Another Hand... the Drinking Hand

Hand update - cast is off; bone healing & orientation are looking excellent and right on target; hand is sore, stiff, weak, with limited mobility - in short, a bassist's nightmare; no playing for 2 more weeks but should be close to normal by then.

Wine update (there will be lots of these as I'm getting closer to the WSET certification exam in Nov.) - Just back from the Finger Lakes in NY after a nice long weekend of touring wineries and hanging out with friends. Apart from a few quaffable Cabernet Francs, no reds worth mentioning - but lots of superb everyday drinking whites, most notably from Dr. Frank (the new Salmon Run label offering up excellent value for anyone needing a spicy food pairable wine), and the venerable Hermann J. Weimer, whose Reserve Tasting was my favorite moment of the trip. A pleasant surprise was Bellweather's Hard Cider, their original offering being unexpectedly elegant and food-friendly for an apple-based beverage. Special props to the folks at the Pleasant Valley Inn for accomodating us with a fine meal even after arriving several hours late due to car trouble (come t thinkof it, special props to Hanna's for the car assistance).