September 2012
I wish Marissa A. Ross were my best friend. I love her choice of a backdrop, her ridiculous sense of fashion and her reviewing style. I’m only slightly jealous she was the first to think to combine all these attributes in one, comical, wine inspired series. In the meantime, I was happy to apply Marissa’s slogan, “Wine times, the times of your lifetimes!” to my own adventuring. When my “Mountain Mama” friend told me about the West Virginia Wine & Jazz Festival, my special one and I marked our calendars. Before we ventured to the wine source, our local hostess took us to one of her favorite watering holes.
The weather was warm. The leaves were just hinting at new colors. There were times of laughter and quiet times spent staring at flowing waters. It was an ideal Sunday.
I love finding that perfect spot in a rocky bank. It’s the spot the water has worn into a smooth little nook, and it’s the perfect little spot to sit and watch the water fall and fall. It’s even more perfect when there’s an adjacent little dip that fits a friend or a special one just right.
I made this (↑) for you [and for me] for those times when we can’t just slip onto a weathered rock and watch a waterfall with our friends.
After climbing over rocks, relaxing on the banks and a fair bit of play, we took a winding drive to the site of the festival. All that play made us late, but we didn’t care. It worked out quite perfectly because arriving late meant we were able to enter the festival for FREE! Win win!
If you ever saved and saved for a camera and consistently carried said large, expensive camera almost everywhere you went, you will relate to this scenario. You’re at a party or event where wine is being served. The camera hangs around your neck, and the wine glass rests comfortably in your hand. Suddenly, something catches your eye, and you want to take a photo of that eye-catching element. Now you’re in a pickle! You can’t properly adjust your camera, nor can you properly manage your drink. What to do?
Brilliant! West Virginians are brilliant! You hang the wine around your neck! Both hands are free to adjust the expensive camera. However, if the thing that catches your eye is something in action, well… as Ursula would say in The Little Mermaid, “Life’s fulla choices, innit?” The only lingering question is why didn’t I buy a whole bunch of these brilliant devices?!?
In addition to being brilliant wine accoutrement entrepreneurs, West Virginians also make some great wine! It’s true! Equipped with our complimentary wine glasses, we sampled several fruit wines as well as regular red varietals. I walked away with two bottles, which I’ll be able to open with my complimentary corkscrew. Good friends, beautiful scenery, vintage playground equipment and a tipsy little wine buzz- all in all, it was a wine time, and it was a time of our lifetimes!
