Brian Ulmer's Web Site

This weekend, Kristin and I visited Monticello and stayed at a bed and breakfast in Scottsville, VA – the High Meadows Vineyard Inn. We’ve been watching the John Adams HBO mini-series, and with the recent refresher on colonial and Jeffersonian history, it was especially interesting to visit Monticello. I vaguely remember going as a child, or I might just be imagining that, but it was all new to me again this time around. The inn was a great time too.  I’m on the fence about the whole B&B thing. I like staying at interesting places, but don’t necessarily long to hang out with a bunch of random people in someone’s house. High Meadows was private enough that you certainly had your own space. The owners were very nice, they cooked delicious, fresh, local food, and they had lots of animals on the property to play with. Chickens, ducks, peacocks, cats, rabbits. It was a fun weekend and we’re back home. Time to spend my birthday evening relaxing and eating cake! Here are my pictures from the weekend.

On Christmas Eve, I flew to Greenville, SC to spend five days with my parents and some of my extended family. This was actually the first year my brother didn’t join us. He ended up going to his girlfriend’s family’s place. It was a pretty relaxing and low key. We ate a lot, did some walking on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and got just enough snow that Greenville had the first official white Christmas since the 1960′s. Here are my pictures from the trip.

Last night, Jon, Lindsey, Jason, Melissa, and Jon’s sister Lauren came over for some New Years Eve celebration and we went to Rustico in Alexandria for a late dinner. We had a great time and drank some tasty cask beers. My last meal of 2010 was a giant slab of prime rib on top of a bed of duck fat fried potatoes. Mmmmm, saturated fat is delicious… Here are a few pictures from dinner.