The first night after the end of Daylight Saving Time is always a little strange .  .  . it feels like 7 p.m. but it’s really 6 p.m.  It’s not that late, but it ‘s dark outside.  we’re tired, but it’s only 7 o’clock .  .  . what’s up with that?  When friends come to enjoy a beautiful Sunday afternoon, we kind of expect that they’ll be here for a long afternoon of football, fire in the pit and good wine, but not leave until – say, tomorrow.  What a beautiful afternoon it turned out to be, with clear blue skies and a light wind to go with warm temperatures.  We call this kind of day, ‘Chamber of Commerce’ kind of weather, and judging by the number of people out and about, we’d say it was exactly THAT.

Kris and Veronique came from Kerrville today and we really enjoyed seeing them.  We’ve known these guys a long time – and really love when they come to visit.  They make an afternoon of watching football a fun time – First Down! Our “girls” love to see them as well – greeting them with tag wags and kisses and even a jump into the lap.

So, today, they brought an  American Merlot from the winery of a friend of ours.  The 2009 American Merlot from Kerrville Hills Winery is a treat and a bit of a surprise for those of us who have come to  love California wine.  In our world the combination of ‘Texas Wine and Merlot typically is met with a turned up nose and a glance to the side as to admit that we’d be sampling something inferior.  When we popped the cork; however, we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful aroma.  We immediately enjoyed a nose of oak and lots of black cherry.  The pour was intriguingly beautiful – a dark purple hue that seemed almost too dark for a Merlot.  The nose was awesome for  this little Texas wine and the legs on the glass confirmed that our taste buds were going to be enjoying something completely different.  The taste was full-bodied and finished with a nice smokiness that we weren’t expecting.  The wine was bigger and bolder than we expected – both for a Texas wine and for a Merlot.  Very enjoyable – Wayne, ya done good!

Kris does incredible work with the Hill Country Chapter of the American Red Cross – we both remember when she took over a dying chapter that was living on  fumes and since her arrival to the organization, we’ve seen huge steps in response to crises as well as community members stepping up to support the chapter.  Like so many non-profit organizations that we’ve been a part of or have supported, a large part of their success is the people who run them – as donors and supporters, we ‘buy’ into the mission of the organization NOT because of the mission of the organization but because of the PEOPLE who are a part of the organization.  Those people are what gives the MISSION A FACE.  Unfortunately in our society, and we’re already seeing this on the East Coast – certain nonprofit organizations struggle to get their aid to the right people because the people in ‘charge’ have to be the ones at the forefront even though – in most cases – the ones at the ‘top’ haven’t lifted a finger in a long, long time.  We feel that organizations with national roots, like the Red Cross, need to let their local chapters run the show in disasters and put their collective egos in check when it comes to ‘taking credit’ for getting supplies or aid to those in need.  Veronique is a classic example of someone who is taking their skills on the road – she has created a company who is teaching Red Cross life saving skills – no better teacher can be found – if your company is in need of such skills, let us know –  we will put you in touch.

The next time that you care to make a donation or contribution to an organization with national ties, we’d like to suggest that you specify that your contribution be used specifically for the local area where you live.  Once your contribution becomes ‘restricted’, then it can only be used for the purpose which you – the donor – intended for it to be used.  Which in most cases means it won’t be used by a large national organization to fund their large national organizational salaries.  Many organizations in Texas are working hard to take care of emergency needs and deal with life saving situations .  .  .  isn’t it nice to know that when you make a contribution to one of these groups that the money stays here and does EXACTLY what it was intended to do?  We couldn’t agree more – thank you Kris and Veronique for joining us today and thank you to Wayne for a really nice American Merlot from Kerrville Hills Winery.

The next time you enjoy your favorite wine; please remember to enjoy it responsibly and recycle whenever possible.