Sunset

A winter sunset on a fiercely cold northern Virginia day.

Tree Veins

Winter Wine Tasting

 A couple times this winter I've visited Loudoun Valley Vineyards. My friend Tim and I had some "holiday bonus" envelopes we had to redeem that could contain discounts or free stuff. Our first visit we won a free bread & cheese basket, and our second visit I won a 10% discount and Tim got a free glass of wine and bowl of soup on a Saturday of his choosing... looks like he's going again soon!

What's funny is that each time one of us has gone to the vineyard this winter, it's been snowing. Which is somewhat rare for northern Virginia. It was complete deja vu yesterday when we walked out of the tasting room and there was a soft blanket of snow all around yet again.

The staff there is fabulous- friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and willing to answer my many questions (What are the typical elements of a Syrah? Is it strange making wine on the east coast after being trained on the west coast? Have you heard of the movie "Somm," about the Master Sommelier exam? How do the oak barrels not mold inside? Do you actually drink wine in your off time?). The answer to the last was a resounding "no!" because they like to enjoy beer and other types of alcohol after talking about, pouring, and making wine all day.

I highly recommend Loundoun Valley Vineyards if you're in the area and want to taste some delicious wines! My favorites were the Route 9 Red (a chilled, slightly fizzy, sweeter red) and the Traminette (a sweeter white blend of two grapes).

Winter Nostalgia

I've been cleaning and sorting through clothes to my Christmas playlist. In between Celine Dion's high-note-shrieks when I have to turn the volume down (I do love her, though), some great x-mas tunes come on. My all-time favorite Christmas CD is- get ready for it- Snowed In by Hanson. Yup. It is pure boy-band greatness, circa 1997, and is much better than that stupid N*SYNC Christmas CD that everyone likes. I even heard it playing at the grocery store last week.

Also some of my favorites: all the songs from the Love Actually soundtrack, especially White Christmas by Otis Redding and the little girl's version of Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas; Bing Crosby stuff; my roommate Emily's mom's piano tracks; and the Notre Dame Glee Club songs, which took me right back to South Bend, Indiana.

 

There weren't too many things I loved about the other side of the street, but I did love going to the Glee Club's annual Christmas concert. I can remember them coming into the still-dark auditorium singing Wassail. A couple times I got to hear Lux Aramunque, an Eric Whitacre song that I loved  from my high school chorus-groupie days (I didn't ever sing, but basically all of my best friends were in chorus). It was also great when the Glee Club came caroling at each of the dorms at Saint Mary's, singing all the carols with funny twists- making a tunnel for unsuspecting girls that wandered in during the singing,  And oh man, how I miss my old dorm, Holy Cross, with it's huge entryway featuring a double staircase, St. George slaying the dragon statue, and dark, dark, wood everywhere. So when one of their songs came up on my playlist, I got that nostalgic feeling for school that pops up every now and then. Those songs are what winter in South Bend sounds like to me.

So this is dedicated to all you SMC women who I know are feeling the same nostalgia... and to that awesome tree (first picture) on the island that they cut down. I took these pictures 4 years ago, when we were little freshie babies not yet knowing the winter wrath South Bend could unleash (what were we doing out in the snow in formal dresses?).

Geesh. Who knew it would be possible to actually miss being in a South Bend winter?