crush is imminent!

Im writing from my new house in Blenheim where I am actually having such a happy time it's beyond me. It's been some time since I wrote (or at least so much has happened it feels that way) and things are getting pretty busy around here and, most exciting, I'm feeling more and more settled. But, to be complete with my stories....

We finished the Milford hike with a few more adventures, including: a river fording, camping next to the tallest waterfall in the country, and a sprint out of the woods to make the last boat of the day. But we did make it and the whole experience was a) intense and fun, b) beautiful though cloudy--but it's a rainforest afterall, and c) officially hardcore of us.

The next 5 days or so we traveled all the way back up north. First to Queenstown where we ate the best ice cream i've ever had in my life. And if you know me (which you must if you're bothering to read this) you know that's sayin' somethin' fierce! Other than the ice cream, Qtown was cute and gorgeous and just plain old fun.

Next we drove to the glacier region; and as a treat we stayed in a villa with legit crisp sheets and an amazing shower; hiked out to the glacier, and finally finished the driving all together when we arrived in Nelson, a small and adorable town at the very north of the south island. We stayed a few days with this man we had met our canoe trip earlier, got rid of Sunny the car and started prepping for our next hike. (Gosh even thinking about it all again is making me tired--but yes, we hiked afresh.) This time the Abel Tasman. Which is more of a hard walk in the most gorgeous woods along a path that meanders in and out along the ocean with clear blue and turquoise water. Each afternoon we'd get into camp and have a few hours to just lie on the beach ....! what luxury! And no rain! Still exhausting with a 50 lbs pack on tho...

Afterwards we went back to Nelson, had a night out with a few friends we'd made along the way and...well, the next morning saw my separation from Miss Genevieve. While she flew to Wellington, I stayed in Nelson for the day, exploring both the town and the feeling of being alone in NZ for the first time. Thst afternoon i took a bus to Blenheim and a taxi to my new house (35 severne st. Springlands, Blenheim NZ. In case anyone wants to send me things!!) and .... Well, truthfully, the fun hasn't stopped since then.

I am living with 8 other people. 4 guys and 5 girls. All from all around the world; all here to make wine. 6 of them work at a different winery from me, and 3 of us are at Kim Crawford. We have a French girl, 3 californians, a kiwi, a Brazilian, a German guy who switches all his V and W's around, and an Italian guy who loves to cook extravagant and delicious meals every night. The second day I was here we had a BBQ with every meat possible, heaps of beer and great wine, and a visit from none other than the Ryanosaurus himself, Ryan (the guy from Georgia I lived with in the shack out in Oregon). So great to see his face (overgrown beard and all). The night finished with a drive to the beach and seeing some spectacular stars.

And then work started. Which is a whole other story to get into--for another night. For now I will say this: I am working at a massive scale. And compared to what's out there, I'm still semi-small. We processed 14 tons of fruit at Carlo & Julian out in OR. here we will be processing around 6 thousand tons. Today was my third day and I got to wear a full yellow waterproof suit and get inside 40 ton tanks with a pressure washer. It all makes me really appreciate how involved I was in every step of the winemaking process at C&J. And yet, even tho what I'm doing here is far more industrial and factory-like than artisian wine-making, it's still a blast and I'm loving it.

More on Blenheim life to come. So far we are cleaning everything in preparation for crush. Next week the fruit will start coming in. And then the 12 hour shifts start up.

Yeehaw! Let the games begin!

Over and out. With love and grapes in my toes.


Sb