Mt. Nittany Winery Fall Harvest Wine Festival, Oct. 21-22

Better weather couldn't have been ordered for Mt. Nittany Winery's Fall Harvest Wine Festival. Low 80s in late October, plus dry and sunny weather created comfortable conditions for a tour, a walk on the grounds, sitting at a picnic table or on the grass listening to the live band.

The winery is on the west-facing slope of Mount Nittany, and on that Sunday afternoon the descending sunlight seemed to add a gold tint to almost everything, even the air. Changing leaf color of the wooded mountainside surrounded the chalet, picnic areas, pond and vineyard that make up 65 acres.








Rows of well-maintained vines stretched over five acres downhill from the chalet where some of the harvested grapes were fermenting into wines that have earned medals in Pennsylvania and international wine competitions. Mount Nittany is in the background of this view:






On the tour, I learned that volunteers harvest the fruit, usually in August.



My friends Heather and Oranuj posed for photos on the porch with a rich green forest and light blue sky behind them. No hurry. It was so beautiful.

We each tried various wines in the tasting room on the top floor of the chalet. The Montmorency Cherry and raspberry wines I had hoped to sample were depleted.

Sweet wines may leave too much of their flavor in my mouth for subsequent samples, so I requested dry wine samples first. Of course I tried the Merlot, one of my favorites. It's good and would go well with a lot of meals. Other Merlots I've had are sweet or semi-sweet. This is a pleasant variety.

When I requested Spiced Apple, the server asked if I wanted it warm or cool. My interest was peaked. It tastes much like apple cider but since I chose to drink it warm it evaporated in my mouth like a cognac I tasted years ago. Very tasty. I've never been good at coming up with foods -- other than cheese -- to complement a wine. Still, this might go well with a gourmet cheese popcorn. Well, I still got cheese in there.

The Autumn Nectar tasted of honey and was good, although I'm not a honey fan. It's very, very, very sweet and leaves a little residue to lick off your lips. Hmm.

The wine that won my money for the day was Nittany Mountain Blush. It's semi-dry and like the winery's website description states, is very smooth. Who will share with me the bottle I purchased?

As my friends and I took a brief tour of the winemaking process, I learned that it ferments faster than I expected, over several days at most, as I recall.

After the tour, we walked the long sunlit rows of grape vines, which still had some fruit. Wine grapes are not enjoyable for eating. So, there was no temptation to snatch a few.

Should you decide to pay a visit, Mt. Nittany Winery's regular hours are listed on the website.

Salut!

Garden Party at the Farm Show Complex

(Continued from previous post)

Exhibitors followed the Garden Party theme in some unique and some traditional ways. I was partial to the displays with small waterfalls, envious of those who can incoporate these features on their property. To hear water rolling over stones while sitting by a small pond filled with water plants and koi must be soothing on a summer afternoon in the shade.

My amateur photos don't begin to do the displays justice (especially with a disposable camera). Now that I have a digital camera, photos should be better in the future.


















A trellis ...




... provided a colorful surrounding for a garden birthday party.

These Red Hat ladies were probably getting ideas for their own garden celebrations:









What is a garden party without a vase full of blooms? An outdoor bridal shower or even a wedding would be memorable with a lovely item like this:







... or a collection of flowers and greens flowing from a structural feature like this one:










A more whimsical and time-consuming setup is available for a gathering of locomotive enthusiasts:





An inexpensive day trip with some appealing ideas.

Thanks for reading!

Coal and Iron Police

This is a bit of history I never knew.

Coal and Iron Police

More Than A Family Stop

Tudek Community Park stretches continuously beyond the average family park. It has playground equipment and places for picnics like most. A walking path weaves in and out of wooded areas around the park, encircling a butterfly garden, dog park and community garden plots with a horse barn nearby. It reminds me of Central Park in New York -- a little respite in a small city. Of course New York City is more urban than most places with a park, including State College. Still, both parks offer the feel that you're away from the rush and clatter of traffic, booming car stereos, sirens and the rush of modern life.

In the butterfly garden, an alien-looking "pod" grows:



The walking path, which bicyclists and runners also enjoy, winds into State College, coming out near the eastern end of College Avenue where it intersects the bypass. Near Tudek Park, there's plenty to see.



After passing these inquistive and friendly horses ...





...continuing up the grass path alongside the fence takes you outside the community gardens. Flowers and vines erupt along the fence and within the borders.

Bellefonte, nicknamed "Pennsylvania's Victorian Secret" on bumper stickers and other promotional items, is home to about 7,000 people and is the county seat. Recent remodeling to the Centre County courthouse in the town square brightened the aging building. Time and the pigeons of Bellefonte left the statue of General and former Pennsylvania governor Talleyrand discolored.

Over several years, the visual appeal was enhanced by the addition of a long walkway surrounded by a couryard.

Sadly, as the courthouse was being renewed, fire destroyed two and damaged one other of the historic buildings. The Bush House restaurant, tavern and hotel was destroyed in spring 2006.

Several years earlier, the Academy burned down.

The Victorian era architecture is lovely on renovated buildings and homes. One can hardly pass by those in need of work without imagining how attractive they must have been in their original state. Ladies and gentlemen strolled the sidewalks or sat on their porch in lovely weather. The restored "gingerbread" trim is colorful in bright sun. Christmas decorations make them even more stunning, as though the homes are meant just for that time of year.

When the day is grey and a little daylight is left, these high towers become eerie, their windows reflecting the passing clouds. One could imagine a lonesome woman glancing longingly from her sitting room, dabbing a tear with a lacy handkerchief as it rolls down her pale cheek.


Before photo of courthouse thanks to MrsBinParis on flickr.com

Eye-Pleasing Ancient Architecture

I will be adding more entries about my actual travels, some from the past and some from the present. Meanwhile, if you are interested in architecture, or simply like to view aesthetcially pleasing and ornate artwork, this may be of interest: Alhambra.

I recently received a CD I ordered (Belly Dance for Fortune and Fame, by "Stella" of Belly Dance New York). One of the 17 tracks was titled Alhambra, which sounded familiar. I thought the name sounded Spanish or Arabic. My internet search revealed it as a 14th century palace-citadel of (Islamic) ruler Mohammed I.

Alhambra is located in the southern Spanish city of Granada. One could imagine its spaces filled with colorfully dressed people during a celebration:








Imagine the hours of labor spent crafting this beautiful relief:














Links: great architecture

Map of Granada, Spain

The Moors

Remember The Fallen

I remember.

Irish Romance

I found this lovely poem by John Boyle O'Reilly

The red rose whispers of passion,
And the white rose breathes of love;
O, the red rose is a falcon,
And the white rose is a dove.
But I send you a cream-white- rosebud
With a flush on its petal tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.

Source: Irish Culture, Traditions

Beautiful Dancing

Here is a video of an incredibly beautiful belly dance style/technique. This woman, Khalida, is using "Isis wings":

Khalida


A very talented male dancer who also is very masculine while belly dancing:

Jamil

And another short video of a (male)dancer using isis wings: Alexandros

Plan Z Anyone?

When I wrote for Where & When travel magazine, I didn't actually get to see the places I wrote about. They weren't hard to imagine as I have been to a lot of places in Pennsylvania. Extracting details over the phone from owners of the restaurants, shops, hotels or resorts wasn't too hard for my eager young self in my last semester at Penn State. I really enjoyed talking to people who loved what they did.

When one actually does travel, as I was reminded while planning a day trip with friends to the Philadelphia Flower Show, preparations cannot anticipate all circumstances.

Plan A: We signed up for the second bus to the show via King Coal Tours, a company my family had used for many trips to New York City, and one I'd recommend. Apparently we three were the only ones who signed up for bus two, and it was canceled.

Plan B: a local bus company. No, too expensive.

Plan C: I drive. Philadelphia is about three hours plus each way from the State College area. And my car, while in excellent condition, has over 120,000 miles on it. I need it to last.

Plan D: 'Isn't there a flower show in Harrisburg I've heard about?'

Another plan is hatched and I pray my friends like it. They actually were quite flexible.

My web search unearthed (sorry for the pun) the Pennsylvania Garden Expo the same weekend. And I knew how to drive there quite easily, despite my recall becoming rusty after 15 years. How giddy I was when I found out that Harrisburg would be hosting a St. Patrick's Day parade Saturday afternoon. Hm. Half the drive, less than half the price of the Philly Show tickets, an ethnic parade, and an ethnic shop (Oxford Hall). And a grand selection of Irish restaurants to choose from for dinner.

We headed west on 322 about 9:45 a.m. after a short side trip to replace my ripped jeans: one problem I had not prepared for. A quick trip to Wal-Mart netted a decent, flattering pair of jeans for $5.00.

Warm, sunny weather made driving pleasant. The Farm Show Complex was packed with people. Susan asked, "Why are there garden shows now? Isn't it too early to garden?"
Good question.

People like to plan, to get ideas and generally to look at what the pros do. I find that when I'm eager to get my hands into the garden but can't, dreaming is my alternative. Flower shows are good, too. This is my solution to the times when I live in a place that gets like this:




and I'd rather be seeing this:



The weather was beautiful until the evening drive back to State College. A little chill left in the air made me glad I had my coat.

Inside the Farm Show Complex, landscaping businesses displayed some of their designs. The theme this year: Garden Party

********Continued in Garden Party Show entry *********

In my travels, I like to get to the beach. It is never boring. I hike, too. I like nature. I remember what it sounds like when I stand in the sand where the waves flow around my feet and rush back out.

Looking at the openess off the shore is like breathing. The waves are individual breaths, their rhythm is the energy from the depths flowing to the shore and back. The energy rocks me pleasantly and I am sure I can hear sand granules shifting in the wave that drops thousands on the beach and carries the rest toward the water.

It's psychologically cleansing. It feels physically cleansing, too, if I don't think about what might be in the water rushing over my feet. I have a pair of water shoes, but it feels good to -- even when it's cold -- to let my bare feet be covered in the refreshing rush.