A LITTLE MORE WINE, MY DEAR?

This is my first Travel Tip Thursday hosted by my dear friend, Pseudo of Pseudonymous High School Teacher. Pseudo and friends transport us to fabulous locales every Thursday. Click the link for more Travel Tips.

We stopped in North Carolina on our way home from Indiana a few weeks ago. My Harley Stud surprised me with a trip to a local winery. This was a real treat for me and a very generous gesture from MHS as he doesn’t like wine. MHS knows that I’ve always wanted to visit a winery that we pass every time we go to the lake to see Daddy but never seem to have the time. So instead, we traveled a few miles from MHS’s brother’s where we were staying to Raffaldini Vineyards.

Raffaldini’s is located in the Swan Creek area of Yadkin Valley. The picturesque setting is what drew us to this particular winery but it was the wine that surpassed the expectations of this virgin wine taster. Of course, this was not the first time I’ve tasted wine but it was my first real wine tasting. (I really need to get out more)

MHS left me at the wine tasting and did a bit of exploring on his own. By exploring, I mean that he took several calls from customers, read emails, called both of our daughters, and checked the weather of every single person we know with his fancy weather app all while walking the grounds. In other words, he found ways to entertain himself while I was having great fun at the wine bar.

I joined two sisters from Minnesota at the bar. They were such nice women and I couldn’t have asked for better companions on my first wine tasting experience. Our hostess was fabulous and a wealth of information about the wine, the grapes and the area. She had a warmth and wit about her that made you feel as though you had been invited into her living room for a glass of wine.

The following is what I learned during the wine tasting. I should warn you that any details I can’t remember have been replaced with those I made up. Details…who needs ‘em.

Raffaldini’s is owned by a first generation Italian-American family. The family can trace their history back to the 1300s in Italy. The winery in Yadkin Valley was established in 2001. They started with thirty-three different grapes. In an effort to create the Italian wines of their ancestors, the Raffaldini’s, after determining what grows well in the Carolinas now grow only eight different varieties of Italian grapes.

I had the pleasure of tasting seven different wines: 3 white, 3 red and 1 rose. All were wonderful. I particularly liked a white that was selected by the US State Dept. for President Obama to give as a gift at the G8 Summit. I loved their Urbano. Urbano is a red that is made primarily from Sangiovese grapes which are the grapes used to make chianti. I also fell in love with a red called Pino Vino, named after the Raffaldini's dog. It even has a picture of Pino on the bottle.

After the tasting, I gathered up a few sandwiches, some cheese, a diet coke for MHS and of course a glass of wine for me. We had a lovely lunch on the terrace that overlooks the vineyard. It was then that I decided that working at a winery will be my retirement job. How fun would that be!

The entire property is covered with rose bushes. Many were still blooming even though the cool fall weather has already hit the area.

We couldn’t leave without buying a few bottles of wine. I was told that as good as they were the day we were there, they will be even better if we can wait a year before opening them. We gave a few bottles away as gifts. The rest are tempting me even as I write this. It will be interesting to see how long I can hold out.

Vineyard employees hard at work

This was the view as we left.

A little more wine, my dear?

Hugs,

Smart Mouth Broad

IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME

It was Parent’s Weekend in Tally.

Daughter #2 joined a sorority this year which meant that Parent’s weekend was full of activities and not just an excuse to get tickets to the football game.

Daughter #1 was also in a sorority while at the same university but I have to say, it’s still all Greek to me. The whole idea of a secret society intrigues, bewilders and frustrates me. I hate secrets. I’m a blabbermouth and expect everyone else to be also. Is that a bad thing?

We attended a banquet on Friday night at a local country club. Required dress was Sunday best. I think I may have stressed out D2 slightly every time I said, “I mow the yard on Sundays, so lately my Sunday best is my very fashionable knit shorts from the clearance rack at Gander Mountain and a tank top. Can I wear that?” Never fear, D1 dropped her Food Nazi title and became my fashion consultant for the gig. Stay tuned for a future post about that adventure.

*What is it about saying you are going to cut back on blogging that you suddenly have tons of ideas for things about which to write?*

We had lunch on Saturday with NoleBoy and his parents. D2 and NoleBoy were celebrating one year together that same day. A better mom would have thought to take some pictures. *sigh* How about a link to last year’s Parent’s Weekend? Daughter #1 was present for the festivities but left shortly afterward to travel to Pensacola to meet friends.

There was a cook-out at the sorority house prior to the game. This was our first opportunity to tour the house. Whoever said “poor struggling college students” wasn’t referring to Greek life. The house was beautiful and meals are prepared by and served to you by house staff. I’m thinking that I might join myself. Is there an age limit on being a sorority girl?

After the cook-0ut MHS and I got to see once again what it feels like to be a college student and walk everywhere. Parking is an issue at every university, I think, and FSU is no exception. We walked 100 miles to Doak stadium and visited friends who were tail-gating. It was about this time that I was really wishing we had some of that Indiana fall weather we had experienced the week before. There’s no fall in Florida. We have two seasons: summer and “not quite” summer. Sometimes I wonder why anyone lives here.

The game. Don’t get me started on the game. OK, I’ll tell you about it but I’m going to skip the part about how we didn’t win. The Seminoles hosted the Georgia Tech Bumblebees Yellow Jackets. If we had to lose, at least we were playing a team whose fans never failed to entertain me. I should explain that even though I’ve been a Seminole Mom for several years now and should know better, I tend to procrastinate like the challenge of waiting until the last minute to buy my game tickets and make my hotel reservations. In the past this modus operandi has worked to our advantage but this year, it resulted in us sitting in the visiting team section and driving 40 miles to Bainbridge, Ga to sleep. MHS was lovin’ me. FO SHO!

So anyway, Georgia Tech would chant, “Let’s go, Jackets” and D2 and I would crack up. EVERY.TIME.THEY.DID.IT. And they did it a lot! You see it sounded to us like, “Let’s go, Jackass!” Even now, it’s still funny. They had another one that sounded like, “Jackass, Go home.” I have no idea what they were actually saying but it was so fun, I would even chant with them. It was the first time we’ve ever been to any sporting event where we weren’t sitting next to some obnoxious drunk. I’m thinking maybe this time, I was the obnoxious one. Just not drunk.

If you’re a long-time reader here, you may remember that “Jackass” is MHS’s other name. You know…… the name I call him when he says things that aren’t exactly P.C., drives too fast, swears in public…..you know, that sort of thing. Yeah, he can be a jackass. In fact, that is his name on the wii wii. I swear. So I’m thinking, this can be my new chant.

If you don’t hear from me, I may have chanted one too many times. Even now………..it still cracks me up. I guess you had to be there.

The game started at 8pm. We weren’t very far into it when they called a storm delay. That means there was lightning in the area. The players leave the field but the fans remain in their seats to get zapped. Once it started to rain a bit, we took cover. What do you do when you’ve got nothing else to do? Well, if you have a serious crackberry addiction………….

MHS kept us in the know with his fancy, dancy weather app on his crackberry. D2 facebooked and tried in vain to reach NoleBoy who was two sections over with his parents but “never has a signal in here.” Me? I tweeted. Well, that and I tried to take pictures of people who obviously didn’t check their look in the mirror before leaving the house. Sadly, they were moving too fast and my photography skills were lacking.

Eventually, the game resumed only to end in disaster after 1 am. Yes, that’s what I said. The game lasted until after 1 am. You can probably guess how happy MHS was with me that I booked a hotel 40 miles away. “Let’s go, Jackass!” Hahahaha. Yep, it still cracks me up.

The weekend officially concluded with a brunch at the sorority house. Again, I’m thinking I really need to look into joining. I could really get used to Greek life. I bet they will love my new chant. Alright, I’ll shut up now.

Hugs,

Smart Mouth Broad

MY VIRTUAL VACATION – Courtesy of The Saint

I received a text message from my friend, The Saint, last Monday. (If you’re new here, you can check out my MAKING OF A BIKER CHICK posts in my sidebar and get to know her and the Biker Nazi better.) The message read:

Wish you were here.

The Saint

I quickly replied, “Me too. Where is here?” I assumed that she wasn’t at work or she wouldn’t be wishing I was there. I WAS at work so I was wishing to be ANYWHERE else.

She replied with, “South Dakota.”

I asked who she was with. She told me, “The Biker Nazi.”

Just the BN, I asked? She confirmed. I told her she was either very brave or crazy. She told me that he was already threatening to send her home. And she was leaning toward crazy over brave.

Well, what the ……? No one discussed this trip with me! Where was my invitation? Apparently I’ve opened my smart mouth once too often and have been voted off the island. Did I wish I was there? You bet your sweet bippy whatever that is I did! Of course the truth is that had we been invited, we wouldn’t have been able to go but still… I pouted. The BN and TS were having fun and I wasn’t. How could that be fair?

I had my 3 second pity party and was over it. I asked her to send me a picture a day so I would feel like I was there with them. And because we did this trip with them two years ago, it almost feels like I am there as I receive the photos.

The photos look great on my phone but they are a little grainy now that I’ve sent them to my computer. Even so, they are beautiful! Allow me to share:

Mount Rushmore is one of my favorites! The history of this whole area is so interesting.

I guess without me there, they probably didn’t risk being asked to leave this time.

Awwww, look! The Biker Nazi made a friend.

Looks like they have a lot in common!

Look at the snow at the top of BearTooth Pass! In JULY!

This is Glacier Park, Montana. We didn’t make it this far on our trip two years ago. It was on the agenda but we ran out of time.

Someday……………*sigh*

Hugs,

Smart Mouth Broad

I WONDER AS I WANDER

As previously announced, we took another road trip this weekend. Spending lots of time on the road gives me time to reflect on life in general. I ponder the big stuff and the small. And I wonder as I wander:

My Harley Stud’s family reunion was in Phenix City, Alabama. We stayed in Columbus, Georgia. The two cities are like sister cities separated only by the Chattahoochee River. Many people work in one of these cities and live in the other. It must feel odd to cross the state line to go to work everyday. I wonder if some people cross national borders in their daily commute?

MHS is the oldest of six children. This was the first time in more than 15 years that all six have been together in one place. It’s terrible how our lives have gotten so busy. It’s almost impossible to coordinate all those schedules for a gathering. I know that there is nothing we could have done for my father in-law for Father’s Day that would have been better than just being there at his family reunion. He beamed with pride all day. Not only were all six kids there but all his grandchildren too. He has five sons and 1 daughter. He has five granddaughters and one grandson. Weird, huh? We took lots of pictures but I didn’t get permission to post them so I’ll hold off for now.

I’m pretty sure I can get away with this one:

I kind of look like I just ate a bug, huh? D1 says I don’t really look like that, thank the Lord! We had the bartender take this one while we were waiting for the rest of the family to go to dinner. We ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant where my niece sang karaoke. She has the voice of an angel. Who knows? You might just hear her on the radio one day.

Being with all of MHS’s siblings again was like going back in time. Since we got married at “twelve”, I grew up with his family. No, we’re not cousins as far as I know. The family tree does fork. My brother in-laws are the same rowdy, fun-loving bunch. It was fun to see them together again. I have to wonder what it must be like to marry into a family that you don’t really know and already love.

Shhhhhhh! I couldn’t resist. This is just between you and me, right?

Aren’t they cute!

OH, Geez! I’m in trouble now.

As you can see, they are all very close in age. I remember once when we were dating some idiot made a disparaging remark about the sister. MHS and his brothers had the guy on his knees in the park apologizing to her in front of all his idiot friends. It was great. I wonder if boys still do that sort of thing to defend their sister’s honor?

There’s so much more but I have to wonder if this post isn’t getting too long and you’ve already left me to move on down the line? Are you still there? You, there in the back! Still hanging with me? Here’s one more for you.

D1 dragged invited me walking with her on Saturday morning. We walked about 5 miles. We stumbled upon the historic district in Columbus on our walk. We were thrilled as MHS has instilled in all of us a deep appreciation for architecture. We came upon a Burger King that was set in an old house in the district. We agreed we had to come back with MHS, D2 and a camera. We stopped on our way back from the reunion to get some quick pics and french fries. What? You can’t stop there without getting fries? Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Burger King. You can thank me later.

Have you ever seen a Burger King that looks like this? Each room of the house was made into a different dining area.

This section was open in the morning but closed when we went back in the afternoon. Do you think I would let a few chairs blocking the hallway stop me from getting you the photos that you deserve? I love you way too much for that.

Have you ever seen a fireplace in a BK? And this one had two!

It was right after taking this picture that the BK Police came to tell me that taking pictures wasn’t allowed in this establishment. Seriously? This is an outrage! Is this no longer the land of the free! Do I have to get a permit to take photographs in public like Michel in Sudan? And I hear they are running off Midlife Slices and her camera out in Oklahoma just because she got a little obsessive and stalker-like with Simon Baker and that other cranky celeb who shall remain nameless on this blog. (Although I was quite disappointed as I was always a fan of his acting……………Stupid JERK)

Of course, by this time I already had all that I needed. No jail time was involved.

I hope you appreciate the risks I take for you. *wink*

I have to wonder; does BK think that I was on some fast food black ops mission? Possibly planning to open my own BK lookalike? Smart Mouth Big Buns? Hmmm…..it’s kinda catchy, don’t you think?

OH SUSANNAH!

And she went to Alabama with a banjo or her knee

......or was it a laptop?

Yes, we're off again. It's a quickie. And MHS aka JackAss is in roadtrip mode. Lawd! Help us!

THE MAKING OF A BIKER CHICK-Yellowstone National Park

Two years ago this summer, My Harley Stud and I along with our good friends, The Saint and the Biker Nazi took a two week bike trip out west. Prior to this ride, I had never been farther than one hour in any direction on our Harley. I was a reluctant biker chick to say the least. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to handle the road all day, everyday. No one was more surprised than I was to find that I loved it. Oh sure, I begged for frequent butt breaks, tinkle breaks, snack breaks and any other break that might get me off the darn thing for more than five minutes at a time but the overall experience was one of the best in my lifetime. If you’ve never ridden a motorcycle and you’re able and have the opportunity, I highly recommend it. I guarantee you will see things on a bike that you would never notice in a car.

For more of my “Making of a Biker Chick” series, check out my sidebar.

We weren’t inside Yellowstone long before we pulled over for our first scenic wonder. Taking in this view and all that came after made every single ache and pain worth the trip.

Back on the bike again, we came upon several cars pulled over to the side of the road. As we approached, we saw that everyone was out of their cars and standing at the guardrail with their cameras pointing down. We followed suit and were rewarded with our first bear sighting.

A big brown bear! He was apparently shy and not willing to pose for a Smart Mouth Broad to get a good shot.

And then there were buffalo and more buffalo and more buffalo.

The traffic is two lane and comes to a complete stop any time there are wild life nearby. That’s great when you’re in a car and protected on all four sides. But on a bike……..?

The video is short. Be sure to turn the volume all the way up. You can hear him snorting, growling, mooing? Whatever…….you can hear him.

We came to a stop right beside this big guy who was happily grazing. The Saint turned to me looking a little nervous and said, “I sure hope he doesn’t know that I ate his cousin for lunch.”

Just to give you an idea of how close we were to these giants: The road was two lanes. You can see the white line. Lord.Have.Mercy!

It was right after this unscheduled stop that we saw flyers announcing to all visitors that you should NOT approach the buffalo. They reported that many guests were gouged the previous summer. What the……..?

Look out, Biker Nazi and The Saint! She’s about to blow!

I have a little confession to make. At first I was a little disappointed about this National Treasure. Oh sure, it blew and it blew big but somehow I was left feeling a little uh “meh”. Then I gave it a little more thought and realized that with all our technology and my frequent trips to Disney World, maybe I’ve become a little desensitized to natural wonders. I began to think about not just the size of the spout but the reliability of the thing. I mean this thing is on time give or take a few minutes every day, seven days a week, 365 days a year! I can hardly do that once a week.

Want to see it for yourself? Here’s the webcam. If you have a few minutes, check it out.

Another wildlife sighting! A Coyote’s butt!

I was so excited to see this sign. I know, I’m a dork. *sigh*

This is one of my favorite photographs. Two guys in awe of nature.

Do you see what they saw? An American Eagle!

See that little cord coming from the top of my jacket? That connects my ipod to the speakers in my helmet allowing me to entertain myself and dance when the scenery gets boring. That didn’t happen too often on this trip.

Scaaarrrry! It really roars like a dragon.

And then I turned around and saw this little guy. Isn’t he the cutest?

Buffalo always have the right-of-way in Yellowstone……or anywhere I suppose.

The oncoming traffic had to wait while this buffalo made his slow and determined way across the bridge.

Who are these hot mamas? Just beautiful!

As we headed north toward Montana and BearTooth Pass, Yellowstone gifted us with this gorgeous view to send us on our way. Don’t the mountains look like they are covered in velvet?

My “Making of a Biker Chick” series is coming to an end soon. I have one more adventure to share and then what will I do? I guess we’ll just have to go on another trip……*sigh*