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Sabba Estate Winery – Old Chatham, NY
Sabba Winery was an excellent Harvest Host stopover. It had it all! Music, art, a food truck, beautiful scenery, and a wonderful host to top it all off. The wide-open field welcomed our 5th wheel and four other Harvest Host members.
You find a fire pit, swing set, and various games on the kid and dog-friendly premise. Live music plays every weekend. If this isn’t a warm welcome and makes you want to stay for a while, I don’t know what is.
Our host was an engineer in NYC but dreamed of owning a winery. Dreams do come true! All the wines are produced on-site. As an avid metal sculptor, his works are scattered around the vineyard and are the designs for the wine labels.
Our wine tasting was delightful, and we purchased a bottle of red. I quickly put together a charcuterie board and returned to enjoy the music, food, and drink. We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the cool NY weather and relaxing.
Mitch was enjoying himself so much he didn’t take any video but below is a slideshow of some of the features of the winery.
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What a View! Over the Moon Farmstead – Pittsfield, NH
Over the Moon Farmstead is a wine/craft beer establishment. It is situated on top of a hill, and the view is spectacular. The view overlooks the rolling hillside, and it takes your breath away. Mike, the owner, said the view sold him on buying the property. It was a horse stable a mere fourteen months ago. The transformation in such a short time is astonishing. The stable is now a tasting room with huge glass windows, which brings the outside in. Plans to establish a stone pizza restaurant were in the works. There have been a few Harvest Hosts where properties were purchased and then transformed. Creativity and entrepreneurship are commendable, and glad to see folks pursuing their dreams. The outside grounds have tables with covered umbrellas. We were fortunate to be there on a night when they had a solo guitarist. Listening to music, enjoying charcuterie, and spending time with my honey. A girl can’t ask for anything more. Actually, she can.
Across the road from the farmstead, there was an apple orchard. The trees were blooming with beautiful white flowers. Harvesting would happen around the August-September time frame. Bummer we won’t be around to enjoy fresh-picked apples. On the bright side, they sold ice cream! We chose our flavor and then sat outside on Adirondack rocking chairs overlooking the orchard—a great way to end the evening.
We wanted to find out what time the sun rose so we could set our alarm clocks. We knew it would be amazing and didn’t want to miss it. Alarms were set for 5:00 am. Sunrise 5:20. We were up before the alarm, dressed, and walked outside to see God’s glory. Below is welcoming the day.
Not what we were expecting, but, on the bright side, we got an early start on our five-hour trip to Maine.
Email: movebeyondordinary@gmail.com Instagram: movebeyondordinary
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Back to Our Roots Tousey Winery – Germantown, NY
Very excited to be back in New York, even if it is for only one night. As the road took us into New York, the signs listed places we recognized. Traveling through the Catskills Mountains reminds me of some of our summer vacations. I loved to stare out the window and watch the beautiful trees and stone formations as the exits passed until we reached our destination.
Tousey Winery was where we spent the night. Their vineyards overlook the notable Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains. After traveling for over three hours, it was a wonderful respite to enjoy a wine tasting and a charcuterie board. Instead of the usual crackers, there was a dense brown bread with a side of strawberry jam. Mitch enjoyed the unusual taste. It was a Danish Rye-Sourdough bread. A combination of two of Mitch’s favorites. Lucky for him, the bread was for sale. The winery had a gift shop and areas to sit, relax and enjoy the afternoon. It’s interesting to visit the various wineries as the wines differ from place to place. We enjoyed the Rose wine as it was refreshing and had a unique flavor.
Tomorrow, we head out early and head toward our next stop – New Hampshire. Did you know the movie “On Golden Pond” was filmed in Squam Lake, New Hampshire? This movie is 40 years old, and it sparked my desire to live on a lake. The influence certain movies have on us is fantastic.
Email: movebeyondordinary@gmail.com Instagram: movebeyondordinary
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Stone Lake Winery – Saylorsburg, PA
This journey is not only about seeing this glorious, beautiful country we live in but about interacting with people. We enjoy engaging in conversation with those we meet along the way. We learn about where they grew up, what jobs they held, and where their journey will lead them. We have only been disappointed in one Harvest Host in our two and half years of travel.
This stop was no different. The property we stayed at was once a sawmill with a soothing, babbling brook running in the back and thick forest trees lining the pond. The property once consisted of a covered bridge, silo, and three buildings where wood was cut and stored. The property was sold, and the new owners converted one of the buildings into bed and breakfast and turned the other into a small chapel where couples pledge to love one another in matrimony. One building was transformed into an airplane hangar as a small airstrip was situated across the street.
Five years ago, Scott purchased the property, and once again, the property was transformed. The airplane hangar was turned into an event center where we tasted the wines. Scott and his family host weddings, showers, and special events such as Sangria night and Food truck festivities. (I wish we were there for Sangria night.) We enjoyed conversing with Scott as we tasted his white and red wines. There were many similarities between us as he said his wife was Italian and how close she was with her family. He said he never received as many hugs until he met his wife’s family. Of course, we had to discuss food. What Italian doesn’t discuss food. Before we knew it, an hour and a half passed before we said goodbye with two bottles of wine in tow.
Email: movebeyondordinary@gmail.com Instagram: movebeyondordinary
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Battlefield Country Store – Fredericksburg, VA
This store was amazing. The aisles are filled with every imaginable spice, candy, nuts – you name it. Its deli was a crowded station as people lined up to place their sandwich orders. They had a bakery section and a coffee bar. The most popular part of the store – the ice cream shop. It didn’t matter that it was 48 degrees, rainy, and downright nasty. The line outside the store was never-ending. They are known for their ingenious concoctions of shakes. This month’s offering was Cinco de Shaka. Housed in a mason jar was a vanilla shake with caramel and tidbits of cinnamon wafers. Topping it off was a waffle taco filled with chocolate ice cream and strawberries. Decadent without a doubt. Did we finish it – of course, we did. Go onto their website to see other seasonal shakes offered throughout the year.
This place was crowded and one can only imagine how packed it must be during a beautiful summer day. They have swings and Adirondack chairs around the pond in the back of the store. I can picture people picking up their sandwich orders, a bag of chips, and a cool beverage and then walking to the pond to scout out a chair and enjoy the afternoon. The owners of this store definitely had the right idea.
Even though this was a Harvest Host site allowing us to stay overnight, it is a must-do if visiting the Fredericksburg, VA area.
Email: movebeyondordinary@gmail.com Instagram: movebeyondordinary
