Sunday, October 30, 2016

An Afternoon At Barrel Oak Winery (Delaplane, VA), Evening Cooking Out Steaks

Afternoon In The Country

Hayden And Her Bosom Friend, Ava
It's another Sunday in Virginia, unseasonably warm, with partly cloudy skies.  I have been up since 6:30 and Jill and Drew got up around 7:30.  So I have had a good hour to myself, catching up on the NYTimes opinion page. It seems clear the race has tightened, most likely a result of the FBI director injected himself into the politics of a Presidential race.

Yesterday, we had nothing planned for the morning because we were going to picnic at a winery for lunch and early afternoon.  So Jill went to workout at 9:00 and Drew and I took the dogs for a walk around the block.  When we got back, since Jill was still working out, we took Halle to DSW shoe outlet and I ended up buying a pair of waterproof (supposedly) walking/hiking shoes by Columbia.  They felt good when I put them on, and I just hope they live up to their shtick.  We also stopped at Total Wines, just to ogle the thousands of bottles of wine and I bought a chardonnay Jill recommended called River Road Unoaked.

Browsing Wegman's For A Picnic Lunch
Around noon, we picked up Hayden's girlfriend, Ava, whose family is from Erie.  We then stopped at an amazing Wegman's which makes our Lakewood Wegman's look like a 7/11 store.  We went straight to he goodies area, picking up sushi, brie, bread, salami, ham and swiss cheese.  This store is amazing, filled with shoppers like us, loading up their carts with food.  They even have a restaurant in the middle of the store, more or less a bar really, where you sit on stools, order a beer and food, a real destination place.
Picnicking At Barrel Oak

Barrel Oak Winery

The Sisters
We then drove about twenty five minutes to Barrel Oak Winery, pulled into the parking lot and could hardly find a place to park.  It's a great spot for a wine bar, set up on top of a hill overlooking farms, hills, and vineyards.  People were sitting at all the tables on the lawn, picnicking, or waiting in line for wine.  I would estimate well over a couple of hundred people were there, with their kids or dogs, a real happening (with music) on a warm and sunny afternoon.  We enjoyed a bottle of Virginia wine, devoured our appetizers, and enjoyed the scene, young and old, even toddlers and dogs.  We stayed until the food and wine were gone about an hour and a half, then drove home, all tired from the sun and wine.  Everyone but Evie and the girls took a nap, worn out from our excursion.

Dumb And Dumber
We were all up by 4:30, ready to enjoy the rest of the day.  I went outside, worked my way into Drew's MG, and we went out for a ride, impressing the neighborhood kids with a car they had never seen before.  I felt like James Bond.  It was still nice out when we got back, so I washed my car while Drew did some work outside.  By 5:30, it was time for a beer and we watched the exciting 4th quarter of the Ohio State game.  Hayden, after having done 45 minutes of RPM spin, worked on her homework while we watched the game, a good girl.  She is amazingly disciplined, with various AP courses, cross country, a social life and on her day off from cross country, she does a workout.

With Coco, My Favorite Dog (in Virginia)
Dinner was just what the doctor ordered, easy and good, grilled New York strips, roasted potatoes, mushrooms and a salad, a classic meal.

 Pre Dinner Wine And Salad Making

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