Sunday, September 23, 2012

Cremona 2012


Saturday morning, James picked us up at the hotel and we drove to Cremona.  First things first!  A stop at the vineyard.  Walter was there directing traffic and what a lot of traffic there was.  People of all ages were looking for grapes to pick.  With more helpers than he knew what to do with, we just tried to stay out of the way.
In short order, the last of the ripe ones were in the basket and it was time to head for the river.  What a beautiful place.  So many little flowers growing in the grass!
A table loaded with great food


Beautiful people
Then to the winery for the crush.  Again, with all the helpers Walter had, we were left with nothing to do but enjoy.
James got into the act!  It's always such a treat to see him!
Not every crush has live music!  What fun!
To the river for a quick dip to cool off.
Then to the Drift Inn for traditional crab dinner.
When it came to separating meat from shell, there were as many levels of expertise as there were diners at the table, but the young man in the two pictures to the right was on a whole different level.  He did not allow himself even a small taste until he had extracted the meat from five large crabs.  Then with his treasure carefully mounded up, he dove in with unrestrained gusto!  If the ability to postpone gratification is a sign of anticipated success, this kid is going to be the next Bill Gates.
Grapes had been picked and crushed; they were busy fermenting back at the winery. All the helpers were stuffed on Maryland crab.  The sun was setting on another fabulous day at Cremona.