The Easter Adventure
1. The other people in the dining room probably thought Joe and I were food critics because we kept taking pictures of our plates of food. It was the Chateau Morrisette’s Easter Brunch, and we couldn’t resist. It was a feast, and the food was not only very tasty, it was pretty and photogenic.
2. Joe sampled two types of red wine and then worried about drinking a whole glass so early in the day. “Why don’t you just get a glass of Sweet Mountain Laurel (my favorite white)? You can drink that stuff like it’s water!” I lobbied. We decided to share a glass of it.
3. It’s not only the food we like at the Winery. Whenever we go, we get to visit with the latest crop of young Floydians who work there, many of whom we watched grow up. Our server, Logan, talked soccer with Joe. I remember when his mom was pregnant with him. We caught up with Alicia, got the latest on her and her family, and reminisced about the days when my son Josh worked there. “I’m so impressed. They all turned out so well,” I kept saying to Joe.
4. Anna, Winery hostess and my friend Mara’s youngest sister (pictured in #3), took me over to lobby to see the orchids before we left, which turned out to be a highlight of my day. “Orchid orchids!” I said referring to their color while snapping close-ups of there exotic flowered faces.
5. “All-you-can-eat buffets are wasted on me, even gourmet ones,” I said to Joe as we strolled around the winery grounds hand-in-hand, working off what we had mananged to eat, “because, like my mother used to say, my eyes are bigger than my stomach.” The Winery mascot trotted by. It was the black dog whose image is plastered all over the place and who is the namesake of the Black Dog Jazz Festivals in the summer, as well as a variety of wine.
6. Although it was a little colder than we would have liked, the fresh air and sun felt good, so we went on a hike, one that eventually took us on the trail down to Rock Castle Gorge. The waterfalls and moss covered rocks we came upon mid-way reminded us of Glendalough, Ireland. “This one will be called ‘Place of Worship,”’ I said to Joe as I snapped an Easter photo of him wearing my purple scarf.
7. We found some wildflowers peeping up through the brown oak leaves and spotted some phlox near an old abandoned house site. I stopped to take a photo of a row of icicles under a wet log and picked up a few pieces of glittering quartz, dropping them in my overcoat pocket.
8. Because Joe and I both live far away from most of our family, our Easters are usually pretty simple, which is fine with me. Even so, there were a few minutes earlier this morning when I felt sad not to have young children to fix Easter baskets and egg hunts for. But by the time we left the gorge (no pun intended) our wide smiles reflected the renewal we felt. The bright sun, grass greening, flowers blooming, and waterfalls rushing were having their effect. “Now this is resurrection. This is spring!” I shouted. What a blessing, we both agreed.
9. And look what the Easter Bunny brought me. It’s not a basket. It’s a doggie box full of delicious desserts left over from the Winery Brunch.
Post note: The Blue View – More Winery adventures HERE.
April 8th, 2007 8:43 pm
What an absolutely PERFECT brunch you had! The food looked gorgeous! Happy Easter. Here via Michele.
April 8th, 2007 8:47 pm
You had a happy Easter too, Colleen, it sounds like. We just got home from my son and daughter-in-law’s house, where we had 12 people for dinner – good food – and a lot of fun!
April 8th, 2007 9:36 pm
Awww….It’s Anna. I miss Anna. It sounds like you guys had a great time. I am jealous of your easter take out box.
April 8th, 2007 10:50 pm
LOL Just be thankful your husband didn’t come into the room while you were sound asleep, having a nice dream and yell at you to, “Get up! The Easter Bunny Came!” LOL It wasn’t even 8:00am, and one of our kids woke up…after going to be quite late! My 3 year old had to be woke up and said to me, “I know, I know, the Easter Bunny came here!” It’s the one morning I allow chocolate for breakfast..but, they have to share some with me! Looks like you had a wonderful Easter!!!
April 9th, 2007 8:09 am
What a perfect Easter celebration, simple and full of new life. (Gorge-ous!!)HA!
Desserts looked delicious and the dog mascot is such a neat thing…probably the only dog in the world to get a wine named after him!
April 9th, 2007 8:25 am
What great pictures….you are such a great photographer.
“Every Picture tells a story”…..”don’t it”??
I missed you. I am so glad you had a good time.
April 9th, 2007 9:15 am
That sounds like a wonderful Easter. Ours was very simple, too, and one of the things I liked best was spending time with my best friend’s two children, both of whom I’ve known all their lives. They’re now 20 and 22 and I’m as proud of them as if they were mine.
April 9th, 2007 9:37 am
What a great idea for Easter! I love the idea of a brunch at the winery. Looks like you guys had a perfect holiday.
We like to take Earl and Eurdora to Morrisette. They are treated like royalty up there! (And Joe sounds like Martin as far as a glass of wine too early. I’m the it’s 5:00 somewhere type myself!)
April 9th, 2007 9:54 am
That sounds just lovely. Sigh. Can you believe how cold it is? I may have to go read about your adventures in the Keys this winter, to warm up.
Happy Monday!
April 9th, 2007 1:32 pm
That sounds (and looks) like a lovely Easter holiday. Yum. Those desserts made me hungry!
April 9th, 2007 2:57 pm
I think the wildflower might be bloodroot. 🙂
Sounds like you had a simply splendid time.
April 9th, 2007 4:50 pm
Goodness! What a wonderful day. Thanks for taking us, readers, along on it.
April 9th, 2007 5:04 pm
I enjoyed walking along with you. Sounds like a loverly day!
Susan
April 9th, 2007 5:28 pm
Oh, I’d have taken photos of that food too… and the yummyies from the Easter bunny. 🙂
Colleen, I awarded you The Thinking Blogger Award.
See my post for details.
~S
April 10th, 2007 7:00 pm
That food looks fabulous! And the hike would definitely be a bit nippy… it was cold here as well..and we had real snow on Saturday for about three hours. A dusting, but the most for all season.
I think that wildflower is chickweed… depending on the flower size. There are so many small and delicate wildflowers with such detailed and gorgeous petal arrangements.
Sounds like a wonderful day.
April 11th, 2007 4:51 am
That Orchid is absolutely stunning, Colleen…My favorite colors and my favorite Orchid, too…The light in those blossums—AWESOME! Beautiful picture….! The Brunch looks truly scrumptious! Sounds liie a very very good day, my dear!
April 11th, 2007 6:13 pm
sounds like a perfect easter day! ours was very good, too…and sounds like we had similar weather….
April 12th, 2007 1:19 pm
Enjoyed all of your recent posts and photos. Congratulations on your Thinking Blogger award. I’ve always thought of blogging like it was being able to think outloud, or rather, online. Thanks for our brief respite.