Shipwrecked & Comatose

It seems every year I have to make some kind of post about Christmas and this year will be no exception. I'm finished with blogs full of outrage about the War on Christmas crap.  For one thing, there seems to be some kind of stalemate in the war this year.  I still see a vocal minority claiming outrage at the phrase "Happy Holidays".  I also see plenty of online requests that we all must keep Christ in Christmas or not celebrate at all.  Those voices just seem much quieter this year. I like to think the louder voices have become the voices of reason.  If others can't be offended or feel excluded by Merry Christmas, then you have no right to be offended by Happy Holidays.  A winter holiday existed long before Jesus and you can't stop people from celebrating the season as they wish.  It even seems that the push to shove Christmas down everyone's throats as soon as possible has been mitigated as well.  As I mentioned in...

I have an obsession with Harley Davidson motorcycles.  Kevin does too.  What can I say?  They're beautiful machines.  They represent fine automotive craftmanship and they're made in the USA.  There is an enormous tradition behind them.  Kevin and I have been known to go to dealerships to walk around admiring the bikes and even indulge in some of the related merchandise. Do you know I have never ridden on a motorcycle and don't want to?  I'm really rather afraid to do so. Do you also know that motorcyclists suffer an injury once every 7000 hours of riding and yet horseback riding has an injury rate of one serious accident once every 350 hours?  My choice of hobby is not terribly logical is it? I suppose that it makes somewhat logical sense that I should be afraid of riding a motorcycle.  There is a story behind it .One day in high school I was driving home from school and cut across a side road.   There was a motorcyc...

I am amazed at the hostility to OWS by people who were not even directly affected by it (say by having to fight the crowds to walk to work in the morning).  What do you think these people are protesting?  I suppose you don't know, because the media are telling you the message is garbled and  unfocused sounding.  No, these were not all lazy unemployed hippies, socialists, students, or terrorists.  They were Americans, just like you, who understand that things have become so rigged in this country that only a handful of citizens are benefitting.  We have returned to the Gilded Age - the age of the Robber Baron - and if you are fuzzy about history, the Gilded Age ended with the Great Depression.  How is it that so many Americans have been convinced to vote against their own interests?  Why are we so convinced that reasonable regulations, ones that have been in place for decades and still allowed people to become very rich, are somehow tan...

For those who celebrate Christmas and related holidays, this time of year can be quite exciting or it can be quite annoying.  Halloween was just a week ago and Thanksgiving won't be here for two more weeks, but Christmas is already on the brain for many.  Christmas trees, lights, and assorted decorations are creeping into the displays of many stores.  Radio stations pepper their playlists with Christmas songs.  Some folks love to start the Christmas season early.  They buy fake trees just so they can put one up as early as possible.  They deliberately listen to Christmas music.  They are planning their parties and their menus while they put out their Halloween candy.  Others can't stand the early hype.  The believe Christmas needs to come in its own time.  Enjoy Halloween.  Enjoy Thanksgiving.  Don't feel pressured to decorate, shop, and feel any sort of "Christmas Spirit" when there is over a month to go. Lately it see...

Autumn.  It seems to be everyone's favorite season.  This time of year seemingly everyone is waxing poetic about the crisp air, the turning leaves, and the supposedly perfect weather.  I am beginning to think I'm being sold a worthless bill of goods. I'm tired of these autumnal worship sessions.  I think these constant homages to the perfection of fall are over the top and they tend to forget everything bad about this time of year.  Well, I'm here to say that fall isn't all that. How do I hate fall?  Let me count the ways: It's Cold - "Crisp" air, my spleen!  Celery is crisp.  How the heck can air be crisp?  It's just a euphamism for "really chilly."  Fall makes people talk wistfully of cozy sweaters, warm blankets and fireplaces.  Do you ever wonder why you are thinking of those things?  It's because it's cold outside!  Sure there might still be days in the 60s and 70s where i...

Day 6 - This morning we rode to Pacina Vineyards.  This is a totally organic winery that has been a vineyard as far as Etruscan times. The property has also housed both a monastery and a convent.  In order for it to be certified organic, they can't do anything with the grapes. Whatever nature does to the vineyards is what nature does to the vineyards.  It was a beautiful spot where Siena was visible in the distance. The make three wines at Pacina.  Their Chianti Collo Senese (named for hills of Siena that surround the vineyard) is from their oldest vines.  These are deeply rooted in the soil and the grapes have the most intense flavor.  Their Secondo wine is made from the younger vines and the flavor is less intense.  Finally they make a syrah as the owner of the vineyard decided to see how syrah grapes did in the dry, clay-like soil or their terroir and found they did quite well.  We had a lovely, leisurely tour of the vineyards ...

Day 4 - This was one of my favorite days.  The horse they assigned me this day was Jup, who got a good review from Kevin.  She was one of the most rideable horses at the farm. She turned out to be my favorite horse the entire week. We set out with Donatella leading us. We started out the day by riding to the vineyards of Tenuta Di Arceno .  The road leading to it was a typical Tuscan cypress lane.  We arrived at the vineyards and settled in for our tasting.  Before we tasted the wine we were given a brief talk on the winery and its history and property.  We also received a lesson in Chianti wine.  True Chianti wine must be at least 80% San Giovese grape.  It doesn't have to be all San Giovese because it's a strong grape that makes a very strong wine, so it's permissable to blend it somewhat.  Chianti wine is meant to be drunk with food so that something can counteract its strong acid...

Cue Music: O Babbino Mio Caro Although we only began planning this trip a few months ago, the genesis of this trip happened over 10 years ago.  Back in 2001 my mother had just received a copy of the now-defunct Cross Country International catalog and showed it to me.  Kevin and I were planning our honeymoon at the time, and this catalog was like the ultimate honeymoon wishbook.  It featured horseback riding trips all over the world. Ever since I took up riding as a hobby I had dreamed of trips to places like Ireland and Scotland.  I knew that riding vacations were abundant in those countries as they were mentioned often in the horse magazines I read obsessively.  I imagined rides over windswept hills, rugged coastlines, and seemingly enchanted forests.  The Cross Country International catalog had plenty of trips like that in the offering, but it also alerted me to trips in other countries.  The British Isles were not the only places t...