Thanksgiving and Black Friday

My ass has still not thawed out from my race on Thanksgiving morning. Holy Gee... 28 freaking degrees. I was bundled up nicely for our warm up, but knew eventually I would have to shed the layers and (wo)man up.  The bad thing about breathing in sub freezing temperatures in to your lungs is that it makes you hack for the rest of the day. I truly was nauseous upon finishing this race. My lungs were on fire. My toes were numb the entire time. I can honestly say that I was just happy to be done. 20:00 flat, although rounded up for the results as per protocol. My brilliant teammate Kenzie suggested we cool down by running to Starbucks for coffee. That made us feel much better! My SR teammates kicked ice. (Get it?). Kenzie was second overall, Linn won her age group, and I won mine. Turkey time.
Which means wine time. For our Thanksgiving dinner, I had a beautiful bottle of Estancia Meritage.  This was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verde, and Malbec. You need to know I do not eat meat, so a Thanksgiving dinner is a bit different for me. I make all the traditional fare for the folks that live with me. We had turkey, Boston butt, sausage stuffing, wild mushroom risotto, smashed potatoes, and dinner rolls. My Estancia was a good choice for the event. This is a California wine from the Central Coast. Looking at about $30 per bottle. It made for a very nice ending to a cold start.
So how about Black Friday?  I do not partake. I am an on-line shopper from way back. I have been doing it way before Cyber Monday meant anything. My plans today centered around a run, a few hours at work, Pure Barre, and then putting up the Christmas tree with Chase. The perfect companion for this activity was Trimbach Gewurtztraminer.  I have never had this variety before and have definitely found a new love. It's a spicy white that made decorating that tree an event in and of itself.  I really enjoyed this taste. Dry, spicy, and could pair well with some spicy little meals. Will be going back for more. This is a French wine and sells for about $24 a bottle.  Chase and I did a bang up job on the tree. I think the Gewurtztraminer was partially responsible for the beauty!
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!