Monday, Monday-I can NOT party like a rockstar!

So, this past weekend the hubby and I (and a bunch of friends) went to the annual Tehachapi Food and Wine Festival. I was not super-thrilled to be going as last year it was cramped, over-crowded, and the vendors started running out of food (which was terrible anyway) and wine about 2/3 of the way through the evening. All this and even though we had purchased advanced tickets, we still stood in line for over 30 just to get into the venue.

me and my friend Jim from Tehachapi UCC

I was promised that that this year things would be better. They were indeed. We had, once again purchased advanced tickets, and were were ushered right inside, given our commemorative wine glasses and "schwag", and let loose on the festivities. There were long lines for the food vendors so we decided to start with a glass of wine from our favorite local winery Triassic Vineyards.

picture courtesy of Laurie Brenneman

I started looking around for available food, since all I'd eaten that day was a sandwich 6 hours earlier, and still the food lines were a bit long. Oh well off to taste some more wine...

Then we found the Beer Tent. I had a Stella Artrois, and then a Newcastle. Looked around for food-yup, lines still a bit too long to stand in them....off for more wine.

Sue and Adrian Wood-my very kind and indulgent friends

Yes...you guessed it, I hit the wall. I was standing chatting up some wine maker from Paso Robles, I turned around to look for Steve, and the world tilted and rocked like a roller coaster gone berserk! Panic set in, when, as the Earth started to spin I could not find anyone I was with-INCLUDING MY HUSBAND!!! I had been abandoned to fend for myself.

It was now dark, and I knew I had to make it back to my car, because everyone would know to find me there. So I walked through the very dark streets of Tehachapi to my car that was several block from the festival. How I made there without being arrested (the best alternative), or raped and murdered (thank God in Heaven I live in a tiny and very peaceful town) I'll never know. There must have been an angel on my shoulder, that's all I can think of.

Steve, my amazing husband, did indeed find me. Our friends found Steve, and we all made it home okay...well; I wasn't okay I was quite ill-as you can imagine. Yesterday I nursed a sore head and a sour stomach and a very damaged ego; as I haven't been in such a state since my 24th birthday party in Tokyo, Japan (more on that in a future post). Not to mention that I have not been in the habit of drinking a lot of alcohol for many, many moons.

 I'll very likely not be drinking ANYTHING stronger than a club soda for quite some time!

I have to say, though, that what I did experience of the festival was AWESOME! It took over several closed-off blocks of the downtown area, the wines were great, the food looked fantastic-next year I'll be sure to eat some of it, and the bands on the stage were putting on a great show.

If you're ever in Tehachapi during the Food and Wine Festival Weekend-please go. Just eat something along the way!