Visit to Wine Country

Our decision to go on vacation 45 minutes from home was one of the best we've ever made. Not only was our four day trip the least expensive vacation I've ever been on, but it also ranks among some of the most entertaining trips I've taken. We spent a few days sampling wine in and around Hermann at six wineries - Bias, Robller, Hermanoff, Adam Puchta, Stone Hill and Oak Glenn. For two days we took our own personal tour sampling the wine and the bbq offered by the "Berry and BBQ Wine Trail" festival and pretty much everything else we could get our hands on. We are food people and after a while, the whole trip started to feel like a "food vacation!" But what's a pie-loving girl to do when there is a shop strictly for enjoying homemade pie and playing checkers? And what's a guy to do when someone tells him that their little sandwich shop is famous for their Reuben (his favorite sandwich)? And when the lady at the chocolate shop tells you that the carrot cake truffle is to die for? You eat! Oh, and eat we did.

Quite possibly the best part of the whole trip was the bed and breakfast we stayed in on the second night. Sadly, due to lack of vacancy and a willingness to save money, we only stayed in the Alpenhorn Gasthaus B&B for one of the nights we were in Hermann. Next time, it is the only place we will stay! We absolutely loved it. Like small children on Christmas morning, we toured the grounds with Adriane, the Swiss who runs the place with his wife Kate. When he escorted us to our room, and we had a moment alone, we practically squealed with excitement over the swiss chocolates and chilled water in our room, the robes for our use, the slippers (flip flops) there for us to take home, the bathroom, the king-sized bed, etc., etc.



We ventured out for one more visit to the pie shop - just for coffee and checkers this time! When we returned it was time for our Midnight Chocolate Rendezvous consisting of candles, homemade gourmet chocolate, and port wine sampling in the wine cellar. So worth it! We spent and hour in the candlelight and soft music talking with Adriane and eating Kate's chocolate while he served us three varieties of ruby port and one tawny port. Love.

I can't say enough about this bed and breakfast without gushing, but let it be known that Kate is one hell of a cook. For breakfast we were served mimosas and coffee, the most delicious french toast, creamed eggs, and swiss sausage. While this slowed the pace of our morning bike ride on the Katy Trail a little, it was very impressive. We sat with a couple who were guests in one of the cabins detached from the main builidng. While this was the part of the trip that I was anxious about - eating a meal with perfect strangers - Tammy and Harry were so very nice. She is a nurse and he is on the maintenance staff at Missouri State University. I left thinking we should have exchanged email addresses or phone numbers so we could talk more about wine and food and the places we've been. Good food, good people, great experience.

The final leg of the trip was a night in Saint Peters to visit my family and see the first game of the Cardinals/Dodgers series. We had perfect weather, good seats, Matt Holliday's debut as a Cardnial and a 6 to 1 win!

Home Improvement

Almost every morning I wake up and wonder, "What can I do in the yard today?" Far too often, I come up with absolutely nothing. Just wait until planting season! I've got big, big plans for our outdoor space.

Even though it's not the best time for a transplant, I split and planted about 20 bright yellow day lilies we received as a gift from my parents.

Before:



After:





As I finished teaching summer school, I quickly turned to the many interior home improvement projects I've assigned myself. I have expressed to Matt that I'd like our house to be our own private art gallery, which will probably take many years to accomplish. He agrees so we've begun in a small way - by 'remodeling' the bathroom. This is a first step. Everything in the room is in good condition, but the light fixture is less than desirable, the flooring still screams out for a change and the perfect window treatment still eludes me. At least the paint and art are under control.

Boring before:


Spicy after:






Oh, and we finally purchased a ladder and were able to add a clock to our living room :-)

Hoosier Holiday

It has become clear to me that there may not be a classy way to celebrate our country's birth. I mean no offense by this - I myself enjoy some of the least classy ways to enjoy this day. For instance, I opted out of the slightly classier downtown fireworks show, where John Melloncamp blares from the speakers as suburbanites flock to the big city to eat giant turkey legs and drink Anheiser Busch products from small white, plastic cups that somehow never, ever make it into the trash receptacles set out for the occasion. What did I opt out for? The small gathering of family and amateur fireworks display that happens in my parents' front yard every year.



After a full meal and a few brews, we douse ourselves in bug spray and head out to the front porch for Black Cats, Bottle Rockets, Twirling Sizzlers, Mega Sparklers, Parachute Men and, of course, Snappers. I believe my favorite 4th of July firework is no longer legal. Every year, I would line up as many snakes as I possibly could on the asphalt driveway and let my dad light my concotion. Slowly, the snake would grow and connect with others and curl as it burned. Unpredictable like most fireworks? Yes. A little quieter, without the seemingly satisfying 'BLAM' of many explosives? Yes. WAY cooler because the enjoyment received from a snake was almost tangible, lasting until the very end burned out and you were left with a heap of wormy ashes that stayed as long as you could stand it before you dumped a bucket of water on them to wash them down the drive? Also yes.



This year was the second marked by unseasonably cool temperatures for July. Last year I didn't make it back to the parents' house and watched the big fireworks display in town with a few friends at the stadium. We shivered and huddled under a sweatshirt found in the back of Matt's car as we peered upward. It just wasn't the same as the DIY fireworks show I'm used to. This year, there was no shivering, but plenty of rain, rain, rain and a lot of humidity. Some of our homegrown explosives were a bit of a dud - too damp to take off and wow us with their crackly splendor.



Overall, fun was had by everyone except for the little ones who, after a few failed attempts to enjoy these very loud bursts of color, retreated to the house to watch Disney's " The Junglebook." That might be the classiest option yet.

Here's our Griffin enjoying the welcomed break from the latest heat wave and a quick view of the back yard as it looks on July 1, 2009.

It is still my favorite "room" at our house. Luckily, Matt and I have an unspoken agreement that I will take care of mowing the back and he can have the front.  And while he very much appreciates my efforts, I'm more into gardening and planting than he is so the backyard is quickly becoming my very own, grown-up playground :-)