Wine & Pig Races

Another great weekend under the belt. Last Saturday was the Sugarloaf Mountain Winery 2nd Annual Grape Stomp. It was a R&R (Reeve & Rendzio) day last year and we added a few more this year. We got samples of some great Maryland wines and shared a few bottles between the families. The event is held at the winery on a big open area. There was a band, tastings and a BBQ sandwich truck (that had a constant line of about a 30 minute wait - they did pretty well). The highlight of the Grape Stomp is of course The Grape Stomp. There is a stage set up with 3 wooden barrels. The contestants line up and take their turn competing against each other in stomping grapes. The winner getting a free glass of wine and those underage get Hershey bars. It was a cool day but the kids really wanted to stomp so I got up there with them. That's the stompin' barrel above.

Dylan with his game face and Chloe were in one barrel and I was in another. There were two other girls in the 3rd barrel but since I don't know them I'll leave them out of the rest of the story. We step into the barrel and it is pretty cold. Then comes the countdown, the start of the music and we stomp away.

The product of our stomp goes through a hole and into a bucket under the barrel. At the end of the time the judges view the contents and the one with the most juice gets the win.

I think I was robbed by the judges who have an affinity for letting the little kids win. I know Dylan and Chloe had more than the two girls but I'm pretty sure I beat them. Not than I'm all that competitive and have a need to win - against my U-10 kids...













This is the aftermath of our feet. I'm not sure if the purple is from the grapes or from my feet being nearly frozen and numb. We did pick up a couple of bottles of wine with strict instructions that we are not to open them until the baby is born so that Steph can enjoy them too.

The next day we met up with Frank, Katya, Jonathan and Cole Scanlan. Brief intro - Frank and I went to school together and have know each other since 5th grade - good friends since 6th. He lives out here in Alexandria and we have recently made a promise to each other to get together every other month. It's a little crazy that we live about 40 minutes away from each other and we haven't seen each other since January.

ANYWAY, we all met up a a farm out in Virginia. It has little hayrides, a band, food, animals etc to entice the city folk to come enjoy the country. The kids had a great time as the did the wagon ride, trampoline bubble bounce, watched a mechanical dinosaur eat/smash pumpkins and see a pig race. The pig race even got a little political as they had 4 pigs racing and named them after the candidates. The crowd was pretty split as they were introduced and ran. The announcer had to do a double take and was astonished. She said for the very first time since they've been doing it this year the McCain/Pallin pigs won. Some thought it would be the last time that ticket would win anything and others thought it was just the start. The big news was that the announcer said that if you were at the farm that day you could go across the road and up the hill to the Bluemont Winery and have a free tasting. Wouldn't you know it that the farm we pick to go visit is right across the road from a winery. We couldn't turn that down. The kids spent most of the afternoon having their fun so now it was the adult's time. Steph was a trooper and for the second day in a row held off the urge to have a glass of wine at a wine tasting. I think we're done with wine tastings for a while. Much more and it would just be cruel.

The kids still love gymanastics and we will be signing them up for the next session. Last week Dylan got to learn to do backflips - with a spotter - from a large foam pad to the floor and work on handstands. Chloe said she learned backflips too though I didn't see her and she tends to repeat what Dylan says. I did see her do some balance beam work and handstands.

Good Friends, Good Times

Reliving the "Good Old Days" can be fun. This past weekend Peter and Karen Opalka came to stay with us. We had such a great time. As usual we had some lively discussions - sometimes just picking a side we don't really believe just to have the discussion.

Peter and I went to the Sailboat Show in Annapolis and met up with the rest of the crew at Butler's Orchard. Then we headed home for a crab fest on the porch. The next day we went to a neighborhood Octoberfest during the day and Peter helped me grill some lambchops that night.

On the final night we started reminiscing about the times we had together when they lived in Maryland. There were lots of stories recounted, laughter all around the room as no one was left out of being in the target of some memory. This happens with all good friends who have time together. The great thing though is when you don't just talk about the past like it was the peak of your existence. We talked about the future and even did some planning for it.

I think that is the crux of a good relationship. Building upon memories and planning new ones. If all you do is talk about the past (HS, College, etc.) then it gets old pretty quick.

Steph and I are fortunate that we have great friends who can relive the memories but not live in them. I have never laughed harder than when talking with a friend and recalling something we've done together. Usually it's about something stupid we've done together. I know that may come as a shock to you all but yes, I have done a couple of dumb things in my day and in most cases one of you have been around to see it - then remind me of it hours, days, months and yes, even years later. I've been blessed to have things become funnier the further back in the past they become...

What I really like though is the talk of the future. What we are planning as a family, goals we've set and discussing when we'll get together again and do it all over again.

The Older I Get,

The smarter my Dad becomes. It's true. There is no hiding it now. The man is a genius. I'm not talking about the big things he and Mom have been trying to teach me for years. Those like, Love and Honor your spouse, Love and teach your kids, have good friends, Worship God, be respectful to others, Strive for something you might not be able to reach the first time, Live for something larger than yourself, Live within your means, those I get. OK so I'm still working on the live within your means thing - progress...

Anyway, back to Dad being a genius. I'm talking about the little details. Specifically, V-Neck undershirts. Ever since I started wearing undershirts I've worn crew neck. V-Neck were for old men - like my Grandpa and my Dad. They looked kinda goofy when worn alone. Not that I ever really wore my undershirts alone but it just didn't feel right. I would not wear a v-neck by choice. I remember once I was home and forgot an undershirt. I went to Dad's drawer to borrow one and all that were in there were v-neck. Of course I wore it but I was not comfortable. I was even wearing a tie so you couldn't even tell.

I started wearing undershirts really, becasue I was being cheap and lazy. I figured I could wear an undershirt so as not to get my regular shirt dirty. Then at the end of the day I could hang the outside shirt back up and get another day out of it because I hadn't really gotten it dirty - I got the undershirt dirty. This is still in practice somewhat to this day.

What I didn't like about the crew necks were that they stuck out the top of the shirt when you wore a polo shirt or didn't wear a tie with a dress shirt. It wasn't for fashion, the way you wear a colored shirt and layer it with another in a cool way. It's just that is the look of way too many IT guys with their khaki pants. It's like a uniform for some - chinos, brown loafers, polo shirt or plaid button up, and white undershirt sticking out - EVERY DAY. Now if this details you... I'm sorry. No, not really. Chances are I've made fun of you to your face. If not, I will.
I was that guy for a number of years, I don't want to be that guy now. Not that I don't wear that exact same thing every now and then I have made a drastic change that didn't hit me until a couple of weeks ago.

I was getting tired of the top of the undershirt poking out of the top. Part of that reason is due to the cheap/lazy thing again. I had old shirts and the collar was stretched or worn and it didn't look good. I stopped wearing them for a couple of days - that didn't feel right either. Then it hit me. V-Necks!
This is what I remember shortly after that - corrections can be made by SWMBO. I said, "Steph, I think I need to get a few v-neck undershirts so the tops don't show at the collar." She looked at me like I was an idiot (again this is my memory and I may have been imposing my own feelings here) and said "Yeah, I've thought that for a while, we'll get some this weekend." like she'd been waiting for me to come to this realization all along. I might have said "You know Honey, this might sound crazy, but a lot of people are wearing pants when they go out of the house. I might try that, could we pick out some pants for me?" You get the idea.

Now, I have 3 v-necks. I love them. I will get more. It might be something that grows on you (like nose hair) or something you come to appreciate with age (like smelly cheeses). I'm going to attribute it to the genius of my father. Thanks Dad! I can't wait to see what's in store for me to learn next.

The Hard Slap of Reality

You just never know. One day things are going great and the next you are staring your own mortality in the face. That's what happened to some friends of ours. he was just diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Lymphoma. Married father of 2, my age and an all round great guy. He could start treatments as early as next week. This has all happened in about a week and has rocked our little group of friends here not to mention them.
I am trying hard to imagine what they are going through and how they are feeling. I can't. So I do what I can do. I hug my wife and give the kids extra hugs and kisses knowing that it could all be taken away in the blink of an eye.
If you are reading this you are a part of our lives and I thank you for that.
Hug those you love just a couple seconds longer, give an extra kiss and don't forget to tell them you love them.