Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks…

My mother loved baseball. I remember helping her set up the television on the backyard patio, so she could sit outside and still enjoy the games. She loved Kelly Gruber and John Olerud, and every year had a scorebook so she could track stats all on her own.

A bunch of folks from work were at the Jays game against Tampa Bay last night. There’s really something about watching the local boys play. Well honestly, in my case, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the actual game. I was having too much fun talking and joking around with the people I work with. The expression on the boss’ face pretty much covers what we’re like on a daily basis.

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Photo courtesy of Merel van der Wouden

I did notice the Jays played an abysmal game, losing 12-2. We got to see Paredes’ first at bat. His was one of only five hits (the entire game). This is what it looks like when someone bats 1000.

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It was a night of fun and bonding over peanut shells. Since you asked… something about a bunch of nuts with nuts. Just assume “nuts” as in “crazy”, and not, you know…

blue-jays
Photo courtesy of Merel van der Wouden

Baseball…a game of skill, statistics, and teamwork. The only thing that could have made it better would have been an open dome at the Rogers Centre. Oh, and if I had taken video of the guy a couple rows in front of us. HE was utterly entertaining!

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Take your best shot…

It’s still the birthday weekend, so in addition to some wine tasting, it obviously makes sense to go to a shooting range the next day. Right? Right?

I have to say I was a little apprehensive about firing a gun, any gun, even at a target. What if I made a complete idiot of myself and miss every time? What if I can’t hit a target to save my life?

I had these visions of sitting in a classroom with 20 other people, learning the safety regulations and proper handling of a weapon. Not so, but a healthy respect for something that can potentially take a human life should still be had.

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Silverdale Gun Club (www.silverdalegunclub.com) is an awesome place to learn. You must wear the appropriate safety equipment that are issued to you when you arrive. The instructors have a sense of humour, but business is business. You learn how to properly handle a gun before you’re allowed to fire.

Today we had the Basic package: 20 rounds with a 22 cal, 20 rounds with a 9mm and 10 with an AR-15 rifle. 

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The 22 is my personal favourite of the three, though my friends preferred the other two. 

The most frightening thing today, was how GOOD we all were. SCARY good. I’m so unbelievably thankful the ladies are my friends, they’d be frightful enemies.

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Thanks to Silverdale and our instructor Ken for an amazing experience!

(and if you’re interested in going to a shooting range…be careful and stay safe!)

1 Wine, 2 Wine, 3 Wine, Floor…

It’s my best friend’s birthday weekend, so the girls are celebrating in style. Nothing quite like visiting our favourite Niagara vineyards for a sip, or two, or three…

First stop ended up being Forty Creek Distillery. No other whiskey drinkers, so the stop was pretty much just for me (and a pee break) before continuing on.

It seemed like we were visiting the vineyards in alphabetical order: Angel’s Gate, Aure Estates, Creekside, Featherstone, Hidden Bench, Honsberger Estates, and Organized Crime.

I think I bought the last four bottles of Gewürtztraminer from Featherstone about 3 years ago. Soooo disappointing that they haven’t made any since. All went well anyway, since I found 11 bottles of wine along the way. 

Angel’s Gate has an awesome Icewine and Pinot Gris.

 

Aure Estates has the only Gamay in the Niagara region. 

And Creekside had a Gewürztraminer from 2013. They only made 90 cases.

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We tasted a few wines at almost all of them and found some new favourites. We also made some new friends along the way.   

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Addendum: These are NOT all mine!

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More shenanigans coming up tomorrow!