We drove up the Eastern Shore of Virginia for Father's Day. The original plan was to head to the battlefield at Yorktown, but with temperatures in the upper 90s, traipsing around a battlefield didn't seem like the most fun we could have. So we opted to explore the strip of land between the waters; it's a part of our area that we haven't spend nearly enough time in.

We stopped at an historic inn for lunch...when we saw all the elderly people walking in, we knew we were onto something good. Callum had no trouble finishing off both of our cups of crab and corn soup. My BLT with "shore tomatoes" was delish.

After lunch, we drove on to a winery. There are three vineyards on the shore (Virginia, at least), and we'd like to hit all three. We started here, at Chatham Vineyards.

I love the juxtaposition between the old, old house,

with the high-tech work that goes on next door. That's the press, there in the back.

Some low-tech work too...I love a process like winemaking which continues apace...centuries old traditions tweaked but not forsaken.

The tasting was delightful, from two chardonnays (one aged in oak barrels, one in steel), to a surprisingly refreshing rose' right through to the dessert wine. (Although I think Neel and I both would have appreciated a slightly bigger pour...)

Guard dog.

Very menacing.

From the concrete and steel of production to the rows of grape vines, full to bursting, this was a very nice day.