Vixen- Book Club

Hostess: Kelly

Book: Vixen by Jillian Larkin

Food:Cheese Pesto tortellini, hummus, veggies and dip, strawberry/pineapple fruit salad, baguette, Kelly's cheese puffs, watermelon, Coldstone Creamery Cupcakes

Wine of the Night: Sangria (we never made it past the huge jug of Sangria- although the Lulu B. bottle looked cute!)

Month: July

Last night book club was sultry with a side of sultry.  The hottest day of the summer, and our group of women were feeling it.  Hot and humid, we combated the heat with wine glasses full of icy sangria. Even the wine bottles were sweating.  Kelly's table was set so picturesque, by the way, that I have resolved to bring my camera to future book clubs. However, this weather did not bring book club down- in fact it led to one of our most entertaining book clubs to date, I think. 

Most of us had read the book - which I have to say looked perfect on the table in Kelly's house.  Kelly was upset that the end was a cliffhanger; I said it was hard for me to remember they were still in high school.  It would throw me every time one of the characters would mention that they had school the next day.  Most of us agreed the characters were not that likable, especially Gloria- she was boring and even her rebellion seemed too perfectly cliche.  I actually liked Lorraine - she was a hot mess, and that made her interesting.  Jennifer said that it drove her nuts when Clara referred to her ex-boyfriend as the Cad, and I couldn't stand them constantly referring to Clara as "Country Clara" every time they talked about her.  I get the point already!

While the book had its ups and downs, it was the perfect book to discuss on a hot night - jazz, booze, boys..all our book club needed last night was jazz.  It seemed we strayed off the topic of the book quite often to discuss our favorite characters on True Blood - mainly Eric and Alcide.  And Sam and Jason.  And how they looked shirtless.  Which is not something we ever sit around and discuss! Blame it on the sultry air and the sangria. I am.

Next book club is Alyssa's pick - I will let you all know what it is when I find out. 


You can read my whole review of this book at my book blog, Quixotic Magpie.

Ramblin Rainy Day

A perfect, perfect rainy day. Billy and I originally were going to head to Saugatuck and hang out, but quickly realized that was just a direction, and not really our destination. We wanted to take the day slowly, and if we saw a sign for something off the expressway that sounded interesting, we were going to check it out. So basically, we hit the road and headed west. (by the way, that is not our car, I just loved all their bumper stickers)

We didn't make it too far before we found our first stop off, Hudson Mills Metropark. This is a great metro park! We didn't spend too much time here, just walked along the river a bit, and then looked for a mill that didn't exist. I did spot a multitude of Cedar Waxwings along the river, diving and swooping above the rapids. The park itself was pretty empty, and we blamed it on the gray clouds above, threatening to pour rain at any minute. We made a mental note to come back and kayak here one day.

Further down the road, we saw a billboard for free wine tastings at a local winery, the Sandhill Crane Vineyards. We decided, what better thing was there to do around 2:00 on a rainy Saturday but sample a few wines? And it was a neat little winery! The rain was just gently drizzling when we went in, and the building itself was all warm wood with a wide low slung covered porch that just invited you to sit on it and enjoy a few tastes. So inviting that there weren't any tables left. Nor were there any spots at the bar inside, where you can actually just go and hang out and order regular glasses of wine. But there was a room in the back with tables, and that is where we wound up.

We had a tiny older woman named Alice as our pourer, and she was really kept busy- not just by us, but by everyone in back. By this point, it was pouring rain outside, and it was such a cozy feeling to be inside watching it come down. Sandhill Cranes has an extensive selection, and no limit to how many you can taste. We didn't go crazy, since we still needed to drive home, but we did taste about 6 each. They had some interesting ones with Michigan blueberry flavors and honey, including the Blue Skies Wine, which I loved; Billy really liked the dessert wine Sugar Snow, which had some maple sap flavors in it from actual Michigan Maple syrup, which I hated. But then, I hate maple syrup and maple stuff, so that wasn't a surprise. My absolute favorite was the Abraza, and it had nothing to do with the fact that for every bottle bought, $2 of the proceeds are donated to the Cascades Humane Society. Billy and I would wander into the winery that supports animal rescue, fate kismet and all that. They have three animals, two dogs and a cat, and all are pictured on different bottles of wine. Rusty the Lab is on the Abraza, Rosie the Terrier is on the Sassy Rose, and Miel the calico is on the Miel Amour. The best part is that they are wandering about the property and the building, so we got to meet them.

We had a great time, and actually didn't spend much money. We split a grilled cheese at the Metro Park, and then ordered the Salmon Spread plate at the vineyard, and the total for both came to $10.00. We did buy a bottle or two of wine, but that was not a necessary expense- the whole day could have cost us the ten bucks and the half tank of gas. We found a few new places to visit, and just enjoyed a slow rainy day together. I can't wait for our next rainy road trip!