Bwha ha ha ha

While mom and dad were visiting we decided to go to see the Winchester Mystery House. Jon and I had been before last summer, but this time we did the behind the scenes tour. Our tour guide for the first part of the tour was a little unusual to say the least. He had a very interesting since of humor and an even more interesting laugh. Every time he told a story he would laugh for several minutes while the group looked at him in complete silence. He must have taken a liking to me because many of his stories were directed at Jon and I and he told me that I would have made a lot of money in the 1800's, not really sure why? The tour was fun despite the strange guide and I think mom and dad really enjoyed seeing the confusing mansion.



After the house tour we went on the behind the scenes tour where we had to sport hard hats. Styling! This part of the tour took us to the basement and showed us some of the inner workings of the house, like the coal stove and elevator shafts.




After we finished the tour we headed across the street to The Counter for lunch. It was very tasty once we all finally got the right orders. The burger didn't make Dad's top 5 though. After we finished eating we walked down Santana Row and did a little shopping. Then we headed home and I made pork and green bean stir fry and we played a rousing game of Phase 10. Jon won. Good times!!

Do grapes grow on vines?

Mom and dad came to visit Jon and I last week and we decided to go to Napa Valley for a wine tasting and an olive oil tasting. We started at Round Pond Olive Mill for a tour. the tour was so so, but had a good time and learned a few things about how olive oil is made. There were some very interesting people on the tour with us. One of the ladies that was there was vacationing in Napa for 3 months (we were just making a day trip!) and they rest of the people were swapping stories about all the vineyards they had been to and what wines were the best etc. Needless to say we were a little out of our leagues, but we enjoyed ourselves non the less. After the "tour" we had a lovely al fresco lunch were we got to taste the oil oils and vinegars that Round Pond makes. Lunch was delicious and we had a really good time visiting and observing our fellow guests.
Some of the people had "interesting" questions that we got a kick out of. This is Mom and Jon in front of the vineyard at Round Pond. They also made wine.

The elusive olive!

This was the set up for our olive oil and vinegar tasting. Each of the little blue glasses had a different kind of oil in it. The sugar cubes were used for tasting the vinegars.
We were taught to smell the oil, then take a sip of the olive oil and let it rest in our mouths for a moment, then suck in air through our mouths and finally swallow. Personally I prefer dipping my bread in olive oil or using it to make my pasta. Once you swallow you can tell how ripe the olives were when they were picked. If the olives were ripe the oil will be smoother and more mellow. If you you pick them while they are green it will be more peppery and more aggressive.
Jon tasting the Merlot vinegar. The trick is to pour it on a sugar cube. It neutralizes the acid so you can actually taste the flavor. Very yummy!

Our yummy lunch!

Group shot in front of an Italian Olive tree.

Next we headed to the Beringer Winery for a tour and tasting. The winery was gorgeous and we had a good time observing the grape heads.

This is the Rhine House. This was were the Beringer Brothers lived while they ran the winery.

This is us enjoying our break before the tour began.

The tunnels!!
Overall it was a great day and we had a lot of fun. We learned some things about olive oil and wine, but I don't think I will ever be a grape head, as long as it tastes good I'm happy!

DISHDASH!

Jon and I went to the most delicious Mediterranean restaurant tonight called Dishdash. Best falafel ever and yummy kebabs! If you are ever go to Sunnyvale, CA you have to eat there! Or you can come visit me and I will take you! I know this is a pretty boring post, but it was soo tasty I had to share!

Climbing

Jon and I went climbing today with our friends Marcus and Lauren. We had a lot of fun, but needless to say are pretty sore. I have to say I am pretty proud of myself. I think I did pretty for only my second time going. I even did a multi-face climb! Go me! I didn't take any pictures of us this time, but here are some pictures from the last time we went.

On a side note, I had a phone interview today. It went pretty well and they have asked me to come in for an on-site interview sometime next week or the week after. I am really excited about it, but pretty nervous. I will be meeting with 4 people and the interview should take about 2 hrs! Wish me luck!