Dogs and cats - Oh, my!

While visiting the wineries up north a few weeks ago, we loved meeting the big, gentle Bernese Mountain Dog, Cooper, at Bowers Harbor Winery. We're an animal-friendly winery, too, as most of you know.

Rosie (Rosé), our Airedale terrier, is the most visible. Other than during larger events, she's around to greet visitors most of the time. She's a lovely hostess, although occasionally forgets that she isn't employed to be a watch dog too.

Oliver (pictured) is a big, pushy, Maine Coon-style kitty. He visits on a regular basis, leaping on bar stools and sashaying back and forth across laps.

Scooter also visits on occasion, although his favorite places are the kitty beds in the back room.

We hope you enjoy the pets as part of your visit. We think they make the experience more memorable. If any of them make you at all uncomfortable please tell us. We want your visit with us to be comfortable!

Mardi Gras

Ok, I know it's late to talk about Mardi Gras but I just got some photos and wanted to share one.

It's the first time we've celebrated Mardi Gras with a festival at the winery and we all had a great time. My only problem was time -- I worked Saturday and had to stay up late cooking gumbo and muffaletta and the like. However, several winery friends offered to help cook next time to lighten the load. I need to take them up on their offer in the future...

When we first decided to do the festival, one of the main elements was to be a donation to Katrina relief. Because of all our winery animals, we decided to donate it to helping with the efforts to save pets and reuniting them with their owners. We raised about $400 for Noah's Wish -- a nonprofit organization that helps animals during emergencies.

Spring Cleanin'

Yesterday, while Anna manned the tasting room, Holly, Tommy, and I spent the day spring cleaning. The little room upstairs houses our office and storage. We don't have much room up there but need to store all the backstock -- tasting room giftware, decorations for events and holidays, all the other supplies we need for events (paper plates, silverware, etc.), materials for gift baskets, janitorial supplies, mailing supplies, labels, wine filters.... you get the picture.

It felt like one of those organization shows on TV. We pulled everything off the shelves and organized it by use. Then we sorted, threw away the stuff we didn't need, and put it all back on the shelves in zones based on use.

It was a long day, had very little to do with winemaking, but incredibly productive. I feel like I know where everything is. At least for the moment.

On the Road

We've hit the road -- Anne, Holly, and I are off for the Michigan Wine Council annual meeting at Crystal Mountain/Thompsonville. And on the way we're stopping off for a little wine tasting.

It's great to look at the world from the other side of the tasting bar for a change. An educational experience that every winery owner should do on a regular basis.

We visited three wineries on the Leelanau Peninsula yesterday afternoon and will stop at several on the Old Mission Peninsula today. It's great to see what others are doing.

Of course we'll always look at wineries with a different eye than the general public. It's the "busman's holiday" perspective. But that doesn't keep it from being a fun way to spend a day. And I know we'll come back to Jackson at the end of the week with lots of new ideas.