The holiday season is barreling towards us at warp speed, just last week I saw a Christmas decorations hung in a department store. I’m not ready to go headlong into Thanksgiving and Christmas yet. I’m too busy enjoying witches, skeletons and spooky ghost stories because I know Halloween isn’t just for the kiddies. Know what else I enjoy no matter what the season? A little Foreplay. Er maybe I should clarify, I’m referring to Foreplay Chardonnay from Naked Winery.

I was sent this as a sample last year and just realized I never posted…oops. Sorry about that Naked Winery.

Aromas full of tropical pineapple which is great on these cold nights. Crisp green fruit up front followed by a hint of honey and a clean finish. Medium bodied and a great balance between sugars and acidity.

Varietal: 100% of Chardonnay
Appellation: Rogue Valley
Alcohol: 13%
Aging: Blend of stainless steel and French oak
Cases Produced: 1,000
SRP – $20

Located in Hood River, OR, Naked Winery’s motto, “We aim to tease”, encourages you to set the mood for fun or romantic tryst. Their play on words and their labels will are sure to put you in the mood. Get your mind out of the gutter, I’m talking about in the mood for wine. Thursday night after you’ve handed out your last piece of candy, turned out the light and put your own little monsters, you know because it’s Halloween, to bed, grab your significant other, get Naked and have your own Trick or Treat party.

The combination of Foreplay Chardonnay and Halloween got me thinking about Fantasy Fest, Key West’s annual bacchanal that is truly best left to the adults. I’ve never experienced Fantasy Fest but I have experienced a few other strange events while visiting Bone Island. And I’m not referring to just the local atmosphere.

My husband and I own a timeshare at the Banyan Resort. Our unit overlooks the Wrecker’s Museum (The Oldest House) gardens. Prior to our ownership the week was owned by my parents. My first visit to the Banyan was with my parents in the early 2000’s and that was my first strange Key West experience of the paranormal kind. Late at night I heard the name Sarah called out. I didn’t so much hear this outside but seemed to be a loud whisper coming from somewhere in the unit. Over and over again this name kept coming into my head, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. I finally put my hands over my ears and said “Ok, I hear you. Sarah, got it.” Now who the hell is Sarah?

Seemed like the Wrecker’s Museum would be a good place to start so the next day I toured the oldest surviving house in Key West. I looked at all the pictures on the walls wondering if any of the girls in the old pictures could be Sarah. I found a curator in one of the upstairs rooms and I asked if there was a daughter of Capt. Watlington named Sarah. The curator advised me he did not know of any child by that name. Dead end.

On my last day of that trip I visited what is known as the Audubon House, former home of Captain John H. Geiger. Named after John Audubon who spent time in the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas in 1832. During his name in the Keys Audubon sighted and drew 22 new birds for his “Birds of America” folio. I was looking at photos of the Geiger’s 11 children and one photo had the description, Sarah Geiger – born 1832, died 1880. Wow, was this my Sarah? I’ll never know but every year as I walk by the Audubon House, I make sure I say “Hello Sarah.”

My next experience was brief but extremely bizarre. One year when my husband and I arrived at the Banyan we saw large tents going up around the Oldest House, termites I bet. A few days later the tents came down and after an evening of imbibing in some spirits my husband and I returned to our unit. We opened the door stepped inside and something of a mist, low to the ground followed behind. We stood together, eyes wide as this mist hugged the floor and wove itself around our ankles, much like a cat. Then the mist still close to the ground went down the hall and into the bedroom.

Ok, that was probably one of the freakiest things I’ve ever experienced. I was not enjoying going to sleep in that bedroom that night either. I think I made my husband switch sides with me so he was closest to the closet.
Subsequent trips have not been as bizarre, just your typical Key West flair and the only spirits we’ve experienced have been of the liquid variety.