You Know Cara Is Travelling To A Warmer Climate When...

Well - take a walk with me down the old, brick cobblestone street in the sweet little historic district of St. Charles, Missouri! I'll be sure to point out the (should be obvious) signs that it ISN'T negative five here.

My Hotel... (snowless)

Historic Main Street...is well marked, but since the minute you step onto the red cobblestone sidewalks you feel like you are in a time warp! The real Williamstown has got nothing on this!

(Um...notice the lack of anything white and fluffy??) - The charm is complete with the Amish Peddler. I inquired about an actual horse and buggy ride, but - not one of the amenities offered.


This location, however - caught my vino-based attention immediately. I quickly forget to be amazed at the face that I wasn't wearing a coat and was drawn in by those little letters on the bottom of the sign.

That's right - a tasting room! A meditation room AND a wine tasting room on the SAME trip? This is just too good to be true...and it was. Mmm....I tried all their local reds - dry, sweet, semi-sweet...dry with a sweet finish - Y.U.M!


A warm and comfortable, pre-dinner buzz reminded me once again to document the LACK OF SNOW!

Take a gander across the street and you will see....outdoor seating - IN MARCH!!!! It turned out that the resturant was owned by the winery, hence served all their fab reds with dinner! Want to take a guess where I dined?

If you are a shopper (which, by the way I'm not...but the allure isn't totally lost on me) then you might want to check out: The Bling Boutique

Or, if you are feeling a bit empty in the pocketbook, try its next door neighbor...Poor Man's Art! This intruiged me. No ideas...you?

And, of course - the Univerise couldn't forget to make a strong showing. I mean, I am here for a Grief Conference. And so, if ever I felt like I needed a brief trip back down Alice's rabbit hole...I don't have far to walk.

Or - if you're on the fence...just have a cup of tea. The Mad Hatter will talk you down.

And, if you are craving some puffy eye, tear stained stories from the conference itself - don't worry, I'll post all the eye-opening details as Share Southern Vermont's site later.