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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Driving through the Wine Country, you may notice some vineyards are void of any vegetation on the vineyard floor, while others have grass and weeds growing between the rows, and still others are a mixture of these styles with rows alternating between cultivated and uncultivated land. You might also notice that beneath some rows the soil is untilled but bare while others show signs of cultivation. Why is that? Vineyard practices vary from grower to grower. The methods we employ are motivated by our desire to enrich the soil and promote a healthy environment for our vines, thereby preserving the land for generations to come. 

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Aging wine can be intimidating, so we thought we’d provide our experience and perspective. Here is a “Wine Aging 101” to focus on our Alexander Valley Cabernet...so grab your pencil and a glass of Cabernet. We hope you enjoy this Q&A and we encourage you to send us any questions you might have. Cheers!

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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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