Good friends, Wine, cheese...and Flowers.

[teesquare]

We went to visit some friends that live in the next county north of us. They are truly a "renaissance couple". Having had very successful careers ( he as a chef/owner of a fine dining restaurant and the both of them as wine importers  - and several other fun adventures ) They settled into a place in the highest part of the mountains around here, near Hot Springs NC - on the Pigeon River.
Ricardo is from Argentina, and Susanne is originally form Boston. The stories of their adventures throughout the Americas are novel worthy. It would have to be a little Indiana Jone, with Romeo and Juliet in there.... Beautiful people, and the warmest, most kind  folks you will ever meet.

Since retiring from wine importing - they took up a passion for raising peonies and figs. World class peonies and figs...... So, my wife wanted to go while they are in bloom, and pick out some for our yard and grounds, and it was a great excuse to visit with Ricardo and Susanne .

So - first...the scenery. Because if we had the wine and cheese first - the pictures would be more fuzzy and out of focus....
But - be sure to look at the last few pictures. THAT wine is what put Ricardo and Susanne on the "wine map". Robert Parker Jr. of Wine Spectator ranked it as No# 1 available at the time...and the race was on! There are other awesome wines they imported -( they have a few bottles left of a blend that is BETTER than this wine - tho it is hard to believe...) but this one was their breakthrough. I am no wine aficionado....but this wine was soooo good I could not believe it. Those are our fiends and neighbors Jim and Jean Healy at the table. The Mrs. T is in the middle - with a happy flower filled, perfect glass of wine end to the afternoon.
I have have the blend before, and there are a few cases left from 1984. I will own some.






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[sliding_billy]

What a beautiful spot.  Great pics!

[hikerman]

Great looking gardens and flowers. I surely am envious that wine sounds wonderful!

[TMB]

WOW, great shots Tee.  Would love to take a stroll there 

[Pappymn]

Wow! Great pics. My wife loves peonies

[muebe]

Great looking flowers!

I was 8 years old when that wine was bottled

[TwoPockets]

Holy Cow! Do they need a yard man?

[HighOnSmoke]

You are really rockin that Olympus my friend! Great photos! Looks like a place I really need to visit!

[teesquare]

Great looking flowers!

I was 8 years old when that wine was bottled

These are they people that brought Malbec to the USA from Argentina in the 1970's. They told me that it took Robert Parker Jr. writing and raving about them to get it all going, and the it became like a snowball rolling down a hill, it just boomed! The Malbec vines brought to Argentina from France were thought of by the French as only a blending grape - so the French did not restrict the export of them. They did not respect that different weather, water and soil could create such a fine wine grape. Funny..a real illustration of "one man's trash is another man's treasure - huh?

Great looking gardens and flowers. I surely am envious that wine sounds wonderful!

Gene - it is unbelievable just how good this Cab. Sav. is.

[/b]

WOW, great shots Tee.  Would love to take a stroll there 
What a beautiful spot.  Great pics!
Thanks Chris and Tommy.

Wow! Great pics. My wife loves peonies

Mine too...I did not know until this visit with Ricardo and Susanne that the ants that crawl all over them are necessary for the health and propagation of the Peony

Great looking flowers!

I was 8 years old when that wine was bottled

Then you have probably turned into vinegar by now....

Holy Cow! Do they need a yard man?

You may be required to learn fly-fishing Ken...Think you could handle walking across the yard and fishing for trout?

You are really rockin that Olympus my friend! Great photos! Looks like a place I really need to visit!

Thanks Mike! I am learning it. All of these shots were JPGS straight from the camera. Only in camera adjustment made was -3 to -7 exposure compensation. All shot in Aperture mode. Many were f22. We had overcast skies with changing light conditions - so it was a constant guessing game. Some of the shots were not as sharp as they could have been ( breezy conditions too...) and some of the reds need to be toned down a little I think. All hand held shots, no tripod and no flash. Camera set to "neutral" as for mode or style.

[smokeasaurus]

What a beautiful place. Looks like Heaven on Earth 

[teesquare]

What a beautiful place. Looks like Heaven on Earth 

It is pretty close. One of the property boundary markers is a tree that hangs out over the tree that was a place that the local settlers and indians (Native Americans) would trade. And - just beyond that there is a large cave that was used during the Civil War to hide troops in. It can't bee seen from above, and when there are leaves on the trees - you can't see it from the river either.

I hope to do some more exploration soon ....

[ACW3]

Beautiful pictures.  Gorgeous flowers.  Are there trout in the river?  Can we go fish there?

Art

[teesquare]

Beautiful pictures.  Gorgeous flowers.  Are there trout in the river?  Can we go fish there?

Art

Thanks! Yes they are...Yes...YES....

[drholly]

Absolutely beautiful scenery, gorgeous pictures, the wine sounds fantastic. And, I just KNOW there have to be some trouts sneaking around in that river! Thanks, T!

[teesquare]

Absolutely beautiful scenery, gorgeous pictures, the wine sounds fantastic. And, I just KNOW there have to be some trouts sneaking around in that river! Thanks, T!

Thanks David!
The trout had been feeding on the surface  - there was a Mayfly hatch going on.