I well remember March 23rd. We were to leave the next day for our annual trek to Copala and Mazatlan and I was determined to finish piecing together our Christmas vacation on the blog before embarking on yet another adventure.
I won’t say we were exhausted when we returned from Oaxaca, but we were very tired. It felt so good to be home! Aside from a mid-February trip to San Antonio to visit family and pick up the mail, we didn’t go anywhere for several weeks. We planted an early garden, read, marveled at the spectacular sunrises that opened almost every morning, and made a daily inspection of the vineyard for signs of spring.
A word about the trip to San Antonio. I often joke about being a middle child - the youngest of the first four and the oldest of the younger set. My mom is only 17 years older than I and I am 15 years older than my youngest brother. I think that makes me a middle child - I certainly have the personality. At any rate, I don´t get many opportunities to see the older set so this was a special day. The two gentlemen in the photo are my uncles, Jerry on the left with his bride Patsy, and Joe on the far right. And where did they put me? You got it - right in the middle!
I also invested a fair amount of time on week-ends developing a relationship with Estella, a lovely woman just a few years younger than I. She teaches in Monterrey, but she comes to Parras almost every week-end. The more I know her, the more I like her. She has a slew of sisters and brothers, daughters and grandchildren. They are all wonderful, but Estella is my favorite. Aside from how much I enjoy her friendship, she’s also good for my Spanish which is still a long way from as good as I would like it to be.
Interesting people are always showing up at the hacienda and we enjoy them all, especially on lazy winter days. One particular family was exceptionally enjoyable. They found themselves in Parras as they toured around Mexico before making their way to Bolivia. A professional winemaker, John works for a large winery in New Zealand. He was able to take the opportunity of spending four months in South America due to the difference in seasons. We heard from them a couple of times during their time in Bolivia and followed their travel log on the internet. With few exceptions, it seems their experience was a good one. While they were here, they tasted our wine and gave it high marks. Oh, how we do revel in praise!
Interesting people are always showing up at the hacienda and we enjoy them all, especially on lazy winter days. One particular family was exceptionally enjoyable. They found themselves in Parras as they toured around Mexico before making their way to Bolivia. A professional winemaker, John works for a large winery in New Zealand. He was able to take the opportunity of spending four months in South America due to the difference in seasons. We heard from them a couple of times during their time in Bolivia and followed their travel log on the internet. With few exceptions, it seems their experience was a good one. While they were here, they tasted our wine and gave it high marks. Oh, how we do revel in praise!
Lindsay, Haley, John and Galen By the time I wrote the last entry in March, the vineyard was all 
leafed out and growing leaps and bounds. The garden was showing signs of promise and we were already planning on how we could enlarge both the vineyard and the garden next spring! That’s what happens when we spend too much time at home.
leafed out and growing leaps and bounds. The garden was showing signs of promise and we were already planning on how we could enlarge both the vineyard and the garden next spring! That’s what happens when we spend too much time at home. It was time for a trip! Off we went!
