Entries from November 22nd, 2006

Tarara Winery Nature Walk

November 26th, 2006 · 1 Comment

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View From the Deck :: Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Tessa on the Deck :: Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Grape Vine :: Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Tessa and Kelly :: Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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My Shadow :: Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Rachelle and Kelly :: Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

After taking a tour of the Tarara Winery and then having a tasting, we went outside to explore the grounds a little. The Tarara Winery is located on 475 acres on the Potomac River (which reminds me, I want to get a print of this top photo on the banks of the Potomac). Only about 50 acres are used to grow grapes. Some of the rest of the land is used to grow fruit and they have a “pick your own” thing when different fruits are ripe. The rest of the land is used for ?? On the Tarara site it says there are 6 miles of trails. We found one and took a walk. It was in the 60s, sunny and a gorgeous day outside.

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Tarara Winery Tasting

November 26th, 2006 · 1 Comment

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Jazz Band :: Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Kelly, Tessa, Jeff :: Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Jeff, Kelly, Sue :: Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

After touring the wine cave
at Tarara Winery, we went inside to have a tasting. For $5 each we got to taste 8 wines – Tarara’s Viognier, Charval, Cameo, Pinot Nior, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Wild River Red. My favorites were the Viognier (dry, white, light), Charval (sweeter and less dry than the Viognier), Cabernet Sauvignon (a spicy red wine), and the Wild River Red (a sweet dessert wine that is 6% blackberries). Because I usually really like a Pinot Noir, I was surprised that theirs was one of the wines I liked the least. I don’t think I even drank it all. I bought a bottle each of the Charval and the Wild River Red.

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Tarara Winery Tour

November 26th, 2006 · No Comments

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Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Jeff & Kelly :: Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

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Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

On Friday, we decided to go on a winery tour and tasting. I’d noticed on this Virginia Tourism website, that there were a lot of vineyards in Virginia. I thought it’s be something good to do if it was cold outside, which it had been the two previous days.

I called around some places and the Tarara Winery sounded interesting. It turned out it was really nice outside and Tarara had some outdoor things, as well as a self-guided tour and a tasting. And they were having a jazz band play in the tasting room. Sounded good, so that’s where we went. These photos are from the “wine cave.” Here’s more on Tarara from their site:

Whitie Hubert spent 40 successful years in the construction business, but when he retired, the vineyard beckoned. Born and raised on a farm in Ohio, Whitie had spent his youth growing grapes for Welch’s Grape Juice Company with his father and brother. So in 1975, the promise of a return to viticulture led Whitie and his wife Margaret to purchase 475 acres of prime Virginia farmland nestled along the Potomac river. In 1985, they built Tarara where, today, they produce award-winning wines.

For Whitie and Margaret, sharing wine is a celebration of life, and sharing their vineyard in this set-apart place is an affirmation of all the things they love best: nature, music, art, and architecture.

Whether you choose to share their celebration at a concert by the lake on a warm summer’s eve, picking fruit with your kids in the orchards, hiking 6 miles of trails, or just tasting wines in the Winemaker’s cave, Whitie and Margaret welcome you.

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Thanksgiving 2006

November 25th, 2006 · No Comments

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Tessa, Centreville, VA

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Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing

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Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Rutabaga

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Gravy, Sweet Potato Casserole

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Turkey, Full Plate

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Turkey

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Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Sauce on Ice Cream

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Rachelle & Tessa, Centreville, VA

This year was the 5th year that Sue and I went to Kelly and Jeff’s for Thanksgiving. This year was special because it was Tessa’s first Thanksgiving.

As always, Jeff did most of the cooking. He was in charge of the meal and we were just there to help. He brined the turkey overnight then cooked it to perfection. He also made homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing and pumpkin pies. We also had mashed potatoes with gravy, mashed rutabaga, and sweet potato casserole.

» Thanksgiving 2005
» Thanksgiving 2004
» Thanksgiving 2003
» Thanksgiving 2001

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Comments

November 22nd, 2006 · No Comments

Comments are disabled right now. My host keeps changing the name of the script in my MT setup that enables you to comment. They’re doing it on purpose, saying that I’m using up too much of their resources and getting too much spam and if I change the script name back and enable my comments without first fixing the problem, that they’re going to permanently disable my comments.

I’ll try to figure this out when I get back from vacation.

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