Good Morning,

Today, I am leaving the winery and heading back to Wisconsin. It has been a very nice 7 weeks and I have learned a lot. I have been a way the last couple days trying to try up a number of loose ends. I think, for the most part, that has been accomplished. I plan to be home in Menomonie sometime on Wednesday. I will write more then.

Place is such an interesting phenomena: what gives someone a sense of place or belonging. I think that is one of the things I will ponder as I drive. I will be stopping along the way and checking email and I do have my cell with me, so for those of you know either know, or know how to get that number you are welcome to give me a call on the road and we can chat.

Thank you for reading and to all of you, it has been fun to write from the amazing place called  Miraflores. It will be fun to come back and see the changes because the winery never stops. Even in the dead of winter there are things to do. It has a great learning experience and I have met some excellent and outstanding people. The employees of the winery are super.

To all of you thanks!! To my new little family at Starbucks, my humble gratefulness for giving me a sense of place and belonging! Until we see you again . . . bless you all.

Michael

Hello,

It is a Sunday evening and I have spent most of the afternoon writing and also playing with some lavender. The lavender that was harvested a week or so ago now needs to  come from its stems or reeds . . . h-m-m-m-m I wonder what they are called?

The last few nights I have had trouble sleeping, and that is quite unusual for me. I have used the time to write and to ponder some of the intricacies of life. How is it we manage to get from place to place and move from moment to moment? Is it really some sort of choice or is it deterministic in nature? I can see Clifford Hansen smiling down from somewhere that I might even consider such a possibility. Boy did I argue vehemently against determinism in that Intro to Philosophy class some almost 25 years ago.

We are so fragile as human creatures; we deperately want to be loved and cared for and yet we seldom know how to give and it is even harder for us to receive. How is it that those who want to give to us, we know not whether we want to allow that gift or if we are the giver, we are never sure how the gift might be received or if it will. I am reminded of the words of Norman Maclean in his amazing novella "A River Runs Through It." He wrote "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters."

I am haunted by what is and what could and might not be. What will I have to show for school and life and beyond? Is there really a beyond . . . a strange question for a person with an MDiv . . . ? I have often throught about what if I were in another place and in another time. And so it is again . . .  what if?

In spite of the questions, I know I have been blessed. I have recovered from serious health issues; I have had the opportunity to travel extensively; I have my education and a good job; I have friends and I am pretty secure in the big picture. So . . .  why is it I have this streak of morosity? It has always been there. Am I really no different than Miles, the character in Sideways? Now there is a pleasant thought!!

Well . . . back to my deterministic world and getting on with it. I often think we need to be simple like the posted picture!

Thanks for reading,

Michael

Good Saturday evening,

It is about 8:45 and I am sitting in the winery office. It is the only place that has internet connectivity here at the winery. Between here and Starbucks, I have managed to keep up with my summer school work. In barely over a week, I will be in the car and on my way back to Wisconsin. There are some reasons to be excited and then some reasons to say it is bittersweet. I have always been able to make wherever I am seem like home. Placerville is no exception. There are some amazing people here and it has been a very real eye-opener for me. Some great learning and some very unexpected things have occurred.

This afternoon I worked in the tasting room, almost by accident and met two of the nicest couples. They were from Roseville and so much fun. I spent some time explaining the difference in the varietals and in the year to year differences within the varietals. Yesterday, I drove to Fresno and saw my cousin, Diane. It was the first day since I have been here that I totally took a day off. It was great.

As I think about leaving in a little over a week, I am not sure what I am doing, are things winding down? I will still be doing work for the winery, and, of course, school will be winding up or getting going soon. It will be a busy year with a change in staff and search committees and other obligations. So what is winding up?? Then there are the people I have met and want very much to have as part of my life. Is that a winding up or because I am leaving will it wind down? It is always a mixed thing. I am so grateful to the Starbucks staff who have accepted me and made me feel so welcome. To Camden and Taylor, who, both at less than 18 months, offer smiles and such simple pleasures to our world.

What about Isabella, who always jumps up in my arms with her smiles and her laughter, she touches my heart. And to others who have touched my heart this summer, both here and back in Iowa or Wisconsin. Such unexpected joy at the wonderful beauty of people. From the people at Tomei’s, a wonderful restaurant, which, if you ever visit Placerville, is a must, to Cris, the manager, and Rob, the district manager at Starbucks, thank you for all your kindnesses!

To my "walking pals" as I have tried to get in better shape this summer, your gift of smiles, talks and care have made me feel such joy as we have walked and talked. Winding up? Down? Around?? Such a wonderful experience. I am a better person for the gifts of yourselves! As another day of experience comes to an end and I head down the hill to the little house, I would encourage you to look around you and rejoice in the many gifts we are given each day, from a lemon to a wonderful note in the mail. I close with some simple words for some wonderful people:

Jensen with an "e" because it is Danish (back to that Danish Lutheran college in Nebraska);
Brown eyes and Italian heritage;
Soy lattes and cups of water;
First one in again in the morning; (-:
Being old and in my 50s
How? What? Where? When?
Does it matter?
Another green tea lemonade tomorrow;

The picture is of Gretchen and Taylor and Ann and Camden, two wonderful moms and their little ones.

As always, thanks for reading!

Michael

Good Morning from California,

I am always amazed at how tenuous the process of “being caught up” is. Will I ever be caught up or is it a case where like Sisyphus we just think we made it? Now there is a pleasant thought! Yesterday the realization that summer is half over (really more than half when I think about when I really have to be back to school) hit like a ton of bricks. Can things continue to keep flying by so quickly? I guess maybe they can.

I have been trying to walk more lately and that has allowed me to notice some of the wonderful things around me that go unnoticed. There are so many outstanding things that happen each day, be it people we meet, the way the sun reflects off the water or even the leaves in the vineyard, which is what the picture is today. In the midst of green there was this one leaf. What caused it to be so different from the rest? I imagine a botanist could tell me, but I really don’t want the chemistry, I want to know a bigger “why?”. That is not unusual for me, I have always pondered the “whys.”

Over the next couple days I will have a lot of writing and organizing to do. I have been focusing on a course that will be taught next spring. It is quite amazing that I am already there when I am not even into the fall, but that is the never being caught up. There is always something that needs to be done or planned, or considered. So . . .  how do I do that. A few times in the last week I have done so by relaxing in a large bathtub to rest tired muscles and drinking a glass of excellent wine and pondering the mysteries of life. Any answers yet . . .  I’ll let you know!

Thanks for reading!

Michael

Hello from the winery,

Yesterday the workers harvested all the lavender that is grown here on the estate (there is a lot of it). Today was a celebration of that harvest and there was a catered barbeque for the wine club members and whomever else decided to join the festivities. It was up on one of the hills here in the vineyard where there is a trellis and a picnic area. We had perhaps 80 people attend and it was a great time. I took time taking pictures and pouring wine, running necessities from the winery to the picnic area.

As always it is an occasion to meet such a variety of people. Most of the people are so genuine and enjoyable to be around. There are two couples that come so often and they are the nicest people. Yesterday I went to a new wines release and barbeque of one of the other Pleasant Valley wineries. They had wonderful food (glazed salmon to go with their Roussane and lamb chops with a blackberry cream cheese topping for their Zinfandel). Last Thursday I poured wine at the California Expo for about 5,000 people. There were so many wineries, some of the wines I have served at some of the places I waited tables and more good food that one could ever hope to eat, but I tried!! (-:

Northern California is such a different place from Wisconsin, and I have been teased about my accent. H-m-m-m-m-m-m. But most people are still people, and in that unfettered idealism, I do believe that most people have good things. I so enjoy people and learning from them. There is always something new and interesting to hear and consider. It is hard to believe that I will be leaving in about two weeks to head back to Wisconsin, but that has good things too. I miss Menomonie and some of the people there. I miss my friends and some of my colleagues and system colleagues too! I will miss Starbucks and some of the people I have met here. There are actually three Starbucks here in Placerville, but much like the feeling I used to have at Caribou, it is such a nice group of people and we enjoy talking and just hanging out. There is Tony, Gretchen, Matt, Bob, and Ann. They are each part of the experience there. One in particular has been so kind and getting to know her and her son has been a great blessing!

Well, that has been the last few days. I do hope this finds you all well and as always thanks for reading.

Michael

Hello,

The last few days have been an exercise in frustration when it comes to course delivery tools and trying to figure out the best way to work with my students. But, I don’t want to dwell on that, so I will talk a little about what I have been learning in the winery. I have learned about some of the chemistry that goes into the wine making process. For instance, people talk about sulfites in the wine, but there is so little sulfite that it is measured in parts per million. There is some natural sulfite, which is a result of the fermentation process, but there is only 150 ml of sulfite solution added to a barrel of red wine and the barrel has 59 gallons, so if you do the math, that is a very small amount. Let me also say, I finally figured out how to get the comments to post, so thanks to those who have commented and I will try to keep up with that now also.

In the chromatography process, what is being evaluated is the amount of acidity in the wine. Marco, the Miraflores winemaker, uses secondary malolactic fermentation in the wines here in Placerville. His reason is two-fold. The maloactic acid process introduces micro-organisms which complete the fermentation process, when the chromatography illustrates a lack of malalactic acid, the secondary fermentation is complete. What is happening chemically is the tart malic acid is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. In winemaking malolactic conversion is generally encouraged in many red wines and some white wines, particularly those that are aged in oak.

Here at Miraflores, three types of oak barrels are used: French oak, the most known and expensive, Hungarian oak (about $550.00 per barrel), which is a tighter porous surface and is known to impart nutmeg and more clove like flavor, and finally, American oak, which is cheaper, and again according to Marco seems to age the wine a little quicker. I asked him if there is a huge difference in the barrels and his response was "no, but it is like branding. French Oak has a reputation."

It was cloudy today and rained for the first time since I have been in California. It really took the sting of the heat out of the air. Last Thursday, it was actually 108 here in Placeville, which is not typical. However, I have not turned the air conditioner on once in the house. It is very pleasant in the late evenings and through the night. I am working on school stuff, created the content for the first Miraflores newsletter and now I am working with their web developers. I have learned a great deal about project management. That is my mantra at the moment. We need good project management.

Tomorrow I am helping pour wine at the State Fair where the winery has two award winning wines (Syrah and Pinot Grigrio) and then over the weekend we are having a Lavender Harvest Festival and Barbeque that I will work at.

I hope this finds you all well and thanks for reading.

Michael

Hello from Miraflores,

It is still very warm, but perhaps not above 100 for the first time in about 4 days. It is always sunny and warm or hot during the day, but late in the evening, the breezes come down the mountain and it is really quite comfortable. I think it gets into the 50s during the night. I am usually awake before 5:30 or so. As soon as it is light, I am probably awake.

I have been working on a number of different tasks. It is hard to believe we are already on the other side of the 4th of July. Things go so quickly after that. I have a lot to do before the Fall semester begins, but that is nothing new.

As I was walking today, I was thinking about family. My eldest nephew turns 35 today. He was born between my junior and senior year in high school, which means next year I will have graduated from high school 35 years ago. Holy Buckets!! What have I done with over 50 years of existence? What do I have to show? Yes, there is a lot schooling, and I have a job. Those are both good things, but what is it that actually makes someone successful? If it is money, I am in big trouble! (-: If it is family, again, same answer. If it is leaving something behind, I have some bills!

Enough on that! I guess I believe life is about other people mostly; and, perhaps, trying to live in such a way that you make some minute difference in other people’s lives. Perhaps that is why I teach, someone told me recently that I was a little naive; my response was to disagree with him, and to claim that it was more an issue of "idealism" rather than naivete. It is true that I want to see the best in others. I want people to get along and I generally give out of a sense of genuine giving rather than giving with a price tag. Sometimes, perhaps usually, that surprises people or they don’t believe that such a thing is possible, and even moreso because I am male. I know that is a gender-specific comment, but I have experienced that response on so many occasions. In spite of that reality, I will still give. Lydia says I embrace people and that I should quit that.

So . . .  on the weekends, I try to catch up and plan for the upcoming week. Today, I did school work, though there is more to do. Tonight I want to fix something simple and refreshing. It is too hot to eat. I worked in the tasting room most of the day and had a very nice time. I met some very nice people. Well, I hope you have a good remainder of the weekend. As always, thanks for reading, and do something nice just because!

Michael

P.S. The flowers are behind Lydia’s house. She has so many beautiful flowers!

Hello from Starbucks in Placerville;

Temperature is such a relative thing until you are experiencing it. When I was flying out of MSP last night, the pilot noted that the present temperature in Sacramento was 101 degrees. It is supposed to be 105 today. I really don’t care if that is a dry heat; it is dad-blame hot!! So I might walk a couple times today to get some exercise, but otherwise I think I will be sitting in the corner of Starbucks. It is a schoolwork day.

Flying back to Sacramento last night was pretty uneventful, though I met an amazing person and her three sons. She is a vocalist, a vegan, and a cancer survivor. I learned all that sitting in the airport. She gave me a CD that she recorded and it is outstanding. Airports are such interesting places, people are so friendly and open compared to other places. I listened to the CD all the way home and it was a great way to enjoy her music while heading back to the vineyard.

Back in Wisconsin, things were so green and lush. I have posted a picture of the hydrangeas. Some of them are as big as a softball. Putting the sprinkler system in the yard has made them very happy. "Absence making the heart grow fonder" was certainly true. I know that my space there in Menomonie is exceptional, but being away for a few weeks and coming back helped me realize that even more.

As I flew, and then drove the remainder of the way, to Placerville, I reflected on another odd occurence. While in the airport in Minneapolis/’St. Paul, I ran into a former student, employee, and friend. Elizabeth was a non-traditional undergraduate student in one of my Technical Ccommunication classes at MTU; she also worked in one of the restaurants I managed. She is remarried and was coming back from attending her daughter’s wedding in Oregon. It was such a pleasant surprise to see her and her son. She is a very talented lady, and just fun.

Well, as I work in the the Sierra Nevada foothills, I hope you had a good 4th of July and as always, thanks for reading.

Michael

Hello from Wisconsin,

Tomorrow is the 4th and I will be flying back to CA, but I have enjoyed being back in Wisconsin for a few days; it was a whirlwind of meetings and following up on various things for school. I did manage to get some riding time in on the Harley (essentials!!). I was amazed at how green everything is and how lush the fields and lawns and things are. You take such colors for granted.

As I was driving to California in early June, I was reminded of some former foreign students who always seem to comment on how large the country was. It is true. Indeed, there are amazing vistas and the panoramas of the mountains as you go through Utah and Nevada were quite amazing. All of this is available to all of us through the foresightedness of so many people, and maintained by many more. Most of my father’s generation of veterans have passed away. I was 17 years old when I entered the Marine Corps. Now we have another generation of brave men and women who are involved in yet another life or death situation (at least for them and those around them). If you know someone who is serving in the Armed Forces or any kind of service, please remember them in your thoughts and prayers today. It is through the continued commitment of so many that we are able to live as we do and enjoy what we have.

It was wonderful to be back in Wisconsin, where I can already see I take some things for granted. Have a great holiday and thank you for reading. To my Marine Corps family: Semper Fi!! The picture was taken while driving on Interstate 80 in Utah.

Michael