If you lived in the Northern Virginia area in the 1970s, you may very well have been part of a military family. My father, a 30 year Naval Officer, was stationed at The Pentagon during that time and we lived in a neighborhood that, while not a military base, was full of other Navy, Army, Marine and Air Force families. Being raised a Military Brat is like being a part of a unique culture that only those who lived it understand.
Military families move frequently and friendships, often made quickly, endure. Many of the friends of my parents were like Aunts and Uncles to me and I remember them as fondly as I do some of my own extended family members.
This past Sunday, two former military families (Navy and Air Force) met for a reunion at Jefferson Vineyards in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Buchwald and Maddox families became friends in the 1970s and have shared many of life’s good, and challenging, moments.
Virginia boasts over 220 wineries and has become known for wines made from the Viognier and Cabernet Franc grapes. The Charlottesville area, a central location for most members of the 2 families, has over 25 wineries. We chose to meet at Jefferson Vineyards.
Fittingly, our celebration was held one day after Mr. Jefferson’s 270th birthday.
It was a gorgeous spring day and some of the flowers were starting to bloom (at least those that survived the snow storm last week were blooming).
The trees were starting to leaf as well.
We enjoyed a private tasting followed by a picnic lunch.
I’m confident that it wasn’t just the wine that had us laughing.
And the wine casks (which my sister kept calling caskets) provided excellent seating for group pictures.
It was the perfect place for a reunion! Check it out if you’re in the area!
And no … I didn’t ride the bike … wine and motorcycles just don’t mix … at least for me!
This last photo is from the Jefferson Vineyards website.
Those are great pictures!! Everyone looks fantastic!!
We had a blast!
That is a fun, happy and exciting reunion. The smiles and laughter just shines so beautifully just like the blooms of Spring.
Thank you for seeing that! It was a fun, fun time!
Darn, how’d we miss that? We were at Monticello twice. Maybe next time, Looks fun!
It just a few miles beyond Monticello. I didn’t know it was there either. I love that Jefferson wanted to grow wine and sell it to Europe. Wine: just one of his many, many interests 🙂
Oh my, Mr. Jefferson! He got in the fun too, eh?
Don’t you love it? The party hat already graced his head when we got there … but we added the wine glass 🙂
It looks like a wonderful time!
It truly was a lovely day!
Don’t know how I missed this post from last year! Love whenever military brats have reunions and hope my daughter gets to go to a few once she’s an adult.
It’s just a special culture, isn’t it?
I’m so glad you saw this post … we are supposed to be reuniting again in April and we need to start planning!