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.

DECEMBER IN WINE COUNTRY & HUGO

A QUIET REST

An odd and even difficult year for

the Paso Robles appellation is nearing an end.

A late frost and bad weather conditions

has generally lowered the yield of

wine growers, but most say

the quality of the fruit and eventually

the wine will be very good.

But for now the vineyards offer

scenes of quiet, color and a meditative peace.

 Wine pick ups offer the beginning of seasonal feasts.

 A sunny afternoon and the honey display at 

Pipestone, made me feel like a kid.

 A noisy goose and quiet duck-

an animal variation of sweet and sour.  
No menu options intended!

Even vines deserve a rest.

REEL THOUGHTS

HUGO

We loved it from the first frame.  Full disclosure here-

I'm a Martin Scorsese fan.  Still this is a masterful work and in 3D-his first use of the tools.  It's a wonderful
story, perfect for the Christmas season and a very
old fashioned film in the best sense.
Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield as 
Hugo and Chloe Grace Mortez as his friend are all
superb. The visual look and texture is pure magic, and
enhanced by the 3D optics.  But there is even more
to this Scorsese cinema art, and it is a tribute to
film itself.  Without giving away too much,
there is a brilliant celebration of the films
of George Melies, an early and experimental French film maker.  For that that element of the film alone
Scorcese deserves the gratitude of all film fans everywhere.
It is marvelous and enchanting. Brian Selznick's book gave Scorsese a chance to go where he has never gone before as a film maker, and we are the beneficiaries. 
Want to enjoy a film like you did when younger
and less world wise?  This is the ticket.

See you down the trail.