Pumpkin Contest at the Silent Movie tonight!

If you are coming to Ironstone's "Phantom of the Opera" Silent Movie tonight or for the Matinee Saturday, you will be casting your vote for your favorite decorated pumpkin.

Ironstone Vineyards has a wonderful tradition of each department creating a pumpkin and submitting it to the guests at the Silent Movie night.  Guests vote for their favorite pumpkin. Next day, all the pumpkins go to the Tasting Room for display "while they last".

Here are a few images from past years.  Great fun for everyone!

This Saturday Ironstone is proud to be host for the annual Concours d'Elegance. Fundraising for the California 4H and FFA scholarship programs, this event has evolved into one of the United States #1 Classic Auto Shows.  With over 300 vehicles gracing the impecable lawns of Ironstone Vineyards, it is a site to behold. 

Quoting the foundation website, 

" Honored vehicle marques vary but this year include BMW, Corvette, Studebaker, Packard, Duesenberg, Pierce-Arrow, Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Special classes spotlight early Fords, streamlined cars, sports cars, exotics, race cars, coachbuilt luxury marques, plus unrestored and original automobiles. " 


Joining the festivities this year is celebrity, Wayne Carini of "Chasing Classic Cars".  Wayne will be on site all day Saturday. 

My favorite part of Concours are the many tallented artists painting on site for the day.  This year, Charles Pyle, Director of the Illustration Department of the Academy of Art University of San Francisco will be amoung the artists along with several of his painting buddies.  Charles has graced Ironstone's Spring Obsession event many years as judge for the Open Division Art Show & Competition.

If you would like more information on the event itself, here is the link to their website.  

http://www.ironstonefoundation.org/

See you Saturday!

Last comments on Pokemon

This is my final word on the Pokemon.  Yes, it is fun to wander around town with my friends and play. I have learned something new about my home town that I didn't know before and met some new people who also play.  I will probably leave the game on my phone and play if I am out of town or in town walking, just to learn a bit more about where I am visiting.  I have also learned not to pay any attention to any of the pokemon advice you find on the internet.  Each person has to play their own game. (ie: the expert that said not to go into battle until you reach level 20, failed to mention by doing that, you fill your bag up with so many potions that there is no room for pokeballs!)

Anyway, enjoy the game, be careful and see you here at Ironstone when you come to take over one of the three towers here.

Bad Company coming

Bad Company is coming in on Sunday night along with Lou Gramm and The Voice of Foreigner.  Great concert for a holiday weekend.  Get your tickets at Ticket master only!  Best price you will find.

Weather is looking prefect for this one, nice cool evenings.  Great for Popcorn!  If you are here Sunday night, stop by the popcorn booth and say hello.  

Pokemon Part Two

The Great Adventure begins!  First step is to download PokemonGo to my phone. It's a free app and quickly moved me through the customization of my game personality, sex, hair color, eye color and a few selections of outfit colors.  Pretty basic options, nothing exciting there, and here I was ready for a magenta spike cut with a turquoise cape to charge right out on my new and educational adventure. Not happening here, maybe later?

Capturing Pokemon and checking out stops has been fun while on my walks in the mornings.  Actually learned a few things about the town I live in that I didn't know. The Pokestops normally are historic locations, public areas, plaques and such. The app gives you a nice description and history of the stop that you can read while spinning the photo for items you will need to continue the game.  

Leveling through to level 10 is fairly easy and quick. Then, I went on line and read all the "advice" posts on how to play... I don't need to go into all that here. Take my advice, there is a ton of information on this game on line. Lots of opinions on how to play a better game and earn more rankings, win at the battle towers ... 

The advice I found most useful,  between levels 10 and 20, just take your time, capture pokemon and enjoy the walks and pokestops.  This I can do.  Since I can't get out all that often as I live away from pokemon hot spots, I need to make an effort to get there and take walks around town. I've been walking more and meeting great people out there.

I have discovered you can fill your "bag" with so much stuff, you won't have room for the pokeballs that you need to capture the pokemon. I had to do some battles to use up the revive potions and wound potions to make more room... there is a limit on how much stuff you can have in your item bag.  Doing battle at this stage is a loosing proposition as none of my Pokemon are strong enough to win... just to lose and empty my "bag" of potions healing my failed pokemon.  Oh well, at least I am enjoying the walks and learning more about my community... 

I will touch back on this when I reach level 20 ... later

PokemonGo through the eyes of a novice.

After a weekend of random iphone incidents with Museum guests wandering seemingly aimlessly and blindly through the Museum without lifting eyes to the stunning displays, I had promised myself to expostulate the merits of PokemonGo here in our blog. 

Those of you unfamiliar with the term PokemonGo, it is a game you download to your phone, based on the ever popular classic role playing game developed in Japan in 1996. * http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/History_of_Pok%C3%A9mon

This new version is an interactive, location based reality game played on your phone.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Go

Here in the Museum, our first big rush of players happened on Wednesday, July 27th.  The day of the Sublime w/ Rome, Dirty Heads, Tribal Seeds and Bleeker Concert.  4 bands in one night all here early in the day to enjoy Ironstone and play PokemonGo. 

Between the bands and the stage crews, we had a constant flow of iphone engrossed figures checking into the Pokestops to stock up.
When I inquired as to what in heaven's name were they doing, I was deluged with excited exclamations of the importance of Ironstone, the variety of pokestops and the existence of two towers right here at Ironstone!  What?!?  But don't you know it's NOT REAL!  Look at the 44 pound gold piece!  Check out the meteorite slabs, how about that prehistoric cave bear?  LOOK UP!

Throughout the next few weeks, we witnessed a growing number of visitors with eyes glued to their phones. My immediate reaction was to clear all below eye level displays and post bright colored signs in attempts to avoid head on collisions with static posts and walls. This is ridiculous! I have to write something!  I kept muttering under my breath, "but it's not REAL, can't they see that?", "Oh Wait, no they can't cause its not on the screen!".

With a sigh of relief, most did take a moment up from the phone to examine the gold. Some even wandered through the store and checked out some of the art and jewelry. Take a deep breath ... 

Then came the first bend in my thought process... a family trio came in to the Museum, father, son and grandfather. Father & son were glued to their respective phones while grandfather browsed through the museum and shop. I approached him in my anti-pokemon mode, and asked if the other two were going to stop and look up.  His reply was "eventually ... want to know something?" 

Without waiting for my replay, he continued with a story of a household of strangers, father in front of a TV or off with friends and a son in his room on his computer with friends. Both in their own worlds, very much apart. Then along came PokemonGo... 

Grandfather explained to me how the game has brought them together into the same world.  They now travel, the three of them, to places he never imagined they would visit, conferring on their captures, the sights they see and the fun they are having. 

Time to start my research ... 

24 hours of lemons car rally coming through!

24 hours of lemons car rally coming through!  What a hoot.  With a toy in hand, each team is charging in for a photo shoot with the Gold Crystalline. As if Pokemon Go weren't enough, now we have a parking lot of clunkers and laughter.  And yes, some are also playing PokemonGo as well.  

As explained to me, signups are online, cars can't cost more than $500 and they earn points for photos of their "mascot" at designated side stops as well as a whole list of extra point items.  You really must check out their website. Pretty fun group.


https://www.24hoursoflemons.com/rally

Chris Young Concert Sunday night

Here we are already half way through our summer concert series. As they say, time flies when you're having fun!  And what a great season it has been so far. Off with a bang with Darius Rucker, Dan & Shay and Michael Ray.  Rocking the house.  Goo Goo Dolls, Collective Soul and Tribe Society had a great showing.. New to the venue this year were sounds and setup of Sublime with Rome, Dirty Heads, Tribal Seeds and Bleeker.  No reserve chairs on this concert. Everyone was on their feet and danc'n.  Despite the heat, opening bands put on a wonderful show.  However, contrary to popular belief, this was NOT a popcorn crowd.  Now, the brownies from the food court were a great hit I hear....
And last week Train with the English Beat.  Again, standing crowd only danc'n the night away, and, they love popcorn! We love the popcorn lov'n crowds.

Tomorrow night comes Chris Young, Jon Pardi & Tyler Rich.  Country swinging. Great people watching night too. Lots of wanna be cowgirls in sharp looking cowboy boots and hats. And the guys not looking too bad either.  Bring your sketch books, its gonna be a fun night.  It is going to be a warm one, so if you haven't got your ticket yet, I would recommend getting a reserved seat. This way you won't have to rush out in the heat of the afternoon to snag a good spot on the lawn. Mosy on in after the rush, hang back in the food court with friends and move into your seats at your leisure, no problemo.

Did I mention that the Dirty Heads, Tribal Seeds and Bleeker introduced us to Pokeymon Go?  Yep, seems Ironstone is a hot spot for you pokeymon hunters.  Many of the band members are adament gamers and showed us here in the Museum what they found here. More on that later. 

See you tomorrow at the Chris Young Concert!