It seems that there is so much about my childhood that I love (loved?) love. There's so much about my childhood that was magical, both at the time and now looking back. Before I became cynical and depressed, before I lost hope in humanity, before I questioned everything on so many levels, I was a child. It was a time that really shaped and formed me. If I dig deep enough, it explains all the inexplainable things about me. Let's take a trip back, shall we? (Don't worry we won't be digging that deep today)!This is The Brick House Vineyards. Beautiful isn't it? The barn is the building most viewable in this shot. There's an old shop (who am I kidding? The whole place is ancient!) in that first thicket of trees on the left. The house, the brick house is mostly obscured by the trees to the right of the barn.
The old barn has been renovated to a space more conducive to pressing, fermenting, bottling, storing, tasting and whatever else they do to wine. However, the wine is not the point here nor are the vineyards really. Here is a smicket (I know there's a "more correct" word for what I'm trying to say here, but I can't think of it right now, besides even if I could I'm sure smicket is better) of text off of the Brick House Vineyards' website:
"Spring, 1990. The barn was home to a third generation of owls. The eaves of the old house were swarming with honey bees. And in a field to the south, a great yellow earth mover pushed over the last remaining trees of what was once 16 acres of filberts (hazelnuts) to make way for the first planting of Pinot noir at Brick House."
Yes, we'll start about there, actually we'll back up. That is where the vineyard's brick house story starts and approximately where my brick house story ends. But they are right about the owls and the bees (or should I say the birds and the bees? No, sorry, different topic!)
The way I remember the owls and the bees-and remember, the way I remember it is the correct way! I was a child and once those memories are formed no math, scientific evidence or pictures produced claiming things to have been otherwise stand a chance against my stubborn childhood memory! Now...where was I? Let's break it down. Maybe I'll just cover the owls today, this is just a blog post right, not a full on book?
The owls back then were called barn owls-they may have been spotted owls, maybe, I honestly don't know, but it doesn't matter, because the minute they move in and set up camp in a barn, they become barn owls and nothing more. They were a nuisance, I can't remember exactly why. Maybe it was because they pooped all over everything in the barn including hay, tack and the barn floor which was, oh yeah, where we stepped! Us kids hated them, because they were scary looking! Even the babies. I realize that normally baby animals are cute, especially the fluffy kind, but no so with barn owls. Creepy, disgusting little creatures who should only come out on Halloween when such a sight is appropriate. We loved to go up in the loft and make hay forts, a place of refuge from the barn owls. We just had to brave the spooky presence of the barn owls who hung out in the rafters while we made our refuge. I should add an audio clip here of me doing an impression of spooky barn owl coos, cries and hisses-yes hisses, this is my memory, remember!?.
Whatever his reason(s) my dad hated these beasts as well. I'm tempted to stop writing here, because if you know my dad at all, I'm sure you can use your imagination to finish the story. Hahaha, actually yes it thrills me to leave it here. And if you need help using your imagination, here is a picture of my dad, I'm sure I'll do an entire post or two on him sometime.
Curses!!! I can't get my scanner to work! The picture I want to post is not on my computer so I was going to scan it and post it, but due to technical difficulties (there's a redundant phrase!) I'll have to post it later at best. I'm sorry but no other picture can be substituted at this time. Please bear with me as I continue to unplug plugs, blow on them and plug them back in, until my scanner works properly.
SEE...Creepy!
