In all my days I don't think I have ever seen so much orange. Sunset was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Just gorgeous!
Blog
The Cape Winelands
The South African Cape Winelands, origin of some of the world's most popular wines, is a premier Western Cape visitor attraction. The Cape's wine tasting, wine-making tours, and magnificent scenery collectively create an irresistible attraction for travellers. The winelands are made up of 6 regions, each with its own route: Stellenbosch, Paarl, Robertson, Franschoek, Wellington and Constantia.
The Stellenbosch Wine Route, South Africa's oldest, was founded in 1971. JC Le Roux, a world-renowned sparkling wine, is produced here. The town of Robertson, 2 hours' drive east of Cape Town, is home to the acclaimed Robertson Winery, winner of numerous international awards for its shiraz, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay varietals. The Franschoek Wine Valley is as famous for its food, and is acknowledged as the ‘gourmet capital of South Africa'.
The winelands were one of my favorite places to visit while in South Africa. At JC Le Roux, the heavenly pairings of sparkling wines with fine hand-made nougat was nothing short of sinful! The wine and chocolate experience at Waterford Estate was a unique flavor experience. They have have created a series of dark and milk chocolates that, when paired with their Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Natural Sweet wines give you totally unique taste sensation. The rolling hills and the beautiful fall foliage was just a beautiful site to see.
The Winners Announced
While I was in Africa, the San Diego County Fair announced the winners of the photography contests. My Ranunculus has placed second in the category! The Zion park image has also received an honorable mention. Both will be hanging up at the fair until July 4 for all to see.
Wine Harvest Photography Workshop
To register or for more information go to Fala Creative/workshops
The Town of Locke
While scouting for a workshop in the Lodi, CA wine region we came across a tiny town called Locke. It currently has about 70-80 residents and about 4 streets. Sometimes there is nothing better than exploring a region and stumbling upon a tiny piece of our past. Most buildings were locked up and closed, and some were leaning so much they looked as if they may fall over with the current rain storm we were battling. The town did have a restaurant, and a general shop with information books and maps of the region, but while we were there, not much else was open. The town was 20-30 minutes from Lodi and is worth a quick stop.
A brief history taken from the Locke Town website:
"Locke was founded in 1915 after a fire broke out in the Chinese section of nearby Walnut Grove. The Chinese who lived in that area decided that it was time to establish a town of their own. A committee of Chinese merchants, led by Lee Bing, Chan Hing Sai, Tom Wai, Chan Dai Kee, Ng So Hat, Chan Wai Lum, Chow Hou Bun, and Suen Dat Suin was formed. They approached land owner George Locke and inquired if they could build on his land. An agreement was reached. The town was laid out by Chinese architects and industrious building ensued. The founding of Lockeport, later 'Locke', was a reality. By 1920 Locke stood essentially as you see it now.
Levee construction originally brought the Chinese to this area, but by the time Locke was built most of the work was in farm labor. Locke had many businesses that catered to the farm workers and residents of this region. In the 1940's restaurants, bakeries, herb shops, fish markets, gambling halls, boarding houses, brothels, grocery stores, a school, clothing stores, and the Star Theatre lined the bustling streets of Locke. At its peak 600 residents, and as many as 1500 people occupied the town of Locke.
On August 2, 1970, Locke was added to the registry of national historical places, by the Sacramento County Historical Society, because of its unique status as the only town in the United States built exclusively by the Chinese for the Chinese."
Art Meets Fashion
Last night I had the pleasure of viewing the Art Meets Fashion show at NTC Promenade. It was put on by San Diego Vision Arts Network (SDVAN) and Fashion Opportunities Connect US (FOCUS). In an attempt to cross pollinate the fashion and art worlds, they put together teams consisting of an artist, a fashion designer, a teacher and a documenter. These teams came up with some creative and beautiful pieces of fashion. The team group exhibitions can be seen daily until September at the San Diego International Airport, Terminal 2, West baggage claim. While at the Promenade, we decided to check out the other activities going on. On display at the Visions Art Museum is Fabric Free Fashion. Window screen, bottle caps, lottery tickets, and maps are just some of the items that the dresses were constructed from. Twenty two fashion designers were invited to stretch the concept of fashion to include any material other than fabric for wearable apparel.
We've been judged!
Great news! Two of our ranunculus photos from the Carlsbad Flower Fields were selected for the San Diego County Fair Photography Competition. We are pleased to have made it through round one of judging and are keeping our fingers crossed for the red ribbon on June 10. The flower fields are one of the prides of Carlsbad and they have a great history in our lovely city and are a sure sign that spring has sprung!