A Day in the Vineyard

One does not spend any length of time in the Fingerlakes region without visiting a few of the delightful little wineries tucked into the richly-textured countryside around these glacial lakes.

Shortly after our move up here nearly four years ago, on a cold winter's day, as Don and I were exploring our new area, we came upon Chatteau Dusseau, a quaint little cottage sitting on a hillside near Locke, NY... a snow-covered vineyard to the right, farm fields to the left, a magnificent view of woodlands and a lake off in the distance.

Taken from the vineyard during the harvest party...

I'm so glad we decided to stop that day despite the snow flurries warning us of a coming storm.   When we scurried up to the door and stepped into the warm chatteau, we were greeted by a genuine, smiling face that has since become our friend.  What I said was going to be a "quick stop" to sample "just one or two of their reds", ended up being a lively 2-hour conversation with Robert "Bobby" and another couple that had stopped in for a tasting!


Since then, Don and I visit the Chatteau about four or five times a year to spend an afternoon sipping wine and sharing friendly, stimulating conversation with Bobby, Levi and sometimes Stephen (Bobby's brother, Levi's father, and co-founder of the business). If we time it right, we also get to hear fun acoustic music from Levi, Bobby or a friend of theirs!  Often times, we meet interesting people from other parts of the northeast or Canada, who stop in for a tasting.   It's always a fun "date" afternoon for us!



    Because Don and I so appreciate the marriage of science and art, wine-making, an ancient artisan tradition, interests us, just like maple sugaring. We've asked these guys lots of questions, and we've even hung around to observe the bottling process one Sunday afternoon.  For the last couple of years, we've offered to help the Dusseau's with the harvesting process.  This year, they finally took us us up on that offer!


Time is of the essence when harvesting wine grapes, especially with the dramatic weather shifts we have up here. So, we took the girls along last weekend to harvest their Frontenac grapes.  Between 3 of them and 4 of us, we made pretty short work of it!

I was impressed with my girls, as usual. They worked hard and asked great questions about the whole process!  I can say with confidence, they've developed an appreciation for yet another aspect of agriculture...science and history, as well, thanks to the Dusseau's.

An interesting critter making himself at home on this vine!

Then, the girls and I watched as the guys dumped the buckets of grapes into the grape crusher-destemmer, then poured the results into the drums where they will begin to ferment.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of the process this year, and tasting the end result of this harvest!

Definitely a fun and interesting afternoon...and it fits right into that experiential learning I often mention.

I hope you seize an opportunity to learn about something new this fall!





Check back here in about 2 weeks for an update on Isaac and more, My Friends!

He's At It Again....

I usually only post about our adventures once or twice a month, saving more frequent updates for maple season, but... we've got some things going on that ya'll may find interesting, plus, I've got some great photos to share, so stick with me for the next week or so, okay?

My blog post title is referencing Don.  He's been buying and selling, bartering and trading!

I'm sure I've mentioned that my husband has quite a knack for this. And, because he has mad mechanical skills, he periodically buys equipment that has some "issues", cheaply, fixes it, uses it for a little while, then sells it for a profit...or makes a useful trade....and hopefully, a profitable trade.

This is how we either earn a little extra cash immediately...OR have a bit of fun for a while, then sell....

About three weeks ago, he decided it was time to sell the skidloader that he repaired last summer, then used to complete a couple of projects around here...(And, taught Rosie how to operate it!)  

About three days after posting an ad on the internet, he gets a message...A man about an hour from us is interested in trading.  At first Don blew it off because he wasn't all that interested in a trade at the moment, but the man contacted him a second time.  Don was intrigued by his offer...so he and Will made the hour-long trek northward to check it out...and the character making it.

I generally stay out of these things, because I've learned to trust Don's judgement with God's guidance.  My role, simple but profound, is to PRAY.  I often ask God to give Don the discernment to make wise choices and good deals.

Since I began doing this several years ago, his "deals" generally work out, although not always the way Don...or I.... visualized it!

This deal, however, was pretty sweet....


...We now own a comfy cruisin' motorcycle, no repairs needed at the moment...

(This is one we may have to keep for a long while!)









...And a 1987 Trans Am in great condition, needing only a few simple repairs and some detailing before we offer it for sale soon.  So now we're into classic cars, too?  Oh. My. Word...

Too many episodes of "Fast 'N Loud" with Gas Monkey Garage this summer?

Maybe I should've cancelled our Hulu account back in May?!



To be perfectly honest, though, I'm looking forward to taking it for a spin or two before it's sold....





























Even though it was on the chilly side this weekend, the magnificent sunshine and crisp blue sky beckoned us to take the newly-acquired bike out.

We had a BLAST riding around the Central New York countryside, as well as visiting our friends at Chatteau Dusseau, a local vineyard, for their grape harvest celebration.  More about that in my next blog, though... I've taken so many interesting photos the last few days, I can't share them all at once!  Enjoy these...

We are so blessed... Blessed with rich experiences, meaningful relationships, and many opportunities to make precious memories together!

I've mentioned before how Don and I believe very firmly in experiential learning.  Reading about something in a book or online does not have the same impact as physically visiting a place or participating in a particular activity, or even hearing a first hand account of an event from someone who was there.

Unfortunately, life's responsibilities and the limitations of time and money mean we may not always be able to have experiences in grand fashion, but we take hold of the ones God places within our grasp.


Don and Will...hopefully Nate, too... have some incredible opportunities with Will's classic truck I shared a photo of last blog post, the Trans Am and the motorcycles currently in the family!

Come back in a few days to read and see the unique experience we shared with our girls recently.....

Defining Success

Those of you who know me fairly well, will agree:  I enjoy observing and analyzing the world around me...especially people.  I'm also into critically thinking about what I observe, research, and using what I learn for reflection and self-evaluation.
     





So, you are in for an intellectual treat this blog post because I'm in one of those moods!

SUCCESS....what is it?



A person generally defines success by his or her surrounding culture and the expectations of his or her family group or peer group.

So, according to popular American culture, success is defined through achievements and external things like a certain level of education, the amount of money one earns, the house or property one owns, that upper level position at one's place of employment , and so on.  We tend to strive for these shallow things... and those who don't are looked upon as underachievers, less than, lazy....  Sometimes, those that don't place a high value on these worldly things are perceived as less intelligent.

Now, this really irritates me, so let's take a moment to define something:


Academic achievement and intelligence are not the same thing.  "Intelligence" is defined as, "the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills." It is also the ability to adapt and use the resources in one's environment.  To take tools and use them for a productive purpose other than their original intent.  It definitely is not defined anywhere as "the knowledge and skills acquired in a classroom taught by someone who has earned a college degree" or "the ability to achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher at a college institution".  Those things are nice, however, pop culture today tends to limit "intelligence" to exactly that, sadly.  I happen to know several highly intelligent individuals who did not graduate from college.  In fact, I married one.

Will and Don's new cool project!

Success, in our culture, is often linked to economic status as well as education level.  This narrow-minded, limiting definition that we impose upon ourselves and those around us will always leave us feeling shallow and flat...empty and wanting...








According to the dictionary "success" is:
      *the accomplishment of an aim or purpose
      *the attainment of popularity or profit
      *a person that achieves desired aims or attains prosperity

Take a closer look at that first one...

I propose we stop looking at our own success and that of our loved ones in terms of academic achievement, personal finances and materialism.

For instance, are we only successful at homeschooling if our children pass certain tests?  Get accepted to certain colleges?  Graduate from college with a particular degree?  No way!

Don and I set about this homeschooling adventure with certain goals in mind.  Intentions.

We wanted our children to know how to learn, how to think critically and apply their knowledge and skills creatively no matter what they choose to do for a living as adults.  We wanted to have a quantity of time with them, as well as "quality time", and we hoped to foster strong sibling bonds between them.  And, finally, we wanted to train them to evaluate the world around them from a Biblical worldview.  I can say with confidence, that homeschooling has been a success for us.

We need to live purposefully, setting realistic goals for ourselves and not imposing our own idea of success on others.  Rather than beating ourselves up or criticizing others for not meeting some shallow definition of success, let's celebrate with each other when we achieve the goals we set for ourselves.

For one person, this could be staying sober and holding the same job for a whole year.
For another, this could mean earning a master's degree in engineering.

Let's take a moment and look at Westbrook Farm Maple.  Are we successful?  To some, no, because we haven't really made much money or achieved a significant level of recognition. And, we've only made syrup for three seasons.  But we say, "Yes!"

Our goal, really, was to teach our children how to take an idea...a seed planted, if you will...and seek more knowledge and understanding.  Experiment with it. Adapt what you've read and heard and seen to make it work for you based on the resources available to you.  Apply what you have learned.  To ask "Why?" and "How?"

In fact, most of what Don and I have done over the last 16 years or so...the choices we've made...were not about making more money or achieving a certain status in the eyes of others, but rather it was about transferring our intense love of learning, creativity, and critical thinking to our children.



And finally, in my humble opinion, success is building positive, uplifting relationships with others.  Not living in a fancy, expensive house, not owning a closetful of designer clothes, not driving a particular car or having the latest iphone.




It's a successful day if I have seized  the opportunities before me to encourage and uplift the people around me.  It's a successful week if I've had deep, meaningful conversations with my husband and each of my kids.

It's a successful year if I've reached the goals I've prayerfully set for myself...not the goals or plans others have imposed upon me.

With our newest adventure...raising Isaac...are our only goals to win races, earn lots of money, and gain recognition?  No!  





While those things are nice...and may happen...the goals are:

     *Seize another fantastic learning opportunity for our family, particularly those of us who are                  passionate about horses,
     *Raise a healthy, sound racehorse to the very best of our ability,
     *Encourage and inspire the precious people in our sphere of influence,
     *Have fun, meet new people, and create memories,
     *And, see this handsome horse do what he was born and bred to do...race.

Even if he never wins a race, if we accomplish these goals this whole experience is a success!


I guess you could call Don a renaissance man... I have always admired him for that, and I'm so blessed to "ride his train" these last 20+ years, even though there are times when I want to strangle him!







NEVER. STOP. LEARNING.  That is success!

I hope my musings have given you food for thought.  I enjoy writing....sharing my thoughts!  I take pictures because I love capturing moments and details through my camera lens.

Friends, come back soon for my next blog post, chock-full of autumn images I've been capturing lately!

Unofficially Autumn

It's unofficially fall...

...And now my butterfly bushes decide to bloom in all their glory!

Well, at least I'll get to enjoy them for a few weeks!

While the calendar says autumn begins on September 21st, here in the Northeast we see natural signs of the changing season during the first week of September.

The seasonal change is marked by much cooler evenings with comfortably warm days, farmers making their last cutting of hay, mature grain crops almost ready for harvest, Labor Day, bonfires glowing in the evening, the first day of the new school year, and....yup..."pumpkin spice" everything is available at our local coffee shops and convenience stores! Yum!











It's also the time for us "zone 5a" gardeners to harvest our tomatoes and peppers!

Ours actually thrived this year, even as dry as it was.  And, no blight this year, thank goodness!


Other veggies, like our cukes and cauliflower, did not do well at all.  We'll try again next year!

Grace started school at our local public high school and career tech center this week. She excited about her "graphics communications" program.  Rosie began really digging into her schoolwork, too. Mornings are eerily quiet in the house now, so the dogs have taken to wrestling...loudly and vigorously.... around 8:30am each day to liven things up for me and Rosie!

I am over halfway through my cosmetology program.  Just a little over 4 months to go!   Then, I'll be licensed to work in a salon or spa. I'm eager to begin my new career!             

 And, I am still glad I made the decision to go that direction at this time in my life.

     

Isaac is over three months old now, and continues to grow like crazy!                                                                                 I call him "the little prince" because he likes to take looong naps in the sunshine every morning and afternoon with his mama and Auntie Lexie standing guard.  He whinnies and trots boldly up to the gate whenever he sees one of us coming, then expects us to scratch his rump.  And, man, can he eat!

We actually have lots of pet names for him....especially when he attempts to take a chunk out of my arm... or rears up on Don... or kicks Rosie in the hip... But, I'm not gonna go there right now....ahem, El Diablo, Little Monster, Beastie, Devil Child...

                                                                                                                                                            

Afterall, he's not meant to be a pleasure horse, right?  I adore watching him gallop laps around the pasture, throwing in a ridiculous hop-n-buck combo every now and again.  I've yet to catch his speedy, floating trot on video, but that's okay....it's our little secret!

Don and Rosie are working on getting him accustomed to having equipment on his back and around his belly...for now, that's Rosie's old sweatshirt wrapped around his midsection.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       He's becoming more cooperative about  having his legs and feet handled....some days.  But, Rosie and Don respond to any "shenanigans" with calm, consistent persistence...

Yes, he is trying to bite Don in this photo, but he was unsuccessful...this time!

And, on the maple syrup front....

We bottled the last of our 2016 syrup, finally! Back in March, time was of the essence, so we stored some syrup in food-grade drums for later bottling.

Our son, Nate, who lives in south-eastern PA now, has been selling quite a bit of our syrup down there!  He called on Sunday asking us to get busy with the bottling so his supply doesn't run out!

Fall and winter are the perfect time for enjoying maple syrup on pancakes and waffles, in your coffee, drizzled over apple or pumpkin pie and much more....

So, don't delay!  Stock up soon! Let us know how much you need!

Stay tuned for more gorgeous fall photos and the adventures of the Westbrook Family.