Surprise Day Trip

Last Wednesday, the 24th, was our 3rd year wedding anniversary! (Cue The Applause) I wracked my brain trying to come up with a cute present idea, or a romantic present idea, or even just a good present idea. I was looking for DVD's I knew she liked - yes, I know that's not very romantic. Maybe jewelry? Dinner out? An origami unicorn? What to do what to do?

Today we're heading out for a mini vacation; a little day trip that I planned? We'll see what the wife thinks of it. I'll update this post when we get back.

7 Hours Later - We're Back From the Frederick Wine Trail!

That's right I surprised my wife with a trip up to Frederick, Md, to visit a few local vineyards for a day of wine-tasting and fun! I 'inadvertently' misled her with some misplaced clues, and misspoken hints and when we headed out on Route 70 West she had no idea where we were heading. When she finally saw a sign for the vineyards and figured it out she was very excited.

1st we stopped at a small vineyard, Elk Run, for a tasting and just to get the lie of the land. It was a cute little farm house set up and we eased into the day. We enjoyed a nice glass of Cabernet Franc and sat outside in the cold for a bit.


Then we drove to the Black Ankle Vineyard, just a few miles away, and arrived just in time to join a tour of the small operation. We saw the barreling room, saw some dormant vines, and even chatted up the owner of the vineyard. Next we had a tasting in their straw hut, enjoyed some local monacy ash cheese, and a wonderful Syrah by the fireplace.
All in all, it was a successful adventure. I surprised my wife with an impromptu day trip to Maryland's wine country. We enjoyed some nice wine and local snacks before heading back east to have appetizers and soup at one of Sara's favorite Columbia restaurants, Leelynn's. Now we're home enjoying a bottle of wine purchased on said trip, snuggling on the couch and basking in the glow of a wonderful day!