Visiting My Valley

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This weekend Candace, Oskar, and I broke in our new car with a roadtrip to the Hunter Valley. This is the major wine producing region of southeastern Australia, and is located just a couple hours north of Sydney.

As the name makes it obvious that it is my valley, I went hoping to reclaim it.



Further substantiation of my right to the valley was evidenced by a winery named after my hometown (Mt. Pleasant) and another bearing my last name.

All was going swimmingly, and after a very nice ceremony and warm greetings by all, the mayor prepared to hand over the deed to the valley.

That is...until Oskar came running up with one of the prize 120 year old grape stalks in his mouth.



The mood changed instantly.

We had to high-tail it out of there pronto, and the only way I could keep the furious wine growers from stomping us to a pulp was to toss the property deeds into the air and escape in the confusion.

Here Candace exults in a successful escape, a bit giddy with adrenaline and perhaps a taste or three of Semillon:


The Hunter Valley is a beautiful place, and one we'd love to take you to if you visit. That is, of course, if the vintner's hard feelings mellow a bit with age.



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