The Hill and Wood

The other night we went to The Southern for the send off concert with The Hill and Wood. Sam and the others are heading out on tour...good luck in Texas! They are off to promote their CD that was released last November. 

Taking a Drive

This past weekend I went on a drive. The weather was perfectly "fally"... brisk breeze, burnt orange leaves, and a sunny sky. Heading west on 64 we zipped out of town and headed towards Crozet and onto Wintergreen. We made a few stops along the way too! 

First up: Greenwood Gourmet Grocery 

Next Stop: Blue Mountain Brewery 

Take a drive when you have the time!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday 

Montpelier Horse Races

Just the other weekend my family and I headed to the Montpelier Horse Races! It was the perfect fall day... crisp, sunny, and a bit chilly. Our tailgating spot was filled with yummy treats and the dollar jar was jammed pack  as each guest voted on their favorite horse. 

I am already excited for next years races!

Have a Terrific Tuesday and check back soon! 

Weekend Favorites

This past weekend was filled with relaxation and sprinkled with some activity! Being the last weekend of the fall without a wedding, I took advantage of the downtime. I did manage to  explore some areas of Charlottesville that are new to me as well...

 Saunders-Monticello Trail 

Carter Mountain Orchard 

Enjoy the day around C'ville! 

happy happy weekend

Yesterday, while doing the typical blog surfing in bed before hitting the hay, I came across this awesome image on a wedding blog and became SO excited. Look closely... do you see something that makes you think of Charlottesville? What a lovely set up captured by the wedding photographer. I love the slices of wood acting as a stand and the printed brown paper bags in the background. Very rustic with calming browns and hints of evergreen. 

On another note... It's Friday! 

What a wonderful feeling...I am looking forward to doing lots of fun C'ville things this weekend, and I hope you are too. Here are a few of my suggestions for this beautiful weekend! 

Coffee from the Farmers Market 

Peach and strawberry picking

Hiking to a swimming hole

Dinner at The Local

Parachute live at the Jefferson Theater

Sounds like a great day to me! 

Have a Fantastic Friday and FUN Weekend... and check back soon!

Having fun around C'ville

The other weekend my mom and her girlfriends came to visit for the weekend...and what fun we had!

goofing around at Ivy Nursery 

chowin' down at Blue Grass 

dress shopping at Eloise

and just strolling the Downtown Mall

come back please please please!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday...and check back soon! 

Doobie Brothers at the Downtown Pavlion

Thursday night my best friend and I went Downtown to see the Doobie Brothers live! We are so lucky to have such a great concert setting outside AND Downtown. The nTelos Wireless Pavilion is located at the end of the mall, and is equip with covered seating and a great large lawn.

 

The venue is wonderful, especially during the late Spring and into the early Fall when the nights are warm and the crowds are big. With the purchase of a general admission ticket (usually the lowest priced tickets) you can plop down on the large green grass lawn with a blanket or lawn chair. Guests are welcome to bring along a cooler of snacks for the night... but all drinks must be purchased at the event, drink tickets are sold for $5. The staff are always welcoming and helpful...last night the man selling drink tickets even let me try on his 'beer case' hat! 

 

The Charlottesville Pavilion opened in July of 2005 and since that date has been a place guests seem to gather! The space offers a wide variety of entertainment throughout the night of a concert. From a man making children's balloons to hot dog and doughnut stand there are lots of activities surrounding the venue! (Red- Carpe Donut, Yellow- Last Call Hotdogs... does anyone know about this green one? Maybe Kettle Corn?)

Bessie and I decided to sit on the grass and enjoy the Doobie Brothers together! It was so great being surrounded by many people out enjoying the beautiful night and music together. From older couples sitting in lawn chairs to kids of all ages running about, the crowd contained a wide range of ages all out having a great time. 

I hope you can make it out to the Charlottesville Pavilion this Spring! Check out their site for the upcoming summer line-up. Also make sure to make it down to Fridays After Five....a wonderful and free concert series for the C'ville community presented by Bud Light. Every Friday from now until September 9 a local or regional band will take the stage and perform. 

Have a Super Sunday...and check back soon!

Blue Mountain Brewery

The Beauty of Virginia. The Bounty of Nature. The Art of Brewing. 

Blue Mountain Brewery is located on Route 151 in Afton, Virginia. Just a short fifteen to twenty minute drive from Charlottesville.... located in the heart of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. The Brewery and Restaurant are open 7 days a week until 10 pm (9pm on Sundays) perfect for a day of beer tasting or that late night dinner.

 

All of the Blue Mountain Brewery beers and lagers are produced onsite in a 15x30 barell Premier Stainless brewing system. They usually craft 2,500 barrels per year! The water used at the brewery is sourced from a 300-foot well that is from the area. Blue Mountain Brewery is even part of the Virginia Green program, working in collaboration with other Virginians to help the local environment by using water efficiently, conserving energy, and reducing waste. 

Blue Mountain Brewery offers a wide selection of their homemade beers. I would have to say my favorite is the Kolsch 151 (a light German-style ale indigenous to Cologne) or second best the Full Nelson (local hop flavor, the flagship Virginia Pale Ale). The best way to decided what you are in the mood for is to do the beer tasting. Then you can choose after tasting a sampling of each beer in season. My friends and I have fun making one another guess which beer they are tasting after reading through the list and their personalized descriptions. Blue Mountain crafts about 20 seasonal draft-only offerings. Make sure to check their website to figure out what they are currently selling. On draft now: Classic Lager, Kolsch 151, Full Nelson, Afton Amber, Evil 8, and Dark Hollow #13.

Along with their beers, Blue Mountain Brewery offers a wide range of food items on their menu. From soft pretzels to gourmet pizzas, their menu is sure to have something that pleases your taste. One of their most popular dishes is the Bratwurst Pizza with apples and onions: Topped with bratwurst form the Double H Farm ( locally produced in Nelson County) with caramelized onions, apples, mozzarella, and fresh marinara and a balsamic reduction. Yum!

 

Have a Wonderful Wednesday...and check back soon!

Historic Garden Week

It's upon us....April 16-23 is Historic Garden Week in Virginia!

Monticello

 This year is the 78th anniversary of Virginia's Historic Garden Week. More than 250 homes are open to the public this week for open house tours... these homes include private residences as well as historic Virginia landmarks. Through the dedication and work of the woman involved in the Garden Club of Virginia tours and talks will be given all throughout the state of VA this week! 

Tuckahoe Plantation

Discussions will be held and stories will be told revolving around these beautiful Virginian gardens. Local events are scheduled to span from the early 17th century through the early 21st century, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Allegheny Mountains. There will be formal gardens, walled gardens, cottage gardens, herb gardens, water gardens, and secret gardens! The Historic Garden Week is the oldest and largest statewide house and garden tour in the nation according to the Virginia Garden Week website.

A fun little connection: this week the Tuckahoe Plantation will be open for Garden Week...and in about two weeks time Easton Events will be holding a wedding at this same location, how fun is that!? Tuckahoe Plantation was the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson and has beautiful gardens as well as an old white plantation home. When we went to visit last weekend we met just the sweetest dog....

Along with open homes and tours this week, stores around the C'ville area are extending their hours and having special little treats. This past Sunday and Monday, AND George  (located down Ivy) had tea and scones in honor of the special week ahead... sorry about the late memo!

The Barn Swallow is extending their hours and has stocked up on new goodies for the Easter weekend ahead. Be sure to visit their garden this week to see the blooming tulips, hellobores, and galanthus!

The Barn Swallow

We are SO very lucky to live in C'ville and have this opportunity at our finger tips! Today, April 19th, there are lectures and tours at Monticello and at The University of Virginia Pavilion Gardens... check out the schedule! 

Have a Terrific Tuesday...and check back soon!

Skylight Studio

Tuesday night my friends and I bundled up in our raincoats and headed Downtown to Skylight Studios for a night of painting and wine! The founders, Kate and Erin, opened "Lush" with the concept of offering woman (and men too!) a fun night out on the town with an artistic twist!

With no previous painting experience necessary, Lush is the perfect way to get your feet wet and express your creative side. Groups are welcome to bring their own snacks and drinks to the studio as well! My friends and I set up the table with all kinds of goodies. From hummus to a wonderful cheese platter (thank you Kate!) we snacked on yummy snacks and drank wine while painting.

Together Kate and Erin formed Lush for the Charlottesville community...and aren't we lucky! Kate came to C'ville in 2006 from South Carolina. Soon after her move she opened Skylight Studios, an art gallery and shared studio space! Kate wished to open a studio that would "promote art and creative living".  Erin grew up in North Georgia and moved to Charlottesville last Fall. She loves being creative and having a fun while doing so.

Lush takes place on Tuesday and Thursday nights and must be planned in advance. Each group must have a minimum of six people and a max of ten and Kate and Erin can travel to you or groups can come to the studio space. I really enjoyed painting in the studio because the space was light and perfect for painting!

Each painter gets a 16 x 20 canvas and lots of colorful paint! Together the group decides on what they want to paint and Kate takes charge and leads the way! Step by step we followed her lead and eventually we all created similar versions of the same 'masterpiece'! My friends and I decided to go with the fun and youthful peacock...with a variety of blues, greens, and yellows they actually turned out pretty well. We were all so surprised how great they looked!

Our session was held from 7-10 and in three hours not only had we finished our paintings, but we had all had a fun night out together... eating, drinking, and most importantly spending time together in a unique and different setting. Lush would be such a fun idea for bridal parties, birthday parties, church outings, and mother/daughter nights out!

We just had the best time and are already planning our second night out at Skylight Studios.... we need artwork for our new apartments next year, but more importantly we want to spend another night together painting! Check out Skylight Studios and reserve your spot for a Lush night out. Kate and Erin were such a pleasure to work with and we all upped our creative ability a smidge. 

Have a Fantastic Friday...and check back soon! 

homemade dinner

Tonight, before going to the Kelly and the Ruths concert at The Garage my boyfriend and I are going to make homemade spinach gnocchi!

image 

The recipe looks pretty easy and there are few ingredients... I'll let you know how it turns out! After our dinner we are heading to The Garage for an 8pm concert. Hopefully the weather will hold off and we will be able to sit outside on the hill to enjoy the music! There are so many fun things going on in C'ville this weekend. We may even stop by The Southern for the Virginia Coalition concert, another amazing band based out of Virginia! 


I want to leave you with a few fun images before you set off on your Friday night fun! 

Have a Fantastic Friday night... and check back soon!

First Fridays: McGuffey Art Center

 Our second stop on Friday was the McGuffey Art Center, located right of the Downtown Mall on Second Street. The McGuffey is an artist association which works to support artistic growth of professional as well as emerging artists within the Charlottesville community! Through their open studios, exhibits, performances, outreach projects, classes, and tours the McGuffey Art Center brings art to our community on a daily basis!

The Center is open six days a week and is free of charge! On any given day you can walk in the doors and wander around throughout the different studio spaces if their doors are open. This Friday my friends and I went to their First Friday opening exhibit. Interesting fact: The McGuffey Art Center has at least 5,000 visitors come through their doors during the First Friday celebrations throughout the year...Wow!

 

The McGuffey Art Center was established in 1975 with the renovation of the former McGuffey School, built in 1916. The school was transformed into art studio spaces that were designed to be light and airy. In 2009 this building was recognizes as a historic building within the state of Virginia! I love the use of the old chalkboards mixed in with current artwork...how fun and unique, as well as a great way to display the original use of the building! 

There are three gallery spaces ( lower hall, upper hall, and main gallery) within the space where member's artwork is displayed throughout the year. Within the art center there are a number of studio spaces that can be rented out by members of the Association. Currently there are over 45 renting members and over 85 Associate members do not rent studio space. The renting members comprise of the Board of Directors and other various committees within the art center. How fun would it be to have a studio space in the McGuffey...large windows, beautfiul C'ville views, and a building full of other local artists. 

I love how visitors can get an up-close view of what happens in an artist's studio! Make sure to check out the McGuffey Art Center... it's open Tuesday- Saturday from 10-6 and Sunday from 1-5. 

Have a Terrific Tuesday...and check back soon!