First BoozyLife convention visit this year, and it’s happening on the West Coast! Keep your eyes peeled, here and on my social media feeds–we’re visiting the Bay Area this weekend to check out the 13th annual Bay Area Tattoo Convention, and hopefully visit and catch up with tattoo friends we haven’t seen in far too long…and check out Golden Moon Art Gallery!
Seriously, though…is that not the best tattoo convention poster artwork, ever? Check out Horimoto’s Mon Mon Cats E-store for tees, prints, and more-all featuring these virally popular designs! (Monmon cats online store)
Yesterday, I made a little trip off the wine trails to visit The Monarch Butterfly Grove, Pismo Beach CA. It was absolutely something I plan on doing often in winter! I have read about the migration of the Monarch butterflies, where colonies of up to twenty thousand spend the winter from October until February. The butterflies cluster on the limbs of the Eucalyptus trees in Pismo State Beach park, a beautiful and tiny area to see such a concentration of wings. On first look, you see hardly any Monarchs, except for a few lilting gently in the breeze. As your eyes adjust, the fluttering clumps of leaves seem to shift before your eyes, an illusion of wings. It’s truly a breathtaking experience. Last year, the count swelled to twenty five thousand in February. Yesterday’s officially posted count came in at around fifteen thousand, which was utterly incredible to witness. A not to be missed, FREE stop, right off of HWY 1 on the coast…bring your own beverages!
Greece is a must-visit for me. I come from Greek heritage on my father’s side, plus my love for wine has led me to time and time again to the region. It’s finally time for me to explore the land of my ancestors, with not one, but TWO events in May that are close to my heart!
The 11th International Athens Tattoo Convention will take place May 11-13th in Athens, Greece. The three day show will feature an impressive list of A-list tattoo artists traveling to Athens from all over the world, artwork, contests, and, of course, tattooing. I’m trying to plan it so this convention will kick off BoozyLife’s Tattoo and Wine Tour of Greece 2017…
May 25th-28th brings the second half of the tour, with the official #WineLover meetup in Thrace, Greece. Luiz Alberto, founder of The Wine Hub blog and LifeLover extraordinaire has teamed up with Ted Lelekas and I Love Greek Wine to celebrate the anniversary of the WineLover community–and I’ve been invited to attend!
The Molina’s have finally settled into our little RV spot, located on the central coast of California! Our Vogue is parked in Morro Bay, surrounded by views of rolling hills, trees, and cattle lowing in the distance, above the community. We are loving it!
Morro Bay is a small beach town of around 10,000 people. Less than fifteen miles away from downtown San Luis Obispo, this little coastal gem takes it name from Morro Rock, a volcanic cap at the mouth of the bay.
The Morro Strand beach is covered in sand dollars, whale watching and dolphins cruise the area, and sea lions bark at fisherman for treats.
One of the main industries is tourism, and it exists happily with the local fishing vessels that in turn provide seafood to bayfront dining spots. There are a few wine spots I will be checking out here, now that I’m a local and we are mostly settled. Honestly, I could use some wine and unwind time….
We have left the snow and cold of the Finger Lakes for the sunshine and surf of San Luis Obispo, CA!
Currently, our big ole RV is in New Mexico–tomorrow, I will be hitting a bucket list tasting at Caduceus Cellars in Jerome, AZ. For those that aren’t in the know–Maynard James Keenan of Tool, Puscifer and A Perfect Circle, master of ceremonies and creator of much of the soundtrack of my life is also the owner and hands on winemaker. Homework–check out the movie Blood into Wine about Maynard’s love of AZ viticulture 💀🍷
Well, that’s pretty much it! Harvest 2016, for the Finger Lakes wine area of upstate NY, is in the bag. Winemakers are busy in the cellars, but the backbreaking labor of bringing in the fruit is over.
Watkins sunset on Seneca
The drought of summer 2016, along with hot late summer temperatures, created a harvest situation different than in years past. Usually, whites ripen first, and there is a window of staggered time to pick the grapes. This year, almost every variety was ready to pick at once, creating a push for helping hands–as well as a more aggressive grape seller’s market. Winemakers that buy grapes had to make fast decisions or be priced out to the next highest bidder. ‘Time crunch’ was the big term of this year’s harvest.
riesling ready to go
I had the opportunity once again to get my hands dirty and hand pick for a few different, local, smaller FLX grape growers. First-hand knowledge of grapes and fields make for a more educated taster and pourer of wines, so I take the chance where and when I can.
I exclusively hand picked on Seneca Lake this year-Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc. As always, I learned so much from the people I worked with, the experience alone was worth the labor put in. Long hours, little pay (mostly), but you really get out of it what you put into it, and the access you get to the winemakers will absolutely change how you think about making (and drinking!) wine. Even Master Somm’s sort grapes in the FLX
Look for 2016 vintage FLX reds as well to be exceptional–the extensive drought and heat really created an intense, smaller crop of beautiful fruit. I’ll be back in NY from California next year to try some of the Rieslings, Cabernet Francs, and Gewurtztraminers, that I helped pick, for sure…
I’m not going to talk about wine (yet), or tattoos, or even how the two were a huge part of my trip to Lodi, California and the Wine Bloggers Conference 2016 (WBC Website) this past weekend. I reconnected, we networked, we drank, and it was a fantastic time. More about that soon.
This post is about air travel.
It has taken me three years to become what I would consider a decent traveler. I am a nervous flier (but better each trip), get motion sick in moving vehicles, boat sick on the water, and generally arrive in much worse shape than I started in. I am a walking advertisement for Sea Bands, Bonine, and Rescue Remedy….(feel free to sponsor me). Four years ago, flying cross country, alone, would have been an absolute, panic attack inducing no-go.
What happened?
I was tired of that debilitating, paralyzing fear being “my normal.” I wanted to see the world for myself. I went for hypnotherapy sessions. I tried different medications. I exist out of my comfort zone, being afraid and doing it anyway. I’m living life, and occasionally it makes me nauseous along the way! So what. Sick is uncomfortable, miserable…but do-able. Find the tricks that work for you. Eat the Pringles. Chew ginger candies. Valium and headphones work wonders.
So, here’s why I’m proud.
My journey to Sacramento airport from Syracuse, NY was supposed to be a relatively easy, two plane trip. Thanks to air traffic control and the airline I was on (United, not that it mattered, everything was a mess), it became apparent that this first time solo cross country jaunt was going to be a test to my mental fortitude as well. Delays led to missed connections and overnight groundings.
What did I do?
Not panic! I made the best of it, and planned ahead when I could. Always find outlets and chargers. Keep an empty water bottle handy.
I bought myself a fuzzy pillow and blanket set when it became apparent that I would be sleeping overnight on the Denver airport carpeted terminal floor. I amused myself at five am playing Pokemon Go (seriously). Buy the good headphones, you’ll be glad you had them. Nap when you can.
I MADE IT. FOURTEEN HOURS LATE.
Don’t freak out. Try to be cool to the other travelers surrounding you. I had some very lovely people give me tips and help me out in a couple of tough spots. Airline staff is also dealing with some major shit, so a little bit of nice can go a long way towards getting you rebooked. Don’t be THAT asshole. You know who I’m talking about.
My very first cross country solo flight? I would call it a “trial by fire,” successful escape from New York.
I’m currently sitting in Syracuse airport, starting the journey to Lodi, California! Hundreds of wine and lifestyle writers will be spending this weekend exploring local wines, farm to table foods, and networking–and BoozyLife will be one of them!
WBC2016 looks to be a very informative and fun weekend….you can follow along right here, live time on Twitter @boozylife, on my FB BoozyLife page…and look for some Periscope videos on @BoozyLife, because why the hell not 🍷😎🍾 #SeeYouInLodi
Anyone for a rosé brunch and a pig roast?? You can follow along tomorrow with updates here, on my Facebook page, on IG as @missusmolina, or with Twitter @BoozyLife….
Tomorrow’s festivities–Rosé Brunch at The Rook in Ithaca, followed by a vineyard pig roast at Lamoreaux Landing in Lodi 🍷
