Foxcroft Farm Before and Afters- Sleeping Porch

 It has been a busy summer at Foxcroft, sometimes I wonder what I have been doing! Then, I look at this blog and know- I've been having fun. But, there has been some work happening between larks. Lots of maintenance, mowing, weeding, cleaning, etc. and sometimes moving the ball forward in making this lovely house our home. 

We have a huge bedroom that remains largely untouched, and a bit crowded with bits and bobs I haven't yet reckoned with, but  it has an equally large screened porch and a lovely peek at the Southwest Mountains. For most of a year, the screen porch was overlooked each morning, as it had not much to recommend notice. But, in August, I realized that outdoor sleeping weather was approaching, and I did not want to spend another year ignoring this asset. 

The sleeping porch is largely open to the bedroom through these large sliders. 

To the north the Southwest Mountains are beyond the trees. They are smaller mountains, more easily climbed and are partially in the hunt territory of Keswick Hunt. 

The view out the back is of the pool, a great oak tree, fields and the riding arena. 

 

On the south side of the porch is a delightful willow oak that envelops that side of the porch and makes you feel like you are in a tree house. 

Great views with complete privacy, sunset aspect, beautiful tongue and groove ceiling,  a large amount of space, all screened, there is much to love about this porch!

For me to want to spend time out here, the carpet has to go, the jailhouse railing needs to depart, it needs a good cleaning, and the "two lights/one fan" needs to transpose to "two fans/one light". I don't need much overhead light out here, really. Light at night brings bugs. Moving the air for hot nights seems more important.

Cleaning was very satisfying. The walls cleaned up beautifully, the previous paint job was done with quality paint, so elbow grease was all that was needed on the walls. The screening areas were more in need, so a clean and a fresh coat of paint was in order. 

Once the green carpet was gone and the massive amount of dried flaked glue was vacuumed up, I already liked the porch better! 

I wanted to have an old fashioned southern sleeping porch, so- a bed. But also, I want a place to sit and have a cuppa, and a place to write. So, I sit now, writing on our sleeping porch!

How adorable is this little table and chairs? 

From Circa, Charlottesville. My favorite. I just cleaned and painted them up. 

The wicker rocker and wicker chest of drawers were Facebook Marketplace bargains, cleaned and freshened with a coat of paint, and new chair cushion. The vintage sofa with the woven back is from Circa, Charlottesville. I have tucked a vintage block print toile textile I bought at auction around the cushion to cover the previous loud floral.  The antique chaise is from auction, originally from New Orleans. 

The ceiling got a glossy coat of Upward from Sherwin Williams. It is the perfect blue-gray. 

The floor got a checkerboard of white and soft, hopeful blue, bordered by the blue-gray of Upward.

I love the bed! I wanted it to have a slightly exotic tone, inspired by my friend, T. who works and lives part time in Tanzania, and described the beautiful beds of Zanzibar. Short of finding a true Zanzibar bed ( I looked) I instead made my own version. I found the beautiful antique carved wooden screen in an antique store in Waynesboro, and converted it into headboard. The side rails were from another antique bed I bought at auction this year. I just built the bed frame and suspended it for a softly swaying bed that feels luxurious and special. 

Now that the jail house railing is gone, the porch feels wonderfully open. But, I am afraid I probably need to do some sort of safely railing. The "x and square" rail sets leaning up on the screen wall are a salvage from a redo at my parents home. I have been hauling them around for a while, because they are perfect for something! I think this is the something. So, now to adapt the salvage ones, and build complementary ones to complete the rail. 

Right now, I am working on the whole porch rail situation on the main floor. So, we shall see if I get to these rails before winter? I have bitten off a few large projects at once this autumn. Tod's Tavern is also getting dismantled currently, a large project that will be thrilling when finished. 

Importantly, enjoying fall, riding my big pony, visiting wineries and hosting friends in between frenzied destruction and construction! 

                          And, sweet Daisy is getting regular Physical therapy. All in a day's work!

Winery Wednesday- Cardinal Point Vineyard and Winery

 We have been to Cardinal Point before, but sometime ago. It was the venue for a wonderfully fun Birthday Bash for my sister on a hot day in July 200_?

We brought home wineglasses from that party that said "Cardinal Point" in crimson, and used them preferentially until the last one was broken some years later. 

So, it was nice that the Random Winery Generator came up with Cardinal Point so we could revisit and get a new glass! We are collecting one glass from every winery we visit, so when you come to Foxcroft Farm you can just remember the winery on your glass, and we don't need to keep track of whose lip prints are whose.

The winery is located in the hills, in a valley, so the view is minimal, but the breezes were still welcome, and there is a large lawn with a stage for nights where they host music. We also saw signs that they host a Trivia Night, and also a Story Night- which is when people come and tell a story to the audience. 

We did a self guided tasting, and were the only patrons for the first half of our stay. The tasting was of 5 different wines; 2020 Green, 2019 Aubaine, 2019 Frai Rosé, 2020 Quattro and 2019 Rockfish Red. There was a QR code associated with each wine that linked to a cute video of the winemaker talking about the wine. 

In this photo I'm about to start into the Frai Rosé, which was our favorite in the tasting. 

The Quattro is the Cardinal Point specialty, as they grow Riesling grapes at CPW, and that is a grape that apparently is not easily grown in our region. The Quattro is a blend of Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Traminette and Viognier grapes. 

There was not really a food menu, but they do offer cheese balls, and some prepackaged items for eating while tasting. 

Cardinal Point Winery:

Wines: ***

Atmosphere/location: **

Food: Did not try 

                            This is me, channeling my inner 1970's 4th grader on School Photo Day. 

Winery Wednesday- Pippin Hill Vineyard (Folks; We have a winner! First all stars review.)

 September 1 was a rare rainy day- not at Foxcroft Farm, really, we have gotten very little rain here, but around us was dreary. 

Still, our Random Winery Generator chose Pippin Hill Vineyard. So, off we went for a very pretty rainy drive through lovely back roads to North Garden, VA. I think we were fortunate it was raining, as we had chosen what is a normally a very popular destination. As it was, there was one table available on the covered porch- the tasting room being closed due to Covid restriction. We sat watching the soft rain and the mist over the hills with cows grazing and grapevines cascading, and had excellent wines and the best cheese plate I've ever had (outside of France), and it was all divine. 

I had a white flight with a 2019 Zero White, 2019 Chardonnay, 2020 Petite Manseng, and a 2020 Rosé.  I was pretty wild about all of them, choosing a few bottles for home. 

Huz had a red flight with a 2019 Cannon Red, 2020 Red Pump and 2019 Cabernet Sauvingnon- all blends, and a 2018 Wild Common- a 100% Merlot. He also thought his flight was sensational. 

The cheese board had a Barber's Aged Cheddar- soooo good, a fine blue and the best chevrè, by Cypress Grove with lavender and fennel, and I dream of this cheese. They even had gluten free crackers for me. On the board was also house made jams, cranberries, fresh figs and olives and candied peanuts. 

They have a pretty extensive kitchen here, with many more choices. My recalcitrant GI tract meant we were limited as usual, but that did not- in this case- mean deprived! 

With the excellent wines, the beautiful cheese board and these views on a porch surrounded by flowers, we found this Winery Wednesday to be the best so far. 

Even the young staff, who were operating on bare bones, as are most these days, continued to be informative and pleasant as the afternoon came to a close. 

 

We will be back- and now know to make a reservation, or stick to icky weather! I can't wait!

Pippin Hill Farm Vineyard

Wines :****

Atmosphere/Location: ****

Food:****

Winery Wednesday (Sudsy Sunday?) - Blenheim Vineyards

 What Would You Say.. if I said ...Crash Into Me?

If you answered: "Dave Matthews Band" Dingdingding! You're a music lover of the 1990s. 

If you answered: "Blenheim Vineyards" Extra Credit- you are both lover of 1990s music, and a Virginia Wines Trivia Master. 

Blenheim Vineyards, named for the location, is owned by Dave Matthews of DMB fame. I suppose he shows up there every so often and has some wine, too, but we did not see him. We did see good friends who are members of the Blenheim Wine club and brought a beautiful picnic for us to share at the winery. 

We dragged the kids along for this one, as everyone loves a picnic! 

The tasting room is closed to guests right now, because of the continuing pandemic, but there is a big tent for shade with tables spaced nicely apart. With a reservation, you have a table and server for a relaxing way to spend and afternoon. 

The wines were all excellent. We ordered a flight, which consisted of their 2019 On The Line White, the 2020 Rosé, and the 2018 Painted Red. We  also tried a few others, the 2019 Rkatsiteli, the 2019 Merlot and the Claim House White. All were so good we had to take some home. 

The views from Blenheim are east, towards Richmond, so a flatter view, as the topography is not mountainous that way. They had a wonderful old truck parked in front of a field of sunflowers, and we witnessed a few folks making use of the backdrop for photos. 

We used the empty deck above the tasting room for ours!

A delightful afternoon in central Virginia. 

Blenheim Vineyards

Wines: ****

Atmosphere/ Location: ** (we did not go in the cool tasting room)

Food : Brought a picnic

Company: ****!!

Winery Wednesday -Eastmont Farm and Winery

 It seems as if my time to blog about Winery Wednesday is no match for my ability to visit wineries. 

I am now officially behind! 

But, we found some wonderful gems.

Eastwood Farm and Winery is quite close to town, but was a standout for the open hours. They are one of the few, it seems, that aren't exclusively dedicated to day drinking, and are open from 4-8pm!

It is a newer winery, built up the hillside. The main tasting room in this weather is a large, fancy party tent with an adorable wine shack, trimmed in copper.  I also appreciated their thoughtful Kids Juice Box Flight to make the little ones feel included. Youngest not yet being 21, I was tempted to bring a flight home for him. He would not be amused.

Huz and I chose flights, his red and mine white, and settled into Adirondack chairs to look out towards the mountains and enjoy.  

We also chose a cheese sampler from local fromagerie, Caromont Farms in Esmont, VA. Caromont is a  goat dairy and we had three cheeses, a chèvre, a chèvre with truffles and an aged goat cheese. They were accompanied by a fig preserve, and were all delicious! 

 Being a chocolate fan, I also got a flight of chocolates by local confectioner, Gearharts Fine Chocolates made for pairing with my white flight. I found them all similar and too sweet. 

Huz was impressed with the reds, and liked them all very much. I was not as enthusiastic about the whites, although, their White Blend, a 2020 Virginia Governor's Cup Silver Medalist was quite nice, and we brought home a bottle. I had a glass of the Rosé, which was light and fruity and would be excellent with a flourless chocolate cake! Huz, when pressed, chose the Meritage Reserve as his top choice.  We also brought home the Meritage and the Rosé.

There is another level above the street level, which has a bar, and the tent level, where we did our tasting, that is an open area with a view. There are hiking trails at Eastmont, so hike before you sample- they go straight UP hill! 

Eastmont Farm and Winery:

Wines: there was a distinction so... Reds:****

                                        Whites:**

Atmosphere/ location: ** 

Food: Cheese: *** chocolate: *