December Crossing Over The Potomac River , 2010 / & My Own Art Work Done Second Week Of August On My Time-Off In Virginia Aug. 2010 : Enjoy!

I like the contrast here of both my artwork done here in northern Virginia - the second week of August 2010 with my pens and my regular and oil pastels I believe - with the photos of the drive to work taken with a Canon Power Shot camera in December 2010-last two weeks - starting at the Teddy Roosevelt Bridge that crosses over the Potomac river.

My sketches were done outside on my back deck and were inspired by the tall trees all around me in full leaf foliage that never cease to inspire me and the Potomac river and the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the bridge there, too with the gilded gold horses at the edge, the water and the boats and the birds and the Kennedy Center, pretty much everything there with the planes and helicopters, the people walking and running and the people on their bicycles - it's all a rush of adrenalin to me and always makes my blood pump and rage and explode like fireworks ... I always like to give thanks for being alive at these moments - snapping pictures away quickly and drawing with abandon.

It's all part of my New Year's resolution - to do more of these things and to post them here as often as I can and to simply better explore my life today and of the past with the hope that it will all add for a better future, too : however - the " now " the " ahora " le " maintenant " are the most important to me of all.

Cheers and Happy New Year 2011 to you all. Hope you enjoy both my pastel and ink sketches as well as these Canon pictures . TONY

I also work a lot on my poetry as you may already know. Looking at the pictures crossing over the bridge with the sunshine breaking through reminds me of the two poems I just added to my other blog : chatpoetry.blogspot.com. Here's a peak at that :

To Last Day This 2010
Yes What Gray Of Morn
No Clear No Glam Just
Dull Yet Ove Sun Cross
Potomac A Glow A 'Flect
'Flect 'Flection Of Wain
Faint Sun On Rippled Green
Darks River's Waters
A Nice Blow Of Blast Of
Gasp Of Through Clouds
They Be Thick Yet Sun Da
Light Da Save Savor Savior
It Break Clouds Through
Some Enough To Clear Head
Mine Make Bright Me Bit
Lots Revive Want Now Thrive
Work Arrive Day Morn Embrace
Life Race Trace On By Side Live
Alive Run Close Touch Out Reach
Yell Screech Reach Hands Feet
To Touch To Clutch To Hug
Hug Hug ...

#2 Le 31st Decembre, Vendredi matin en voiture sur la riviere du Potomac , sun's shining through clouds now, shine on my hands now winter's morn ... TONY

All's well now here at home on Sunday, January 2nd, 2011 at 1:02PM as I type this here and get ready to go off with my family to see the " new version " of the John Wayne " True Grit " movie that is out now with the talented actor Jeff Bridges that was great years ago in the movie " The Fabulous Baker Boys " with his brother Beau and with their equally talented blond lady star .... a bientot mes amis ...

Ahhhh yesssss, this is a wine blog and the wine will come tonight at dinner. More on that soon. Last night we enjoyed the 2006 LABOURE-ROI Gevrey Chambertin with our roasted chicken dinner and tonight I will taste what's still in the bottle as I think it needed more time to age and so tonight it might simply be wonderful and more open and round and bright and focused than last night. Vamos a ver ....

December 27th, 2010 : My Drive Into Washington D.C. To Work & Then My B-Day Dinner W / My Family @ Lavandou Restaurant Later

Celebrating my birthday as well as that of my daughter's on December 27th, 2011 in Washington D.C. at Lavandou restaurant with my wife and son as well. What a great treat this was and I also had to work on this day and so I took some pictures before arriving to work which I have interspersed here with those at Lavandou.

Florence the owner was there to greet us as was her new French sommelier Pierre that had just arrived from France and had only been here in the United States now for the last three weeks I think he said?

I was able to bring some excellent wines including French champagne and a red Bordeaux wine from 1986 as well. I also included the second domaine of that of the two Rhone French brothers from the DOMAINE DE LA VIEUX TELEGRAPH. I chose the white because my daughter and wife love to drink white wine even more than they do red wine.

Everything went smoothly both before at work just down the street at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : cleveland park wine & spirits as well as on Twitter @ cpwinespirits ). Check us out when you get a chance.

Anyway, this was a great birthday for both my daughter and me and I think the four of us Quinns had a wonderful evening and dinner at Lavandou provencal restaurant. Cheers and than you all, merci a tous, TONY

P.S. Being an artist I like to take lots of artsy photos and I like to mark and to help fill out the moment and the time, place and period. I hope you like this montage of my photos. Comment below in the comment section. I will write more but am exhausted now from visiting American University where a young woman ( in charge of International Affairs or was it Studies? ) and a young man ( a senior there ) named Alex Ward gave us all ten to fifteen of us a phenomenal tour and insight into American University today. Makes me almost want to go back to school myself to help make the world a better place as they both said over and over and over again. Inspiring really, simple and welcome as that!

Late Dec. 2010 Chris Bartha Tasted A Spanish Cava , Two French Cremant De Bourgogne, A German Kir Royale-Style Bubbly @ Cleveland Park Wines

ALL SPARKLING For Our New Year's Eve Celebration Here In Cleveland Park N.W. D.C.!!!


We almost rang in the New Year 2011 with Chris Bartha of Cobblestone Cellars as he poured four bubblies for us including a Spanish dy cava, two sparkling French Burgundy Cremants du Bourgogne ( a dry rose and a dry brut - both non-vintages ) : and a fun Rudi Weist German importer's take on a Kir Royale already mixed with the dry sparkling wine ( mostly Pinot Noir in this case ) and the cremant de cassis. It was still a bit early as everyone this Friday afternoon got ready for toasting later this midnight evening.

It was crazy, people all gathered in a circle around Chris while Chris Barker and I worked the floor together - it was festive and grand, really exciting and you could feel the pulse of the energy all around here in Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel: 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwinepark.com, and also now on Facebook at : cleveland park wines & spirits, too ) on December 31st, 2010 from 3-6PM as we sold lots of bubbly and champagne - poured them, too to help people later cheer each other at midnight wherever they might be - and that could be almost anywhere according to what we all heard as we tasted and sold lots of cheers for midnight and New Year's Day as well.

Cheers, I will write more later but I cannot seem to type very well this morning and still have to walk my Terrier mixed breed dog and then have a wonderful breakfast with my wife on this Saturday, January 1st, 2010. It's now 9:48AM here at home on a nice yet still cold morning here in northern Virginia our home.

These pictures were taken a week or so ago when Chris Bartha of Cobblestone Cellars presented these bubblies to us for our tasting yesterday in the store. They were all excellent so we tasted all four : all " new " to us here in Cleveland Park N.W. Washington D.C. in our nation's capitol.

Thanks again for everything and I will include the details and names of the sparkling wines a bit later : but now I am home and tired and not working and I just wanted to wish you all : Happy New Year and to give you some pictures to enjoy in the meantime. TONY

Quinta Do NOVAL " Black " Port Tasting With Jennifer Maximuck, Friday Dec. 10th, 2010/ Thinking Of Wild Ferment ERRAZURIZ Chardonnay 4/7/2011

Sorry for the dark/black pictures - I guess they honor the name BLACK in the QUINTA?


Thanks Jennifer, you are no longer with Monument Imports and Fine Wine Selections and yet everyone loves the BLACK Quinta Do Noval port and I need to order some more as I had a request just a week or so ago from Susan one of our regular customers at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ).




It was fine tasting and we thank you for your fine efforts here in Cleveland Park N.W. Washington D.C. and we wish you well in your continued efforts. You never did come by the store to say " bye bye " so next time you are in Washington D.C. stop by. Thanks again, TONY

PS : I just plugged heavily yesterday ( with regular and favorite customer Michael - he bought one bottle, too ) the ERRAZURIZ Wild Ferment Chardonnay from Chile that we sell for $20.99 saying that it was one of my all-time favorite Chilean white wines ever. It's pretty amazing and not very expensive either. You have also tasted that here with our customers in the past and we have sold it well. Glad to have it on our shelves now in 2011 on Thursday, April 7th, the 18th day of spring I think? TONY