A Christmas Carol

Ticket & Program

So over the Christmas holiday we were able to attend a production of  'A Christmas Carol'.  One of Jim's co-worker's mentioned that his daughter was in it.  Which, by the by, she was wonderful in.

This production was put on by the Virginia Stage Company at the Wells Theatre in downtown Norfolk.  It's a wonderful theater just across from the MacArther Mall.  Lovely architecture.  I could have wandered around just checking it out.

It's interesting to see something you've watched on TV numerous times.  Actors want to make each part their own, which I understand.  However, sometimes the timing is a bit off and can make the line you're trying to make your own sound very odd.

Wells Theater Ceiling

And a note to anyone attending a play, when the lights dim and the play begins....

Turn off your FREAKING cell phone!

Not only is it rude to the people around you, it's rude and distracting to the actors.

I didn't pay to hear your obnoxious ring tone go on and on while you dig through your luggage size purse to find your phone.  Yes, that was directed to the obnoxious woman sitting behind us who did this.  Even the people she was with commented on it.

I had to hold in the laugh when I heard, "Really?  You couldn't turn off your freaking phone?"

Other than that it was truly enjoyable and I believe something we will do again!

Are You Ready For The ZA?

 We all know that the day will come when the Zombies will attack.  Are you prepared?


What do you mean what is this ZA that I speak of?  Have you been living under a rock?  The ZA stands for the Zombie Apocalypse, please read the link to get a better understanding.


Better yet start watching The Walking Dead.  You'll understand once you have seen a few episodes of this.

 Many will scoff, but I'm one to be prepared for any eventuality.  As you can see we got 9mm and 223.  Must keep your ammo options open.

As you can see here it does say to stay alert.  A very important thing when facing off with a bunch of hungry undeads.

Sorry if it's a bit blurry, but I was giggling quite a bit when I took this photo.

Luckily for you there is a Zombie 101 on the back of each of the boxes.  And since I do care for your welfare, I will share.  ;-)

Zombie 101

Creepy Arms:  They will try to distract you by waving their arms all over.  STAY FOCUSED!

Bloody Clothes:  They've been snacking on your neighbors all day.  Their table manners disappeared when they were infected.

Dragging Feet:  Their movement is painfully slow and their feet never really leave the ground.  Use this to your advantage - set some trip lines around your yard.

Head:  This is the only part that's worth aiming for.  Destroy their brain before they try to eat yours!!

This Zombie 101 comes to you from Hornady Manufacturing.  Big shout out to them.  Thank goodness there are some people out there thinking ahead.  :-D

Hope this helps you all when the ZA occurs.  I know we'll be safely shooting the zombies in our neighborhood.

A Furry Family Wish

Tis the season to be jolly. And from the looks of this photo our pets were tired out from making merry.

From our family to yours, we wish you the merriest of Christmases!

Ingleside Vineyard Fall Barrel Tasting

On Saturday we went to Ingleside Vineyard for their fall barrel tasting with some friends. They had never been to Ingleside and we jumped at the chance to share a winery that we love! It was a lovely day for it.

We were able to take a tour, the first one of the day, and I was able to get this photo of some of the barrels. They are actually for sale! Something I've never actually seen here before. I realize that they do that, but had never seen it. So that was kind of neat.

At the end of the tour we were able to taste from barrels. The winemaker, Bill Swain, was there with the wine thief to let us sample from the barrel and talk about them. We were able to try a 2008 and 2009 Petit Verdot. We preferred the 2009 over the 2008.

The other two barrels were Merlot and Syrah. And for the life of me I can't remember what year they were. I'm going to take a stab at it and say 2009. And yes you read that right. Four barrels!

After the barrel tasting we were led on to do a tasting of some of Ingleside's fine wines.

I thought this shot of my tasting of the 2007 Petit Verdot was nice. One of my personal favorite wines at Ingleside. Mood lighting and all it was a wonderful tasting.

And of course I had to get this shot of our wonderful pour-er, Melanie.

We had a blast! And our friends left with a case of wine. It was a great day of wine, food and friends.

Veteran's Day

To all of those who have or are serving in the military...

We thank you!

Your sacrifices have NOT gone unnoticed. You are appreciated for all that you do.

And for all the military spouses out there?

Your support is most appreciated.

The Glass House Winery

The final stop for the day was the Glass House Winery. Luckily for us they stayed open until much later.

We were greeted by this sweet little pooch once we all got out of our cars. Later we came to find out this little mascot's name is Dogbert. That seems like an odd name for any dog (and yes I get the Dilbert reference) let alone a female dog.

I did have to get a quick shot of the way we came in to the winery before we lost the light.

We were able to try 6 different wines and got a chocolate sample.

Bring on the wines!

2010 Viognier. 100% Viognier. You might ask why I add this, well some places don't do 100% of the varietal so I like to make note of it. It was a mix of stainless steel and barrel. Dry. I got apricot notes, but there was an odd bite on the end.

2009 Wineworks Viognier. This was a Michael Schapps wine. They had run out of one of their wines and were using one of his. Many wineries will do this. It is 75% Viognier and 25% Vidal Blanc. Done in stainless steel but oddly enough tasted oaky to me.

Vino Signoro. Traminette is in this one and it's 3% residual sugar. I got apricot in the nose and in the taste. I could see this as a porch wine, but it's too sweet for me.

2010 21st. 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 20% Cab Sauvignon. The notes say it's a tribute to the 21st amendment. I got to say that gave me a bit of a giggle. I got black cherry in the notes, but tasted the oak on the back of the throat. It was aged in American and neutral oak. The smell was not something I enjoyed. But it does taste better than it smells. However I think, yet again, it's the Cabernet Franc that's throwing me. *sigh*

2010 C-Villian. A clever name considering how close they are to Charlottesville. It's a Chambourcin, Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend. It has a lovely deep color and is smooth.

2010 Meglio del Sesso. This is a Norton, Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin blend. It is aged with 82% ground chocolate for two months. Again with the Cabernet Franc!

What do they do with that chocolate you might ask? They turn it into fantastically yummy chocolates that they sell in the shop. And you get to taste one when you try the last wine. I really LOVED the salted caramel!

Not a bad note to end on. I will make one note on this place. They try too hard. Sometimes less is more. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Pollak Vineyards

We made it to Pollak Vineyards with time to spare before they closed for the day.

We were greeted after standing at the bar for just a short period of time. We had one employee pour for us, which was nice.

So bring on the wines!

2010 Viognier. This had peach notes. Was light but had a bit of spice on the end. Viognier is another grape that grows well in Virginia, so most wineries will have one. I'm not the biggest fan of this one either.

2010 Pinot Gris. This had a mineral/gravel kind of taste to it. I really didn't get anything in the nose. And it had a bit of a bubbly feel to it. Not at all pleasant.

2010 Durant White. This is 60% Chardonnay, 30% Viognier, and 10% Pinot Gris. They do a post fermentation blend. In other words, they blend it after each varietal has fermented. It had peach notes to it and a clean finish. Not bad.

Bring on the reds!

2009 Durant Red. This was a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. There we go again. It had smokey notes to it. Dry but tasted over oaked and had that bubbly feeling on the tongue. Not good. I'm really not enjoying the Cabernet Franc and Merlot mixes that are out there.

2009 Merlot. This spent 14 months in the barrel and 9 months in the bottle. It still needs to age, which is a sad statement. I did get a black cherry smell to it and it was dry.

2009 Cabernet Franc. This also spent 14 months in the barrel and 9 months in the bottle. I did get a pepper smell and the slight taste of cassis. I still haven't found that Cabernet Franc to wow me.

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. This one made me smile. It had cherry notes to it and a fruity flare. It also had a very nice finish.

2008 Meritage. This is 44% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot and 13% Petit Verdot. They took their best barrels at 12 months, blended them and then rebarreled them. I got black current and black cherry in the nose. A very bold red.

2009 Petit Verdot. This was light in color. Which saddens me since this varietal is normally dark and lovely. I got black berries and plum notes from it. It had an earthy, but charred finish to it.

I noted that many of the wines had unfined and unfiltered. What does unfined mean? I asked. Basically it's a chemical process to 'de-cloud' the wine. I have a feeling that is the reason that some of these tasted off to me.