45 and still going!

Enjoyed our 45th Anniversary Saturday! On recommendation of Amber, and courtesy of her wine club membership, she was able to finagle a free wine tasting for us at KUNDE family winery in the Sonoma Valley. Chris surprised us with a cheese board too. It was a gorgeous morning and beautiful grounds. I must say we were treated like royalty and our server, David, was fantastic and so knowledgeable. Everyone wished us a "Happy Anniversary," more than once. Thank you to David and everyone at KUNDE Family Winery for a special day!

5 generations of the KUNDE family have farmed the contiguous 1,850 acre estate. Louis Kunde emigrated from Germany and acquired the Wildwood Vineyards ranch in 1904. Vineyards were first planted here in 1879. It continues today after it had been closed following prohibition when Arthur "Big Boy" Kunde's sons were drafted in WWII. The red volcanic soil lends unique flavors to their Vineyards. 

The sun was under, with temperatures in the lower 60's when we arrived. I went ahead with a dress well, because darn it,  45 years is a long time. We were seated in the porch area which was surrounded by clear wall panels. Once the sun popped through, the temperature rose and the wall panels were opened. Since I don't normally drink alcohol, those 6 tastings (actually 7) certainly affected me. Pat said David poured me larger portions. I tend to pick wines by name so when I asked David about their Red Dirt Red, he brought us a sample of that too. Pat favors red wines, but I enjoyed every wine we had. It was so much fun!

I can't believe it's been 45 years. Ups and downs as in all marriages, and Pat has had to put up with a lot. It wasn't just heredity and teen-agers that caused him to lose his hair!  When we were getting ready to start our RV adventure and sold our house, getting rid of most of our worldly possessions, I asked Pat if we would survive being sooo together in such a small space. His reply? "Well, one of us will!" It's been 4 years and, despite my being on board for RV life I haven't made things easy, but we are both still here and "living the dream!" 

In the afternoon the wine and I took a nice two hour nap, we went for a walk, and watched the last movie Clint Eastwood made, Cry Macho. Tomorrow winery #2!

Where are the Piepers now? Napa, CA