Esterlina

For the past several months I have been helping Esterlina market their exceptional wines in the surrounding areas. The wines are of the highest quality and sell themselves. The winery is owned by the Sterling family who just bought a second label, Everett Ridge, in the Dry Creek region of Sonoma.
One of my ambitions for my next life is to be in some way affiliated with the wine business. I have no real desire to make wine and already have a leg up on the drinking part, but I have a real interest in the business side. I am really enjoying learning, meeting new people and exploring new areas.
I've placed two bottles in each room and the response has been terrific.
I'm also open to trades with wineries. I am able to increase my wine collection that way without spending the big bucks. I've traded with many Napa and Sonoma wineries during the past few years.
So, if anyone reading this wants some fine Mendocino and Sonoma wine please contact me and I'll take care of you.
Richard

Film Festival

The second annual Mendocino Film Festival is winding down today. The improvement over last year was amazing and impressive. I personally say three films, two documentaries and one very wierd thriller. The first documentary was on global warming and it was better, or at least more entertaining, that the Gore piece. They used more humor, animation and real people's stories to make their points. The second documentary was about the 20 year life of a commune in MA - how the leadership and members evolved with the times and events - how it wasn't all about sex, drugs and rock and roll though that was not insignificant. I am thrilled at how well the festival is organized and managed and expect it to grow into a famous event each May.

corky update

Corky survived 16 radiation treatments with great humor and fortitude. He still chases his tail and wants to eat everything in sight. We are hopeful that he is fully cured.

We got back from Switzerland Thursday. Jet lag wasn't as bad coming this direction even though the 12 hour flight from Zurich to Los Angeles was as long as I ever want to be on a plane again. We flew Swiss Air and the food and service were exemplary.

We spent quite a bit of time in Zurich and found it to be a beautiful and interesting city, very easy to navigate, at least on foot and public transit. We also went to the far Eastern part of the country where the major ski resorts are located and it is just drop dead gorgeous - like the travel posters. For variety we took the train one day to the Italian region, the banana belt of Switzerland.

They speak four languages in this small county. German is dominant but there are substantial minorities of French and Italian speakers and an ancient language called Romanch is making a comeback in the mountains. Switzerland is the most together and civilized country I have ever been to. The only negative is their smoking policy. They warn everyone smoking will kill them and others, and then allow smoking everywhere.

We also spent 5 days in the South of France and enjoyed the food and differences, visiting some of the old fortress cities. Monaco is a whole country theme park, with class and style. Since they only have very limited land, they either go underground or reclaim more from the sea. It's spectacular.

The most convenient part of the trip however was being able to fly directly from Santa Rosa to LA on Horizon Air. They just started the service in March and the planes are almost full every day due to the pent up demand. We are seeing a lot more guests from the LA area now that it is more convenient to fly here. The flights also go to Seattle and hopefully soon to Portland and Las Vegas.

Baby Elliot is a beautiful and well behaved baby, as long as he is near his main source of food, Natalie. We saw him at 6 weeks of age and he was 8 weeks when we left. There was an amazing change in just two weeks. He is holding his head up regularly, very attentive to his surroundings and is smiling adorably. His parents are still thrilled and have adjusted to being on Elliot time, which means the world revolves around him.

Richard