The Stitch Up

Virginia Booze Adventure

It's Fall in Virginia which is always a perfect time for a drive out to the country.  And as long as we're headed out to the country, why not hit up a winery and a distillery?  With the rolling green hills and the leaves changing color, it's my favorite time of year here.

We hit up Willowcroft Farm Vineyards first.

It's in a very pretty location and they have a good selection of wines.  After trying a few we set up a little picnic to enjoy the view.  It was brisk, but that crisp, Fall air is what we've been craving for months, so we enjoyed it.

After our impromptu wine and cheese party, we hit the road to check out a local whisky distillery.  This is something Virginia does right!  We tried Catoctin Creek Distilling Company.

The name comes from a local creek that the company uses in their distilling process.  It's a small business and one of the owners was there during the tour and tasting.  Apparently in addition to whisky they make brandy and their pear brandy sells out immediately.  I'm keeping an eye out for the next time they have it in stock.

After all that drinking we were ready to eat so we went to downtown Purcellville.  On the way I snapped a few pics of the barns and farms we drove by.

I love the worn exteriors among all that green.

Downtown Purcellville is small and charming with a couple of good restaurants and some cute shops.  

We ate at Magnolia's at the Mill and had a great lunch.  Everything was good and the interior is warm and rustic.  The building was built in 1905 and served for years as a flour mill.

Even with all that relaxing and eating and drinking, I got some stitching done on the drive.  Pics of finished projects are on the way!

Last Trip of the Summer

At the end of the summer the hubby and I took a trip out to Cali to visit friends and enjoy the last of the lazy summer weather.  We stayed in Palm Springs at The Parker which is a very cool hotel.  It's pretty hot in Palm Springs at the height of summer but it's relaxing and there are plenty of pools and shady spots to beat the heat.  

The Parker is decorated in a very 70s chic style.  Every room is hip and I felt like I added cool points just by staying there.

This made me think that I could probably work a suit of armor somewhere into our house.  Maybe in the kitchen.

Our room was as cool as the rest of the hotel and the bed had an adorable needlepoint pillow.  Crafty and chic:

The hotel had a great restaurant with possibly the most delicious huevos rancheros I've ever eaten:

yummy crepes as well

The garden and pool area had all kinds of little spots hidden behind hedges and buildings that provided privacy and quiet.

If giant chess is too taxing of an option - there's always croquet!

Despite how awesome the hotel was we did get out and about to visit friends.  We did a little sight seeing on the way:

The Palm Springs Visitor's Center on the way out of town.  One of the beautiful midcentury buildings in Palm Springs.  

I love the desert landscape of the area and seeing all of the windmills always feels like home.

As I grew up not too far from Palm Springs, I took the hubby on a tour of some local hot spots.  First up, the dinosaurs at Cabazon.

The inside of the brontosaurus is a little gift shop.  In case you want some dinosaur memorabilia.

Next to the dinosaurs is the old school diner that's been there for decades.

Not too far down the road is Hadley's Fruit Orchard which was always a must stop when we were kids.  They sell nuts and dried fruit but they are famous (relatively) for their date shakes which are delicious!

The big event on this trip though was getting to spend some time with my girlfriends.  Teresa and her family hosted a beautiful lunch in her backyard and we had a fantastic time.

Teresa is a master gardener and her back yard is a gorgeous spot to spend a summer evening.

It was so nice to spend time with the ladies again.  We managed to fit in a pedicure date, some shopping and lots of talking.  We do our best with facebook and email, but having the chance to spend time together, face to face is really precious.