The enticing outdoor setup at Southold Farm + Cellar.
Courtesy of Southold Farm + Cellar
It’s that special (albeit short-lived) time of year when bright splashes of wildflowers begin popping up in the least expected places, and we welcome the shining sun rather than curse its existence. It’s spring in Texas, a season we vow each year to relish fully while it lasts. Pair the perfect patio weather with a glass of wine from a local maker for a scene so idyllic that you might just forget about the difficult winter behind us and the sweaty season ahead … or at least, you will after a few bottles of Hill Country red. To help make the most of the all-too-brief moment, we’ve gathered vineyards with a focus on outdoor seating and open-air programming. These crafty vintners have planted butterfly gardens, booked musicians, planned Girl Scout cookie wine pairings, and in the case of one must-visit, hired an Easter bunny … for adults.
Murder Trial in Lancaster County To Change Locations
There has been a change of venue in the murder trial of John Randolph“Rand” Hooper and will not take place in Lancaster County.
On February 23
rd, Judge Charles E. Poston on February 23 granted the motion by Hooper’s lawyers in Lancaster County Circuit Court.
Special prosecutor Matthew Kite did not oppose the motion. The trial has tentatively been set for June 21-25 in Norfolk Circuit Court. The motion listed 23 reasons as grounds for the change.
Hooper has been charged with three felonies, including murder, aggravated manslaughter and failure to render aid, in the death of his friend Graham McCormick, whose body was found in Carter Creek in August 2017.
My New Orleans
02/01/2021
You know what they say about oysters that’s right, they’re delicious. OK, and let’s be frank, they’re sexy too. So, what better theme to pursue for a honeymoon than a quest for zinc-rich, sex-drive boosting, bivalve heaven. We don’t know if it’s the fact that many drink champagne with them, or if it’s the sounds we make when we slurp them down, or if it’s where we are and what we’re doing and who we’re with when we munch them, but oysters have an amorous reputation. Casanova purportedly ate 50 for breakfast a day. At any rate, we love them fried, grilled, raw and baked and so countless people.
The wines of Carter Creek
SPOILER ALERT:
We’ll drink wine.
We’ll drink Texas wine, especially, made by Texans – even when those Texans are currently based in California.
For example,
Jon McPherson of Carter Creek Winery: He was raised in the Texas viticulture – his father is
Dr. Clinton “Doc” McPherson, a founder and pioneer of the modern Texas wine industry, who purchased land, planted grapes, and founded Llano Estacado Winery in the late 1970s. While Jon McPherson still resides in Temecula, California – where, during his tenure, the South Coast Winery was a four-time winner of California State Fair’s “Golden State Winery of the Year” – the student of old-world winemaking has returned to his Texas roots to create classic-style wines for Carter Creek.