All is right with the world.
We are home once again and happy to be here.
Our West Coast adventure was so much fun.
It was one of those trips where everything worked out perfectly.
The stars were in perfect alignment... from flights, to food, to accommodations, to fun.
We spent two days in San Francisco.
Jack attended a one day conference while I explored the city.
By the end of two days, I was ready to drive up into wine country for a taste of
country life.
We split our time between the Napa and Sonoma valleys and visited several
organic wineries.
My favorite winery was Frog's Leap Winery.
Besides being lovely, warm, and welcoming,
it's mission and farming practices spoke to me.
With the goal of water conservation and vine strengthening,
they practice dry farming.
They never water.
Instead, they have planted vines with root systems that grow deep into the soil
to the moisture that is found deep beneath the surface.
In doing so, it allows them to plant a cover crop of beans, lentils and mustard
around the base of the vines to help drive nitrogen back into the soil...
without competing for water with the roots that are much deeper.
(Non-organic wineries have bare dirt around the vines...
evidence of the use of herbicides.)
Frog's Leap depends plants half of their acreage in other crops...
leading to a great biodiversity, which ultimately will attract beneficial insects and birds
to the area to negate the use of pesticides.
Their staff is employed year round... to tend not only the grapes,
but also the rest of the gardens and fruit trees.
All produce is offered free to the employees the entire year through.
Needless to say, their employees are fiercely loyal and well cared-for.
As for the wine...
Delicious.
Having been to wine country before,
it was great to visit in a different season.
The colors of autumn were abundant...
colors that I will have to wait a few months to once
again enjoy in person.
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