TuzigootJournal: Mother's Day

Greetings to family and friends.

In what is becoming a tradition, Susie's daughters spent Mother's Day with her, with Paul and me along for the ride.

We picked Heidi, Mandi, and Paul up at the San Jose airport on Friday afternoon. This airport is designed for homeland security: We got there about noon and were surprised to learn that there were no eating establishments in the terminal outside the security zone. Only some vending machines at baggage claim. This was the last time for the weekend that anybody lacked for food.

Saturday was the day of the grape. Heidi, manager of beverages at the Bellagio, had arranged visits to two vineyards in Carmel Valley: Talbott and Bernardus. We met Ross, the Talbott's manager, at the company's tasting room in Carmel Valley Village. This is a small winery -- a hobby for its owner. The company's main business is men's clothing. After learning about the company's history and sampling the wares, we drove up to their hilltop vineyard. Spectacular setting. Ross, recently divorced, told us this is where he had gotten married some time ago. On a clear day, in the other direction you can see the ocean.

Incidentally, the kids, coming from Nashville and Las Vegas, had not really believed our reports of the cool/cold temperatures out here this time of year. They soon believed, though Carmel Valley Village is far enough inland to be appreciably milder than Marina.

The day got milder as we next drove another 20 miles inland to the Bernardus Winery. They grow the grapes and produce wine there. Matt, the vineyard manager, if I remember correctly, gave us a tour and description of the elaborate, part-technology, part-art, process of converting grapes to wine. For instance, you have to age it in French Oak barrels, not USA or Italian Oak, to get the right taste, they say.

The Bernardus owner is Dutch billionaire Ben (short for Bernardus) Pon. His father introduced the Volkswagen to the US and also happened to invent, or at least sketch the plan for, the VW van, to the eternal gratitude of hippies everywhere. So Ben had opportunities and made the most of them: he drove race cars at Le Mans, he was an Olympics skeet shooter, and he's an entrepreneur. He has an African safari company and a resort in the Carmel Valley. He has homes in England and Holland as well as here (where his visa limits him to six months max per year). So, why not have a winery? Oh, the B Winery was bought from Talbott.

Some statistics: Bernardus produces 50,000 cases of wine per year (12 bottles per case). One vine on average, depending on location, produces enough grapes for two bottles.)

After the tour we had a private, elegant, idyllic lunch on the Bernardus deck -- platters of meat, veggies, pasta, and salad -- plus chocolate chip cookies, slowly going gooey in the afternoon sun.) "Lovely," as my brother, Lael, would say, in Australian.

On the way home we "did Carmel."

Ask Susie if it was cold on the beach.

Ask Paul what he's looking at.

Here's a shot of the Carmel Mission -- that was a locale that Mandi particularly wanted to visit.

Incidentally, a faculty colleague told us that 80% of the homes in Carmel are second-homes. They're either empty or rented most of the year.

Sunday we did the 17-mile drive through Pebble Beach (see previous report for pictures from there) and then on down the coast a few miles for Mother's Day lunch at Rocky Point. The only seating available was on the deck, but we were prepared and enjoyed the view, the food, and the company.

After lunch we drove on down to/through Big Sur to a state park with a nice grove of redwood trees. See, we're into nature too, not just food and beverage.