Actually getting the stones we use for The Circle can be quite a challenge, with the vagaries of broken trucks, bad weather, failed cranes and lack of money.
    Last year our Members solved the last of those challenges by raising almost $7,000 in two weeks; allowing the purchase of three flat bed loads of stones that had been sitting in the quarry, waiting patiently. That was 18 stones, ranging from 10,000 lbs. and up to 14 feet long.

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    Brendan, our Winery Manager, has always felt that our hand made wine display racks worked wonders in the local stores through which we distribute our Four Quarters Wine. And I have to say that it makes me smile every time I walk into a store and see one of our little hand built beauties.

Yes, they are wine racks, but they are more. And represent much in the way of our values and how we put our values forward, into the real.

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Greeting and Salutations!

In years past, this letter, which I jokingly call the “State of the Farm Address,” has been a litany of accomplishments… goals achieved, projects accomplished, milestones attained. This year, those topics have been addressed in articles in the calendar, so I won’t bore you by repeating them (and now you have another reason to read the articles in the calendar!).

The short version is that this has been a year of extremely challenging projects: heavy labor with short deadlines (the Loft, the Dormitory), policy review and enhancement, and strategizing for the future. And you know what? Building a dormitory is hard work, but so is thinking! I shouldn’t be surprised when I’m exhausted after a Board meeting, but I am, every time. It’s not about the topics discussed, or sacrificing that last 30 minutes of sleep, or even whether any of the issues were contentious… it’s just that the responsibility of Church operations weighs heavily on all our shoulders, whether we’re discussing how to handle a current situation, or how to avoid ugliness in the future. The Board members take this responsibility seriously, and we all want to do what’s best for the Church in the long term… and that’s not always easy to see.

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