Asti

It's a small bottle, just perfect for two glasses. It is a wonderfully sweet wine made from the moscato bianco grown in the hill region of Piedmont where 5 million years ago the retreating Adriatic laid down the rich deposits of limestone and sandstone. So  much in such a tiny bottle.

Wine route trip

It's always nice to walk along the lake in Peachland and stop in at Bliss Bakery for a cinnamon knot.

A Japanese mandarin box for five dollars; that is what I found at Carousel Antiques in Summerland and right next door a wonderful bakery that makes french chocolate buns.

This is the painting that decorates the side of the packing house in Naramata.

The Linen Shop in Naramata always has fresh flowers by the door.

A nice place to sit and watch the world go by.

The Massage Center in Osoyoos has this wonderful grape vine wreath by the front door.

Stopped in at NK'MIP Cellars for the first time; well worth the visit.

Osoyoos; not the little town we remember.

Ice cream and lotto; that is why we usually stop here in Oliver. I enjoyed my double waffle cone of chocolate fudge and rocky mountain raspberry ice cream but Mr. Cowboy was not a happy camper; they do not have lotto anymore. I did share my ice cream with him.

Okanagan Falls; great wineries and a huge outdoor flea market.

This is what we came across as we were leaving Naramata; a help yourself vineyard.

The truck needs a bit of work and the barrels are empty but we still like Red Rooster Winery.

I am not a fan of VW vans but I could not resist including a picture of this beauty at Ruby Blossoms Winery.

Love the sideboard at The Bench in Penticton.

But what I love more then the sideboard is the Benny with capicollo ham, sweet potato hash, and grapes. Good thing The Bench is a 150 miles away otherwise.....

Vino

'A day without wine is like a day without sunshine.'
I don't know who said that but they were on to something.

Terry Fox Sunday

It was a perfect morning for the Terry Fox Run; cool and breezy, sunny and warm. We started off early so we had the trail all to ourselves. Brunch at Cowboy Coffee.

With the help of the Barefoot Contessa, I roasted up some spuds, leeks, and onions, added some stock and white wine and pureed it all in the blender for a very creamy soup. No need for cream, just a nice sprinkling of parmesan, and a glass of wine to complete the meal.

Tomatoes and sunflowers

Two of my favourite things; tomatoes and teddy bear sunflowers. The weather is decidedly cooler so we have been busy picking all the tomatoes. The sunflowers are from the market; I did not grow any this year but I will certainly put some in next spring.

More shorts

These shorts for Maura were so quick and easy to make. The fun part is choosing a label from my collection to stitch to the front of the shorts. The label I used belonged to something of Maura's because she put her initials on it. Perfect!

Brown eyes

It's only a five minute walk but sometimes it feels a world away. Some benches are in the shade so it's perfect to sit, have lunch, and listen to the splashing fountain and the birds. It is quite nice right now with all the flowers putting on the last show and these are my favourite. How can you be blue once you have gazed upon these little faces?

Bayview curtains

I made curtains. Not something I usually do; I don't even care for curtains. But in the process of making these ones for TG's apartment in Toronto, I realized that I really like sewing and I can actually make curtains (Mr. Cowboy helped) that are nice enough to hang even though I had to 'patch' them up because I didn't have enough of the beautiful toile fabric.

And these are reversible; TG's idea and she picked out the fabric.

The white cotton cutwork is a tablecloth that I just bought two weeks ago at the big sale at VV. I think it looks really sharp. Hope TG likes it.

Blue moon ragu

We cannot go out into the garden without a bowl; the tomatoes are small but there are lots of them.

The beans have made it all the way through the deck but, sadly, no beans this year.

Another great book from Frances Mayes - The Tuscan Sun Cookbook. I made Giusi's Ragu and it was good but the recipe did not call for chili pepper flakes so I added a pinch or two just to liven it up a little.

Two full moons in one month; hope everyone enjoyed the blue moon last night.

And yesterday I found a wonderful package in my mailbox from the giveaway at French General. Lots of neat notions that I am planning on using on my next set of cards to sell at the store.