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Exploring Loudoun County’s Wine Country: A Barrel Tasting Journey

N. Scott Emery, P.E.Leave a comment

This past Saturday, April 5th, we embarked on a barrel tasting adventure through six Loudoun wineries—four new discoveries and two familiar favorites. The experience offered not just delicious wine, but a deeper understanding of how Virginia’s terroir shapes its distinctive vintages and a fascinating education in winemaking.

Throughout the day, we learned how barrels from different origins—American, French, and Hungarian oak—each impart unique flavors to the aging wine. We discovered that older “neutral” barrels have less influence on flavor as they’ve already released much of their oak character in previous uses. Perhaps most interesting was gaining insight into which grape varieties thrive in Virginia’s sometimes challenging climate, with its heat and unpredictable rainfall patterns.

Here are my takeaways from our day away from all the noise.

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Curds and… Cornbread

N. Scott Emery, P.E.Leave a comment

Mill stone at Dellinger's Mill in Bakersville, NC grinds corn into cornmeal.
Mill stone at Dellinger’s Mill in Bakersville, NC grinds corn into cornmeal.

I grew up eating cornbread that my mother made in a cast iron skillet. When I decided I wanted to help with the cooking, making cornbread was one of the first things Mom taught me how to make. The recipe was simple; a cup of self rising cornmeal, a bit of sugar, an 1/8th teaspoon of baking soda, an egg, a tablespoon of vegetable oil and cup of buttermilk. While you mixed up the ingredients, you heated up the skillet and another tablespoon of oil in the oven. Once the skillet and oil were hot, you poured the batter in the skillet and baked it until it was firm in the middle with crisp brown edges. Finally, you might have to turn the broiler on for a few minutes to brown the top.

It seems like we ate that cornbread about five nights a week and we never got tired of it. Sometimes, we smothered it with stewed tomatoes and bacon. Mostly we just ate it as a piece of bread to go along with our minute steak or pork chops. At the holidays, we used the cornbread to make dressing. I still make that cornbread from time to time and it is always a key part of our holiday meals, but I had long forgotten the story behind it until a recent conversation with my mom. Continue reading →

Counting Change

N. Scott Emery, P.E.Leave a comment
“A man can know his father, or his son, and there might still be nothing between them but loyalty and love and mutual incomprehension.” – from Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

A couple of weeks ago, this 1949 quarter emerged when we converted my loose change into an Amazon gift card at our local Coinstar machine. Besides being old, this quarter is of value because it is 90% silver. Until 1974, many US coins contained some silver. Quarters stopped being made from silver in 1965. The internet tells me this quarter is worth between three and four dollars. For me, for a brief moment, it was worth a lot more.

In the late 1970’s, my dad started bringing home bags of quarters, Kennedy half-dollars and Eisenhower dollars. He would buy bags of coins from the bank at face value and return them a few days later for redeposit at the same face value. In between, we would do a little treasure hunting in those 25 pound bags of metal.

Usually on a Friday, after dinner, we would unroll the coins, spread them out on the dining table and search for the older, silver-containing coins that were still in circulation. We would replace the silver coins we found with newer ones and re-roll the coins for return to the bank. Dad would take the silver coins to a local coin store and sell them for much more than face value. The coin store bought them mainly for scrap because starting in 1978, silver and gold prices began to rise. By the second half of 1979, thanks to the Hunt Brothers, silver prices sky rocketed until they reached their historic high in January of 1980. At the peak, the scrap value of the quarter I found was about $10 (in 1980 dollars) – not a bad return for a couple of hours searching through a bag of quarters.

Silver and gold prices from September 1966 through September 1982 (in 2012 dollars).

I doubt that my dad made a lot of money scavenging silver coins from the bank’s bags of change, but he gave me a memory that makes me smile and reminds me of his good intentions. Dad was complicated and connections did not come easy between us. For Dad, this foray into treasure hunting via the local bank led to even more treasure hunting. His visits to the coin shop led to discovery of a local antique auction which led to his second career buying and selling estates. Along the way as he pursued his new found avocation, I joined him from time to time for trips to auctions and antique shops. We spent hours in the car driving the roads of Western North Carolina, eating at Shoney’s and, occasionally, finding something in common to talk about.

Like any teen would, I resisted my dad’s efforts to get me to tag along. I had better things to do. Now, at 47 with 17 year old daughters, I finally understand where he was coming from and I realize it was not about having someone to carry the boxes of antiques. My daughters are a bit more receptive to my attempts to spend time together, but I realize the chances to connect are fleeting. So, just like searching for those valuable silver coins with my dad so long ago, I am determined not to overlook a single chance to make those priceless connections with my daughters. 
Much remains a mystery, but I do comprehend that what dad did in dragging me to all those auctions and antique shops was show me how to be better dad. If he were here today, I would tell him thank you. 

A Curiosity That Was Once Familiar

N. Scott Emery, P.E.Leave a comment
My wife, my daughter and I wandered into the Curious Iguana as we explored downtown Frederick, MD this past Saturday afternoon. My response to being in the Curious Iguana, a small independent bookstore, took me off guard. I felt like I imagine a former smoker might feel walking into a smoke filled room, but in a good way. I was reminded of a past addiction and cherished the brief reminder of the happiness it used to bring.

The smell of the books and the well laid out displays put me into a state of mind that was familiar, but almost forgotten. It’s a state where time slows, a keenness of mind and spirit ensues and nothing matters except searching for just the right book. I have been in that state of mind many times before, but I don’t know that I have ever been as acutely aware of it. For the most part, the kind of bookstores I used to spend hours in has left the retail landscape and I get my books online or as eBooks. 

I like the convenience of buying books online and enjoy reading eBooks, but a day like Saturday makes me long for the days of browsing the shelves of a well-stocked book store, thumbing the pages of books that catch my eye and leaving the store with something new and unexpected to read. Searching for books in store is a process of discovery. It is like following a new road or trail and finding an undiscovered  place or view. And, it is an experience that cannot be matched by a sophisticated database or program that makes suggestions as to what I should read next. 
We left the store with a new book for my daughter’s summer reading. She began to read it as soon as we got in the car. As we drove out of town, I commented on how nice it was go to a book store. My daughter took a break from her reading and interjected, “It felt great!” Yes, indeed it felt great, and because of that, I hope that places like the Curious Iguana are with us for many years to come.