How many hours?

I have a close friend who contends that you only get so many awake hours in life. Here is his premise: You get an allocation of awake hours. So you can live your life cramming as much as you can into 19, 20 or even 21 hours in a day. Then you sleep for just three or four hours. Or you can lead a normal life and get your customary 8 hours of blissful sleep. As my friend puts it, "Do you want to spend all those awake hours when you are young and have energy, or hold on to them when you are old and can't even move?" Needless to say my friend Gary is a crammer. He loves to cram as much as he can into every day.

I don't know that I agree with him, but when you work my hours on occasion you have to be a crammer. You've just got to cram as much as you can into a day. Yesterday I wrapped up the morning news, picked up my wife, and set out for Delaplane Virginia.

First stop for us is the Three Fox Vineyards, voted the number one winery in Northern Virginia by our viewers. It is a charming site. Just take a look.


We sip some wine and learn about the grapes and the process of producing the wine. Next stop the historic Ashby Inn in Paris Virginia. Kate and I had been invited out for this luncheon event by the group Washington Women and Wine.

The invitation comes from Karen McMullen. She is pictured here on the left. She came up with the idea for a gathering of women and wine in 1999. The one time event has grown. Now they host dinners and lunches all the time just like the one we attended yesterday. It's easy to see why the group has grown in popularity. We had a great time, with great food, and great company. I gave a short talk and exchanged goodbyes and then jumped back in the car. We left with some new friends and as honorary members of the Washington Women and Wine group.

We are home long enough to send a few e-mails and chat with our son. The pizza delivery guy arrives, and we wolf down some food and then bolt out the door again. Wolfing down food seems appropriate because next stop for us is Wolf Trap. Yes that's right three foxes and a wolf all in one day.

How is that, an afternoon with Foxes and an evening with a Wolf. My life is a zoo. I was operating on vapors to begin with. I only got four hours of sleep Wednesday night. But this was an appointment with one of the best singer songwriters out there. John Hiatt was on stage banging away on his guitar and piano. He was also singing some of his trademark tunes. Hiatt is remarkable. I can't think of a songwriter that can even hold a candle to him. His songs have been covered by Jimmy Buffett, Clapton, Dylan, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, and the list goes on. I wish I could have made it to the finale, but sleep came calling and we had to leave. For the record when I say sleep came calling, I mean that Kate was falling asleep, not me. Heck I could still be there now.

So if my friend Gary is right about the awake time thing, chances are I shaved a little time off the end of my life, but at this point it is well worth it.