Wine Weekend in Augusta, Day 3: A Cemetery Alongside the Vines, Stoneledge Antiques, and Holy Grail Winery
Another great start of another great breakfast at H.S. Clay house.
Eggs Benedict, along with a roasted tomato with parmsean on a bed of spinach.
Group photo, as we were checking out.
While Liz and Julie went to go look through the local antique store, I ended up going to a nearby cemetery that we had spotted. I was taken with how close the gravestores were to a nearby vineyard, and just really wanted a photo or two, to capture the proximity of it all.
Bob drove me over, and Katie and Dan decided to follow along. All four of us got out, and wandered around a bit.
I am fascinated by cemeteries. I don’t feel it’s a morbid fascination, but rather it’s more like walking around a time capsule. In reading the names and dates in a cemetery, I like the attempt at tracing a family’s history. I like trying to imagine the lives that came before mine.
One of the first gravestones I noticed, mostly because of the toy resting alongside it.
No Farewell Words Were
Spoken, No Time to Say
Goodbye, You Were Gone
Before We Knew It, And
Only God Knows Why
Three markers, listing three men of the Schortt family. In particular, I felt a pang when I read the description on Michael Shortt’s gravestone: “We love you son, fiancee, and brother.”
On the other side of their gravestones, several mentions of “Stairway to Heaven” and music instruments.
Angel.
The nearby vineyards.
There were several notes affixed, warning of the dangerous pesticides. Not sure if this was an actual danger, or done to keep curious people like me away.
Looking at the marker for Ferdinand Hochhalter. I was born in 1974, and stood here a while contemplating how our lives intersected for just one year. In an odd way, I felt like we had passed a baton between us, with me picking up where he left off.
This particular gravestone caught my eye because of the photosgraphs used.
I loved that a photograph of their home was used here. With the mailbox so prominent, it really feels like you are on the street, just outside their home, about to pull into the driveway.
Just in front of their gravestone, I saw this:
Infant daugher of
Royce & Alta Stelzer
Mar. 7, 1961
My heart ached on seeing this, and I lingered here for some time.
please do not grieve
but start out bravely with a gallant smile.
And for my sake and in my name
live on and do all things the same.
Fill each waking hour in useful ways
reach out your hand in comfort and in cheer
and I in turn will comfort you and hold you near
and never, never be afraid to die
for I am waiting for you in the sky.
On the edge of the cemetery, looking up to the vines.
Looking down into town.
Albert Hollenberg
July 1922
May 1923
Another spot where my heart just ached.
A large guitar.
Back in town, I stopped in to Stoneledge Antiques.
Walking around, I slowly became amazed at just how large the space was.
Around each corner, there was another room I wasn’t expecting.
A fantastic old piano.
A small reading nook. Yet another spot I likely could have sat down, and spent several hours.
An old ledger.
Inside the first pages, an entry made in 1927.
An old Morse (Morris) Code telegraph key.
Lots of old sewing machines.
A small, miniature piano.
Yet another large, back room I hadn’t expected to find.
Some classic cars, parked outside.
Wandering around, the Goodyear sign caught my eye on a nearby buiding.
Looking closer, I realized the whole building was actually the studio of a glass artist named Sam Stang.
Looking into one of the windows, I saw several rods of colored glass. I got really excited on seeing this, and wished I could have seen the artist at work.
I later realized that everyone else had gone inside Holy Grail Winery.
Inside, they had some of the most amazing decanters I’d ever seen.
They really were quite amazing. Now I want something like this for our house.
Out of the many reds that I tried this weekend, there were several here that I really liked and that really stood out.
We decided on just the one tasting, and decided to hit the road around 3PM. We made great time on the way back, and had a leisurely drive after a weekend away.
We did a ton of stuff over the course of three short days. Though it never felt rushed or fast, I felt like we could have used an extra day, to make things a little more leisurely.
A fun family vacation, over a long holiday weekend. We bought a good amount of wine, much of which we’re hoping to keep and open in the far future.
I guess that’s even more motivation for us to finish our custom wine cellar.
Related:
Wine Weekend in Augusta, Day 1: Augusta Winery, Balducci Vineyards, and the Amazing Rooms at the H.S. Clay House Bed and Breakfast
Wine Weekend in Augusta, Day 2: Montelle Winery, Mount Pleasant Estates, Silly Goose, and a Late Night Fire
Note: One of the younger guys at Montelle Winery apparently was familiar with Steve Aoki.
Him: Heeey, Steve Aoki!
avoision (September 6, 2016 at 1:52 pm)Me: Yeah, I get that a lot…
Him: I know you do!