Deer in my backyard

I woke up early. It was a beautiful day. The sun had just peeked over the horizon and the treetops were ablaze with color. Ah Fall! My favorite season. I got up and walked to the window and stopped dead in my tracks. There, in my backyard were three deer, one with antlers. They already had their brown winter coats which contrasted beautifully against the dark green of the lawn and the bright yellow of the trees. I grabbed my camera, swiftly donned a jacket and crept outside. I tried to stay downwind in the shadow of my house but failed. The stag lifted his noble, antlered head and stared at me, nose twitching. His cotton-tail rose slowly, preparatory to give the warning call. I froze. He relaxed and resumed grazing. The light was not optimal  but I look a few photos. I watched mesmerized as he gradually walked away.

That was quite a good start to the day. My wife and I decided to take a walk in the nearby Tyler State Park. It was a balmy 62° F. The trees were decked in yellow, green and orange. There was a crispness in the air. We took a brisk walk listening to the rustling of the dry leaves and the honking of the Canadian geese on the Neshaminy. That worked up an appetite. As we walked to the car, we decided to try something novel for lunch.

A walk in the woods in the Fall.

We are fond of cheese and wine and had just read an excellent article on Top 15 local cheeses in the Philadelphia Inquirer by Craig LaBan. A little search on the internet brought up Andre’s Wine and Cheese shop in nearby Doylestown. The reviews were good and we decided to give it a try. After a short drive we stood in front of the small cozy restaurant.

Andre’s Cafe

The owner, Andre (you guessed right) greeted us and told us to: “Sit anywhere you want”. We chose a small table with two chairs in a corner. We studied the décor, it was just right. Andre walked over and we started a conversation. We explained we had come for the cheese and wine. “You’ve come to the right place”, he said.  He took us to see the cheeses and we spent some time selecting. He recommended the Bûcheron (a goat’s milk cheese from the Loire valley, France), a triple crème Délice de Bourgone (a cow’s milk cheese from Burgundy, France), the Cambozola (a blue cheese from Germany), an Old Quebec Vintage Cheddar from Canada and Manchego (a Spanish cheese made from sheep’s milk). These came tastefully arranged with a bowl of olives, some almonds and a basket of warm, French artisan bread, drizzled with olive oil. It looked so tempting. But before we could dig in, we had to select the wine. Andre recommended the Cabernet Franc. We sampled it and agreed it would pair perfectly with the cheese. He brought us the wine and we clinked glasses. We were very hungry.

Lunch at Andre’s.

We worked our way through the platter and were soon quite full. We topped this with a panino with fresh mozzarella, basil, roasted pepper and a balsamic reduction. It was a delicious lunch. The wine had mellowed us and we chatted a bit more with Andre. He was a genial host.

It was a perfect way to round off a beautiful fall day. On the way out we saw the Doylestown Brewing—Marketplace Brewery and Tasting Room. We nodded knowingly at each other and made a mental note to visit it another day.