August 2008 Archives

I heard it this morning, just outside my bedroom window.

The thunderous echoing sounds of reverberating metal. Whoops and hollers and shouts. Scrambling of feet and rustling of leaves. And once you've heard it, you never forget it. It's a sound unlike anything else-the sounds of harvest!

click photo to enlarge

Grape pickers running through the vineyard cutting off fruit as fast as they can. Teams of men rushing to fill their small plastic bins. Furiously dumping into large metal gondolas that are dragged behind tractors, en route to the winery. There's an excitement and urgency to the process, as everyone works hard to harvest the fruit before the morning sun gets too hot. And, it's the sound of hope as we start the winemaking cycle all over again. Maybe this will be the vintage that turns heads and scores highly with the critics! Maybe this will be the vintage our customers come begging for more!

I've heard these sounds every year since I was 9 years old and it always makes me feel a bit nostalgic. I'm reminded of earlier days when things were simpler and our business less advanced. When the same person who did sales and marketing also did sugar sampling and shoveled pomace.  It's been a long time since I've worked the harvest and while I can't say I miss it (it's grueling work), there's a part of me that feels sad to be so far removed from the crush process. But, there's no turning back as they say. So, once again, harvest has started and with it, another year of possibilities. Kind of like New Year's only you don't have to go on a diet or swear off chocolate.

Cheers to the vintage of 2008!

Ah, the magic of a good vacation. Nine glorious days with no responsibilities other than rowing the boat across the lake in search of “the big one” for my 10 year old angler. Yes sirree, it was sheer bliss!

It's funny how we desperately try to hang onto the relaxed peaceful feeling of a good vacation. And how rapidly it fades as the rigors of life in a multi-tasking world come crashing in. (I don't know about you, but I find it hard to stay calm when 140 emails are awaiting my reply!)

But this time, I came back to a very exciting assignment.  And it was the perfect reentry following the perfect vacation, thanks to my whiz-bang PR Guy.

One of my all-time favorite magazines, Coastal Living, is doing a feature story on little ‘ole Dry Creek. It's an entertaining piece with family recipes for abalone, the deliciously exotic marine mollusk that lives on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. The Husband is an avid diver and had scoped out the perfect beach for our photo shoot. Coastal Living sent four people, a photographer, food stylist, photo stylist and writer to capture the day and chronicle the effort of abalone diving, preparing and serving this delicious treat. (If you've never had abalone, it's sort of a cross between veal and chicken, except you have to pound the bejesus out of it to make it even edible.) There was a lot of standing around on the beach trying to look natural while we pretended to eat, drink and be merry. (The kids weren't too happy about the pretending part; they wanted to chow down!) In the end, (the shoot lasted 2 full days) we were all beat but thrilled by the outcome. And, best of all, my 15 year old has crossed modeling off her potential career choice list. Hallelujah!

Now it's back to business as usual. Guess I better start tackling those emails.

Sometimes it takes someone we love to make us realize we're due for a change.

My 10 year old came to me recently with this drawing in his hand. I took one look and realized I needed a break from blogging. Actually, not just blogging, but life! So, I'm heading off to one of my favorite places on earth, MAINE. This beautiful and diverse state offers everything I hold near and dear to my heart.

Family, coastal access, sailing, relaxation, history, antiquing, eating pie and just plain old sitting around. And, no high heels, computers or cell phones!  It might seem crazy that I have to travel 3000 miles away to chill out, but such is the reality for someone who lives and works right next to their place of business. For me, MAINE is a welcome respite in an otherwise franticly paced life here in wine country. (Yes, I know it's ironic that people come from all over the world to “get away” here in Healdsburg, and I head as far East as possible.)

So, I'll be taking a little break from my blogging, folks. And, hopefully I'll come back full of new insights and commentary for future posts. I'll sure have plenty of time to think about it. That is, if the fish aren't biting.