the house of john

is what Ca d'Zan means in Venetian dialect.

well on the 14th of March we closed on our own "house" Ca d'phil & tor LOL-

here are a few photos of the place from the prior prior owner - who had a serious green thumb... but you will get the feel of it- a small two bedroom condo with nice outdoor space for our own Penny and Lucy to go gecko hunting!

photos run from the front to the back of the condo- which overlooks a small lake-

the very next day we had the cable people in to install cable and Internet and had beds delivered... then we zoomed off to the wine event a Ca d'Zan the Ringling Estate.

This was something I am so glad we made time to do-

here is the detailed run down of the enchanted evening...



we started off at the first station just inside the entrance building-  wines from Washington and Oregon from the Lange vineyard among others.  the food station there had duck terrine with Oregon berry sauce, pomegranate cured gravlax and rabbit sausage with mushroom ragout... along with a couple of other goodies.

then we moved on to the California stop where we feasted on mahi tacos and "In N Out" burgers and had seven California wines to choose from.  Next stop Argentina and some fabulous goodies of rock lobster skewers roasted on a salt brick and beef and cilantro empanadas served with four wines ranging from Torrontes to Malbec.  We stayed an extra long time here and went back for seconds of both the food and the wine.

then it was on to Japan and the sushi table along with Sake-tinis of various blends with things like Cucumber vodka and Peach tea vodka... excellent - although the sushi choices were limited by the time we arrived at this station.  then on Italy! where the food was a fabulous choice of anti-pasta and home made breads and smoked mozzarella along with super Tuscan wines. YUM!

by now the sun was setting on the house of John and it was looking very much like Hotel California...LOL

the front porch had wine bottles lining the steps with candles behind lighting them in a lovely manner and there we split up- Phil went back to find the New Zealand and Australia station for the shrimp on the barbie and lamb lollipops... while I went on to the France station and the incredibly beautiful array of handmade chocolates.

there was a band playing on the terrace and tea and coffee for all... we sat for a few minutes and enjoyed the lovely weather and the beautiful evening- before hopping a tram to the entrance and heading home... a long day but worth the effort to get to the evening event- we will definitely return next year for this wonderful event.

next up - two plays and another chance for the Cardinals!