Women Who Wine

Friday, March 3, 2017

Mall Scavenger Hunt - February 3, 2017

Godfrey: Do you mind telling me just what a scavenger hunt is?

Irene: Well, a scavenger hunt is exactly like a treasure hunt, except in a treasure hunt you try to find something you want, and in a scavenger hunt you try to find something that nobody wants.

~ William Powell and Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey ~

On Friday, February 3, 2017, 9 Women Who Wine joined Christy for a Scavenger Hunt at the Tucson Mall. Teams were chosen randomly. While Christy shopped until she nearly dropped, the 3 teams were given instructions, a deadline and a list of items to find. Such a list! On top of that, there were riddles to solve with points given for each correct answer and 2 more for a picture of the store with at least one team member.

There were 36 items to find, including collecting items such as a french fry, an ice cream sample spoon, napkin with a store name (thank you Starbucks!) and red, purple or white candy.

At the end of the hunt, we all know that the kiddie Helicopter ride costs $.75, a slice of Stromboli pizza is $5.29, the Lost & Found is on the 2nd floor next to JCPenney, Dillard's bathroom on the lower floor has 5 stalls, and it costs $5.00 to rent a Racer Smart Carte for children. Our teams also were told not to take pictures of store signs and security guards. The new whole world of mall security. Good thing phones have that reverse thing so you can take a picture backwards.

LtoR - Connie, Judy and Cathy
Team Chardonnay

LtoR - Debbie, Judy and Vicky
Team Merlot

LtoR - Kelly, Daryl and Susie
Team Zinfandel

A sample of the items we had to find:

Picture of a person with a neck tattoo. This guy was terrific!

Selfie with security guard...Apparently not from the front!
Susie is having a good time, Daryl is concentrating like heck and
Kelly looks like an evil elf!

Mannequin with Purple or Red Dress

The Most "Blingy" shoes - Wow!

Shopper with dyed red or purple hair - nailed it!

Thank goodness Christy warned us to wear comfy shoes for this event!

Afterwards we convened at The Cheesecake Factory for lunch and libations. Carole and her Mom, Delores, were able to join us for lunch.

We completed our scoring with Team Merlot (Debbie, Judy and Vicky) winning top score, Team Chardonnay (Connie, Judy and Cathy) won second and Team Zinfandel (Kelly, Daryl and Susie) placed last but not least.

Our fabulous organizer Christy!

LtoR - Vicky, Susie, Daryl, Kelly Connie and Pam
Cathy, Delores (hidden), Carole, Connie, Debbie and Judy

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Frida Kahlo Botanical Gardens Exhibit - January 6, 2016

I tried to drown my sorrows,
but the bastards learned how to swim,
and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.
~ Frida Kahlo ~

Frida, That good feeling? That's called wine!

On Friday, January 6, 2017, 10 Women Who Wine journeyed to the Tucson Botanical Gardens to enjoy the New York Botanical Garden’s blockbuster exhibit: Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life. The exhibit examines Kahlo’s work, life and influence through the lens of the plants and nature that surrounded her. Tucson Botanical Gardens was selected as the only institution to receive this extraordinary exhibition designed by one of the world’s premier botanical gardens, the New York Botanical Garden.

Our host for this event, Ruth, arranged for us to join a docent-led tour of the exhibit and gardens, followed by lunch at Cafe Botanica and a visit to Butterfly Magic.

Casa Azul

Frida and Diego lived in this house 1929-1954

The centerpiece of Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life is the recreation of the gardens that Frida Kahlo maintained in her home in Mexico City: La Casa Azul. Great care was taken to present the plants, colors and forms that were such an important source of inspiration to Kahlo. Included in the installation is the Meso-American-inspired pyramid that Diego Rivera built in the central courtyard of Casa Azul. This replica is used to showcase a diverse collection of cacti and succulents native to the deserts of Mexico and the Southwestern United States.

Replica of the Pyramid in the Casa Azul Courtyard
I'm thinking of one myself...will the ALC approve?

Browsing the gardens was followed by lunch at the Café Botanica. Can you say delicious?! Unfortunately no wine but, still, absolutely delicious food!

LtoR Debbie, Pam, Kelly, Judy, Vicky
Carole, Cathy, Daryl, Connie and Susie

Lunch was followed by a stint in the Butterfly Magic Gardens. So delightful!

Perfectly lovely. Photo credit to Judy.

LtoR - Judy, Vicky and Ruth

LtoR - Vicky with her back to us, Kelly butterfly gazing, Pam, Judy and Carole

Loved how each of us had to be checked for butterfly hitchhikers on our way out!

Colorful blue frog in the Butterfly Magic exhibit. Photo credit to eagle eye Cathy.

After our trek to the Tucson Botanical Gardens, we reconvened at the Oasis Lounge for libations and laughter.

Words of Wisdom from Frieda...

Twenty Frida Fun Facts

She lied about her birth date.
She groomed her brows with special tools.
Her dad was of German Protestant descent.
Her right leg was skinnier than her left. She hid this by wearing long skirts.
She was in a terrible, life-altering car accident that left her bedridden for months.
The artist gave away her self-portraits as gifts.
Kahlo was surrounded by mirrors all her life.
She first approached her would-be husband Diego Rivera, asking him what he thought of her art.
Kahlo and Rivera were active communists.
Kahlo's relationship with Rivera was kind of scandalous.
Kahlo had affairs with both men and women.
Rivera cheated on Kahlo with her younger sister Cristina.
Kahlo's husband was apparently not the best looking dude.
Kahlo was never able to have kids.
Though her story is tragic, there are people who believe Kahlo exaggerated her physical agonies and medical conditions.
Kahlo had her leg amputated after contracting gangrene. Pretty hard to exaggerate gangrene but maybe she contracted it for sympathy. Just sayin'.
When she died, no autopsy was ever conducted.
Kahlo had only one major solo exhibition in the United States during her lifetime.
Kahlo is on the 500 Peso bill.
She is the first Hispanic woman to be featured on a US postal stamp.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Christmas Cheer! December 9, 2016

'Two Weeks Before Christmas'

'Twas two weeks before Christmas, and all through Quail Creek,

Not a creature was stirring, not a sound or a peep,

The stockings were hung on the east wall with care,

In hopes that Christy would find time to prepare,

Bailey was resting, all done for the year,

Waiting for Santa and his eight tiny reindeer,

While Christy and Ron breathed a sigh of relief,

That the year was soon over, thank God and good grief,

When from the kitchen there arose such a ruckus

Ron and the dog thought that lightning had struck us.

Ron stuck in his head to see what Christy had done

And discovered that Christy was just having fun.

Wearing her jeans and one of her hoodies,

She’d covered the table with all kinds of goodies.

Green salad, yummy pasta so red

Shared space with the veggies, and snowmen bread,

Now she could party, with the Women Who Wine,

Enjoying dear friends and feeling so fine,

As she conducted the party as an excellent hostess,

And celebrate the season, Christy is the 'mostess',

We drank all the wine, laughed and feasted on food,

Followed by games, a fun contest, in a great mood,

Exchanging of gifts, a mad dash for presents,

The best gift of all was each member's presence,

Party on Susie, Pam, Judy and Christy,

We missed our dear Judy, it made our eyes misty,

Party on Carole, Cathy, Connie and Ruth,

Debbie, Kelly, and Daryl, were there, it's the truth,

At the end of the party we bid each other farewell,

Grabbed up our goodies, the party was swell,

Godspeed down the road, in the dim evening's light,

Merry Christmas to All and To All a Good Night!

On Friday, December 9, eleven Women Who Wine gathered at Christy's "die meisten weihnachtliche Haus" for an evening of fun and frivolity. Not to be outdone by Christy's handiwork, husband Ron painted a welcome window of his own complete with Bailey!

LtoR - Bailey as himself, Ron as Frosty and Christy as Mrs. Claus

The Christmas decor took weeks and more! Every inch was covered from the ceiling to the floor.

Entertainment Center, make that Christmastainment Center!

The stockings were hung on the wall with care...

Christmas Dining

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!

Christmas Gourds of all shapes and sizes

LtoR from front - Cathy, Ruth, Connie and Susie (sitting)
Kelly, Debbie, Christy, Vicky, Carole and Daryl

The eternally youthful Carole

LtoR - Vicky, Susie, Carole, Christy, Debbie and Pam

LtoR - Daryl, Connie, Kelly and Ruth

Ruth wins the prize for guessing how many pieces of candy in the wine glass.
Could it be she uses a wine glass for a measuring cup in the kitchen?
Sounds right to me!

LtoR - Christy, Kelly and Susie
The Paper Plate Christmas Tree Game
This is WAY harder than it looks!

Kelly wins with her abstract Christmas Tree!

LtoR - Kelly and Susie
Scratch those lotto tickets, ladies!
You could be a winner!

Susie must be a lottery winner - That joyful face!

Ruth is still scratching her head.
Cannot figure out why she wasn't a winner this time!

Vicky is full of glee or is that her mischievous look?

LtoR - Daryl and Pam take a Christmas selfie.

Kelly epitomizes the fun time we had!
She's a whirlwind, that one...her hands are a blur!

Planning Makes Perfect! November 4, 2016

On Friday, November 4, 2016, nine Women Who Wine gathered at "maison de Connie" to plan the year's events for 2017. Connie treated us to a delicious lunch and even sent us off with gift bags and bonus banana bread before setting us down and sifting through multitudes of ideas for next year.

By the end of the day, we had a plan for the entire year! Thank you Connie for hosting our annual planning event. Here's hoping the only medication you needed was a glass of wine!