Go hug your kids!

I'll get to the point of the title by the end, but I thought I would recap our action-packed weekend in Minnesota.

• We got our snow fix for the year. It snowed nearly everyday we were back but definitely not like the dump that the East was receiving. It wasn't even enough to reek havoc on the highways. Just enough to make me wish I had planned a ski trip someplace this year.
• The wines were a hit at the WAMSO Vintage of Note! We were the new kids on the block and the only vintners from Paso Robles. Some of the guests were familiar with area but most were not. The best part was hearing comments like, "Your wine is the best one here." The group included some sophisticated wine enthusiasts and their praise was most appreciated. It was interesting that the Tres Blanc was well received in this undeniably "red wine only" crowd. It continues to live up to its billing as "the white wine for red wine drinkers." We definitely will get some business as well as visitors. Everyone loved the photos of Creekside B&B. We offered a weekend in the silent auction and there were lots of folks bidding.
• As always, the best part is seeing friends. While we love our new lives in California, there is no doubt that our hearts are still yearning for the friends we left behind. We didn't get to see everyone we would like to - there never is enough time - we did share a few laughs and a few glasses of wine with as many as we could.
• We interviewed a few realtors about selling our home. Any one now of someone who wants a great house in Edina? I think we found someone we would enjoy working with. After the last time we tried this, I am going to be very selective. The market still stinks but the optimist in me says it's time. The other great news, is that our tenant agreed to let them show the house while they are still there so we can get the process started.

Now I'll explain the title of this post. Saturday morning, my friend Mary received a phone call that the son of her high school friend Brian Burke had died in an automobile accident. He was the student manager of the Miami University hockey team where our daughter Kelley attends college. She did not know him but by all accounts he was a fabulous young man. When you hear news like this, one's heart skips a beat for a moment and you try to imagine how devastating this would be. Only you can't really imagine so you reach out to your kids, tell them how precious they are and if lucky enough to be in the same room, give them a hug.

Today is Brenden's funeral. His dad is supposed to be heading to Vancouver as the general manager of the US Olympic hockey team. Instead, he is in Connecticut burying his son. Go say a prayer for the family and then go hug your kid again.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

So today I am not under the Paso sun. I think it's raining there any way. I am "basking" in the delight of fresh snow in chilly Minneapolis.

We are in town for a wine tasting for WAMSO's Vintage of Note where we will be one of four featured Minnesotan vintners for the Symphony Orchestra. We are looking forward to introducing Per Cazo Cellars to an audience of Minnesotans who have yet to discover Paso wines. It's at the Graves Hotel Saturday if you are in the area and want to support a great cause.

One of the other reasons we came to town is to try to decide what to do about our Edina house. Our lovely tenants are moving on to Seattle. Jedd is going to be the QB coach for the Seahawks so we are faced with the daunting decision to try to sell or lease the house. Please feel free to comment your opinions about our dilemma. We met with some real estate agents who paint a very dismal picture of the state of home values in the Twin Cities.

The best part of coming back to Minneapolis is the chance to reconnect with friends. Last night I met up with my "new" girlfriends who had visited the Creekside B&B last November. We toasted with Judy Starr's Crooked Road Odysseus blend and laughed about 101 uses for dried persimmons. Today is lunch with Mary and some other girlfriends and tonight we catch up with Cathleen and Ward Godsalls at one of our favorite restaurants, Campiellos. Tomorrow we hope to see the Chandlers before pour the wines at the event. We never have enough time to see everyone but chances are we will be back again soon to deal with the house.

Jack Creek is really flowing at Creekside Bed and Breakfast

I wish I had audio right now at the Inn. Birds chirping, wild turkeys gobbling and the creek is the actually babbling. It is so serene and I wish I had some guests here to appreciate the peacefulness.

I tried to capture the gentle natural water fall and nearly broke my neck climbing down the creek bank. The accumulation of leaves and dead tree limbs give a false illusion. Fortunately, there is a rope secured to a tree at the top of the bank that made climbing back up much easier.

Wish you were here.

Is there such a thing as "too much fun?"

...Not when your friends with Don and Robin.

This weekend the B&B was filled to the rafters (literally) as eight guests stayed in the barn. When one rents the entire barn, they have access to the loft which sleeps 2. So all the beds were full including the Murphy bed when friends of the Kramers came to celebrate Don's birthday. Brian, who is the common denominator of the group is married to Jeanine who use to work for Diane who is married to Max who is friends with Brenda and Mia and they know Don and Robin through Brian who was an Elvis impersonator on a cruise (I think.) It's all very 6 degrees of separation.

They were ready to have a good time bringing so much food and libations they could probably stay a week. They kindly invited me to join them on Friday so to be more comfortable, we all ate around the dining table. Soon we were laughing and singing and of course drinking Per Cazo Cellars wines. The next day their favorite, James from Bay Limo, escorted them around the wineries Paso Robles. They made friends wherever they stopped. We saw the photos to prove it!

Sadly, Sunday morning arrived and after eating their fill of Baked French Toast and Caramelized Bacon, the cars and trucks where loaded up with luggage, coolers and wine boxes. As they pulled away, Dave and I smiled and gave thanks that we get to meet the most interesting people since becoming innkeepers of the Creekside Bed and Breakfast.

It's raining cats....

I'll blog more later about the fun B&B guests but here is a photo of Cat King Coal they took last night. It tried to join the party. This uninvited guest was quickly shown the door!

Pussy Galore

So many of you have been asking for an update on the cat. (If you need a review of the saga, go read past blogs from August, That Darn Cat and November, A Near CATastrophe.) Well, poor Sunny is no longer living here. After trying lots of TLC and kitty snacks, I contacted the experts at "Befriended Felines" who offered to exchange Sunny for two cats she had been working with the last few months. I never thought Dave would go for it but since we were seeing evidence of mice in the barn, we said we'd try yet again on finding the perfect mousers.

No sooner did we get Gabby, a sweet gray tabby and Cinder, a beautiful but shy black cat with amazing green eyes, than two other cats appeared out of nowhere. One is the reincarnation of Sunny. He just wanders around without calling too much attention to himself. We have dubbed the other one Cat King Coal because he is black and showed up at a Christmas party we had. CKC is a very friendly cat who visits the B&B guests. Over the last few weeks, the guests have all been big cat lovers who have bestowed a great deal of affection. Not so sure what will happen when our not-so-nuts about cats friends check in. So now there is no shortage of cats. There has been no signs of mice either.

p.s. The cat lady who took Sunny reported that he still sulks and hisses and remains in his cage. Carol Pexa called it, he never forgave us.

Life is back to normal...whatever that means?

I am back ....the holidays really through me for a loop. A good loop - full of family, friends and wine events but kept me away from the computer. Fortunately, it provided lots of material for future posts.

It was a good thing we had a Bed and Breakfast as we had family in for Christmas. Meg and her boyfriend Andy came from Hong Kong. Dave's parents, Joan and Charles drove cross country from Ohio and of course Kelley was home from college.

I know Christmas isn't supposed to be about the trappings. The Grinch taught us that, but I find it challenging none the less every time we move. Where to hang the stockings? Best place for the tree? What about the collection of Santa photos when the girls were younger (or not so young)? This was our first Christmas in long time without snow! Old customs gave way to new traditions. Instead of snowshoeing , we strolled the beach. Maddy was in heaven chasing her new tennis ball into the surf. We replaced our night at the Gutherie Theater with a night at Hearst Castle which was tastefully decorated for the holidays and included volunteers in vintage attire adding to the experience. We didn't have to fry the turkey in sub-zero temps. It was 60 degrees and blue skies. What is life but a set of trade offs.

All too quickly, it was time to ring in the new year and a new decade. One that holds lots of promise. Of course it means resolutions so here are a couple of mine:

• weekly posts to the blog (notice it's already week 3 of the new year - oops!)
  
• more effort to get in shape (no excuses with my Christmas gift of membership to the Kennedy Health Club)
• drink only good wine (There's plenty of Per Cazo open all the time)
• work harder at filling the B&B (who can help me with SEO)
• And the perennial favorite, make new friends!

Cheers! Here's to a happy and healthy 2010!!!