
33. Laughing really hard and long
34. Wildly dancing for an hour or two
35. Feeling tipsy
36. Kissing passionately…
37. Watching a good movie
38. Cooking and savoring a delicious meal
39. People watching
40. Cuddling
41. The sound of the waves at the beach and…the smell
42. Taking a long sweaty jog
43. Playing with a child
44. Taking cool photographs
45. Winning
46. The smell of freshly baked bread
47. Flirting
48. Looking younger than you are
49. Being able to scratch where you itch
50. Believing in miracles and magic
As I was making the list…I realized everything on my list is simple, basic and doesn’t cost much money. Except for the traveling part! It made me feel good just thinking of these things!
O’Bryonville Christmas Walk
On my quest to explore more of Cincinnati, my friend Dee and I went to the O’Bryonville Christmas walk last night. It was fun…all of the shops had free wine and snacks! This is another area of Cincinnati that I don’t usually frequent, but who could pass up free wine!
Some of the arts and crafts were very interesting and “crafty”! These are quite whimsical!
The “hair like” photo below is actually a lampshade! And…the last photo that looks like a flower is a chandelier with cloth draped on the ceiling!
The materials that some of these things are made out of are unique!
I know it’s a little early for Christmas decorations…but here are some that were displayed. I know it’s kinda wierd…but I already put my Christmas tree up. I usually wait until after Thanksgiving, but I had the time!
We stopped into the Phyllis Weston Art Gallery and saw some works by Mark Patsfall. The lady in the photo is the owner.
Here I’m snapping a photo of us in a mirror above us at a restaurant we stopped in!
Events like these are nice because you get some exercise, meet new people, eat, drink and be merry!
