Wine Weekend

Mark has had this idea for about a year that we should do a "wine crawl" that involved some of our more local wineries.  And by local I mean still a few counties away in New Kent.  But the few he had in mind are pretty close to each other and could easily be visited in an afternoon.  He wanted us to work our way east so that we would be able to make a short drive to Williamsburg.  Then we could stay the night and visit the one winery there and make our way home.  The only thing we were waiting on was a good time to do it.  Last weekend was the perfect time.

We started at New Kent Winery.  We've been here several times, it never disappoints.  I'll actually be back to visit them on Valentine's Day.  They host a 10K...Race for the Chocolate :-)  How could I say no?  This winery is just off of I64 in New Kent County.

 

Our second stop was just a 10 minute drive east to Saude Creek Vineyards. This is another one we have visited several times.  They usually have music out on the porch in the summers and a fire going in either the fireplace or fire pit.  This particular day they had music inside and more people than I've ever seen at the tasting bar.

 

Our third stop was to a winery we had only visited once before.  It's newer to the area but becoming a fast favorite,  Gauthier Vineyard.  It was just a short drive, maybe 10 minutes, away from Saude Creek. 

We had the best time at Gauthier.  Our wine host was exceptional and we literally stayed until they were closing up.  

Knowing this was an over night trip I had already made reservations in Williamsburg for us at the Comfort Inn Historic Area Williamsburg.  The pictures on the website looked pretty good and the price was right at $39, but I have notoriously picked places that don't end up being the deal you think you are getting. This time I was surprised!  The entire place was clean, the bed was awesome, the location was easy to get to with several options for food right around it.  I think the low price has more to do with it being off season for the area.  

After getting a good night sleep we made our last stop on the wine crawl.  Another winery that we recently visited, Williamsburg Winery. This particular day we woke up to a chilly rain.  So I didn't take pictures of the winery itself in fear of looking like a drowned rat.  When we left the rain had let up and fog was coming in...so I grabbed a few pictures of the vineyards.

 

 

A few friends joined us for the trip so it made it all that more special.  I always say that yes I love my wine but more than anything I love the memories we make visiting the wineries with friends and family. 

Brew Sunday

On a very recent Sunday afternoon, Mark and I, got a case of cabin fever and felt the need to get out of the house.  We had the idea of trying out one of the local breweries but which one was the problem...so we ended up trying three.  I think we can say we have tried all of the breweries in RVA now.

First stop:  Ardent Craft Ales

 

 

Nice outdoor seating, although it was a bit chilly for us!  5 beers on tap, 4 to a flight (tasting).  Lots of seating, free Wi-Fi and they didn't seem to mind that we brought a 4 year old along to keep the adults in check.

Second stop:  Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

When you say Hardywood in Richmond everyone immediately thinks of their Gingerbread Stout...it's not Christmas without it!  Very big open spaces, I think all the beers were on the flight but really I missed him explaining it.  Live music was playing while we visited.  Also has outdoor seating but no Wi-Fi.

Third stop:  Triple Cross Brewing

 

The last stop puts you a little closer to downtown Richmond.  Again there is outdoor seating...really it was just too stinking cold for it!  7 beers on tap/4 to a flight.  Free Wi-Fi and a larger/adult version of Jenga to try out. 

 

I've seen this at one other Richmond Brewery but darn if I can remember which one!

 

It was nice to get in from the cold in some of Richmond's finest breweries.  I guess the cold weather IS good for something. 

Yippie!

Remember that post a couple days ago about the Virginia State Park's First Day Hike???  Well I submitted my picture for their photo contest...and guess what....I won a prize!!!!

You can check out the article here.  Best Art Shot for my picture.  I'm so excited!  Ok...back to your regularly scheduled blogging.

The January Tree 2015

I spent the better part of yesterday getting the Christmas decorations down and the Winter decorations up.  January makes me think of white, blue and silver so the decorations lend themselves to just that.

Snowflakes and snowmen are the name of the game around here in January.

I actually got the table set in the theme of winter too.  This morning we had snowman pancakes to start the season off.

 

Ok the snowmen pancakes weren't perfectly shaped but they did taste good. 

Now to get my two winter crafts done and spend the rest of the month in hibernation.  

First Day Hike 2015

In an effort to get on here more I decided the posts don't have to always be about the adventures we take.  There is something to be said for finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.  That is something I try to practice every day.  Maybe you will also find something extraordinary in my ordinary (not that anything this bunch does is ordinary).

I shared a picture yesterday from our 2015 First Day Hike....today I thought I would share a few of the other pictures from the park.

 

These were all from the Powhatan Trail at Pocohantas State Park in Chesterfield Virginia.  This trail was easy enough that we pushed Emma in a jogging stroller for the length and back of it (maybe 2 miles).  The temp was in the 40s but between the movement and being dressed warm everyone was cozy enough.  To get into the park there is a $5 parking fee or you can do like I did and get a life time pass.  Check out the Virginia State Park Website for info on that.  

The weekend is here and we have no big plans to travel.  I do plan on getting my Christmas decorations down and the January decorations up.  I also have a few plans for some 'winter crafts'....darn Pinterest! 

Happy New Year 2015!

 

Happy New Year from the Busy Bryant crew.  

We started our year with a hike at Pocohantas State Park.  The Virginia State Parks celebrate the new year by organizing and encouraging First Day Hikes.  This is our second year participating and it just seemed to set the tone for last year....lots of time outdoors and plenty of visits to new (to us) state parks.   I'm looking forward to doing both of those things in 2015!