Fresh Air

    Lana and I have chuckled about what the woman at the garden center must have thought when we showed up back in the spring of 2007 asking about a wonderful plant with which we were smitten.

  After our amusing attempt to describe it, she realized we were talking about Echium, or Pride of Madeira. 
   We moved in January, from a bleak and dreary Indianapolis winter and were bowled over by the vibrance of California winter blooms and Echium was, to our eyes, an exotic.
  When she heard we wanted to "buy" a start she said, "If you have some near by, you might just wait" for it to spread. We didn't know then what we've learned in the last 12 years-it grows mightily and has to be kept cut back or it takes over.  Still, we love it every year at this time as it displays it's arrays of color and hue.

stars of wine country

  The field crews, who work for the viticulturist or wine grower are the unsung heroes of wine country. Here they are doing a late winter/early spring trimming of the vines.

      In the fall these crews will return to harvest, displaying a skill and speed that is stunning.

    We caught these people in action in a region of the Paso Robles appellation know as Pleasant Valley, near San Miguel, north of Paso Robles and east of the 101. It was a good outing for us as we spend most of our wine country visits in the "westside." It stretched our horizon. 

     Navigators Mike and Sue tracked us to a mom and pop winery that is opened on rare days and by appointment.

     The Mom and Pop purchased the land for a retirement home, and thought they might "raise a few vines." He works for a big Winery, she's a writer in tech. Years later they still live upstate and their retirement is still a few years off. They didn't build a home, they built a winery.

   Cinquain Cellars is an award winning artisanal winemaker and is developing a loyal following. 

   The Pleasant Valley wine trail opens with wide vistas and a gentle undulation.

   And it is diverse. The Villa San Juliette Vineyard and Winery sits near more "barebones" neighbors. Out here on the east side, as everywhere in the Paso Robles appellation, there is a range of style, vibe and wine. 

saturday school

   On a recent Saturday in the westside, Denner winemaker Anthony Yount, standing to the left of the chef, conducted an introduction to winemaking and a wine-food pairing seminar. 

        Back in another era I would have bristled at the idea of spending a Saturday in school. With wine and food as the content, I bristle not so much.

land of the free, home of the brave

     Soon we may all have a chance to put our eyes on the Mueller report, at least in some redacted version. I hope everyone takes an interest. Hope so, but some will refuse to read it. Why? 

      It is immoral to separate a child from parents and have no good way to match or record keep. It is evil to keep a child from parents for two years, or longer. 

     Did you see where the American fool told people his father was born in a German village. (Would that be the Bronx?) 

     Is he truly delusional or just a lying chimeric collusion of feculence?

     Aren't either, cause enough to haul him out? Seriously.

     Can't rodent control or crime prevention or no contact with reality be grounds for impeachment? You don't think so? Why?

    Even a cat named Joy seems fed up. 

     See you down the trail.

...divided we fall

fourth week of april
the east side of the Paso Robles appellation 

     a new vintage is being birthed

    a crab fest celebrates the new kids on the vine

learning from Aesop 

The Bundle of Sticks

A certain Father had a family of Sons, who were forever quarreling among themselves. No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example that should make them see that discord would lead them to misfortune.

One day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual and each of the Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Then handing the bundle to each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it. But although each one tried his best, none was able to do so.

The Father then untied the bundle and gave the sticks to his Sons to break one by one. This they did very easily.

"My Sons," said the Father, "do you not see how certain it is that if you agree with each other and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are divided among yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick in that bundle."

In unity is strength.

The Bullocks and the Lion

A lion had been watching three Bullocks feeding in an open field. He had tried to attack them several times but they had kept together, and helped each to drive him off.
The Lion had little hope of eating them, for he was no match for three strong Bullocks with their sharp horns and hoofs. But he could not keep away from that field, for it is hard to resist watching a good meal, even when there is little chance of getting it.

Then one day the Bullocks had a quarrel, and when the hungry Lion came to look at them and lick his chops as he was accustomed to do, he found them in separate corners of the field, as far away from one another as they could get.

It was now an easy matter for the Lion to attack them one at a time, and this he proceeded to do with the greatest satisfaction and relish.

                         In unity is strength.

 a second source 

  "And if a kingdom be divided against itself that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, it cannot stand."

              Mark 3:24-25

the American original

  John Dickinson, one of the founding fathers, known as the "Penman of the Revolution" published the Liberty Song in July of 1768 in the Boston Gazette. It contained the lyrics "Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!"

There is your line. From sometime around 600 BCE, the time of the Aesop fables, to 30-70 AD when Mark was written and to 1768 is the perseveration of a message. That admonition may be more important to these United States now than at anytime since the Civil War.

Too many politicians and clamorers are anything but civil to those who do not share their mindset. Loud mouths and low information abound. Reason seems to be arrested. People do not leave their own information silo, they feed on only what they agree with. Rare are those who challenge themselves. Lies and junk get passed, even if  fabricated by Russians, spread by bots or spewed by loonies and extremists. Hate and deception are political currency.
 Wouldn't this be a good time pay heed to the wisdom?
What if House and Senate party leaders shared the reading of the fables?

And maybe, someone could read them to you know who.

See you down the trail.

WATCHING CLOSELY

watch and wait

Courtesy CAL FIRE- photo by Etericsson

   Ten years on the California coast has acquainted us with the fire season. This year it is closer to home.

 Courtesy USFS

   3,785 Firefighters now battle the Chimney fire that  threatens the Hearst Castle.

 Photo by Tom Cochrun

   The blaze has grown to 31 thousand acres and is some 3 miles from the famed Castle.  
   The private Hearst Ranch has moved cattle but lost out buildings including an historic fishing cabin.

 Courtesy Cal Fire

   Cal Fire says the blaze is erratic and they continue to bolster the effort. 14 Helicopters, 7 air tanker planes, 50 dozers, 43 water tenders, 311 fire engines, 104 crews and some 3,700 firefighters continue to battle the blaze that feeds on drought parched wild land.

 Photo by Joe Johnston-Courtesy San Luis Obispo Tribune

   The Castle has been closed to visitors. The fire is 35% contained.  

Courtesy USFS

    The southern end of the fire borders the Paso Robles appellation wine territory. Air quality has been affected and a coating of ash continues to settle on cars and homes. 

    California media is experienced at fire coverage and long time residents take it all in stride. Evacuation procedures and plans are discussed. We assure ourselves we are far enough and fire fighting efforts will halt its advance, but it is an uneasy inner truce. One can not help but feel powerless as nature plays its hand.

    I think it is reminiscent, in a small way, of the Brits during the Nazi bombing blitz of WWII. They continued with life and tried to make it as normal as possible, despite the nightly bombing. Here we go about our routines, watch the smoke clouds over the mountains, pay extra attention to the media, we may even listen to special frequencies hearing the emergency command center, pray for the safety of the fire crews and wait desperately to hear the containment percentage increase.

      As tense as that may be, we know that for a few dozen families in the fire zone homes are gone and more than one thousand others are threatened. 
      Watch and wait is what we do.

       See you down the trail.

SWEET & SOUR...ALLURING PLACES, BAD NEWS ON RACES

     Since the first reading of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, palm trees have had a special place in my heart, symbolic of something exotic.

      They represented escape from the Indiana landscape of my youth.  In time palm trees became synonymous with vacation retreat, away from snow, ice and gray.

  Years later there is still a special pleasure evoked by lounging under palms.

  Places with palm trees also provide natural color.

Race in America
A Failing Grade

     Segregation in America is getting worse according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. The GAO report find the number of racially and financially segregated schools has doubled in the last 13 years.

      The report finds that 61% of schools with high concentrations of poor students were racially segregated-schools that were at least three quarters black or Latino.

      The US Secretary of Education says fixing it must be a priority.

      This finding on top of the growing economic disparity in the US speaks legions about the ineffective response to what is a dangerous fault line in the American body politic.

Celebration of the Mediterranean spirit

Food and wine pairings are special. Stolo Family Vineyards in Cambria features a great barrel room tasting. 

   Le Vigne in the Paso Robles Appellation saluted Wine Festival Weekend with a charming dinner. 

  Vineyards abound in beauty.

  
   Between palm trees and vineyards, life provides good reason to say Cheers!

   See you down the trail.

FIELD TRIP

A FRENCH ACCENT

      It was a lovely spring day and the lure of the Paso Robles  wine region was irresistible. 

     As your surrogates a group of us immersed in the French connection of Tablas Creek.

   A purveyor of Rhone varietals, Tablas Creek has a long relationship with the Perrin family of Chateau Beaucastle in Provence'. There is a French accent here.

    A walk in a vineyard and a picnic accompanied with content from one of these is a cure for election fatigue. And it is a fine way to spend an afternoon with friends. 

    Cheers!

    See you down the trail.

SEEING IT & SUPERB!

Barrels with a view

Paso Robles West Side 

February Color

Political Scraps

    Regardless of the politics, you've got to feel sorry for Jeb Bush. Those who know say he's a lot smarter, classier and more capable than his brother, but he just never caught on in this year of political anger and bombast. 

     As the improbable Trump parade continues Ohio's Kasich remains the adult in the crowd.  Cruz is an extremist. If you call him a nut case I won't disagree. Rubio is the hope for many, especially the less right wing or those wearing evangelical blinders. The knock on Rubio is John Kennedy and Barack Obama- another young man from the Senate who could benefit from more vintage time.  Others see his youth as a plus.  Kasich has been on the Hill, knows the way around legislation and Washington including the military and has been a governor. He's got a more pedigreed resume.

     Sanders tenacity and the abiding loyalty of his supporters can't make up for lack of super delegates and numbers, but seems bound to keep the Democratic race interesting in the immediate future.

     Clinton has a generation gap issue and trouble with likability. Her negative numbers could be harmful in the general election.

     Barack Obama should put forth a nominee to fill the Scalia  vacancy and the Senate Judiciary Committee and full Senate should consider the nomination. That is the Constitutional way. The Thurmond Rule being sited now is complete garbage. Strom Thurmond, a bigot and racist, used the tactic against Lyndon Johnson when the fellow Democrat nominated Jewish Abe Fortas, already on the Supreme Court, to be Chief Justice. It was a political tactic and has no value. The Constitution speaks for itself-as the late Justice Scalia would say.

     Mitch McConnell should check into a cryogenic tube or should be volunteered to be the first man on mars!

    

FOR FOODIES ONLY

    Chef Jose' Dahan of the late but remarkable Cafe et Voila now does special dinners including this grand evening at Sinor-LaVallee Winery in Avila Beach. 

   The evening started with a sparkling brut rose' from Alsace. 

 The appetizer: Ratatouille, seafood bisque, duck pate' with cornichon and shrimp in mustard sauce.

  Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc

Salad: Baby wild arugula, orange, haricots verts, fennel and goat cheese in olive oil and citrus .

Entrees: Roasted rack of lamb with wild mushroom risotto and ratatouille Nicoise with garlic, herbs and Syrah reduction

  Sautéed sea bass with braised baby bok choy and fingerling persillees' topped with a creamy ginger drizzle. 

Desert trio: Citrus and Ginger creme brûlée, bread pudding with bourbon creme Anglaise, chocolate raspberry tart

  The Wines of the evening were all Jose's choice and were French-unusual in California Wine country-but we heard no complaints.

See you down the trail.