Loose Leaf Notes

I don’t know if I’ve ever posted drunk on my blog before.  There’s a first for everything.  It was raining. I was hungry and the wine at Villa Appalaccia was just so good.  I probably shouldn’t have done the wine tasting before I ate lunch. I’m such a lightweight when it comes to drinking.

There were olives from Italy, local cheese from Pulaski, music from the New River Valley and Parkway mountain views. The patio where we sat overlooked a flower garden and bocce ball court.   “Who needs Italy?” Joe said.  We felt transported, savoring the taste sensations of crusty bread dipped in basil olive oil and mixed with cheeses and salami, and letting the wine do magical things to our palettes.

The live music of Bob Grubel and Cifford Dumais (aka Second Sight) was great and hearing them was part of the reason we made the 6 mile trek to the winery.  At one point when they were deciding on their next number, we overheard Cliff say “too much Beatles.”  “There’s no such thing as too much Beatles!” Joe and I protested.  The duo’s rendition of Norwegian Wood was infused with a spirit that I never heard from George, John, Paul or Ringo.  Later, Bob told me they got a standing ovation at Gillies in Blacksburg after performing it.  

“I want to know who the designated driver is?” I asked the party from Greensboro that was sitting next to us.  It was all in good fun and we were bonding over the discovery of our new favorite wine, a blend of cabernet and raspberries.

“Now I know how Hunter Thompson felt,” I said to Joe, referring to the Rolling Stones gonzo journalist who worked while under the influence.  Always on the lookout for an impromptu story or photos for the local paper, this photo-op news scoop was lost on me because I was rendered silly.

Bob, our neighbor from Zephyr Farm, asked if we had a request, which made for a perfect line-up. We requested “our song,” Baby I Love Your Ways, knowing Bob would know it well, since he played it with his former band Grace Note at our wedding in 1996. And Joe and I got up and danced!

 A group of people touting colorful umbrellas against the pink phlox in the garden made their way up the walkway and caught my eye.  But my camera had stopped working and I didn’t have the sense to figure out why.

A short slightly drunken sing-along, unlisted youtube video clip can be found HERE.