Chile's French Connection: The grape that went missing is back ... and delicious

For me, one of the joys of traveling is learning about the cuisine and, of course, the wine produced in different parts of the world. I know it is for Linda and Dave, too. A couple of years ago, they were planning an outstanding trip to Chile, Argentina, and Patagonia.

One of the great wines being produced in Chile today is from the Carménère grape that was well known in France and thought to have been wiped out by disease in the late 1800s. Turns out it was discovered to be thriving in Chile under an assumed name. In anticipation of Linda and Dave's trip, we had to open a bottle. It is a rich, full-bodied and flavorful wine. I love Cabernet Sauvignon so I was delighted the first time I tasted Carménère.

My philosophy is that almost any occasion is an opportunity to open a bottle of wine and enjoy it, which we did as a prelude to Linda and Dave's trip, which I didn't get to go on. (Just sayin'.) ;-D

Anyway, I wanted to share this occasion with you since we've preserved it in a video. After all, YouTube is forever, right. Here's looking at you, kid. We'll always have Carménère.

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Salmon spawning season in Alaska. We visit a site where salmon swim from the ocean.

It's a natural phenomenon that happens every year in Alaska (and elsewhere that have salmon but we're talking Alaska right now). Young salmon make the trip down the river to get to the ocean. When they're about two years old, mature salmon leap themselves up the creeks of salmon country to spawn and die. Then it begins all over again. It's a perilous time for a salmon egg. The sea gulls know and they come up to where the eggs are and try to get some of them. Only a fraction of the eggs that are laid ever make it to become baby salmon and make the trip down the river to the sea. It's a cycle of life for these fish. The spawning part takes place from about mid-July to mid-September, so we're right at the end of the season. So, Linda and I are on a fabulous trip to Alaska that began with an overland trek to the interior of Alaska. You may have seen some of our posts. If not, you should look at them. You'll catch some glimpses of life past and present in ...

One thing I learned in Alaska ...

Upon reflection, some things I learned in Alaska was this is a land where residents still come out to wave to the train, people remind you to watch for the Northern Lights tonight, and less that one million people living in an area 1/5th the size of the lower 48 sounds pretty good sometimes!!

What better place to grow beautiful things than in a garden?

By Linda Foxlow I had not known what to expect when we went to the home of the impressionist painter Claude Monet in Giverny, France in March 2023. I had, of course, seen pictures, and Monet’s beautiful paintings. But the gardens themselves defy description. I’m using this glimpse of a small part of the gardens and the window through which the artist viewed his incredible setting to announce a new endeavor. We travel extensively each year, and there are abundant opportunities to see some of the world’s most beautiful places. Naturally, I try to capture some small part of that as we travel. It was suggested that we ought to share some of those images from time to time, and so that is what we are doing. You can find this images and a few we have posted on Fine Art America . We’ll be adding more later. We hope you like them. We’d love to see your comments below.

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