I had no idea my home state had wine this good. I’m representing WordPress.com at the Wine Tourism Conference in Leesburg, Virginia this week — talking to winery owners and wine trail guides about the work they do, and learning about the passion and pride that go into wine making — and I’m learning all about my region while I’m here.
Grape vines at Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg, VA
Wine makers and promoters have come from as far as Portugal, Nova Scotia, and California for the conference’s first visit to the east coast of the US, and it’s here in Virginia. Where I live.
11:30 am wine
I’m taking notes for when my husband and I need a weekend getaway.
When my husband and I traveled to Miami Beach this summer, we took a trip into the city to find the Barnacle State Park, a tiny tropical oasis in Coconut Grove, where Ralph Middleton Munroe, a pioneer and one of Miami’s earliest settlers, built a house on Biscayne Bay. It’s a lovely site.
Bamboo at Barnacle State Park, Miami FloridaTree snail shell on a quiet pathTree nail in Barnacle State Par, a tiny oasis in Miami, Florida
I unfolded the paper slip from my prompt box today, and on it was written “half-dressed.” This of course made me think of our recent trip to South Beach in Miami, where “half-dressed” is a generous description of the people we saw from our various perches around town. Quarter-dressed, or in many cases, tenth-dressed is more appropriate.
Sadly (or maybe happily) for you, I don’t have pictures of all the nine-tenths-naked bodies we saw. However, pulling the prompt made me realize that I never wrote about or published any photographs from our trip. And this trip was significant: it was the first time my husband and I have spent more than one night alone together since our first child was born almost 12 years ago.
We stayed The Angler’s, a small hotel off the main strip so that we could relax into quiet if we needed to, and we were thrilled to have our little oasis to return to after walks on the beach or around town.
Sea grapes and South Beach tower
Bright umbrellas
Starlight on the strip
Pretty water
Art Deco lighthouse
We walked on the beach, lay by the pool and drank wine and cocktails, wandered the boardwalks and sidewalks by day and by night, ate when we were hungry, slept when we were tired, visited an art museum, went out on dates every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The art deco architecture was refreshing — so much different from what we’re used to in southwest Virginia, and we particularly loved the bright life guard stands.
Lifeguard stand, South Beach, MiamiLifeguard stand with clouds, Miami BeachLifeguard stand, South Beach, MiamiLooking out to sea, Miami Beach, Florida
Did I mention it was amazing? Hopefully it won’t be another 12 years before we take a trip together again.
Thank you to sapel2013 for the prompt “half-dressed.”
A few weeks ago, I started using a tread desk when I work. I walk four hours a day, five days a week, while I type. It is as awesome as it sounds: 40 miles a week and I’m working while I walk.
The only problem is that I rarely go outside to exercise anymore. This morning was cool for August, though, and so I grabbed some music and my phone, and I went for my first run in weeks.
The wildflowers and growth along my route are as tall as I am, and I noticed a creek today that I hadn’t noticed before. As usual, I forgot how hilly this place is.
I miss running with my camera(phone). Now that fall is approaching, I need to do it more.
My husband brought home kittens yesterday — four month old sisters — without telling our children. The kids came home from school to find kitties in the rec room.
Our house is now the happiest place on earth.
Our children forgot about screen time. Nothing matters but these little cats. I can’t stop smiling for all the joy these two have generated in our home.
I’ll be honest. Much of the joy is my own. I’ve been wanting kittens for as long as our kids have, and now that we are finally in our own home, my husband made it happen. Last night we ate pizza and watched Monty Python while kittens played with ribbons and a jingle bell ball. Before bed, when they had gotten comfortable with us, one of them climbed on my chest… and purred.
I’m trying Mesh! My photos this week aren’t great – the kitties move too fast and like the dark, but this is my contribution to the Today Was a Good Day Mesh Photo Challenge.
Our son and I took a walk Sunday morning in downtown Winston Salem, North Carolina. We stumbled across an outdoor amphitheater, where ruffians slept off their hangovers on the stepped seating in the sun.
Nearby was a brick building that our son and I explored the exterior of. I loved the creative way the windows were protected from mischief, with sculpture instead of bars.
Butterfly Mind 