Weekend wandering

Another weekend gone by. This past one began after work Friday with a visit to a couple Missouri wineries. The first winery was Persimmon Ridge Vineyards in Barnhart, MO. Although it took about 100 miles to travel the 35-mile distance that was okay because I do like a long drive (one of these days, Mark and I should write a book on how to get lost without trying). Anyhow, we did eventually find it and being the only patrons there was icing on our cake. Out in the peaceful country with privacy and a good bottle of wine = pretty darn sweet. The next winery we stopped at (about 8 miles from Persimmon Ridge) was Villa Antonio Winery. It probably only took us 30 miles to get to this one. I had been to Villa Antonio once about seven or eight years ago and it had changed a lot. I still like it and the grounds are still beautiful but I miss the smaller simpler appearance of the place. All in all Friday was a great day. I’m not sure which I enjoyed more, visiting the wineries or driving around lost. Meandering around aimlessly in the country is just a whole other kind of fun to me. :-)

Saturday evening Mark suggested having dinner at a new place called Hill Brewing Company. At first, I was skeptical, thinking hmmm...dinner at a brewery? But I was wrong and it was much more than that. This North County brewery/restaurant is in a revitalized area of Ferguson, right across the street from a cool wine bar called Cork. The beers here are all from local breweries (except AB/Inbev products). I liked Hill. The beer and food were good; plus they had a cool semi-dangerous rooftop with a view…and a monkey. What more could you ask?

The song below is Let’s Get Lost by Bat for Lashes (featuring Beck)
(from the Twilight Eclipse soundtrack)

Persimmon Ridge Vineyards, Barnhart, MO
http://persimmonridgefarm.com/
You have to pass thru Georgia's Rabun County (where they shot Deliverance) to get here but once you do it’s worth it. ;)

Villa Antonio Winery, Hillsboro, MO
villaantoniowinery.com
It’s "out there" and if you can find it, it’s lovely.

Hill Brewing Company, Ferguson, MO
http://hillbrewingco.com/
Hill has great Chicken Florentine flatbread pizza.