Ames Morrison

A chilly morning has given way to a clear, warm afternoon. The storms have passed through, the clouds have vanished, and the skies are a crystalline blue. The dust has been washed off the plants and they all look new, green and refreshed.

OilMan and I had a discussion this morning about what to call the various areas around the outside of the house, some of which I discussed yesterday. I said that "Up Top" just didn't do justice to the top flat bit. I suggested "The Arbor" or "The Veggies". Whatever it's called, he has been up there all day, preparing his beds for winter lettuce, beets, leeks and broccoli.

We are still at a loss as to what to call the spot outside our bedroom. Due to the fact that it is almost always too hot to sit out there, we have gradually pilfered all of its meager furnishings for other areas. As I look out the door, I see one bistro chair and a small table made from a large terra cotta saucer (full of water at the moment) on a metal stand…

We have been going to the Medlock-Ames "pick-up parties" several times a year since we joined their wine club 6 years ago. Even though we already got wine, We went to the party today and it is always a pleasant thing to do on a Saturday afternoon. There was wine paired with delicious little bites, music, dogs, little kids and even a photo booth. We wandered through the vegetable gardens, admired the view of the vineyards, and talked with Ames Morrison, the winemaker. I took his picture in the barrel room where they were serving Cabernet Sauvignon from the bottle and the barrel with beef carpaccio.