Author: Paul

Our property, poorly aligned on a blind turn is like a magnet:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The driver of this car fell asleep at the wheel and failed to negotiate the turn.

The good news is that the barriers Paul installed worked perfectly. (and no one was injured)

The posts stopped the car and deflected it away from the residence and tasting room.

The bad news is it took Braccos nearly an hour to hoist the car off the posts and save the olive tree.

Before & After:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After 13 weeks of waiting for my propane tank cover, I finally have my custom “rock”!  I’m thrilled to have this eyesore camouflaged so that the tasting room garden and surrounding area is more photogenic.  Now if only I could keep people from crashing into things….teaser for the next blog.

 

An assortment of photos from life on Day Road.  Paul’s garden with a couple of different crops (scroll down for the winter garden), a rare moment when he was handling the two tasting room supervisors (Breesie left and Drew right), the first grape vine shoots on the Thompsons, our 8 year old neighbor drove the tractor-mower combo over to us, first rose bloom of the season with a wagon wheel followed by newborn kid and then a mama cow on a hike we took over at Harvey Bear park.  Then some turkeys showed up in the driveway early one morning carrying on, then the winter garden photo, the pink blossoms are from the back side of the Home Depot here in town, I was in the lumber section of the store and happened to catch the view out the bays, spectacular. On the drive over to Home Depot was the mustard blooming in a walnut orchard.  Obviously I’m behind and playing catch up with photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Passport Weekend and other assorted moments captured this spring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since moving here, one thing we get to enjoy over and over again are the sunsets, moonrises, and all things cloudy and celestial.  As much as we like to travel we are really enjoying the country life.  It’s been an awesome journey so far and one we enjoy sharing with you online and in person.  The Friday evening happy hours in the tasting room have been a huge success and are a great way for our friends and neighbors to come by and unwind and catch the sunset.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve been in Gilroy just over a year now and there have been so many new and exciting things happen in the past 12 months that I’m not even sure where to start.   The biggest news by far is the storm that came in unexpectedly last night.  Normally the pitter patter of rain will keep me awake at night as I lay worrying about what might have been left out of doors that is getting soggy.  Not last night, I was lying awake in the dark with a huge grin on my face and the knowledge that the patio cushions were getting soaked and I couldn’t have been happier or less worried.  To describe the scent and aromas this morning is nearly impossible if you’ve never lived in the hills of California.  It’s sweet, pungent, aromatic and exhilarating.  It’s wet hay, soggy sage, crunchy pine needles, fresh redwood, wet dirt and also wet cat.  I’m not going to complain because this is so wonderful right now I’m euphoric, but, there are little kitty cat muddy paw prints everywhere today.  They are just as excited as we are for the change in weather and have been literally bouncing off the walls, I know, there are muddy prints there too!  As I was headed to the back to snap photos, I happened to walk past one very frisky kitty sitting on the bar in her most regal pose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a couple of days ago I snapped the  photo of this pumpkin that Paul is growing for me.  He put in several plants, but only the ones in the raised boxes produced.  There are three adorable little pummers out there and I’m beside myself with how cute they are.  The watermelons did ‘ok’, will have to revisit the garden growers manual to see what we can change to get a deeper red flesh and sweeter taste.  I take that back, they were sweet, just not very flavorful, maybe too much water?  Could have been the varietal too I suppose.  I don’t know, Paul is definitely the gardener in this family.

 

 

 

This sunset photo is from two nights ago, the pics from the sunset last night are brighter orange and are exactly why I said the storm overnight into this morning was completely unexpected.  I mean, we had clouds and it was a spectacular sunset and all that but it certainly didn’t feel like rain was coming.  All day the accuweather app on my phone kept giving me rain updates and warnings but no rain appeared.

The tasting room is open this weekend:  Friday night we’ll do happy hour(s) from 4-7, Saturday 11-4 and Sunday 12-4.  I’m looking forward to this weekend and pouring during milder weather.  Opening weekend was 104° but we managed to keep the wine cool with multiple blocks of dry ice in the tasting room.  Having a space that is open frame and not insulated has charm and country aesthetic, but not so great when the summer temperatures spike.

Coming up Next:

Our First Wine Club Event is on October 10th, there is still time to join and get on the list for the pig roast.

We tested out the logistics in June and had a pig roast for our neighbors, friends, and family with great success and looking forward to sharing this fun event with all new friends!

Also on the agenda for this Fall:

A “Garage Sale” probably in November.  A couple of years ago when we were in Newport Oregon, the Rogue Brewery had a garage sale and we are borrowing their idea.  On our inventory sheets from the warehouse, we have a handful of wines with fewer than 5 cases left that we’ll discount and sell out of the ‘garage’ (tasting room).

Alright, well the sun is starting to peek through the clouds, the little furry ones have settled into their napping spots for the day and I need to get on with my bookkeeping and close out the last quarter.  Welcome to October everyone and let the rains begin!!

-SR