Burgonogne -- Boeuf et Vin

The Cork Poppers are back for the fall tasting -- and this time the theme was the wines of Burgundy. The venue was my house. It's a good thing I retired, because I had plenty of cleaning and purging to do before I could allow people entry! (In fact, there are still some off-limits rooms.) But I got it looking reasonably respectable.

And somehow, I managed to fit two tables into the very tiny family/dining room so eleven of us could sit down for dinner.

But that's later. First comes the wine!

Dick, our wine guide, brought eight wines from Burgundy and the area going from Chablis to Lyon. The price range for these ran form $8.50 to $30. We started with one of the four whites,  Chateau de Le Greffiere, Mason La Roche Vineuse 2011. It has a short cellaring period -- about two years from the vintage year, so in this case, drink by 2013 or else! The price by $18.

It was a nice start, clean and crisp. "It's the best one there is!" exclaimed Barb, adding "I already have a buzz in my cheek." To which Roger replied, "Better eat some cheese quick!"

Our cheese and bread platters by Pat and Meredith are one of the finest parts of each Cork Poppers gathering! (Meredith made that very cute pumpkin filled with flowers on the table!)

That was followed by Macon-Villages Chardonnay 2012, by Louis Jadot, the negotiant. (The negotiant doesn't necessarily grow the grapes but instead collects the juice and/or grapes, makes and bottles the wine and markets it.) This was an unoaked chardonnay from the Maconnaise region of Macon in Burgundy.

Several of us preferred this one -- when we learned it was $16, I think more of us preferred it! (Again, a short shelf life -- this has to do with the lack of acid in the wine. Reds have a longer cellaring potential.)

I loved the third -- it was Domaine Servin Chablis 2011, Les Pargues.  In fact, I think most all of us did, although some felt it had a slightly metallic smell. I didn't find that. I thought it spicy, peppery, very crisp, deliciious and had a nice long finish. Alas. It was $23. "That's a shame," someone said. It was simply delicious and later when comparing, most agreed it was a favorite of the whites.

That was followed by Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fusse 2011. "It'll tickle your tongue!" Rick said, though he agreed he liked the chablis better. Aged six months in French oak, Cheryl thought it tasted like urine and was ready to put in the slop bucket (but she ended up giving it to Roger instead.). Clayton said "the longer it sits in your glass, the better it tastes. In the end, at $28, I don't think any of us will be buying it.

Then it was on to the reds with a popular and easy-to-come-by wine, Beaujolais-Villages 2010 by Georges Duboeuf, clearly the winner of the pretty label contest and the best price ($8.50). This uses the gamay grape and was initially peppery. I wrote "It's OK. It's no bordeaux, but it's OK." Someone else called it "really lame."

 

Then we had another that was also gamay grape, Beaujolais-Villages 2010 by Louis Latour. Same grape, same region, same year. No comparison. Dick said "there's more going on here with flavor and texture," and Mike agreed it had "more depth." It was also more expensive -- $14.

Laforet Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2011 from Joseph Drouhin was a stelvin (screw cap). It had fine tanins and I wrote "It tastes really good but wimpy." Mike agreed -- it felt a little watery. On the other hand, he also said "I hope it's cheap, because I would buy and cellar it," knowing that it would be one that would improve with age. Rick also liked it better than the other two. But at $18, I didn't think it was worth it.

Dick saved the best for last -- Chorey-Les-Beaune 2009 by Joseph Drouhin. This was 100 percent Pinot Noir aged in new French oak barrels for 12-15 months. The newer the oak, the better (more) flavor as none of the flavors from earlier vintages are absorbed. We all agreed it had much more depth and Clayton gave it the official stamp of approval when he said, "You could have a couple of bottles of this while barbecueing.

And the price for this divine wine? $28. Sigh...

One of the points we discussed today was that the price for wines from France had increased. According to the wine guy where Dick gets what he brings to the group, they aren't buying nearly as much French as they used to because of the price increases. Pity. (See the end of the post for our French dinner wine -- a bargain and yum!)

Tasting wine, then time to dine! Our dinner began with Anne's amazing salad.

The Rick dished out the Boeuf Bourguignon -- Julia's recipe. (Here is a close adaptation with photos -- the original I used was in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Julia says one can make it the day before and it's even better. So, that's what I did -- it took about six hours (I was making a double batch) but it was worth every second!

Everyone seemed pretty happy eating it! It was accompanied by a Madoc from Trader Joe's, Chateau Amour. At $7.99 it was the bargain of the day!

Barb's cream puffs wrapped up the feast. I wish I'd taken a photo because they were gorgeous! With whipped cream and chocolate squiggles on the white plate, they could have been served in the finest French bistro.

Our party favors were hand-made bookmarks. It is, after all, reading season!

Centerpieces relied on things at hand -- round baskets, leaves from several varieties of coleus, hydrangeas, seedum blooms, a selection of my home-grown gourds and of course, wine corks!

As always, a day with Cork Poppers is filled with laughter, friendship and delicious flavors. If you are fond of wine, you may want to check out a few of these (especially the Chablis and the Chorey-Lea-Beaune -- if you have the budget for it!

ArtPrize -- Some of the Others

Now, listen up! I'm going to share with you a bit more about ArtPrize!

 

I wanted to wait until they had announced the Top 10 and winners before posting more images on ArtPrize here. But first, let me say Greg landed in the Top 50 (we don't know where -- could be 26, could be something else). We're tremendously proud and thank you for all your support.

I didn't see as much as I would like to but here are some of the items that caught my eye in the building where Greg's work was located.I will say not all of these are my favorites, but I'm sharing because of their diversity. (Apologies to those I've photographed but did not have names for.)

This was a very well done painting that to me had a Norman Rockwell feel about it. I couldn't get far-enough back to get the whole thing, but as you can see, the train is being stopped...

...by a goat!

Next to it was one of my favorites -- a beautiful hanging fabric flower by Jill King.

The way it captured light was dazzling.

Speaking of fabric, this Christmas quilt by Mary Buvia caught my fancy. I love that ArtPrize offers art in all media, including fabric. This was huge.

Here's a detail shot.

And the back was as lovely as the front.

This one was right by Greg's exhibit. Taking Flight also made it into the Top 10 (It ended as #9). It was lovely and ethereal, but I think I was less impressed with it than many others.

This one made it into the top 10 (Ended up #8) and is by Fraser Smith -- it is a quilt carved in wood. I admired not only the carving but the painting was exquisite, catching the drapes and folds of the fabric beautifully.

Here's a detail shot.

(To hear what the judges had to say about this and the angel above, listen HERE. It's long but for those of you who are professional artists, it's an interesting discourse by some of the country's well-known art critics.

Small items in ArtPrize never score well with the crowds. They look for the "big" and the "showy." Too bad -- this crystal arrangement was elegant.

This was one of my favorites -- beautiful glass flowers by Jason Gamrath, all a good eight-feet tall.

These weren't in Greg's venue. But the lighting was fabulous!

I thought this wooden sculpture whimsical...

And I esecially liked the puppet show, which was titled the Cooperfly Puppet Troupe.

Others did, too.

A few comments on ArtPrize -- First, it's a wonderful event that packs the streets of Grand Rapids with people. It's terrific for the city and for the venues. For the artists it is a place to be seen.

But the prize issue is like a lottery. It's a popularity content, pure and simple. Listen to the discourse and you'll get an idea of that. In a way, that isn't surprising. Art is subjective. Your favorites and mine will or may be totally different and that is all right.

But because it is virtually impossible for any one person to see everything unless they live in Grand Rapids and can return often, the votes are based on what one sees -- and so a fair vote is nearly impossible. The only thing too bad about this is that there is so much prize money at stake -- $200,000 for the first-place winner.

The artist who works "small" or is in an untrafficked venue doesn't stand a chance to be seen, much less receive votes.

If I were to organize ArtPrize, there would be categories -- I'm not sure how I'd do it (by media, by size, by venue --  indoor or out?) but it would break things down so the smaller artist had as much a chance as the bigger one did. Grand prizes would be smaller, but there would be more of them.

My friend Judy brought up the idea that it should be Michigan artists only -- keep the prize money in the state -- and that makes some sense. Or at least a Michigan winner and a non-Michigan winner.

But what I DO love is the diversity. I love that I can see that exquisite Santa quilt getting plenty of people's admiration, just as much as I loved the puppet show. I liked the variety of media and the creativity of it all.

In any event, I'm sad I didn't get to see it all!

Learning from the Not-So-Retiring Retirees

So I ran away, seeking time to contemplate a new life and to seek wisdom from those who were already living it.

 

My friend Kate is a perfect example. She came north for our annual art camp, which was extended this year from two days to a week, because after all, we are retirees!

 

Kate's career was that of professional graphic artist, but she is also adept in other art forms -- she's currently working on watercolor but also silver. Her polymer is terrific and she is one mean beader!

 

From Kate I learn to stretch my creative self. To continue mastery, whether it is a new medium or new subject matter.

 

And to savor joy. Exercise an inquisitive mind. And find discipline in other areas as well, not the least of which is moving about.

 

I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with Keith and Carol Adler. Keith was one of my advisors for my public relations graduate program and I'm pleased to count him as a friend. I didn't really know Carol before but now I wish I could hang out with her all the time!

 

Carol retired first, as an elementary school pricipal, followed several years later by Keith. They retired up north near Traverse City, Michigan, expanding their cottage into a permanent home on a bluff overlooking a lake with a window filled with trees just beginning to change color.

 

From Keith and Carol I learned the joy of sharing a retired life with someone. While it will be time before I do that, it is nonetheless an aspiration. And I also learned something else -- the joy of rediscovering a part of yourself that had little time to develop as you'd like.

Carol served an astounding lunch -- French onion soup, broccoli quiche, a lovely salad, fabulous muffins and cookies by Keith, who also made the baguette in the soup. Carol says that in retirement they've started cooking again, experimenting, taking time to make wonderful things. It is a new joy, one that didn't have time to blossom as they'd like before. I can relate to that.

 

I left Carol and Keith to visit Julie, who retired from our museum.

 

Like the Adlers, Julie and her husband moved north to the village of Empire on Lake Michigan's sand dunes. Their home came complete with three cats. This is George.

 

Julie explained that she now has the time to stretch her creativity.. She makes amazing "Spirit Dolls" which dazzled me with their beauty. She can take the time to read a book on the porch on a nice afternoon. Or, just sit there and enjoy the antics of George and his fellow felines.(And I have to say, I was ready to take George home with me and let Lizzie cope as she might! He was fabulous!)

 

Julie and I went into Empire, where we enjoyed a fun antique and gift store. She was a curator and has curated her house. She chooses wisely, things of beauty or charm. Another worthy lesson.

 

While I was north I visited Virginia. Virginia retired from WKAR about 10 years ago, maybe more. She, too, moved to Northern Michigan, near Petoskey. In the past I learned lots of creative skills from Virginia -- knitting tricks and needlepoint. On this day, this 80-year-old survivor said her words of advice would be to volunteer or take a class. Find new people to enjoy and learn from. Wise words, I think.

 

Fran is the last surviving "Lady of the Lake" and I've written about her before. She was my mother's best childhood friend and they remained friends until the day my mom died. Now 96, she is lively and active, and she credits much of her longevity in retirement to her activity. (That's Fran on the right and my mom on the left.)

 

She also cherishes the past. Spending time with Fran is like spending time with my mom, time I haven't had for more than 35 years. She says to remember the stories, share them, and admits she should write them down.

 

We watched old movies of the lake taken in the '20s -- my mom and my aunt Grace had a brief appearance. Fran is logging those old videos so she knows who is where.

 

Fran also says that many of her friends have long passed -- she is an advocate for enjoying people of all ages. There is an advantage to younger friends!

 

I met with my last retiree, Diane, when I returned home. She retired over the winter and is just getting the hang of it. Diane advised not overscheduling yourself. She tries to have one thing a day on her calendar -- lunch with a friend, a volunteer stint, an appointment. One can always add more, she says, but this way you can enjoy it and work with it.

 

All of these people are wonderful examples of people who are making the most of this time of life. I'm privileged to know them and hope to incorporate some of what I've learned from them to make the most out of my time as well.

My commitment is to savor connections, old friends and new...

 

...Observe the beauty all around me, even in the small things...

 

...Learn new skills and finally make time to do things I didn't seem to have enough time to do before.

 

To discover beauty in all things, from the lace of a curtain...

 

...to the ending days of summer.

 

And to look ahead, with optimism and expectation.

 

This is a new time. And I am jumping in with both feet!

 

(Postscript, September 2021 -- When I wrote this post in 2013, I had no idea how many of these wonderful people's lessons would stay with me, long after they had passed on. I will always cherish the memories of Keith, Fran and Virginia -- their friendship and their wise words.)