Here and There It Was a Lovely Day

Jerry and I had a wonderful day! We took a tour bus through the school district to the St. Croix River area (Minnesota - Wisconsin border). We knew it was cloudy and a little bit chilly, but it was still a fabulous day! We rode the motorcoach to Stillwater and boarded a river boat. What a relaxing ride down the St. Croix River! About 2-1/2 hours later, we docked back at Stillwater and did a little shopping. Jerry and I headed first to the Northern Vineyards and then to the Fine Art Fair and Jazz Festival in town.

From there the motorcoach took us to Aamondt's Apple Orchard and St. Croix Vineyards. They actually let you walk between the rows of grape vines. Have you ever had a sweet grape right off the vine? Oh, they are so wonderful! I am quite certain that the fruit in Heaven tastes just like that!

Of course we picked up some bottles of wine at St. Croix Vineyards. I can only have a sip, but boy do I savor that bouquet!

I ran into some fresh grapeseed oil at the vineyard, so I was overjoyed to pick up some of that. have you ever cooked with grapeseed oil? First of all, it has half the amount of saturated fat than that of olive oil. And remember, olive oil one of the better oils for us! Grapeseed is very light, and therefore you retain a lot of your food flavor. It's very, very flavorful. If you should use it, start out with a lesser amount in your pan. You will be surprised how far this oil goes! I usually get mine from a direct sales company - Wildtree - but what a treat to pick up fresh grapeseed oil! By the way, I'm still scantily using our bottle of olive oil from Tuscany. Such a nice flavor in that, too!
We took a walk through the apple orchards, too. The apples were so heavy on the trees! You all ready know how much we love apples in our house!

So, if you have the opportunity to get away for a day like this, do it! Don't think twice, just go! These little one-day vacations are good for the soul!