I haven't updated in awhile, but not much has changed. I've settled into a comfortable routine that involves quite a bit of work and sporadic time for play. I spend Monday night in the field with Taylor, Wed-Sat sometimes Wed-Sun in the tasting room, and various hours throughout the week entering data and such. Without the luxury of a gym, I've become somewhat of a runner. Five to six days a week I run, and Tuesday nights are my fitness class in Fort Bragg (the nearest town North of Mendocino). Workout time is crucial time for me. I cannot survive my day-to-day without the regular release of endorphins. Field work used to take care of that, but now I have to fit it into my down time. The rest is spent cooking, baking or watching Battlestar Galactica (Taylor and I are a tad obsessed with this show). Not a whole lot of room for fun and adventure, but I have planned some exciting events here and there: trip to Chicago first week of June, High Sierra Music Festival in July, Utah excursion in the fall? It gets hazier the further into the future we go.

Mendocino is just about at its peak right now. Spring and early summer is a stunning time to be here. Foggy mid-summer will be less invigorating. And then there's the mixed blessing of additional tourism traffic. Sure, I'll make more money as the RV's and BMW's come a rollin' in but there's also a fair bit of annoyance as "my town" (I like to pretend I'm local) is overrun by men sporting Eddie Bauer capri shorts and tacky vacation shirts complete with trophy wives sipping wine with their new and frightening post-surgery lips. Oh the things I'd love to say to these people! That's California for you.