Even The Simple Things - A Corkscrew

    I've really never been a big drinker, but that doesn't mean I won't have the odd bottle of wine while traveling. There are some BEAUTIFUL places around areas where vineyards are found. It isn't just Northern California! Often the owners will let you stay for a night or two while you take their tours and drink/buy their wares. It's a good idea to have a corkscrew on hand for those occasions. Maybe even two! You never know when the first one will break. I found one that takes up VERY little space and is under a dollar to boot. Well, 99 cents anyway.

Small, lightweight and you can cover the "screw" portion so as not to get poked when sifting through the drawer to find the darn thing! Now, when I first saw this gadget, the first thing I thought was, "It's plastic." Well, it is. BUT ... so far, it works fine. You can feel the resistance of the metal corkscrew going into the cork, but if you are smooth and the cork isn't rock hard it should be fine. I opened a few bottles with it over the weekend (it was my Dad's birthday -- he's 91!), and no cracks or breakages. Pulled the corks out smoothly. Of course the old butterfly style is better, but for the RV and limited use, this one is great!

Now I am going to have to figure out where to store wine bottles in my "storage-challenged" RV! Hmmm ... maybe a built-in wine rack in the main pantry closet? Maybe a few PVC pipes glued together, sitting on the floor of that closet would work. I would be a lot less paranoid about them falling and breaking open, spilling their highly staining contents all over the place. Did I mention I hate cleaning?!

I hear some red wine each day is supposed to be good for you?? The problem with finding a mostly insignificant gadget like this one is you run the risk of becoming a fan of wine! People spend years learning all about wine. I'm more of the "if it tastes good, drink it" type of guy. I understand there is an art to fine wine, but that's not really me. I'm always happy to learn more about any subject, but when the "good stuff" can be HUNDREDS of dollars a bottle ... well, maybe I'll stick to the serviceable but still good types!

So, what have we learned? Aside from the fact that I can be a bit on the frugal (cheap) side? Simple things require simple solutions unless you're a guy named Rube. Then ... Well, you get the idea!

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com