Rick Wasmund’s unassuming whisky distillery sits on the banks of the Thornton River, near the Shenandoah mountains in Virginia. Much like pioneering homesteaders of bygone days, he pursues a livelihood that is deeply rooted in the aromas, flavors and yield of the land, perfecting an American classic – a single malt whisky infused with the smoky essence of applewood, cherrywood and oak. When I
reade more...
Pot Luck Night at the Foster Harris House
How does one define the word guest? It is Thursday night at the Foster Harris House in Little Washington, Virginia. Technically, the inn is “closed” for the evening, but I’ve booked an extended stay, and fortunately the MacPhersons have not yet kicked me out. John and Diane have graciously invited me to join them and several friends for a night of food and wine. It promise to be a taste of
reade more...
Coming Home to Chef Patrick O’Connell’s Country Inn
The seasons have changed several times since my last visit. The Inn at Little Washington is framed with late summer flowers and the air is pleasingly warm.Although it is just 65 miles from densely-populated Washington DC, the Inn seems to exist in another time and place. Think Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, where magic, mythical figures and high adventure rule the night. Having spent the
reade more...
A Wine Who’s Time Has Come
America’s third President, Thomas Jefferson was a connoisseur of good wine. He drank it every day, called it “indispensible” to his health and lived well into his eighties. Thomas Jefferson was a man after my own heart. Jefferson did much to accommodate this great love, including the creation of an extensive wine cellar at both his mountaintop home of Monticello and his secluded retreat at
reade more...
Thomas Jefferson’s Vegetable Vision
It is a blistering but bright summer afternoon in Virginia, the kind that might have found Thomas Jefferson inspecting the kitchen garden at his mountaintop estate of Monticello some two centuries ago. Purple and white eggplants shimmer in the afternoon sun and the Blue Ridge Mountains are luminous against the skyline as I walk among the trellises and rows of vegetable plots and try to imagine
reade more...
The Hand of Friendship, the Art of Breakfast
A framed, counted cross-stitch sampler hangs in the foyer of the Foster Harris House. It depicts a whimsical country cottage with the words, “Let me live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man.”The sampler is partially hidden by a large hat tree, but if you manage to spot it, it tells you a great deal about the owners of this bed and breakfast by the side of the road in Little
reade more...