Curious Enough To Go Find Out

My curiosity takes me many places and, for the early evening, it was to Goochland.

While dining at the Blue Goat the other day, I noticed one of their suppliers was Nadolski's Butcher Shop.

I commented on it to my dinner companion, who informed me that they do butchering demonstrations.

Hot dog! I wanted to see some slaughter, so I came home and did the 21st-century thing and Googled them.

Lo and behold, I'd missed a pig butchering demo by four days. Four days!

On the plus side, I noticed that they did wine tastings on Friday, so I figured it was time for a road trip to downtown Goochland.

To my amazement, I walked in to find my favorite Virginia wine rep was doing the pouring. Small world.

"Do you live around here?" he asked, as surprised as I was.

"Nope, drove thirty miles to taste your wine," I teased him, since I'd had no idea he would be there.

"I've only got one Virginia today, but you're going to like it," he promised.

For that matter, I liked the Prieure Saint-Hippolyte Languedoc Rose for its beautiful fruit and intensity so much that I bought a bottle.

Hell, if I could have afforded it I'd have bought a case.

Every bit as impressive had I been looking for a red wine was the Chester Gap Cabernet Franc from Front Royal, a winery I now know I need to visit.

Soft with smooth tannins and a lovely long finish, I especially liked the cocoa on the back end. It was easily one of the very best Cab Francs I've ever tasted and I'm a big fan of the grape.

Drinking finished, I perused the meat counters, ogling cheese, fish, enormous hunks of local meat, and sausages, and eventually picking up a pound of breakfast sausage for the mornings that require eggs (you know the kind).

I shared how I'd ended up at the shop today so naturally I was asked about my visit to the Blue Goat. He said that they are placing big orders with the shop, which was great to hear.

Hopefully other people will, like me, see them on the menu as one of the restaurant's sources and make the drive west to check them out.

My usual question-asking yielded information about the next butchering event and the fun involved in being there for it. Blood! Guts!

And, as I pointed out to my slaughtering source (who lives in the Fan and drives out there every day), now they know to expect me next time.

I took his recommendation and drove back Route 6 rather than repeating the mind-numbing I-64 and thoroughly enjoyed the rolling hills and fields that lined the road.

It had been a  few years since I'd made that drive and I'd never done it alone. Even the prison seemed somewhat scenic from a safe distance.

Before I knew it, I was back in the (shudder) West End and almost home, but with all kinds of new information, a nice pink and some local pig.

Inquisitive people are the funnels of conversation; they do not take in anything for their own use, but merely to pass it to another ~ Sir Richard Steele

I would paraphrase Sir Richard and say that I do not only take in things for my own use, but also to pass them on to another.

So that's one rationalization for my insatiable curiosity.