A Shopping Cart of Memories

Last week I saw this shopping cart on my street as I finished my run.  Out of nowhere, I had a flashback to my childhood that dates back nearly 40 years. 

I was with my grandparents, who had a huge impact on my life, as we returned from a weekend fishing trip.  As we entered a town on the way home, we saw 2 young boys, about my age of 12 or so, pushing a shopping cart down the street towards us.  Well, one was pushing it and the other was riding in it.  Anyway, my grandparents started commenting on how nice these boys were for returning the cart and how that kind of courtesy was rapidly disappearing in the younger generation.  No sooner had they finished this conversation, we passed the market the cart was from.  You guessed it!  The boys were stealing, not returning the shopping cart.  For some reason this "tickled" (my grandmother's favorite term) the hell out of us and we laughed about it for next hour.

Now, I see shopping carts all the time so it amazes me that seeing this particular cart this morning brought back a memory from 40 years ago with such clarity.  I can also tell you that it put a huge smile on my face and I spent the remainder of the run remembering other good times spent with my grandparents.  I also felt like I was more ready to face the day, come what may.

The moral?  For me, it was a good reminder that reflecting on the good and positive things from your past can help you overcome moments of negativity in the present.

Au revoir!

Impromptu Adventures in Wine Country

A few months ago, a good friend moved into a studio apartment in the Dry Creek Valley just outside of Healdsburg.  The views were supposed to be spectacular since the apartment was above the office of Pasterick Winery and we were looking for an excuse to go check it out.

Last weekend, a group decided to have dinner at Catelli’s in Geyserville to celebrate Julie’s birthday.  This gave everyone the perfect opportunity to meet at Julie’s for pre-dinner drinks and check out her new place. 

The views did not disappoint.  This view is from her landing.  She also has a few of the hillside vineyards and the wine cave (an actual cave) where Pasterick Winery hold their tastings.  It is a stunning piece of property that is as tranquil as it is beautiful. 

It also happened to be Passport Weekend so the owners, Diane and Gerry Pasterick, were hosting a tasting in the cave.  As we were hanging out on the landing sipping champagne and enjoying the views, Diane shouted up a big happy birthday to Julie.  She then invited us to see the cave and tasting room.

We strolled over to the cave as Diane told us about the history of the property and creating the cave itself.  Once inside, she began to describe their wine making process.  They exclusively grow and bottle Syrah in the Rhone tradition of big taste and smooth finish.  As I listened, I began to realize this was turning into a tour, which was fine by me since I really like Syrah.

After Gerry joined us we eventually found our way into the tasting room.  Here, we were treated to tastes of their 2006 Syrah along with a brand new wine, the 2010 Rose (made from Syrah).  These wines were exquisite and I will definitely be buying some in the future.

During the tasting, Diane and Gerry began to tell the story of how they met.  It was part romantic, part humorous, and thoroughly fascinating.  We had just reached the point when Diane had accepted Gerry’s marriage proposal when we realized we were late for dinner. 

We casually left the cave while calling Catelli’s so they knew we were on the way.  Of course, all of us wanted to hear the rest of the story so we decided we would arrange a tasting very soon where we get to sample more vintages of their great Syrah and hear how the story unfolds.  Since Diane and Gerry are together and have created such fantastic winery, I think we already know how the story ends.

Au revoir!