You're Invited!

UPDATE: 4 SLOTS LEFT. CONTACT ME IF YOU'D LIKE TO ADDED TO THE LIST.

If you read my blog and you love wine - and you're local - we would love to have you join us for a special event Tuesday evening in Pentagon City. E-mail me through my WineShop site, post a comment, or otherwise contact me to be added to the guest list. I have 7 slots left.

Come learn more about what we do and drink a bit of our wine!

Discover WineShop At Home, where you'll come for the Taste, stay for the Lifestyle!

At this exclusive invitation-only event, you'll sample some of our handcrafted artisan wines and get an "insiders" view of the wine industry and discover the rewards of a career in the wine business.

Contact Martha for more information or an invitation.

Possible Theme Song

My Twitter pal WineWoman turned me on to this tune (link to YouTube video below) saying it could be her theme song. It's fun - and it's followed by a mystery song, that I think could be a theme song for me, if my theme song could be played and crooned by Stick McGhee, and we'd dated, and he was lamenting how fickle I am.



I don't know the name of the second song (my potential theme song). If you do, let me know. I'll have a prize for you.

UPDATE: Apparently I didn't watch the "video" - only listened. So, I missed that the name of "my" song is I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water.

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

I have plenty of wine here, plus gin, tequila, and six types of rum, but somehow no bourbon. How is that even possible?

If the kid gets back and isn't thrown in the pokey, we'll be havin' Southern Pecan Pie with Bourbon-Honey whipped cream TONIGHT at Alex and Paige's.

It's less than three miles down the parkway. How likely is he to really get caught, huh?

Thankfulness

Our traditions are a shared experience. It's remarkable how similar they are from family to family, from generation to generation, region to region. And for this stability and institutional opportunity we should truly be grateful.

A Family Thanksgiving 1882

1945
1957

2006

2007

None of these pictures are of my family - or your family - but they may as well be. When the fourth Thursday in November comes, we're fortunate if we are able to gather in similar ways.

A friend sent this quote over and I wanted to find a way to share it with you.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

--Melody Beattie

I am grateful to have you in my life. Happy Thanksgiving!

A Place for All Those Corks!

If you love wine, you have corks. Maybe you throw them away because you don't have anything to do with them. No plans to make a wine cork wreath, you crafty thing?

I've been known to throw them in that basket in my guest/wine bathroom. (I know, I know...the themed powder room is a weird feature of my main level.)
I also have this vase full of them in the living room.
I'd love to see pictures of what you do with your corks. Have you found anything fun to do with them? Are you able to dispose of them without guilt?

At wine tastings and parties, I end up surreptitiously tossing them in my bag to take home with me, because I don't want them thrown in the trash. I'm not really collecting, per se, I just don't feel comfortable tossing 'em.

So - I was THRILLED to run across some ideas (via Twitter) this morning.
The Wine Expedition site features some responsible destinations for those biodegradable and recyclable corks. Check it out.

Wine Killed My Laptop

I have so much more to share from the fabulous wine-soaked girls' weekend at the shore, but I'm recovering from technical difficulties.

Friday night, during an impromptu dance party, someone (probably me...er...actually, it was most definitely me) knocked a full glass of the lovely Sunfish Syrah right onto the keyboard of my beloved Compaq.I really believed it would survive, figuring I'd sopped up most of the spill immediately.

Alas, I am easily distracted, especially by classic songs from Off the Wall and early 90s gems from Bel Biv Devoe. So, off I went to keep dancing with the girls and my trusty pal died all alone.

This week has been spent recovering data, reinstalling software, and basically running a little orientation for my fancy new HP.
The good news is that the replacement is faster, more powerful, has a Webcam - how modern! - and a much bigger screen.

With glass in hand, I say "Onward!"

Perfect Location for the Girls' Weekend

We're in St. Michael's Maryland for a Bachelorette celebration for our beloved Heather Patterson.

You probably know her...the most adorable little preppy in our circle. Cute, cute, cute! And smart! And...getting married in Florida two weeks from tomorrow. (Sorry guys.)

Wait until you see the pictures of the house! It's the perfect location for the celebration. (Keep your pants on...they're posted below. I wouldn't hold out on you for long.)

I just rolled in as a few of the early arrivals stroll around St. Michael's shopping after a Ladies-Who-Lunch-ish spa outing. Left all my cares behind and arrived to find THIS!!!

Like dutiful gals, we're claiming different adorable bedrooms.
No mystery why I chose this one.

Across the hall we've got the bunk room - which will probably hereafter be known as the awesome room.
Check out this view! And there are kayaks for us. Yippeee!
And...all the best provisions for a girly celebration.
Here is the view behind me when I'm writing (have assignments to finish, of course...so maybe I didn't leave ALL my cares behind). Perhaps I should figure out a way to turn around and enjoy this.

It's about 3:30 pm now. Right now you can use your imagination, but mark my words: in a couple of hours we'll be sitting here, drinking wine and watching the sunset.
More pictures to follow.

Dragon's Teeth

You've been asking if I'd posted all the Maui pics...so I'll take the hint. There are tons more...plus all the Italy pictures. I'll try to get them all up eventually.

On our second day on Maui, Nana and I started exploring with our trusty guide book. One early destination were the "Dragon's Teeth."
It was harder to find than we thought. Over in Kapalua with a path along the Ritz golf course. You'd think that would be easy to find.
So we braved being beaned by errant golf balls on a beautiful but windy day.
This was early in our adventures, so Nana was a little nervous, thinking she wouldn't be able to get down to the teeth. I assured her that I could carry her down and carry her back. She seemed unconvinced, but walked all the way down with me - and back!
These pictures are off the end of the little peninsula. Gorgeous caves, big waves, and breathtaking views. Still very windy, but worth the scrabbling over volcanic rock.




Here are some of the Dragon's Teeth themselves.
I was so proud of Nana and impressed by her trust (mind you...this was BEFORE the injury). Here is how the formation of the Dragon's Teeth is explained on one tourism site:

Dragon’s Teeth is a good example of what can happen when forces of nature collide. As the lava from the West Mau‘i Volcano poured into the ocean, fierce wind and waves forced it back and it cooled into a formation that resembles great black teeth. Makalua-puna Point was created from one of the last lava flows on Maui. However, the lava is a little different from the rest of the lava on Maui - it is much lighter, denser, and fine-grained. The wind sweeping over the point caused the lava to harden in an upward fashion.

Another site has more pictures.

A Visit to the Winery at La Grange

It was a perfect day for a visit to a local winery. Fantastic weather, our favorite folks available to join us....and we'd recently met winemaker Chris Pearmund and confirmed that he could use our wine boxes and crates (Reduce! REUSE! Recycle!).

So a few wine consultants headed out to Haymarket on a conservation mission - and to drink some Virginia wine! We were packed in so tight with our collection of cardboard that by the end we had stacks on our laps and were sharing seats.


Gerald at the Winery at La Grange seemed grateful, but surprised by the size of the delivery.

We gathered round to taste 11 wines and selected our picnic foods, which was of prime importance. It was time for lunch.
Melanie poured the wines, told us about them, and kept smiling and pouring despite our silliness and the focus on the lunch choices. As is often the case with Virginia wines, the whites were best. We particularly enjoyed the Pinot Gris and the Chardonnay.

None of the regular reds hit the spot for any of us, but they did have a delicious Port-style wine (named Snort, to get around the appelation requirements) that was super yummy. We grabbed a couple of bottles of the Snort, a Pinot Gris, and went out back to the picnic tables to nosh and laugh.

We were grateful we'd brought a designated driver. Though...he probably preferred the drive out when we were all squished in with - and the sound was muffled by - the boxes.

Jenny & Geoff Loved their Custom Label Wines!

Don't they look gorgeous and deliriously happy? Just wait until they taste that Cava. It's fantastic bubbly.

The brilliant and generous Brigette hit a homerun once again. At the shower she gave the happy couple a three-month membership to our fab wine club. It's reported that they love that, too!

For their wedding gift, Brigette ordered a case of wine personalized with the engagement photo. They said that the custom-label wine was one of their favorite wedding gifts.

Nana Visits Honolua Bay

On our first day exploring the island, we headed north to see the sites. We followed the guidebook so closely that we were using the Tripometer to make sure that we didn't miss things like "the small dirt trail to the left, .3 miles past the Bell Rock."

The first stop was this overlook near Honolua Bay. Though I'd worn my bathing suit, convinced I'd be jumping in somewhere, we'd already decided we wouldn't be hiking down to any beaches. It was enough to pull over, see them, and move on to view the next breathtaking vista.
I'd be lying if I didn't say I was experiencing serious kayak and rafting envy as we observed folks down on the bay. It was still quite early, maybe not even 9 am, but there were cars parked along the road next to paths that beach hunters have forged over the years.
There was hooting and hollering in sections - and then you'd look elsewhere and there would be singles and couples just floating quietly. Serenity!
As we stood overlooking the bay and appreciating the view to the open ocean on the other side, group after group pulled into the little jug handle, climbed out, did the same thing, and went on their way. It was clear that this photo op wasn't really a "secret" after all.

We Met the Nicest People

This kind family from New York insisted that we turn that convertible around and visit the Garden of Eden; we had passed it on the Road to Hana thinking it wasn't worth the admission price. It actually was gorgeous and we were grateful to have run into them, even if they were Yankees fans.
Could that dress be any shorter? I had no idea and, since you know me, I am pretty sure I didn't handle myself in the most ladylike of manners all night. Which means there was probably a ton of accidental underwear flashing. No wonder these guys are smiling and encouraging me to show off my shaka. These gentlemen were playing music throughout our opening reception and were absolutely darling and fun. I wanted a picture with them -and the bassist in particular - for Keane.

Needless to say, Keane's not impressed.
In Paia at the Fish Market, we ran into this adorable couple on their honeymoon from Germany. They'd actually gotten married in Hawaii, which I still don't quite understand. (Of course, you know that marriage isn't my specialty.) Claus and Nadia live about 30 minutes from Munich. We'll probably hook up with them when I take Keane to Europe next summer. Nadia is Swiss.

The Paia Fish Market was the first place I drove more than an hour to just for fish tacos with a good reputation. I had them as often as I could while in Maui. Most were mahi fish tacos, and most were grilled. They weren't San Diego/Baja style, but were still awesome.

I have actually had two (!!) dreams about them since I got home. Dreaming about food is just one of the many reasons I'm not a size 4.

This is Dave. He is the friend I will visit in Melbourne, soon enough. He's in hospitality, liquor, restaurants, and bars. Food and booze...no wonder I got along so well with him! I honestly could have hung out and talked with he and his wife all afternoon - except that we both were on a mission to get some banana bread down the road.

We met them at the shave ice place. This is the shave ice ladies back yard. Dave owes me my picture, but hasn't e-mailed it to me yet. Later, I will add it. (I'm counting on you, Dave.)

We ran into Dave and his family again back in Ka'anapali, which was cool, but I was running to catch the boat for parasailing and by the time we got back they were done with their Hula Grill meal. We were bummed! You know how I love a fun (foodie and boozy) Australian family.
I feel awful because I have forgotten this young lady's name. She sold me an adorable dress - not the too-short black one; I clearly purchased that one without any professional assistance. Thanks a lot, Nana!

She was working at this boutique for the summer, but goes to school in Washington. She hopes to get a job at a tasting room when she returns to school in the fall! Loves wine. Eliminates any need for me to shop for myself. We need her on the team!
Possibly my favorite picture from the whole trip. We didn't encounter a single staff member at the Sheraton who wasn't cheerful, friendly, funny, and kind. We bonded especially with the maids in our section. We would see them piling onto the elevator each morning...and one day we hopped on with them. It was that morning that we snapped this picture.