Is It Weird To Have a Favorite Airport?

We really like Reagan National Airport. Or DCA if you're scheduling a flight. And not just because it was named after Ronald Reagan. But maybe that did bias us just a bit towards it. It's a lovely airport. Classical in its design in the older section. We love to sit and people watch. One of our favorite pass times. There is a perfect area for it too. As you can see I caught a picture of Jim and my parents chatting while we waited for their flight. This area is also great to watch planes take off and land. Something Jim and I love to do. It can be quite nice to just watch the hustle and bustle as you wait for your family or friends to fly in or out as the case may be. There's something very calming about it. If you ever have the time, just stop and watch the hustle and bustle of an airport. It can give you a chuckle and sometimes even relax you a bit.

A Day In D.C.

The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. That's when most mentally unstable people go out Christmas shopping because they think they're going to get the best deals. Don't get me wrong I might have done that if I had been highly medicated. One, I don't like shopping all that much. Two, I HATE crowds. Three, I don't feel like getting up at four in the morning to get THE best deals. And four, you're going to hate me for this one, I have most of my shopping done.

So instead we decided to visit our nation's capitol. We figured it wouldn't be too crowded the day after Thanksgiving. Dad hadn't been so we thought this would be a perfect opportunity. It wasn't all that crowded. We were able to find parking without too much trouble. And we didn't freeze our butts off. Major bonuses on both fronts. It wasn't overly crowded, but you could tell that there were quite a few people that had the same bright idea that we had.

First we went to see the White House. Every picture you see is of the rear of the building so it was an experience to get to walk up and see the front. Of course there were the hippies out protesting the war. Geez people take a holiday! Better yet, get a life!

So we went to the Lincoln Memorial and walked those stairs. Saw the Washington Monument and the tidal basin. Drove past the Jefferson Memorial. Saw the Vietnam Memorial from across the way, but didn't visit it. Dad couldn't remember names of his classmates that had served and we didn't want to get really depressed so we passed on that stark reminder. We stopped by the Korean War Memorial and the World War II Memorial. After that we went into one of the many Smithsonian wings and checked out some art. We were able to view some of Rembrandt, Renoir and Monet's works. Which was quite neat. After that we decided to get some lunch and then head home for the day. I'm glad we were able to do that.

Thanksgiving Excess

Thanksgiving is a day to be thankful for all you have and of course to overindulge in the yummies that have been prepared. We had deep fried turkey again this year. Most people give you a strange look when you say this. I know my parents did the first time they heard about it, but it's quite good. You just have to be careful when you do it. So that you aren't stupid and burn your house down. So yes this is something you should be doing outside. You are dealing with propane, fire and grease. And for the love of God people defrost your turkey before you fry it! Dropping a frozen turkey into grease that's at least 350 degrees Fahrenheit is not going to lead to happiness and light. I predict the emergency room in your future.

After eating all that wonderful and plentiful food the next logical step it a nap of course. It was quite warm here. Seventy degrees in fact, so we had all of our windows open to let fresh air in. Everyone but Dad took a nap. Jim actually came hustling down the stairs to start closing the windows up when a storm started its way through the area. At least it held off until after we fried the turkey. Dad and I couldn't resist setting up this picture of Mom. She fell asleep with her head hanging over the side. Not very comfy.

Once we all woke up and got over our turkey hangover we started watching a CSI marathon. Something Jim and I normally don't watch. Odie of course took advantage of the situation to get more loves. You'd think our pets were abused the way they acted when my parents got here. Apparently Gammy and Paw Paw pets surpass Mommy and Daddy pets. Go figure. This is one of the few shots that I could get where Odie wasn't showing his butt to everyone. I never could get a good one of Kaiser. He likes to hide from the camera. Guess he thinks it'll steal his soul.

Obviously He's Telling Me Something

So that's what this thing is for. I thought it was just here to hold coats and junk. But you're supposed to eat off it? Huh. Who would have thought it.

Can you tell we rarely eat at the table? Kaiser was thrown for such a loop.

So Does The Wine Bite Back?

May not be the best picture in the world, but it's a pretty good wine. Found it in Total Wine for about $10. Found it interesting just because of the name. Yes I'm weird. I read vampire stories and was such a Buffy fan. So Mom bought it for me. Jim told me he'd kill me if I brought another bottle of wine home. Couldn't do that to Mom though could he? Especially since she's drinking up our sweet wine. Could have gotten a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Pinot Noir. Please note they are both reds. Since it looked to be from California I chose the Pinot Noir since I can find a good Cab Sauv at my winery. It's quite good actually. And if I weren't so darn tired I'd research it a bit to find out more about them.

Oh well. I can do it later.

So That's Where I Get It From

Most people seem to think that I have a bit of a drinking problem. Well now I see where I get it from. Just teasing. Honestly I don't have a problem. I just enjoy wine. Nothing wrong with that. Especially since I work at a winery, Ingleside. One of the hazards of the job so to speak. LOL

So my parents arrived yesterday for Thanksgiving. So today we decided to go to my winery, since Mom has not been there, and do a tasting. Dad had visited earlier this summer and got to do a tasting, but he tried them again to refresh his memory. :-) Mom's a sweet wine drinker. I won't hold that against her though. Dad likes the sweet ones too. I'm still working on them. It'll just take some time.

I also got to introduce them to a few of my coworkers. And they got to meet the wine maker and assistant wine maker. Which was cool. We stopped and chatted for a bit.

Our next stop was Oak Crest, which they loved because there was lots of sweet wine. The owner poured our wines. She remembered me from Ingleside and we chatted a bit.

After that we headed to Fredericksburg to Bonefish Grill for dinner. But we stopped at Total Wine to find some pour-ers for Mom and some beer for the boys. Bit of a misnomer there since they have beer and wine. But we killed some time there and had fun.

Should I be concerned that the manager remembered me and knew I worked at Ingleside? I think that might mean I hang out there just a tad too much.

Bonefish Grill is a favorite of Jim and mine. We had a very nice meal. The service was excellent as always and the food was good. I had steak. Mom had pork. Jim and Dad had the fish special. My only mini complaint would be that they were out of Ingleside Petit Verdot. Which would have been fantastic with my steak. But that's really not their fault. They had very recently run out. I had the Ingleside Sangiovese instead. Which was nice.

We headed home and I opened a dessert wine for Mom and prepared my turkey for frying tomorrow. She polished off the small bottle of Williamsburg Winery Late Harvest Vidal and then finished off the half bottle of Symphony Sweet from Oak Crest.

So now you know how much wine Mom's drinking while she's here sis! Let's just say that she's sleeping well tonight.

Beautiful Day

It's a beautiful fall day. And at 72 degrees the hubby and I are sitting on the back porch enjoying the last of the nice weather. I say this knowing that by this time next week it's predicted to be in the low 50's. Hey just the other day I had the house closed up and the heat on. Now I have the heat off and the windows open. No wonder people get sick so much with this crazy weather! So instead of cleaning my kitchen I'm out here playing on the computer. I'll get to it tonight. Yeah right. I only plan on having company this weekend and my parents are coming Tuesday. I am the queen of procrastination! Hey I even convinced my dog to come out and he's now sniffing around in the backyard. An accomplishment I must say since my dog lives for sleeping on my bed.

Veterans Day

As many know today is Veterans Day which will be observed tomorrow by most businesses and of course the government. Peanuts happens to be a favorite of the hubby and mine. This one came out on November 11, 1969. And gives me a bit of a smile. Peanuts is a classic, but that's another post.

But I doubt that most people actually know why we observe this holiday. I know I only kind of knew. Luckily I'm married to a man who is a fountain of knowledge. So I pass along the knowledge to the few that read this.

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those
who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11 a.m.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday - - a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

So here's a salute to all of our veterans out there.

Barrel Tasting

No this does not mean I gnawed on wood. So don't ask if I got any splinters.

A barrel tasting is when you sample wine from the barrel. They use a wine thief to take wine out of the barrel for your glass. It's very interesting and different from how things are in the bottle. November 10th the Ingleside Vineyards had their fall barrel tasting. They tried Chardonnay, one of which was only six weeks old. I happened to be there when they picked the grapes and crushed them. So I felt kinda special that they tried it. We also tried a 2006 and 2007 Cabernet Franc. I'm not the biggest Cab Franc fan, but the 2007 is going to be fantastic! Much more powerful than the 2006.

This year was an excellent harvest due to the dry season. I'll be interested to see how the 2007 Cab Franc turns out since it was only 6 weeks old when we tried it.

Election Day

I must say living in a small town is quite nice. Going to the polls I was only bugged twice instead of nearly manhandled like I have been in the past. The polling place that I go to is a school, which makes it easy to get to. The funny thing is, they closed down the school for the day. Probably a good idea.

The funny thing is that for this election one of the hubby's former CO's is running for House of Delegates. I had been hoping he would be running in my area so that I could vote against him. I have a problem with people who use their military title after they leave the military. It was on all of his signs. And of course he had them up near a military installation. Ugh! Plus there's the fact that I don't agree with all of his 'policy ideas'. Good thing he was getting stomped by his opponent when I went to bed last night.

Okay my rant is done.

Pirates, Goblins and Witches. Oh My!

Last night the hubby and I were flooded by the many hoodlums in our neighborhood.

The trick or treaters were out to beg for candy from 5:30 until 9. They change the trick or treating hours every year. We lit up the ceramic jack-o-lantern. Turned on our porch light and waited. We had to throw our carved pumpkins away. The cold snap that we had, well let's just say they couldn't stand up to the temperature change. I'm doing that different next year.

We actually bought full size candy bars to pass out this year and we were a big hit. We also had fruity snacks for the younger ones. We had 150 treats to hand out and ended up having about 140 trick or treaters. And we turned our lights out around 8:30.

We decided to sit outside for a few hours since the ringing of the doorbell was driving our dog insane. And he in return was driving us bonkers. It was nice since our neighbor was out as well and we chatted. We also had a cat come trick or treat us. A little gray and white. Apparently she belongs to someone in the area and her name is Sasha. We were worried that she was a stray. One of the trick or treaters dads knew the cat and her owners. She stayed with us for a while. Mainly because the hubby fed her treats that our cat doesn't like. She seemed to appreciate them. I won't even start on my rant about letting your animal roam without a collar.

I did have to tell two different kids that they couldn't have candy because they had already been there. You know your pretty dumb when you're shouting back to your friends that this house is cool because they give out full size candy bars. One wasn't even in a real costume. Just a kid in a jersey begging for candy. When you're that obnoxious you leave an impression. So don't even try it.

I even let them choose the candy bar they wanted. There was a variety of different candy bars. Most kids thought it was cool, but I did have a few who were asking for specific candy. How rude I thought. You're getting free candy. Just be happy with what you get. A lot of times they didn't even say trick or treat, they just held out their bags. And it was rare to get a thank you. Although that's a forgivable offense as I remember being so excited I'd forget to say thank you. But what got me were there were a lot of parents dressed up. Which I thought was cool.

Next year will be different. We're going to go with a creepier theme. We'll carve pumpkins the night before Halloween. And I think I'll be placing candy in the bags from now on. Lessons learned.