Headlamps Aren't Just for Spelunking Anymore!

One Christmas Chris received a headlamp as a gift from his brother, Mark. Mark was so excited to give Chris the gift as he found his own headlamp to be invaluable. Although we believed him, we couldn't possibly think of one way we'd use it. This was four Christmases ago, and boy was he right! So far, we've used this headlamp for anything from home improvement projects to locating a missing cat under a piece of furniture. We've used it for hiking, painting, during power outages and most recently (as in, last night) running in the dark through crunchy snow in subfreezing temperature through a snowstorm. I've had my fair share of near misses running through the streets of Ferndale, but last night I couldn't be missed! I glowed like a shining star. My third eye lead the way through the hurdles of my neighborhood with boundless energy. Did people think I was crazy? Probably. Am I? Probably. I didn't care as I was so happy to been able to get my run in while avoiding being flattened like a pancake by some oblivious driver on a cellphone. Thanks for keeping me safe, Mark!

Montana's, Orillia, Ontario

Chris and I stopped off for some traditional Canadian cuisine tonight at a place called Montana's. There, we were able to order ribs, fries and pitchers of beer. To immerse ourselves in the local culture, Chris decided to order the following:

And now, a multiple guess quiz about what it could be:

a) fried veggies a la mode

b) a spare tire

c) poutine

If you guessed b or c, you are right! Poutine (pronounced pooh-TEEN in English or pooh-TEN in French), is cheese and gravy covered fries and then baked. Our server rubbed her belly and assured us that no one earns a guts like hers without consuming trop poutine. I couldn't resist, but I did take a picture of our poutine. I'll be uploading it when I get home! Au revoir!

Five Wineries, Thirty-Four Hours and One Trip to Chicago

What a crazy trip! Chris and I traveled to Chicago for the annual Lamott Pilgrimage (hot, fun and noisy get together with sixty of my closest relatives) this weekend. To keep it interesting and to break up the drive, we stopped at some terrific wineries both on the way down and up.

Our first stop was at Contessa Winery. This is where we met the very hungry (i.e. fat) cat Tabitha who kept our laps warm as we sampled some tasty Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay. Though the property was covered in glistening snow while we were there, the grounds would make a terrific backdrop for a lovely little spring picnic. If we'd had more time to stay, we could have bellied up to the bar for wine sold by the glass.

Our next stop was Round Barn Winery, Distillery and Brewery . The cute little cupcake shaped barn drew us in. OK, the variety did, but whatever. Here we were sold matching tasting glasses which we can bring back empty at any time to sample wine next time. For five bucks total you get nine tastings and one martini. We took our time. What an extensive wine list! There were two wineries housed in the same building, Round Barn and Free Run . We bounced from Red Barn to Free Run to the distillery, called DiVine, while diligently scribbling our our tasting notes. Our favorites included a Cranberry wine (a bit sweet on its own but would be delicious in sangria), a dry Gewurtztraminer and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Round Barn was slammed while we were there, but we got great service and were even given a case discount even though we only purchased three bottles.

We hung out with the fam for a few hours then drove to the Chi Town Burbs for dinner and couch time at the Messicks. We philosophised and cracked ourselves up over a few pots of coffee which I dubiously drank for fear I would laugh in it and scald my face. We have too good of a time with that Holly and Danny.

Sunday was brunch with more family followed by a thrilling ride home. We were lured off the highway by two more wineries, Domaine Berrien and Lemon Creek. We snagged a delicious Pinot Noir at Domaine Berrien. We're not huge pinot fans, but I'll say that we're starting to be. This wine was deep in color with a fruity nose and a fine finish, a far cry from the pale and lifeless Pinots I've been drinking. Lemon Creek has a couple of winery dogs, who we much enjoyed and an '03 Cab with which we fell in like. Even though it's been in the bottle a bit, rich tannins were still prevalent. I wonder how big it was four years ago!

I'm changing my mind about Michigan wines. I've been less than complimentary about the wines we produce in the past, but I do think we're producing some great ones now. Our wine makers are becoming more experienced with each vintage and we're enjoying every bit of it. We'll be back in the spring when the '06 vintages are released!