Just a Little Snakey Lick...

We had a great day today, out and about in Loudoun County. We packed a picnic lunch, drove around the country roads, and visited a winery or two. We visited two new wineries (new last year, but we were out of touch with the wineries last year)...Hiddencoft and Notaviva. Hiddencroft's wines were absolutely the best I've had in Northern VA. And Notaviva has an amazing concept and gorgeous facilities. I can't wait to go back to both!


When we stopped for lunch, I decided to spread out a blanket on the ground beside the picnic table so that Gracie could crawl around if she wanted to. I checked the ground carefully for bees, and it was all clear, so I sat her down in the grass while I spread out the blanket. I grabbed the blanket off the picnic bench and turned around to open it up, and there and not a foot behind Gracie was a snake! I almost sat her on a snake! Talk about mother-of-the-year award! Thankfully I'm more afraid of bees than snakes, so I didn't really freak out. But I did pick her up off the ground and sat her on top of the table for lunch. The snake watched over us the whole time we ate. It was kind of cute, and pretty interesting, but whew! It sure made my heart jump. I guess I'm not so used to nature anymore.