0066 - Time off

Yesterday we visited another winery. They're all different in the way they present themselves, the wines they produce, the size of their operation... each one is unique and I like trying them out. This time it was Strong Tower in Spring Hill. They had watermelon wine, which was strangely like the muscadine we got from Del Monaco in Tennessee, same sort of earthy flavor with a honey finish. In short, I loved it. That is hands down my favorite. They have several wines that are delicious... strawberry... white muscadine and red... They grow their own grapes on the grounds and outsource the other fruits from local organic farms. You can actually pick musadines by the pound, but just as we arrived... another storm. Last couple of days we've had big thunderstorms with lightning strikes rather than the showers we usually get. I also liked the Springhill Red with (and without) mulling spices. Instead of serving it hot, they serve it chilled (summertime anyway). It was delicious.

I never used to like wine. I think I was exposed to a very dry red the first time and it turned me against wine completely. My friend Robin always loved wine, that was her thing. She was the first to expose me to it again. For years I would try it from time to time, preferring white wine to red, and sweeter wines over dry, but I didn't really appreciate it until my friend Debra's birthday. We went to Messina Hoff and it was such a fun day that it changed my perspective a bit. Last year, Mike and I decided we were going to start trying different wines, and it has been fun to experiment. He knows more about them than I do, I'm a novice. Maybe if we get to California we'll do a wine country tour. In the meantime I'm enjoying all the local wineries along the way.

I still don't have a palate for it... I can't call out the individual components of the wine... the spices, the fruits... I just know if I like it or not. I haven't gotten the hang of which wine is which... I know pinot grigio has a very limey taste. I know I like Reisling. And Haak's Blanc du Bois. Other than that I take my chances and seem to prefer fruit wines and sangrias.

Earlier this evening I stalked a herd of deer. I wish they would come out when the light was good... but they come out at dusk, so my camera is fighting a losing battle. There was one brave deer that stuck around after most of the herd ran away. I didn't get terribly close, my shoes magnify the sound of the grass crunching underfoot, and with their big ears I'm sure it doesn't even take that to clue them in to my presence... plus I was wearing perfume. Still, I have to admire his tenacity, to hear me coming, look at me and decide I'm not a threat. And... I'm not a threat, most animals seem to sense that.

This morning there was a knock on the door and a lady invited us to play botchi ball. They play three times a week. It was very nice of her to invite us to join in. We were headed out this morning, but if we're here on Monday I may take her up on it, just because I appreciate the invitation. A lot of places around here are 55+ and seem cliquish in that respect. I've always hung out with people older than me, and somehow, becoming an adult has meant that I have friends of all ages.

We're trying to move toward Orlando early next week. Still want to take the RV to the same place we originally intended, but maybe we can find a park with cabins on that side of Florida. Plus I want to be able to do things like Busch Gardens and Gator World. I still want to see The Wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter... Mike doesn't, so I'm trying to coerce a friend into taking a vacation and joining me. He'll do it, but it's not as much fun if the person you're with isn't interested. Also have friends in Cape Canaveral and would love to be able to see them while we're here.

Speaking of which, with our timeshare, if you want to come out and visit us, we can probably get you a good deal on lodging. We don't always know where we'll be in advance, but if you can do a spur of the moment trip, we'd love to be able to meet up with our friends and family along the way. I know we'll be in Shreveport at the end of August for a family reunion. After that, probably Arizona or southern California. I've also heard talk of Oregon and Washington. It's hard to say... but yeah... there are many possibilities. :)