Annual Newsletter 2011
Dear Friends,
A reread of Adrianne’s note highlights this past week of coming together to savor our joys and shared anxieties. “Thank you for loving me enough to not want me to move to Indonesia, but still letting me find my love there.” She is far too gracious. Her soul has been enriched, but her dilemma and our quandary is that Tom is working in Indonesia near his family-a marathon that makes our trip there in November all the more intriguing in anticipation of the June 2012 wedding in Ohio.
Brooke, Ben and Payton, their new daughter, underline the belief that children are our greatest gift to the future. We hope the curves in the road she will face, unlike some of ours, will be eased as she emerges into our lives. That is our assignment. Her smiles and cries amuse and delight us. She is a fortunate little girl for she has an exuberant mom and dad who will not give her answers to remember, but problems to solve.
Jacque has reluctantly retired after 30 years of teaching. It is not a state to arrive at, but a “manner of traveling” where making a difference has been the benchmark up until now. We have celebrated our first year in the winery. A short hop up the hill is enhanced by Lake Erie’s vista to the north. Amy & Mac, our partners in the winery, have enriched our perspectives with the birth of their third child, Collin James.
The intensity of moving from season to season has relaxed, yet you and I are not so easily swayed. Do we set our own pace, or are we driven by an unseen hand? Most likely it is our own judgments -good and bad -that count the most. How does one direct the joys to outweigh the challenges? A handful of red raspberries, a charred chicken wing, a quiet eve’s boat ride-are all dollops of simple joy. The growing season is always an array of mixed messages, yet we approach it with promise.
The season is upon us. Here’s what we expect:
June 20-July 20 Sweet Cherries
July 8-10 First Peaches & Apricots
August 15-20 Red Haven Peaches
August 15-20 First White Peaches & Nectarines
August 20-Sept. 15 Plums
August 25-Nov. 1 Pears
Sept. 5 First Cider
Sept. 10-15 Gala & Honeycrisp/Pick your own
Oct. 5-10 Cameo & Fuji apples/Pumpkins
Oct. 20-25 Last apples/Pink Lady & Goldrush
Nov. 10 To Indonesia
Hope to see you soon!
The Gammie Family
