a day in the country

With our first show of the season opening this week and a world premiere heading into rehearsals on Friday, leisurely Saturdays are a luxury.  Last weekend Caleb and I decided to hit the road in search of "old things and wine" in Cambridge-Narrows.  The hour long journe down the 105 to Cambridge Narrows is one of my favourite drives and I try to make it at least once a summer or autumn.   And a stop at  9J Antiques is always a must:  two floors and a large back building packed to the rafter with treasures!  With bigger budget (and a bigger car!) I think we would have happily trucked back some great furniture pieces but in the end we each found a few little items and even a hard-to-source prop for next spring's big musical. 

My finds in their new home:  I can never resist milk glass (left) and have been on the lookout for a tall vase.   With great simple lines these mid-century Royal Winton porcelain pieces would fit on a traditional or contemporary table.  I'd love to mix the opulent finish with some rustic pieces.

After a stop a local dinner complete with hot sandwiches, mashed potatoes and a terrific waitress who insisted on calling Caleb "Sunshine,"  we headed out to Mott's Landing Vineyard. 

Run by David Craw and Sonia Carpenter, Mott's Landing Vineyards offers a surprisingly broad selection of wines.  And we were certainly happy to sample them.

The wine shop is open on weekends from now until Christmas and they'll be in town for a couple of craft shows in November  - which is great news because I can see these local wines featuring prominently at a lot of holiday occasions.

I brought home two of my faves on this trip: Aurora (an off-dry blend of Louise Swenson and Frontenac Gris grapes) and Wild Rose(an off dry rose from the St. Croix grape) which is a perfect transitional wine as I move from crisp summer whites to heart reds.

We were lucky to enjoy beautiful weather at the winery because by the time we got back to Fredericton, the heavens had opened and we were in the middle of torrential downpours, thunder and lightening.  Glad to have made the most of a final summer Saturday!