To start, let me apologize to the professional tractor-trailer rig drivers who traveled northbound alongside me on Interstate 5 one recent Friday.
Yes, that was me behind the wheel of a 26-foot rental truck packed with 37 years worth of my life in Santa Barbara County.
And you’re absolutely right — I did struggle to maintain the posted speed of 55 mph, because I was “driving” what felt like a loaded river barge. What about that wind buffeting us from both sides? It was white-knuckle driving, let me tell you. I cowered in the slow lane, simply trying to keep up the pace.
Kudos to those who skillfully passed me without clipping mirrors and tolerated the time I needed to correct my speed, which varied between 45 and 65 mph. The trip that I estimated might take seven hours eventually required nine, but I arrived at my new home in one piece.
To celebrate, I opened a bottle of sparkling rosé wine only to remember (mid explosive pop) that it had been shaken every which way for the duration of the drive. No matter: heaven in a glass.
While I am fortunate to have the means to “uproot and replant,” that shift comes with a price.
Yes, after nearly 37 years in Santa Barbara County, first in the city of Santa Barbara and, since 2005, as a resident of both the Lompoc and Santa Ynez valleys, I have moved “upstate” to be closer to family members who reside in Sacramento, the Sierra Foothills and Humboldt County.
I’ve traded oak trees and rolling hills for tall trees, among them spruce, fir and pine, and cool mountain air.
Looking back to 2005, when I begged my then-newspaper editor (Tom Bolton) to pretty please let me write “Wine Country,” a column about the Santa Barbara County wine industry, I now confess I had not a clue about the process of growing grapes and making wine.
However, I dived headfirst into wine studies and can honestly say writing about wine changed the trajectory of my life.
Today, more than two decades later, I am proud to be among the journalists whose stories detail how Santa Barbara County’s wine industry has morphed into the big leagues and attracts wine tourists from around the world.
Besides sharing insight about this region’s winemakers and vineyards, I have “lived” wine, having also worked for nearly 13 years in what we call direct to consumer (DTC) sales at tasting rooms.
While I will still write about Santa Barbara County for Noozhawk, in order to feed my wine habit, I’m hunting for work in wine sales or marketing in my new ’hood.
Special thanks to all the winemakers who shared stories with me about crafting, selling and sharing wine — I’ve still got your numbers, and you’ve got mine. Wine brings people together, so let’s not be strangers. Cheers!