NKC Vineyard visit

We are fortunate to live less than 15 miles from a very nice winery, New Kent Winery. We frequent there as often as we can. We have done the tour and tasting multiple times and sometimes we just go to sit out on their back patio and enjoy a bottle of wine. I brought the camera along on a recent trip. It was a beautiful day outside. Even when it is not warm out, they have propane heaters on the deck and you stay quite toasty while enjoying your wine. It is the perfect place to visit during all seasons. We even learned on our last trip that our hounds would be welcome, so long as they stayed outside. Our next trip will for sure include our hounds. :)



Mitch enjoys a glass of Meritage.

New Kent Winery was built using almost all reusable material. The bricks, decking, beams, tasting bar etc. all came from older buildings in Virginia, in other states and from other countries. The building itself is beautiful, but to get a full appreciation for how it was designed and built the tour is a must. NKC winery is the largest winery in Virginia. It is situated on 5,000 acres of land. After the owner purchased the land, he made a deal with folks in the community who hunted on the land. They still do hunt on the property (not close to the winery) and for that priviledge in return they come out each year with their families and help harvest the crops. All of their grapes are hand picked! After seeing the process that it takes to make just one barrel of wine, y0u get a true appreciation for their work and the wine. We were so amazed by the process we stood in awe in the wine makers room on the catwalk as they explained the process in great detail.

Below are some of the Cabernet Franc vines. These are located just across from the building. This is a pretty popular wine by Virginia wineries. I enjoy Cabernet Franc, but it is a required taste.

Below are the vines for the Norton grapes. New Kent makes a White Norton wine that is very unique. The Norton grape is another popular grape used in Virginia wines. Unfortunately, last year's crop was destroyed by birds. They have covered the grapes for the future crop. We will be waiting 10-12 months for the White Norton wine to be made. This wine is my favorite from this winery. Next time we go and it is available, I will be stocking up. If you live in Virginia and are a fan of wine, a trip to this winery should be on your to do list. We highly recommend it! Not only is it situated in a beautiful setting, it is also provides a unique experience with some great wine!

A Toyrefic 10th B-day

Another year has gone by and my little queen is now 10. It is hard to believe how fast time does fly. Maggie has been with us now for four years. I love her more every day. She is my heart and we share a very special bond. Her birthday was on 9-27. We had big plans to go to the park and then to Petsmart. It was going to be just her and I. Kinda of a mommy and me day. The rain had a different idea, so instead we just went to Petsmart and got some new toys and treats, came back to the house and she went to town playing with all her new toys. She eventually let her brothers and sister play too.

She plays with the pink and green Octopus first.

Then moves on to the squirrel. As a side note, this toy looks realistic and scared the crap out of me one evening, as it was laying in the hallway, and for a second I thought it was real. Yes, I screamed and ran like a girl.

As you can see, she keeps all the new toy in her general vicinity. She is a stinker. ;-)
She was quite befuddled as to what to do with this one. Then decided to chew its head. Maybe it was giving her the stink eye. :)30 minutes later she had worn herself out and slept the rest of the afternoon. She had a great birthday. She is a toy girl, so it was very fitting for her. I had a blast watching her. It was great to be home all day with her too. It did not really matter to me what we did so long as we were together!We love our Maggie Mae and we hope for many, many more wonderful years with our little queen!