Rest is good for the soul

Napa Valley

Once again we have come to a screeching halt and realized, wow this “getting away” thing is pretty darn good.  What is it that keeps us from going here often?  There is nothing on this earth more important than time away with God and my husband, but there are many things that would tell me that is not true…until we get here.  Right now we are in Napa, at a quaint Inn looking out over the budding vines and countryside.  We start our morning with a fresh pot of coffee and a roaring fire and now we decide we are never coming back! What were we thinking all those months of never having time to do this?  All I know is that this is good, and I highly recommend rest to everyone!

Mike is reading “Napa Stories”, by Michael Chiarello at our fireside chat, so I’ll pass some of the stories on to you.    The book gives profiles of important people that started the valley and the history of why things evolved the way they did and how the whole wine industry in America was changed by a few pioneers; not only the industry, but consumption.

History of the Valley

Up until the late 1960’s there was no significant industry here.  Americans didn’t even drink that much wine until this valley was developed.  It was not even put on their table until it was popularized by the pioneers Mondavi, Barringer Brothers and others.  During those years,  they started taking some of the best wine for this region over to a wine competition in France, and a couple of the wines beat the European wines and Napa started to develop a world wide reputation for premium wines.

Think about it.  God created this land to be extremely fruitful and provide a strong economy for the people that lived here.  Prior to the growing of grapes, this area was growing things like peaches and prunes and other fruits, but it never really created economic prosperity.  It was only after the discovery of how good the climate and soil was for growing grapes, that God’s intended economic value  was released.

There is such an appreciation here for architecture, farmlands, an appreciation for the fruit of the land, cooking, and pairing the food with the wines that come from here.  An enticing appreciation for the art of dining, not about food as fuel.  There is also an appreciation of the nuances that soil and climate create, similar to why people celebrate different coffees, and discovering how each coffee bean has its unique flavor and characteristics based upon the soil and microclimate.  Of course Michael would like to add cigars to that list (yuck!).  All three of these items depend on the character of the land.

Lets Bring it to Redding, CA

Let’s compare it to the Redding area, and how in the past it has been all about timber, mineral and water.  What if it begs another question?  What if there is a higher use for the climate in Redding that God has in mind so that it reaches its highest potential and that people are able to prosper?  But as for Redding, God would get the glory!