Grand Rapids Trip

Here are some highlights of our trip to Grand Rapids last week:

• Getting a tour and meeting the very capable staff of Breton Ridge, the retirement home that will become Mom and Dad's new home.
• Visiting with Malcolm and Theda at their home in Kalamazoo. Talking about our kids and admiring Malcolm's work on the Vanagon.
• Driving on Leonard Street from GR to Grand Haven and up the coast of Lake Michigan with Mom and Dad. Having lunch in Pentwater, at a restaurant overlooking the lake with all the boats.
• Watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies with Rich & Sandy, and Mom & Dad. Spectacular!
• Taking walks on Calvin’s campus & preserve and to Reed’s Lake.
• Celebrating the marriage of Kendra and Pete. Enjoying food and fun with the Sytsma family in the backyard of Coby & Rob’s place.
• Hearing Mike preach at Woodlawn, and being reminded of Dad.
• Watching Joe pretend to towel dry himself and Anne stand on her head (a demonstration of creating new neural pathways in our brain as we age).
• Enjoying great meals, talks and a comfy place to stay with Rich and Sandy. Sandy runs a wonderful bed & breakfast, only without the pay.

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Wine Tasting in Sonoita

Arizona's best known wine country is near Sonoita, in the southern part of the state. About 5 years ago we took a wine tasting trip with friends and visited all 3 vineyards. This weekend we again took a wine tasting trip with Steven & Wendy and Dan & Kathy; only this time there were 7 vineyards.

We started out at the Sonoita vineyard and discovered that they were hosting a wine festival. We began with a wagon ride into the vineyard. (Dan & Kathy next to us)
Then started our tasting at the winery. (Steven & Wendy, below) Then on to the Village of Elgin winery - their wines aren't the best, but it's fun to see the old building which was formerly a bordello. Our next stop was Kief-Joshua Vineyard, a new winery - pretty good, but nothing too impressive. A few yards down the road was another new winery, Canelo Hills -not bad, not bad. Then we visited our favorite, Callaghan Vineyards - by far, the best wine in Arizona.

We stayed overnight at the Sonoita Inn, and the next morning drove to Sierra Vista and did a hike in Ramsay Canyon. The area is mostly known for bird watching and is managed by Nature Conservancy. After lunch, we drove back to the Sonoita area and visited one more winery, Rancho Rossa vineyards - also a new winery with some excellent wines.
On our way back we managed to locate one last advertised winery, Charron Vineyards. A retirement hobby for a couple in their 80's, they bottle just one wine, a white Merlot. Pretty tasty, really.

We couldn't believe how green it was! I can understand how the lower temperatures (at least for Arizona) and the higher precipitation make for good wine making.
Good wine, good company - what more could you ask for?