Another Harvest Hosts Winery

September 12, 2012
Firelands Winery
Harvest Hosts
Sandusky, Ohio

A very pleasant long 249 mile drive today.  We stayed off the toll roads so at times it was a little slower, but saw some beautiful country.

I always like to get flag pictures, 

usually we are driving so many are too blurry to post.  

There were three flags in a row but only got two

A cute little town along US Hwy 20.  already forgot the name.

You don't get these cute places on the toll roads

Crossing the Sandusky Bay. to the left of us is Lake Erie but the hwy divider is too tall to see it.

Almost looks like my picture when we were going across the Sunrise Bridge into Tampa, FL

Unfortunately we had to drive right by this nuclear plant a little west of Sandusky

The Streamer is still following us

We finally get to our destination, just in time for a little sampling.  

This winery is the largest in Ohio and produces about 70,000 cases a year. 

We have a really nice place to spend the night.

We are going to have cards made and I think this is the picture we will use on them but I might take another picture when I get my new glasses, which have already been mailed to Joe's sister in Maryland and we will be there on the 22nd.

 This is a bit blurry but I wanted to show how the beans are drying up.  They go from green to golden to a light gray and all the leaves fall off.  I guess they will be harvesting them soon.  Now and then we see the corn being harvested.

The actual bean pods

Have a blessed day and thanks for stopping by

Nancy

Picking Grapes

Sept 8 & 9, 2012
Massbach Ridge Winery
Elizabeth, Illinois

You may remember I mentioned last winter that we belonged to Harvest Hosts, which is a network of farms, ranches, wineries, orchards, etc. that are willing to let a self-contained RV stay at their facility, at no cost.  Sometimes there involves volunteering to help out.

Massbach Ridge Winery is a Harvest Hosts member.  We were going to only stay one night but we found out they were harvesting and they needed all the volunteers they could get.  We ended staying two nights and had a fabulous time, of course I had to get out the ibuprofen for the aching shoulders and neck, but yes we would do it again.  Joe and I have never picked grapes before, in one easy lesson from Peggy, the owner, we were on our way.  We started about 0730 and soon there were at least 50 -  60 volunteers, maybe more.  There were people here from 3 yrs to about 80 yrs old, we picked 20 rows of grapes, in fact this was the last 20 rows to be picked this year.  We worked from about 0730 to 1200 and we were done.  We were then fed a delicious lunch of sausages, sauerkraut, salads, beans, brownies and all the fixins including  Sangria.  It was quite the feast.

This is how we picked the grapes, we were each given this little tool (that is partially hidden behind the leaf)  the end of the tool is a V that is very sharp.  You just put the V up in there on the stem and snip, the bunch comes right off.  Then the grapes go in the bucket, when the bucket is full, grab another bucket and Peggy will be along with the wagon to empty the buckets.

Peggy, owner, picker, driver, you name it she does it, 

oh yea she is also the Master Wine Maker

 The Lab (I don't remember his name) is catching a ball.

 Peggy's cute little nephews

 Peggy never stopped

When we got back to the tasting room there was a Can-Am Club 

that had stopped by for a little tasting

 And, a Corvette club stopped by

This machine takes off the stems, leaves, mice and what ever else got brought in.

This is the end and it was already wash up and it getting ready to be put away

The stems to be hauled to the compost 

Three vats of grapes that we picked today

time for lunch 

 Notice the big container of Sangria, it was reeeeaaaly goooooood...!

 Me picking grapes

The grapes are starting to ferment, a small amount of yeast has been added to the vats

All the buckets have been washed

All the wagons have been washed

Today was the last day of harvesting - that corn is a different farm

What a great day, now for another glass of wine and off to bed.  Tomorrow we are moving again.

Drive safe, have a blessed day and thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Concord, VA

3/28/12
DeVault Family Winery
Concord, VA

Another winery?  Yes and this is a small winery on a farm in a beautiful setting.

 We were only a few miles from Appomattox so we unhooked the trailer and off we went.

April 9 1865, Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Army of Northern Virginia, surrendered his men to Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all United States forces.  Three days later the men of the Army of Northern Virginia marched before the Union Army, laid down their flags, stached their weapons and then began the journey back to their homes.  For them it was an ending, but for the nation it was a new beginning.

These two tables are in the same room (I can't make both of them a med size) which is where Lt. Gen Robert E. Lee and Lt Gen. Ulysses S. Grant met for "The Surrender"

That's it for now

Have a blessed day and drive safely

Joe & Nancy