A Visit From Greg!

Last December, a familiar face appeared on Facebook. He hadn’t changed much since we last saw each other 30+ years ago. The only significant change was the town he was residing in…Vienna, Austria.

When he made the announcement he was coming state side, I made a point to meet with him. He was interested in reconnecting and told me to make the proper arrangements. I choose Glen Manor Vineyards for our meet and he truly enjoyed his first visit to a Virginia Winery.

A few weeks ago, he gave me the heads up that he would be visiting his mother over the Thanksgiving holiday. He told me to pick the venue and we could talk about the good ole days once again.

Greg was open to either beer or wine and I decided to show him the Vineyards of Frederick County.

We met in town and I proceeded to the Shenandoah valley’s northern most wineries. Our first stop was James Charles Winery. One of Virginia’s newer Vineyards, it is part of the Bogaty Family Wine Group which includes 2 other wineries Veramar Vineyard in Berryville & Bogati Winery in Round Hill.

Since opening last August, James Charles is making some noise with their red wines.

Greg and I did a tastings and decided to get a bottle of Petit Verdot. Rich Garnet in color, dark cherry and smoke on the nose. Complex red berry flavors with a dry spicy, chewy finish. This is your steak, burger wine even fish and chips would go well with this wine.

I believe Greg said: “This wine has the legs of a super model!” We will go with that!

The day was gorgeous and we decided to take advantage of the warm November weather and enjoy their patio. Our next stop will keep us indoors as the sun began to set but this vineyard has evening hours which is a great perk, Valerie Hill Vineyard & Winery.

It was almost 4 years ago that I stumbled upon this vineyard as I was taking back roads home due to heavy traffic on I-81. Tish and I visit often, knowing Greg is partial to Merlot, he will not be disappointed in their Merlot Reserve.

Subtle earthy notes with a touch of leather on the bouquet. Soft, warm flavors of currants and black cherries. Nice concentration and fruit forward that transcends to supple dry/low spice flavors on the finish. This is a true pasta wine that could be enjoyed by itself or with an after dinner cigar.

Greg is very impressed with how enjoyable the wines are in Virginia. I told him that when he comes back for another visit, we will take in some other vineyards in the surrounding area. With more than 30 within a 25 mile radius, we have plenty to choose from. And so do you!

Get out and visit the areas wineries and show your support for Virginia’s wine industry.

Cheers!

Brunch & Burlesque…Yes Please!

Yes, I know I skipped a day. I was working in at a vineyard…imagine that!

At any rate, here is the next to last entry of this series:

Once again, blurred vision and 11 o’clock seems to be the norm for this trip. Showers and then we were out the door heading to Bathtub Gin for…wait for it…

BRUNCH & BURLESQUE!

The subway trip seemed to take forever. This is because I have not had coffee and that’s not a good thing. We get off the train and took a stroll to the stop. This is the address for the place but we are outside of a tiny coffee shop, Stone Street Coffee.  Okay I’m ready to drink rot-gut coffee at this point.

Then a gentleman asks: “Are you here for brunch?”

We give him our name and the wall opens to yet another gorgeous bar with a large copper claw foot tub in the middle of the dining room. Okay, I’m all excited at this point.

The girls decided to have Mimosas and opted for an Irish Coffee. Oh this was going down really good. For my brunch, I went against the norm. Wagyu Burger with Wild Mushrooms and Gruyere, a side of Fries and then a few Allagash White’s were consumed.

Then it was time for the girls to perform. I felt it was necessary to have the girls on the outside so that they could enjoy the girls. Okay I wanted them to feel uncomfortable. I know, Jerk!

Did I mention, this was my first time enjoying Sunday brunch?

Breakfast & boobs, I can get use to this. Kind of like back in the days of closing strip clubs and then going to breakfast with the talent. You know you’ve done that before! Don’t judge!

Another New York watering hole that I’ll return to on my next visit!

Jess had a surprise for us and it involved water.

House Party at Anna’s

Joey sent me a message recently to let me know about his plans for this years visit. The 18th seemed to be the day we would take over the Depot Lounge.

The ladies of ’83 had other plans.

Anna suggested we have a party at her place. Okay I’m cool with that but I had to work out some small details about the night. In the meantime, I set up an afternoon meet with Joey & Rich at Virginia’s best winery, Glen Manor Vineyards.

Sabra had sent me a text about attending the event. I informed her that my plans had changed and that I would be making an appearance. She asked about a few classmates that rarely show,so I made an effort to convince them to reconnect with their school family.

Carbaugh hasn’t been back to area to see us in several years. He is a busy man just like the rest but…the ladies love them some Carbaugh. I invited him to join Joey, Rich and the Fat Man at the vineyard but he opted out.

Joey & Rich met me at the vineyard and Kelly gave us the royal treatment. I hadn’t done an official tasting in a few years and this was good to do this. Some of the new information about their new site and what grapes are being planted for the future vintages.

I brought along some eats to enjoy with our wine. I choose a glass of the ’13 Vin Rouge and the boys selected glasses of the ’13 Sauvignon Blanc.

They enjoyed the wine as well as the surroundings. I informed them that if this gathering becomes a yearly event, we  can visit a new vineyard each year. If we do this, we should visit all by the year 2265.

I returned home and loaded a cooler and to get the dessert I was taking to the event. A chocolate tort with chocolate Grenache and Andes candy pieces on top.

As I made the turn into her driveway, I followed one car up the hill. It turned out to be Janet my next door neighbor from Toms Brook. That child hasn’t changed and the majority of the ladies of ’83 haven’t changed…WTF?

My days of being the little fella are well past as I have gained 100lbs since June 3, 1983. The ladies of ’83 have cheated Father Time. I have no hair but that’s because I choose to lather that thing up and shave the gray away.

This was a great gathered. And like I said, Carbaugh made an appearance. Then the surprise happened, Margo walked through the door, this was a shock and no one knew she was going to make the trip from Portland, Oregon. A pleasant surprise!

We told stories and my Lord they drank way too much Wild Turkey that night. For once, I was low key and very, very sober.

As the night grew to a close, we said our good-byes and headed home.
That night I realized something about my family.

Reunions…Good Times As Always!

1988 our 5 year reunion. We were still just babies!

Rich & Cheryl with Patterson in the background. Where is he?

The 10 year reunion…I remember it being an “S” storm. This was the part of my life when the Dr.’s had complete control of me, I was miserable beyond belief and I was married.

The hardcores were making the circle that I remembered at the field parities. A bottle of Boone’s Farm would be opened, take a swig and pass it around. I remember Stickles going around taking up a collection and going to purchase more wine. 36 empty bottles were left behind. The story goes that we as a class were barred for life at the Moose Lodge. Like I said, a “S” storm.

I only attended 1 of the next 3 and that was the 20th in 2003. Tish and I had just moved in together and she hadn’t been around too many of my classmates. But if you’re going to be with a Strasburg man, you need to meet his family from S.H.S.

The 30 year reunion, we are aging well just like fine wine!

Just 3 years ago we celebrated our 30th , Margo had organized a picnic for the town park all the way from Portland, Oregon. We attended and we left around 1 and took Horton and his better half to Glen Manor Vineyards to enjoy the warm July afternoon and wine. A group assembled at the Depot Lounge and more drinks flowed. During this time a talk of a field party were discussed and plans were made. In Sept. of that year, we had a good ole redneck field party.

Now that a good group of us are on the social media’s, we make plans to meet more often. The Depot Lounge seems to be a good meeting place but I’m always interested in other options if one is suggested.

A good many of my classmates are now facing an empty nest. Although in Brenda’s case, she’s dealing with grandkids because she started way too young. Damn Granny.

Then a familiar face appeared on Facebook, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The last time I saw Joey was at SVP where a good number of ’83 worked and some still do. I heard rumors about him moving but I exhausted them as that. When I visited the Southwest in ’84, I never thought about looking him up. Then again I was with my Grandparents and they were keeping a tight lease on their grandson. I recently found out that Joey hadn’t moved out that way during that time. So all is well.

A year ago, Joey had posted that he was going to be at a conference in DC for a week. I reached out to him and asked if he would be making a trip to the valley. To my surprise, he was going to come and visit with family and we decided to grab a cocktail at the Hotel.

Joey came to town and we showed him a large time. Hey enjoyed so much he came back for more this year!

My phone began blowing up from members of the family wanting to know if they could join us. I’m all about a party. I coordinated with Joey and he agreed to the small group. I put additional info out to those who turn their nose up to Facebook. They were informed and some showed. I believe we had close to 20 folks show and we had a large time.

Over the past year, we have gotten together 2 other times and I truly enjoy meeting up with these good friends. I’m confident that if I needed bail money, I have plenty of folks to contact. With that being said, I’m blogging from lock up in Woodstock, I went streaking down Main Street this morning and I need some one to pick me up and bring me a towel.

Hmm…that would be an interesting way to celebrate my 60th birthday.

Add.

To.

Bucket.

List!

Senior Trip

We lobbied for an overnight trip but the teachers thought that a day trip would be our best option. In reality, those poor teachers knew what kind of characters we were and the amount of trouble that would ensue. Kings Dominion promoted a Senior Day and that would be just fine. Schools from all over the DMV would take over the amusement park.
Now this wasn’t an “official” day but my class gave it an official title: Senior Skip Day.

I remember going to the school, parking my car and then waited for Horton to arrive. We hung out at a friends house and enjoyed some of the Sloe Gin he was known for serving when we got together. After a few drinks, we headed into town to see if anyone was going to need some assistance. What we found was complete debauchery. Some underclassmen decided to join a few of my classmates and party with them. I believe a teacher even visited and took some of the ladies back to school only to be shipped home to their partners.

There were a few who couldn’t function and I’m referring to my classmates. Cousin couldn’t even get on the bus. Another walked or stumbled to the back of the bus only to pass out once he sat down. The crew on my bus were feeling righteous and were rowdy the entire 4 hour trip to the park. G.R. was hilarious the entire trip down. He kept begging for Ellsworth to stop and let him use the bathroom. I believe he used an empty bottle to relieve himself and I even want to say that bottle got tossed out the window. Two of my classmates rekindled an on again/off again romance on that ride down and back.. I’ve always wondered…did they ever tell their boy friend and girl friend about their little rendezvous?

I remember lines were long for the roller coasters as well as any ride. A free concert by Molly Hatchet was taking place at 8p.m. A group of us stuck close and we saw some sights. The bathrooms were converted into areas to deal drugs. From pot to cocaine, I hadn’t seen any of that and I worked in a factory with folks who bragged about their drug use.

The coolest sight was watching these two guys shoot basketball and winning stuffed animals left and right. A tall lanky fella and one of the shortest guys I had ever seen. Both were sporting Dunbar High School varsity jackets. The were: Reggie Williams & Mugsy Bogues. I’m sure Reggie Lewis & David Wingate were close by. These guys were a part of the number 1 basketball team in America. It was awesome!

By this time, it was getting late most of my classmates were starting to wind down and it was time to head back to the valley. Our last field trip and it was most enjoyable. For some it was memorable to others it was just a bad hangover.

However, the days were counting down and our final day was closely approaching to an end. 

Grandfathered!

The Class of ’83 was a tight unit. We played together, laughed together but most importantly, we partied together. If someone didn’t have a party at their house, then it was in a field with a bonfire with the occasional dead animal in a pit. And when it was too cold for a field party, my post Cruising The Block, explains how we adapted to the winters in Strasburg, Va.
Keep in mind, we did a have a few that did not partake in the consumption of adult beverages. If they showed up at a party, they were always welcome and they had a good time. But you know, some of those who we thought didn’t drink – actually did. The majority of the guys in my class were rednecks/good ole boys but we had a few that were considered “nerds” or “brainiacs”. Those boys could throw back a drink or two with the best of them…I’ve seen them do it!

One of my oldest friends and classmates recently told me a story regarding his way of enjoying an adult beverage at the Depot Lounge located in the Hotel Strasburg as a senior.

Dave and I try to meet up when we can. Thanks to him, I was able to remember something about the Lounge. Back in the day, there was a juke box in the bar and it was loaded with Beatles & Rolling Stones tunes. But I don’t remember drinking in there. He talked about drinking and enjoying Gaymers Pub Cider, oh the things you learn after all these years.

Some of you are probably wondering how we were able to purchase beverages. Sure some used fake ID’s or got creative. One classmate had an older brother who looked his twin with the exception of glasses. He took his brothers old ID and an old pair of his glasses and he became his older brother. Or we just visited The Star Market, enough said.

The state began to mandate the laws for purchasing alcohol. At 18 we could sit in a bar and consume beer but couldn’t purchase from grocery stores. Liquor was 21 so the state made the necessary changes and beer fell into that category too. Once the law took affect, we were grandfathered in and the legal age for me to drink was 18. Of course this new rule didn’t deter my family in the least, we were a resourceful bunch.

West Virginia laws were 18 for everything and the state line was only 12 miles from Strasburg. There were many trips made to WV to get what was needed. Chewy’s van could drive itself across the mountain to get Jack Daniels or whatever our palate was craving. If I haven’t mentioned Chewy before, he was our class’ “Jeff Spicoli”. If you have never seen Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Netfix it this weekend.

Then of course there was our varsity club trip. Since I was the basketball announcer – they allowed me to go on these outings. This one was by far the sweetest of trips.

Oakley, one of my true country boy classmates and a down to earth soul. How he was able to pull this off what he did that day, I have no idea. We traveled to Landover Md. to the Capital Centre to see the Georgetown Hoyas play the Villanova Wildcats. This was the Ewing years and they were just a year away from the title. But then again, Villanova won the title two years later…beat the same Hoya team.

The coaches and teachers were on the opposite side of the stadium leaving us kids on our own, not a good move. Oakley made many trips to the beer vendor that day. I’m surprised they didn’t cut him off but he probably visited different vendors. My classmates…crafty & smart.

Once Spring arrived in the Shenandoah Valley in ’83 we became restless and anxious…the end was near.

Prom came and went and fun was had by all.

Our senior trip…oh the memories. Of course, there were a few who don’t remember the outing.

My Classmates – The Series

I have a great group of friends.

But, I can’t really refer to them as friends. They are in fact family…The Class of ’83. 

In ’99, I only contacted one of my classmates. I was about to have brain surgery and the only one I was really close with at that time was Carter. He knew what I had endured my entire life, my seizure activity controlled my life and they were an embarrassment and I didn’t want to hear any pity from others. Maybe I was being selfish and just didn’t want anyone around, especially my ’83 family. Then again, this was about the time that I was in a bad place, I was married and I was not happy in my life. I was slowly killing myself with food. The amount of food I ingested in the early mornings after work was almost heart stopping. Then Dr. Edward Laws came into my life and changed me forever. 

It has been 17 years since I went under the knife and I have learned a thing of two during that time. Never get married. 

Always live your life like today is your last day.. If you ever had a grudge with an immediate family or a friend, resolve the issue and move on. Life is Too Short! Every Day IS A GOOD DAY!

When I reflect on my health issue, I believe that only one of my classmates ever witnessed me have a seizure. Nina had invited me to be her date to a wedding. The ironic thing is we were going to one of our classmates wedding…Jules. Now the day went well. I do not remember drinking anything. But the scary thing is that, I was driving and remember pulling over into a 7-11 parking lot because something wasn’t right. I have no recollection of the events that followed but I do remember seeing Nina’s face once I become aware of my surroundings. I was in the Emergency Room in Culpepper, Va.  

When the Dr’s and the state tightened the reigns on me, I had to rely on family and friends to take me to work and out to play. Horton, Robin-Ann, Cousin, Binebrink, Keller and a few other members of the family made sure I didn’t sit at home.  

Let’s fast forward to present time.

It wasn’t until our 30th reunion picnic that I discovered how close we really were. That little outing opened the door for many more down the road as a group or just a small gathering of a few individuals.

This series is about how we grew as kids and refused to grow up as adults.