Sunrise over Denver

I took this image yesterday morning from my Denver hotel window of the sun rising.


It was, magnificent.




Perhaps the only prettier one that I have seen recently was during our October weekend trip to the beach of the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean.

That was an awesome weekend and a great sunrise.

In love the promise of the new day that rises with the sun. Yesterday I woke up in Denver, and this morning I woke up in my own bed.

What could be better?

God sends the sun along with the promise of a new day to remind us of His greatness.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Happy 3:16 day

Heard this on the radio on the way to the airport.

Today is the day to share the most recognized bible verse, John 3:16, with everyone.

So what are you waiting for?


- Bob Doan, Denver, CO

Consensus Blending -- 2012

It was hard to believe that over a year had passed since Chris and I had the great experience of being part of the team that blended the award winning 2009 Consensus wine for Keswick Vineyards in Virginia.

But it had been. We were part of that team during early December 2010 and last weekend we headed back to the winery to defend our title, so to speak.


Truly, defending was a long shot. We were unable to attend on the same weekend as the rest of our team mates from last year, and history says that the winners of the previous year usually come in last. In fact, we had heard that the other members of last year's team had done just that on the day they attended.

The day though is not about winning, although I will tell you that winning is nice, but it is about time at the winery with the winemaker, Stephen, and the owners, and other members of the wine club devoted to blending a good wine.

This year was no different.

We worked through the morning trying to blend the 2011 Consensus. There was no 2010 release. The wines all had very different character. The wines this year were Norton, Merlot, Touriga, and Syrah. By noon we had gone through 12 different blends before settling on our final blend.

After lunch and a break we reconvened to judge the ten blends of the day. The judging was tense and we felt really good when we found out that our wine made the top four blends f the day--and then the top four. But, alas, our wine was judged only fourth best of the day. We of course felt that it was better--but the wine that won was a good wine too, in fact we had judged it better than ours. That winner is competing against the other three "day" winners to be crowned the 2011 Consensus wine. That decision should be announced soon.

So what is the day about at the winery?

Getting together with newly made friends to enjoy wine and learn more about what it takes to make wine. That, in the end increases our enjoyment of the final product that we select from the shelves of the stores and wineries where we buy them.

Thanks again to the great people at Keswick for allowing us to disrupt the flow life at the winery and spend some quality time with them.


-- Bob Doan, Denver, CO

Out the Hotel Window, Denver -- March 2012

Looking off to the east the structure of Denver International Airport can be seen in the distance--the white circus looking tent like structure.

Denver Looking East

Actually, the scene is very nice to look at and enjoy as the day comes to an end and the colors begin to blend into the golden colors of the setting sun.

It was a good day, in that it ended and I am one day closer to returning home.

Traveling gets old really quickly--especially traveling alone so there is no one to do things with. Watching reruns of the Big Bang Theory on TV isn't considered enjoying the local nightlife. And the sports teams I like are out of town or not playing yet.

But at least the view out the window is expansive. The prairie is wide and open even yet, it still calls out to the adventurous spirit within me which knows that a long time ago I would have been one of those "heading west, young man!"

-- Bob Doan, Denver, CO

Pi-day

I forgot to wish everyone happy Pi day.

Eat some Pi for me!


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Springtime Arrives

I know that springtime arrived finally and that the dark days have passed for another year.

I know this because on Monday evening Chris and I began the process of cleaning out the leaves which collected during the winter in the area around the pool. The furniture was restored to operation complete with cushions and pillows that had been in storage over the winter.

A bottle of wine, cheese, and crackers were enjoyed to the sounds of music and the peepers and the birds.

It was an idyllic setting for the first evening of what I hope is a long an enjoyable season around the pool in the haven which is our backyard.

The first evening of the season is as memorable as the last, only the conversation focuses on the season to come rather the the good times passed.

This is the time I wait for and even the work clearing leaves and cleaning was enjoyable we watched the clock tick past seven and there was still daylight remaining to enjoy.

The lawn is greening and I can feel the tug of the mower coming. Even the plum trees are in bloom. I love those trees, they are the first blooming trees of the season in our yard. for some unknown reason, Chris desires them to be gone but I cannot imagine looking into the yard without them.

And so the season arrives.

And the promise of sun, pool, fun, family and friends.

Bring it on!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings -- March 13, 2012 (Tuesday)

1. Sometimes Monday comes too fast.

2. Defending a title is much harder than winning it for the first time.

3. Daylight savings time has arrived--could you just put the savings into my bank account?

4. I stood outside the other night and noticed it--the smell of springtime. Damp earth in the moist air. A sweet smell against the backdrop of the symphony of the peepers.

5. Warm weather with a bottle of wine with cheese and crackers consumed on the back deck, what could be a better way to usher in a spring-like evening?

6. Travel is fun, right up until it is time to actually do it.

7. March Madness is upon us. Get out the brackets and make your picks. Go Syracuse!

8. Bring on the beach. I feel like sitting in the sand, under an umbrella with my sun glasses on and being mesmerized by the waves on the beach for the whole day.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Veritas Vineyards and Winery -- A Review

Located in the western portion of the Monticello Wine Trail, Veritas seems to have developed a cult following. We visited on a beautiful, sunny, early-March afternoon to find the winery full of visitors. We actually had to stand in line for 15 minutes before we were able to be accommodated for a tasting. But that was not a problem. The room is visually stimulating and worth the extra time to enjoy.


Veritas presents itself beautifully. The large tasting room has a very different feel than traditional tasting rooms.The sofas and tables around the room provide for a personalized wine tasting experience. The picture is of the larger than life sculpture on the bar.

At $5 for tasting seven wines, the cost seems average and we did get to keep our glasses at the end of the tasting.

The grounds are very nicely maintained and the large building housing the tasting room provides a larger than life introduction to the wines.

Once we finally made our way to the bar for the tasting, unfortunately we didn't manage to get into one of the sofa groupings, we began to experience the wines. I was disappointed by the wines--they are very young and need time to develop. The wines lacked depth and complexity. Although the tasting notes provide an introduction to the wines, for the most part the wines failed to live up to the excitement generated by the notes.

The best wine of the day was the 2011 Viognier. The most disappointing was the Merlot. The Merlot was more akin to a Pinot Noir or a Cabernet Franc.

The winery shows a lot of promise and as the vines mature, the depth and quality of the wines should improve.

Recommendation: Visit and enjoy the beauty of the winery, but don't expect too much from the wines. Travel note--my GPS did not plot the position of the winery correctly, so be sure to follow the signs over following GPS directions.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

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