This Lowcountry straw stirs our drink, exploring the world at home during a pandemic
I have always been enamored with explorers. I found it amazing that some people had the nerve to head out to discover what lay beyond the horizon.
I remember one of our early astronauts who was headed for the moon said the only time he was a bit frightened was when he saw the earth getting smaller and smaller behind them. I can’t stand heights so I would have been a terrible candidate to hop aboard one of those space flights.
Marco Polo was an Italian merchant, explorer and writer born in Venice, and probably my favorite person who set out to discover far horizons.
This intrepid man traveled throughout Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. He became friendly with many different people during his long journey and became very knowledgeable about customs in many far-flung countries.
When he returned to Italy after his long voyage he brought many ideas and thoughts with him. Many did not believe the tales he told, even though he had written about all of what he found during his travels.
Marco Polo brought the idea of making spaghetti, silk, and so many things people at that time could not fathom ... even all sorts of plants. He discovered Asian varieties of wisteria .... the variety blooming now in the Lowcountry, known as “Atlantic wisteria,” climbs way up in trees, has beautiful purple flowers and smells a little like NuGrape soda. Wisteria is among the top 10 plants that hummingbirds, butterflies and bees love. Deer do not care for it.
You can learn lots more about this interesting explorer on the internet. He had a truly wondrous life.
Monticello gardens
I have been twice to Monticello, the beautiful home of Thomas Jefferson near Charlottesville, Virginia.
The house Mr. Jefferson spent years designing and building is wonderful, but my favorite thing about the property are the gardens. I was fortunate to visit in both spring and summer when everything you could ever imagine is blooming or ripening in the vegetable garden. There are all sorts of citrus trees and fruit trees of every species.
The vegetable garden is miraculous. Mr. Jefferson experimented with seeds from all over the world when he was planting this garden. There are lovely rows of so many different vegetables you can’t believe it. It is quite a sight to see.
If you love to garden, you can purchase collections of heirloom seeds and plants found at Monticello through the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants. at monticelloshop.org.
Holy City Straw Co.
Holy City Straw Co. has something our area bars and restaurants might like.
Tom Crowley and the Speakers, a rock and blues band in Charleston, plays in many local bars.
Tom Crowley is a full-time musician who noticed that plastic single-use straws were going to be banned. So being environmentally aware, he discovered a wheat straw that is much better for use in drinks.
Tom launched Holy City Straw Co. with straws cut from wheat stems in different sizes that are biodegradable and gluten-free. The straws have won wide acclaim from many Charleston bars and restaurants and are being launched in eight more states that have banned single-use plastic straws. Sounds pretty cool to me.
Wine country
Napa Valley Boutique Wine Tours popped up on my iPad. It is the No. 1 rated experience on Airbnb in all of Napa Valley and salutes wineries you would never find on your own. They also cover Sonoma with a flat fee pricing of $500 for up to seven clients. This might make a fabulous honeymoon trip or an escape when we get sprung from our home confinement.
Vist Hiddenwinetours.com or call 1-707-337-5875 .... CHEERS.
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 12:34 PM.