Tuscarora Mill AKA "Tuskies"

"Good friends, good food, and lots and lots of good wine..." That's how Zach described our night and I couldn't have said it better myself.  Ok ok, maybe I added that last part about the "lots and lots" of wine but it's my blog...I'll do what I want!!

Turns out there are lots of reasons to be thankful for missing a flight.  One of them happens to be friends who free up their calendars and come up with great ideas like dinner at the Tuscarora Mill AKA 'Tuskies' in Leesburg, VA. 

I missed the first opportunity to say farewell to our friends Andrew and Callie so I was more than a little excited that we had the chance to get together one last time.  Hubs and I had never heard of the restaurant but we've been fed by A&C enough times to know they would NEVER steer us wrong. 

Really great ambience.  It was nice but not fancy smancy.

Any restaurant that has a nickname is alright by me

Zach, Callie and Andrew with their pre-wine beverages

Twas a Dark and Stormy night..ok, not really but that's what my drink was called and it was yummy!

I had the "Local Local Local" appetizer (yes, that's really what it was called).  Fried green tomatoes, regular tomatoes, grape tomatoes, goat cheese, and er...crap, I think that was a fried pepper of some sort.  All drizzled in some, you guessed it tomato-y sauce.  It was lovely.

Callie had the Ahi Tuna...really nice presentation, no? 

Andrew had the Creme Brulee for desert

And I had this spectacular coconut ice cream with strawberries and hot rum drizzled on top.  Really??? Yes...really.  The rum made me feel like I was licking the ocean in St. Thomas with every bite.

I think Zach's desert looked the best....Butterscotch Bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream.  It was RETARDED good!

And there we all are.  I think this must have been BEFORE we ate because clearly, I still fit in my pants here.  ;-)

MANY MANY MANY thanks to A&C for a lovely evening!  We owe you big time and will be sure to get you back on our next trip home!  Love you guys!

Shameless Wiener Plug

  Since I won't have my pup for this coming year and we sent her off on an extended vacation with the in-laws just yesterday, I feel justified in doing an entire post about my little wiener dog, Cassie. 

 

I love this dog.  I mean I love this dog in a really kind of obsessive ridiculous way and I always have.  I call her my Starbucks puppy because that's where I came across the family trying to sell her and her little brother.  Since then, that puppy breath, those floppy ears, and her sad little eyes have had a strangle hold on my helpless heart.  

 

And incidentally, her "daddy" adores her too!  How could he not?!?  She fetched tiny tennis balls at 8 weeks and was honestly the cutest freakin' thing on the planet.  We had to stop taking her out in crowds because it would take us hours to get home.  

 

Anyhow, here are a few of my favorite pics over the last 2 years.  I will miss her LOTS this year but I know she's in good hands and will be having fun playing with all her cousins!

 

LOVE YOU CASSIE!

 

 

 

 

Hussy!

Truly a vicious animal!

 

 

Have you no shame?!?!

 

 

Hey...whatever works.

 

 

This was just a couple of weeks ago.  She was hiding in a pile of towels while I was packing boxes around her.  I'm pretty sure this look says it all, "Please don't leave..."

 

 

Then again, maybe she was just pissed because I wouldn't turn the flash off. 

 (Sorry for the picture quality on some of these.  I was getting the pinwheel of death using iPhoto so I ended up just drag/dropping from Flikr.) 

The Inn at Riverbend

I am a little grumpy today so I thought I'd finally post the blog about the Inn we stayed at on our 4th Anniversary in July.  Nothing to help ease the pain of a cancelled flight like good memories...

We took a motorcycle trip from Northern Virginia to the southernmost part of West Virginia.  It was a beautiful trip and we had a great time fishing and relaxing and just generally getting to enjoy the countryside together.  On the last day, we decided to stay someplace a little nicer than the roadside hotels we'd been popping in and out of so I arranged an evening at the Inn at Riverbend in Pearisburg, VA

Jimm and Janet Burton were phenomenal hosts and really did make us feel at home.  While we were out playing a rousing game of Jenga, they snuck in and left a little bottle of champagne and a nice card to help us celebrate our anniversary.  They even had an impromptu BBQ to celebrate the 4th of July when originally they had opted to not do their typical Monday night dinner because of the holiday.  The food was terrific (both dinner AND breakfast) and the view was absolutely to die for. 

My very favorite part though?  After the fireworks faded and the sun had long ago set, the fog rolled in and the trains had to put on their headlamps.  There couldn't be a creepier (yet romantic) sound (and sight) than a train coming around the bend through the fog blowing it's whistle.  It was truly like something out of Something Wicked this Way Comes...very very cool and better than any firework!

There are a lot of wonderful things I could say about this place but someone has beaten me to it.  Saw this review in a recent Washington Post.  It pretty much captures anything I could have left out.  If you're ever in the area...or even if you aren't, you should definitely check it out.

 

There's that fog.  Now picture it at 9 pm....very spooky.

Storm rolling in (sorry about the railing)

It's a great pic but I wish I could have captured the sound. The thunder was amazing.

Valley in the morning.

I love the way the sky is split nearly in half by the clouds.  Beautiful.

Couldn't have asked for a more comfortable room. It was modern and clean...not your typical B&B flowery hoo hah.

View from our room, "Cascade Falls"

Beautiful view of the New River Valley

A little down time before dinner.  I won...shhhhh

A nice little Anniversary card from the proprietors.  Obviously the strawberries and champagne were nice too!

Getting a little hazy as the storm was moving in.

Ribbit.

View from the deck.  It was a split level deck (one covered, one uncovered) and we had them all to ourselves!

Wine and Cheese basket

The sound of the train coming around the bend was pretty neat. 

That was our host, Jimm, lighting a sparkler.  He wasn't brave enough to light all of them at the table. I suppose he was nervous about his investment (i.e. the whole B&B) going up in flames.

Independence day dessert

Indulgence of the day....IS MINE!!!!!

Zach was very proud of his wrapping job.  Note the curly ribbons...

Woot woot!  Look at those pretty blue boxes!  In my opinion, it's a better shade of blue than Tiffanys.  It's La Mer beeotches!

Look at that, I am flushed and dewy with joy! LOL  And Zach is wondering why he spent so much money on soap suds and lip balm.  BUT WE LOOOOOVE HIM FOR IT!!!!

That's a $5 kiss right there. Zach says there must be unicorn horn dust in there for it to be so expensive.  At first I was upset at the thought of ground up Unicorn horn on my lips...then he told me not to worry, that their horns grow back.  You know, like a lizard.  ;-)

Bwah ahahaha

Super bwah ahahaha.  Mine mine mine!!!  I have clearly crossed the border into crazy town but that's ok, I would take up residence in looneyville for this kind of indulgence anytime.

 

You are so loved....you are really loved....fuh real!

I'm quite sure NONE of you are as lucky as I am to have a freakin' hilarious brother in law.  I have pretty much adored John Land since my sister introduced me to him and we became horrible horror movie watching buddies when I was 12.  Just about everything he does is worthy of a three stooges highlight reel.  From mailing fake poo to falling through a roof to his hatred of pigs and his reaction to almost being killed by a "handpainted" piggy coffee mug one Christmas.  We share laughs and exchange pranks and although my father might disagree (tee hee), we are lucky that he joined this family.  Well, folks, he's struck again and let's just say his humor has only ripened with age....and it is really really really ripe.

Nothing much else to do except introduce you to Lindsey's 33rd birthday, brought to you by John Land:

If I'd only known how true this was....

ack! Pop up singing-butterfly-zombie Dodson.  I'm not sure what's scarier...that, or the face I'm making.

Reliving Halloween....all he needs is a wig and a wife beater

Cute polka dot paper...maybe this was one of the other Land family presents??

Hmmm....starting to suspect something.  Unless Kris wants me to control my cholesterol...

Don't be jealous, I have my very own Antoine T-shirt..."They raping everyone in here..."

Zach is clearly thrilled with the new addition to our t-shirt family.

I love my present....for real!

And just in case any of you have been living in a cave for the last couple of years or would like a reminder of how ridiculous Antoine truly was/is, here's a throwback...