So Clay and I are working the Florida market two weeks before I actually started with Shannon Ridge when suddenly on the drive from Orlando to Ocala to work a tasting for ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Clay mumbles and points to a bilboard advertisement for "Western World Superstore". He's on the phone selling grapes to some Napa winery so all he can do is grunt and point at the sign. Being as astute as I am in interpreting grunts and pointing, I ascertain that Mr. Shannon has a fancy for "all things Western" so we pull off the highway and head towards "Western World Superstore". We walk in and Clay is as giddy as a school girl that just had the Captain of the Football team wink at her. Boots, Boots, and more Boots. Did I mention Cowboy Boots? Clay is so so excited at the number of cowboy boots this place has that he can hardly contain himself. Granted, this is a guy that mostly wears cowboy boots every day. Oh yeah, so do the kids and his wife Margarita. I wouldn't be surprised if on my next visit that the dogs, the horses and the sheep all had some form of cowboy boots on. Anyway, Clay's enthusiasm is spreading and before you know it I'm trying on boots. I'm thinking to myself how crazy it is for this city slicker to be trying on boots. I did have a pair of cowboy boots when I was around 18-20 years old and the memory of how uncomfortable they were still lingers with me today. End result...I get caught up in Clay's enthusiasm and fork over $180 and now have myself a dandy brand new pair of Ariat Boots. I Love them and wearing them on the ranch (Shannon Ranch) was great. I felt right at home. Now you can call me "Cowboy Chris" only when I have my boots on (shopping for a hat next) ....Rumor has it that John Girty will be shopping for some boots when he is in Texas........ceb
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Chris -- Just read your "Cowboy Chris" story. By the way, I WAS the captain of the football team, and I'm not a school girl. Speaking of Cowboy boots, I just broke one of my cardinal rules, "Always wear cowboy boots, even when in shorts when you're riding ATVs." I was not wearing my cowboy boots 20 minutes ago when my leg slipped off the peg of a Raptor 650 and ran over my ankle and tore the skin up.
As you can see, this is not me typing as I don't know how to type very well. It's my dust-covered neice, Kari Stone. She's 23 years old and lives in San Francisco and works for ADP as she holds one of the top sales positions in the area for the year. Dust-covered because Ivan, my son, and her little big brother Michael Stone (18 years old today, 6'5" 290 lbs. and Fresno State bound) took her out and showed her what eating dust behind two fast ATVs is all about. Kari and Michael spent the night with us last night as we (Margarita, Ivan, Masha, Kari, Michael, and myself) met Mark (my other sister's son) and his girlfried, Jenny (both recently graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) at the Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa on beautiful Clear Lake. Just across the lake, you can see the Morine Ranch, one of our vineyards on Shannon Ridge. We sat seven rows behind the world-famous Montgomery Gentry who rocked us until midnight!! My ears are still ringing and I do have a headache from those crappy glasses of Parducci Chardonnay. I also seem to be singing "Lord knows I'm a Lucky Man" and "Hell yeah, turn it up!" Thank god Margarita is a good gal and drove us all home. She started drinking that Aquafina stuff (the not real spring water). Of course, not like our cross springs water. By the way, talking about Chardonnay, I gulped a couple of glasses of our newly-released, bottled last week, all-new Lake County Chardonnay and it was incredible. I truly believe this will be one of the best Chardonnays in the market soon. Only did about 500 cases. FYI: Place your orders soon. It's not even up on the website yet...just give us a call at (707) 998-9656.
Well I'm going to go back outside and listen to some Jason Aldean "Johnny Cash" and get ready for our BBQ this afternoon with our friends from Germany. Take care.
You are living the life...just like a "Rock Star" and you don't even
know it...Hope the leg heals soon. It's always been my motto that if
you're not gushing blood or if a bone isn't poking through the
skin...then "no sympathy"
Chris
Talk to you soon...
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