Virginia Wine Country Weekend

We are in Charlottesville, VA for the annual Consensus blending at Keswick Vineyards.

A weekend away doing one of the hobbies that both Chris and I enjoy--wine sampling.

We have rediscovered a couple of wineries: King Family and Jefferson. We also sampled two new wineries: Pippin Hill and Cardinal Point. And for fun we stopped back by Blenheim, just to check it out.

I continue to highly recommend both King Family and Jefferson. They have nicely prepared selections of white and red wines which are nicely blended. We brought home not a few of their wines for enjoyment later.

Cardinal Point caters to wine styles which are a bit different and I could not fully appreciate them. I was intrigued by their white whine named Green, which does not age before being bottled.

Pippin Hill is very new and the vines are very young. The wines are young too. The facility is very nice and I believe this winery has promise for the future--especially as the vines mature a bit more and the wines begin to gain some depth and complexity.

Blenheim has expanded their parking to accommodate their increased popularity. They have very good wines, but unfortunately, the one that I enjoy the most was sold out.

Well, today it is off to Keswick today to defend our Consensus blending title. Really, just to have fun and meet new people who also share our love of wine.






-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

What I Saw--Yesterday

Drivers changing lanes so rapidly that I wanted to pull over and calm down as one narrowly missed my bumper.

Crocus in the lawn.

Blue skies and warm temperatures.

A bottle of wine waiting on the table for my arrival at the house after another 12-hour day.

My dog, at the door barking happily at my arrival.

The pillow on my bed and my head nestled into it.

Darkness as sleep came over me at the end of a long day.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

History and Space

While on my trip to LA and Lompoc, I had the opportunity to visit some of the history of American space fight.

That would be some of the Space Launch Complexes (SLCs pronounced slick) associated with space launches from Vandenberg AFB, CA.



This was the second time that something named for the former Chief of Staff of the Air Force Hoyt S. Vandenberg and I had crossed paths. The first was the ship, named after him, that I had the pleasure of diving while visiting Key West a few years ago. And now, the Air Force Base which carries his name.



Although I drove by a number of the SLCs, I was able to take a couple images of two of them--SLC-6 and SLC-8.



SLC-6 is interesting in that it was constructed to support space shuttle launches, but shortly after everything was completed, it was decided that the space shuttle would launch only form Cape Canaveral.

The big white building is SLC-6 which is now used for other launches.

The smaller facility SLC-8, which is dark in the image, is for smaller experimental rockets.

Despite the belief that with the demise of the space shuttle program the US was no longer engaging is space--I witnessed a lot of activity at many of the SLCs and can attest that between the government and private industry we are still forging a path into the final frontier.

We may have lost the capability to put men into space for a while--but we are still alive.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Return of the Peepers

I heard them in the swamp the other night, the peepers singing.

Another sure sign of the return of spring.

The weather is warmer and the robins have returned. The grass is growing and Tru-green dropped by to get my lawn ready for mowing season.

I am so ready for the weather to get warmer.

I love the sound of the peepers in the swamp on a relatively warm evening at the end of the long, but mild winter.

Let's get on with life.

I did find some crocus hiding under a pile of leaves.

The temperature this morning is a balmy 52 degrees.

It is spring--really!

Let's celebrate.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sure Signs of Spring

Flowers are the way that I judge the passing of winter and the arrival of springtime.



It really does not matter what the calendar says, but rather it is the buds on the trees and the bright blooms of springtime flowers that really start the season for me.

And so, daffodils blooming in my neighbor's yard yesterday marked the passing of winter in my neighborhood.

I believe that I will be mowing the lawn in about two weeks and that I will be opening my pool in just a bit over a month.

The darkness has passed--we need to enjoy the sunshine and the flowers. And we can begin living outside again.

I was reminded of the old Beatles song Here Comes the Sun and the lyrics which are:

Here comes the sun (doo doo doo doo)
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

How Far Is It?

An interesting question.

Think for a moment, how far could you travel by driving for three and three-quarter hours and flying for four and a half hours?

One answer:

From Lompoc, CA to Elkridge, MD using Los Angeles International Airport (affectionately known as LAX) and Dulles International Airport.

As I realized a few minutes ago, I have been "up" for over 24 hours with only a few (four) hours sleep on a large airplane.

It is funny, I do not remember taking off from LAX. I did, however, see the sunrise over Washington as the plane landed at Dulles.

Ask me what kind of flight I had, and I will respond, restful. That is what a "red-eye" is supposed to be like.

The driving portion of my day led me onto the Pacific Coast Highway and roads known affectionately, to those living in LA, as "the 405", "the 101," and "the 105." On the Washington end--yeah I got to experience "the Beltway" during morning rush as well I-95 and US 1.

So now it is time to shower and sleep to force another 3-hour time change into my circadian rhythm.

So how far is it?

Well that's easy--all the way from the left coast to the right coast! Or, yesterday into today.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD