Well I'm back from the dead! You may not have heard. but I had a major heart attack and pneumonia on March 12 of 2016. 20 days intensive care and 3 months in bed. Now I'm back to what is the new normal. Lots of pills and lots of rest. Don't move too fast! So here I am.

Have taken up watercolor painting as I can do it setting down. My favorite position now. The above is a picture I did for Bear River Winery. The original can be viewed at the winery and high quality prints are available there.

So I will post my new art work here from time to time for your amusement.

Hi Folks,  as you may have heard, I have closed the winery as of 29 Dec. 2014.
However, I am still above ground and active. No too bad for 77 years old!

Intend to spend more time enjoying myself. Visiting others wineries and restaurants. Perhaps a few reviews and a little constructive criticism.

See you soon.    Uncle Charlie

Vineyard video

Here are a few short clips to show how the vineyard is growing.

New Outlet for Green Family

Good news folks. Our wines are now available at Whole Foods in Roseville at the Fountains. I have high hopes for this outlet as Whole Foods is a VERY NICE store.

The last days in France.

Well it's been a few days since I have done a blog post. Been tired from the trip home. So here here some pics from the last few days. What a trip!

A. The last winery visited. Also had the best wine.

B. Last menu, but not the best meal, unfortunately! Hope it is readable. In lower left corner you can see there is a 19.5% charge for service! NO TIPPING! I like it.

C. Pics of our rooms in the last hotel. 27 euros each! This is where the Spartans stay when in France! However it is better than paying 170 euros at the airport.

The trip itself was uneventfully, but long! 12 hours in one seat! A tight one too. At least they feed you, I couldn't do 12 hours on peanuts. Air France is very free with the wine too.

I hope to continue this blog with my travels in California wine country.
See Ya.

--ucharlie

Help, it's foggy and I can't see where to go!

Well, I would love to have a great picture to show you, but it solid fog
here. Have ben driving for 2 hours looking for a hotel near the airport
and it's so foggy we can't even find a town! Paris must get a lot of
left over London weather. Hope to be off the groung in 16 hours, if we
can find the airport.
--ucharlie

On the road again

Well the day of departure is getting near, so we are starting to move North toward Paris and the airport. Next stop should be the Loire river valley. Will see what we find there, no fixed plans.

A word about getting around in France. Gasoline, it can be hard to find a place that takes cash or has a live attendant! They do like to take credit cards but most of them need a special European style credit card. Looks just like any Visa or Master card but there is a little circle on the front with some gold plated contacts in it. I think there is a computer chip in the card! USA cards are rejected! On rare occations you will find a place that takes normal cards. Good luck.

Money; the dollar is OUT. Even most banks won't change them. The places that do exchange them are slow & don't give a very good rate. What works well is a Visa or Master card with a PIN number. You must have a PIN number! Most cards have daily limits on the amount you can withdraw, so it's good to have more than 1 card.

Also the banks are closed a LOT. But you can use credit cards at ATM type machines most anytime.

Friends have been asking if it is cold. Here are some pictures of the ice from last night. -10 C!

Also a pic of our cheerful innkeeper.

--ucharlie

Odds and ends

Had dinner at a hotel in Malaucene and the dessert was great. Chocolate
Gateau, and it looks exactley like the one that is served in le Bilig
French Cafe in Auburn, Calif. Rich chocolate cake with a warm runny
center. Decadent!

Also spotted an old Harley D by the curb. Big as some of the cars here.

Unrest in Paris seems to be running down.
--ucharlie