Spring 2008

They say blogs are virtually useless unless they are kept up and I can't seem to get it together. Nevertheless, even if this blog is only a chronicle of the happenings in Mendocino, my life and the Whitegate Inn, I'll continue to write sporatically.

The outside of the inn has been freshly painted as has some of the inside. It sparkles. Though a cliche, spring is the time of rebirth and attitudes brighten up along with the flowers and increased sun and daylight.

Personally, our daughter Maya became engaged during a visit to Mendocino. Romance must be in the air. They will be married in July in Portland. We love Jeremy and are moved to see Maya so happy. She also will be starting a doctoral program leading to her becoming a family nurse practitioner so she will be a ultra busy newlywed.

I am now the Director of Special Projects for the Mendocino County Promotional Alliance, MCPA. I will be working on a variety of interesting and challenging projects such as the development of a California Welcome Center, grant writing, Geotourism and web site work. It's a parttime job which could easily morph into fulltime if I'm not careful. Fortunately our wonderful innkeepers have stepped up and Susan has taken more of a management role. The summer will be the ultimate test. My job is in Ukiah. I hope to continue to do some wine sales for Esterlina but will not be able to take many out of town trips.

We are all excited about the upcoming Mendocino Film Festival from May 29-June 1. It gets better each year and we usually host a director or producer.

We have made many new friends this winter. One delightful couple stayed with us the entire month of January. And of course many old friends continue to visit us. It's fascinating to hear about life changes from people with whom you have a rapport.

Catching up

I have been the negligent blogger of the season. The last time I blogged I had technical difficulties and just avoided the whole subject.

Its' now Dec. 22nd. Where has the year gone?

We are finally painting the exterior and part of the interior of the Whitegate. It was long overdue but you know how procrastination grabs good intentions. One of Susan's fellow firefighters, Matt, is doing the work. They like to keep it in the family at the firehouse.

Susan and I went on our semi annual trip to Florida early this month. I have to check on my cousin David in Pacso County and Susan and I like to add on some R & R at the Hyatt Vacation Club property in the Naples area. It's the one time of the year when we don't have to share bathrooms or closets, thus eliminating all sorts of potential conflicts and compromises.

Maybe because I'm getting older, but I noticed many more elderly people this trip, particularly in Pasco. So many of them have merged into the sunshine of shrinking lives and horizons. As they age their worlds get minimized and small joys become major events. This caused more introspecion than is my forte. I, of course, will never be in their catagory. I won't allow it.

Prior to our Florida trip I had my annual vacation with my best friend and almost brother Jimmy. This year we went to La Paz Mexico. My cousin Jeff has a boat docked at a marina there and even though he wasn't in Mexico at the time we were able to vicariously live his life. There was a lot of boating, snorkling and fishing. We were even able to snorkle with the seals, a thrilling experience. To find them we had to snorkle thru a cave and watch them playing and toying with us, diving in and around our fins. I felt like their entertainment rather than the other way around. The weather was perfect, the area clean and well kept, the beaches beautiful, the people prosperous, the economy booming. It gave us a new perspective on immigation. No one from that area of Southern Baja wants to come to the US because everyone with a high school education can get a good job and stay where they really want to be. If the economy improved in the poorest sections of Mexico the immigration problem would be drastically reduced. Economic development is the key. Perhaps if we invested more in that arena and less in enforcement the results would be more beneficial to all.

Happy holidays to all.

Muir Hanna Winery

I've been a terribly negligent blogger this summer, a reflection of the busy and successful summer. But it is now time to do more sharing.

Last weekend some old friends, Bill and Claudia Hanna, honored us by celebrating their 40th anniversary at the Whitegate. Bill is the great grandson of the famous naturalist John Muir and they own a winery aptly named Muir Hanna Winery.

Bill treated us to a tasting of their wonderful wines. The current releases include a Pinot, Chardonnay, Merlot, a surprising fresh blush and Legacy, a mostly Cab. blend which is incredibly complex and elegant and a gold metal winner. They are a small production facility but if anyone is interested in finding more about the wines check out their web site or contact me. www.muir-hanna.com.

Sabastiani Winery

This weekend we have been fortunate to have some wonderful guests. Mary Ann Sabastiani Cuneo has chosen to spend her special birthday at our properties. She brought her immediate family and some dear friends and spent the weekend with us. It's been a delight to host such friendly and easy going people and we hope this is the beginning of a long relationship. The bonus of course is the opportunity to partake of some wonderful wines.

Film Crew

We had a film and production crew here the past several days. They came up from LA to work on a show tentatively titled Mendocino Life.
They first did an extensive interview with Steve Sterling, one of the owners of Esterlina Winery.
Steve's family is one of the very few African American winery owners. His grandfather started out as a home wine maker and it branched out from there. They now own 6 vineyards and two wineries, Esterlina and Everett Ridge in the Dry Creek region of Sonoma County.
The crew next interviewed our intripid fire fighter, Susan, at the fire house. She gave a wonderful interview and they were very obviously impressed. The low point of the day was an interview with me. They wanted to know about our wonderful guests and unusual experiences. Both those parts were easy. In fact once they got me started so many special moments of the past five years just poured out.
The show with all these interviews and many more will be pitched to the networks and we are hoping for some great publicity eventually.
Richard

Corky update

Corky had his check up in Davis last week. He passed and is healthy and happy. He even remembered his Doctor and X-ray tech and was pleased to see them again. By the way he acts I don't think he felt his treatments were traumatic. It was just another way to get attention. He has lost a lot of hair on his leg but it seems to be healing well.
This is the first time I've traveled with him overnight. He is the perfect traveler and now I can see why we have so many guests coming to Abigails with their beloved dogs.
Corky does have one crazy habit which we can scarfing. He likes to literally wrap himself around the neck of the driver, squeeze hard and just hang on. It's funny as long as you're not in traffic.
Richard

Truckee, Grass Valley and Davis

The past two weeks I have been traveling the state exposing the world to Esterlina wines. I'm having a great time meeting new people and seeing new areas. In past travels I just drove through on the boring highways. Now I have the time to actually get to know an area, walk the streets and absorb the differences.
Truckee, for instance, is more than a spot on an interstate which needs to be resurfaced. It is a vibrant community with an historic feel. There are also some great wine bars and restaurants.
Grass Valley actually has a old town section with a variety of interesting shops and restaurants as does Auburn. So many of these towns have grown without preserving their character so it's rewarding to see areas which care about their history.
Davis is a college town with a nice leafly tree lined aspect. There are trails running for many miles next to the creek and arboretum. I even found a preserved redwood grove in the heart of town. I can see why many college graduates don't want to leave.
If anyone knows of some special places I can talk to about Esterlina please let me know.