I started taking photos with a “big girl” camera when my children were in high school. I was pretty sure I could do a better job capturing the personality of my kids than the folks hired to come to the school or a local professional photographer. It is really just a hobby, but I am lucky that it has become part of my work at Hafner Vineyard. Taking photos here has been fun and interesting. I have been perched up very high on a pallet of the forklift and have gotten down in the dirt (frozen blades of grass).

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Cooking wasn’t always easy. The first meal I made for Dick as a married couple 61 years ago was a disaster. I overcooked the lamb chops, burned the yellow squash and Dick had to teach me how to make rice. So the next night we went to my mother’s for dinner. Thankfully for my family, I’ve expanded my repertoire. Spiced Olives are one of those! They are a simple, easy hors d'oeuvre to share with family and friends. 

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Why paint, why watercolor? The answer for me is both simple and complex. The simple answer is… Scott, my boss, liked my pen and ink drawings, but he felt that color would add to the illustrations. When I went to the art supply store, the watercolors were in front; oils and acrylics were in the back. The saleswoman explained that watercolors require only paper, brushes and paint, whereas with oils and acrylics there was a whole list of items I would need, plus the cleanup seemed daunting. Watercolor was less complicated to me, so a watercolorist I became.

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During Spring and Summer, friends often visit and ask about our favorite day trips in Sonoma County. There are many to choose from! Sonoma County is incredibly diverse, reaching from the Mayacamas Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. I frequently suggest an excursion to the coast because it is one of our favorites.

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In addition to the 100 acres we 
have cultivated to vineyards, we have 150 acres that we have left untouched. Untouched by humans that is…the hillside has become home to numerous species of animals.

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