Best Laid Plans...

It was a good morning!

It was 6 AM when we BOTH awoke, rather than the 4 AM of yesterday.  And Al got up and brewed a pot of coffee.  When it finished, I filled the thermos, and we tucked back into bed with our books.

Even so, when Al mentioned "getting 'good' coffee",  I am like a dog who hears the jingle of it's leash....Let's get going!  Shower!  Get dressed!  Don't bother with make-up!  Never mind that I've already consumed my share of a pot that I didn't even have to produce this morning.

Pull the garbage bag.  Gather up the recycling.  Where are those magazines we are done reading?  We are set for another walk about town.

Though we have decided that the best coffee shop in town is The Bean, the coffee there yesterday was just mediocre.  The person who told us that the best coffee on the island is at the Cask and Schooner Tender was right!  This is a little take-away, off the kitchen for the Cask and Schooner Restaurant.  There is no seating, BUT they feature Stumptown Coffee, from Portland, OR, and they bake their own pastries.

Today, we didn't recognize the barista, so we worried a little until that first sip.  But.....YUM!  The Tender's ranking with us is safe.

We walk up the street, and pass a tasting room for the San Juan Winery, which is out of town a few miles.  They are having a barrel tasting today, and have a shuttle running for the afternoon.  We, being car-less, look at each other, and agree 'It would be nice to see a bit more of the island.....'

We show up at the appointed time, only to find that the sign has changed in the meantime, and the shuttle will not be back for another half hour.  Three errands later, we are picked up, and we recognize the driver as the man we spoke with at Rock Island Internet a few weeks ago.  We spend over an hour sipping and tasting, then move to the warehouse, where we sample three developing wines from their barrels.   The winemaker himself serves us and answers questions.

Across the road and down the way, we can see Mona in her pasture.  She is the resident camel, and has a sheep to keep her company. We had read about Mona in the tasting room, and learned that a wine produced by San Juan Winery was named for her.  Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me.  See a picture and read more here:  http://www.sanjuanjournal.com/lifestyle/27133819.html

So, for a day where we planned to get some work done, we ended up having lots of fun!  As for the work?  There's always tomorrow.