That morning, Mike and I took Anna Claire for her first day hike. My parents live close to the Shenandoah National Forest, so we took a drive up Skyline Drive and ventured into the woods.
I had Anna Claire strapped to me in a snugli and she did wonderfully; slept most of the time. One of the highlights was that part of the trail was on the Appalachian Trail (AT). Mike and I have backpacked many times, but our paths have never crossed the AT. Now I can say I did some of the AT, even if it was only a 1/4 of a mile.
After our hike, we visited a couple of the local vineyards. Virginia has over 140 vineyards throughout the state and a couple of them were close by. The majority of them are small and the owners live right on the property, offering tastings, tours and weekend events.
I'm always interested in how the winerys get their name. When the owners were buying the property for this vineyard, they saw three red foxes running across the land, so they named it Fox Meadow Vineyards.
The owners of this vineyard, named it Naked Mountain after the mountain the vines are on. They aren't sure where the mountain got it's name, but it is dates back hundreds of years.
Then we met up with my family for dinner at the Cork Street Tavern in historic downtown Winchester. . 
I received beautiful cards, ecards, some goodies from my friends (thanks Katharine and Marilyn!) and well wishes, plus a new favorite (from Christy; thank you!)...Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cooks At Home. I'm pretty sure Ina and I would be friends in real life. That is, if I lived in the Hampton's. I also got a food processor from my Mom and Dad (thank you!), which I am so excited about! I can't wait to make baby food for Anna Claire...and homemade pesto too. Not for her, for me. I'm reading more and more about homemade baby food and can't wait to start! If you have any recipes, please share!!!
9 comments:
What a great way to celebrate.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Sarah! I am glad you had such a great day...the photos look great. I love visiting wineries too. It is so cool to find out how they got their names. We don't have many out here in my part of Colorado, so I will live through your photos instead! :)
Carrie
Precious baby and beautiful pictures. I am glad you had a great time. Happy belated birthday! I just had one 4 days ago (not 34 though - 47!)
Happy Birthday!! It is wonderful you had such a great birthday with your family! You look terrific and what a great first hike for Anna Claire ! God Bless!
Ina is my hero. She and I would be BFF's, I just know it. Can't get enough Barefoot Contessa!
(p.s. -- I took my blog private, but if you'd like to keep reading, I'd love to have you for a reader. Just email me at rebekahwaltz@yahoo.com with your email address and I'll send you a private invitation...)
how fun--beautiful pictures! looks like you had a great vacation. happy belated birthday!
Happy belated birthday. I'm so glad it was a memorable one...and can't wait to see which recipes you like from the Barefoot Contessa. You'll have to let us know.
Looks like you had a lovely birthday! I just turned 34 this month, too!
I just wanted to stop by and thank you for sharing with me about your sweet girls, Allison Elizabeth and Emily Ann. I am so sorry for your loss...and praying God's continued comfort for you and your family.
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