18 September 2009
My first full day back in Texas. I started it by taking Kyle to work, so that when I picked him up we could head straight to Grapefest! On the way into the office, as we were talking, Kyle interrupted himself at one point, and exclaimed as he pointed out the window of the car. His distraction was this amazing “magic circle” as he calls it, or “fairy ring” as I’m more prone to say. I made a mental note of where we’d seen it, and on the way back home, I did a u-turn (I’m back in the land of legal u-turns!), pulled off the road, and grabbed my camera. I walked toward the circle and took a few shots, but made a very conscious decision NOT to walk into the ring!
I spent the day doing housework and laundry and getting ready to move my stuff back in, but between phone calls and such, the time for me to leave to go get Kyle came very fast. We got to Grapefest at about four o’clock (admission was free until five!) and entertained ourselves very well for a while, shopping the various vendors, and just enjoying the beautiful day together. Not too long before our People’s Choice tasting time, Starr and Joe and Alex got there. We made plans to meet up with them after the tasting, and on we went to that part of the event. It was a whirlwind tour of Texas Wineries, as always, and about halfway through the tasting opportunities we decided it was crazy for me to try to keep up with Kyle! 
I was holding him back and I didn’t want to be the reason he didn’t meet his persoal goal of tasting something from every winery represented. So, off he went, and came back with enough time to spare that he was able to take me to taste one of his favourites. The final siren always sounds too early, and this year was no exception. We completed our ballots and then I stopped into the glass studio there in Grapevine—Vetro Art Glass. I looked around, took a few photos of the studio to show Shannon, and enjoyed a visit with the manager there whose name is also Shannon!
Then, we made a stop into the blacksmith’s shop and learned that the folks there are also our blacksmith folks at Scarborough, now! That was a nice surprise, and we made new friends in Lonnie, Linda and their son Joseph.
Finally, we were all back together with Starr and Joe, our Grapefest companions for many years, now. We walked a bit, and had some more wine, and then landed at the Gary P. Nunn concert. Nice, old-school country music and a good time. When his show was over and we headed out, we were tired. Home and in bed by about 1:30, with the knowledge that there would be no alarm clock in the morning! Yay!
~MB
