lummi island wine tasting aug 15-16 ’25
Hours this weekend: 4-6 pm Friday & Saturday
…Good grief!…what are these bozos doing now…??
This week’s wine tasting
Domaine de l’Amauve La Daurèle, Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret ’23 France $21
Grenache blanc, clairette, viognier, & ugni blanc; expressive nose of white fruits, mirabelle plum, and acacia honey; soft on the palate with lively citrus flavors…yummy and very Food Versatile!
Decoy Red ’21 California $18
60% Cab, 40% Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Cab; aromas of blackberry, plum, spice and savory herbs; fresh, rich, and savory on the palate with rich, silky tannins and a long, lush finish.
Edi Simcic Duet ’21 Slovenia $27
Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc; bold and compelling, with notes of chocolate, cherries, cheesecake, and coffee on silky tannins and a lush, ripe, fruit-full body that goes on and on.
Simcic’s vineyards and winery are in Slovenia near the Italian border. Father and son winemakers and their wines are highly regarded for the quality of their fruit and the craftsmanship of the wines. Only a stone’s throw from the Italian border, trade was closed until the collapse of the USSR. Simcic wines are imported by our friends at Small Vineyards in West Seattle, so we are long-time fans. The little video below gives a sense of the alpine locale.
Economics of the Heart: That Old 60’s Feeling…
In just the past few weeks the Project 2025 zeitgeist has been morphing us back to the sixties. We old-timers remember lots of 60’s linkages across society. The military was entrenched in the quagmire of the Vietnam War. Our nation was deeply wounded from the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK. LBJ’s Congress made huge strides in protecting voting rights and promoting desegregation. It was a vibrant, creative, expressive, and thoughtful time.
“Flower children” and protest songs became a fixture in San Francisco and across the country; joints and pipes were passed around in all kinds of settings, and was all done to the sounds and lyrics of the Beatles, Beach Boys, Linda, the Airplane, and more. There was turmoil, engagement, and challenging of social norms. It was a long time ago. And yet this moment feels a lot like Buffalo Springfield’s famous “protest” song, “For What It’s Worth.” lyrics video
For six months now we have watched the unfolding of the very well-publicized and detailed dystopian plan to end Constitutional democracy in the United States and replace it with an authoritarian, totalitarian oligarchy controlled by a handful of bazillionaires. Like hungry ghosts, these guys are cursed with insatiable appetites and throats that can only swallow a grain of rice at a time. The world’s oligarchs, elected Republicans, Project 2025 agents, and right-wing media personalities all fall into this realm. Their vast wealth does not alleviate either their constant need for more or the anger/frustration of never feeling satisfied.
Now, in just the past several weeks, our country teeters precariously around Maga’s wanton breaching of individual rights, “disappearing” of thousands of “illegal” immigrants to secret confinement in unknown locations, using military force against legal protesters in LA and DC, the ever-expanding web of lies about “the Epstein files”, and the increasing incoherence of the Tweetster. And just in the last week several very interesting things have happened that signify a “sea change” in both Maga policies and the kind of resistance they will be experiencing, especially across blue states.
It started with the already-highly-gerrymandered, Republican-controlled Texas House being pushed by slimeball Gov Abbott to even further gerrymander it to create five more Republican seats. In response the entire Democratic caucus of the Texas House left en masse to Indiana to prevent a quorum.
In response California Governor Gavin Newsom gave a long, widely broadcast interview with a merciless, globally circulated nyah-nyah-ing putdown of Maga and the Tweetster. Expressing outrage at the illegality and presumption of Abbott’s action, Newsom promised that if Abbott went through with his plan, Newsom would redistrict California to replace 5 Republican House seats with Democrats before the 2026 election. He urged other blue states to do the same with this widely circulated, Tweetster-imitating post:
“DONALD ‘TACO’ TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, ‘MISSED’ THE DEADLINE!!! CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE ‘BEAUTIFUL MAPS,’ THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!). BIG PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK WITH POWERFUL DEMS AND GAVIN NEWSOM — YOUR FAVORITE GOVERNOR — THAT WILL BE DEVASTATING FOR ‘MAGA.’ THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GN,”
Newsom’s position underlines the insanity of Democrats having toed the legal legislative limits for years as Republicans have been violating them wildly since ’87. Thus his position, coupled with the Texas Dems, with support from Indiana’s governor is serving as a potent catalyst for Democrats to take off the gloves and beat these bozos at their own game. And t triggered a nationwide mobilization of Blue state legislatures to follow California’s lead if Texas does not back down.
It feels really, really good to dig in and take a stand. Game on!
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