Blog Shots: Meeker Trail & Hopkins Vineyard

As discussed on AsForFootball.Com over the weekend, Saturday's game against now #13 Wake Forest was one of the wildest, most emotional roller coaster rides I've ever experienced at Michie Stadium. The Black Knights put up nearly 600 yards of total offense and well over 400 yards rushing, and they maintained time-of-possession for almost 45 full minutes, but they still lost by 14 points -- on basically two plays. It took me a good, long while to come down. Even after sleeping on it, writing on it, and getting in a workout in the pool, I still felt like I was ready to spit fire and punish the guilty.

Sally came to my rescue, as she often does in these situations. It's her birthday later this week. As part of a multi-week celebration, we went hiking along the Meeker Trail near Lake Waramaug in the Western Connecticut Highlands, followed by a wine tasting expedition to Hopkins Vineyard.

It took some doing, but this finally get me back on something like an even keel emotionally.

Pics from the day after the jump.

Heading out...

Sally looks off towards the Western Connecticut Highlands

Climbing into the highlands

From the summit of Meeker Trail

Obligatory summit selfie

Yours truly

Hopkins Vineyard from the summit

Love this shot of Sally

Heading back

Hopkins's Pinot Noir was excellent

The vineyard's owner. This land has been in her family for 250 years.

I'm always jealous of people who've had land in their family for generations like this. My family has been in this country for just as long this woman's -- on both parents' sides. But the Heads were a pair of drunken debtors who got off a boat in Savannah, Georgia, hiked into the hills of East Tennessee and farmed listlessly in the rocks for the next 150 years. My father was the practically the first man in all that time to actually make something of himself, and even with that, it's been the work of my lifetime to break the bad habits that came as part of our particular family's legacy.

My mother's family actually had this kind of land but mismanaged the legacy down through the generations and sold off whatever was left during the Depression just to stay afloat. Which is fine, but it's a Hell of a lost opportunity, too.

Hanging on the lawn

Sally in her happy place

That's it, friends. Enjoy the day.