To talk about the photo or about photography? Hmpf...well, since blog is dead, I'll talk about both.

First off, this picture was taken because we have to hand riddle a batch, which doesn't happen often. Brad and I spent the latter part of Wednesday putting in the bottles at just the right angle. My appreciation for hand riddlers grew so much deeper. Time to slow down, use your hands.

I'm a purist, traditionalist and romantic–so doing things by hand, using traditional methods is just about the sexiest thing. Needless to say, though, this process puts in a lot more man hours and delays the batch a few weeks, I secretly loved being able to do it. And then to give tours showing them exact what goes into riddling was pretty exciting.

My admiration goes out to all those hand riddlers. And perhaps why I love small wineries and natural made wines for it's the labor of love and not profit, an idea of how things should be and sticking to it no matter what. Seriously, when you are scoffing at spending $20 plus dollars on a bottle of wine, talk to me, I'll convince you why you should and why you should offer twice that.

Second subject: photography. Like love, it drives me crazy. Constantly doubting myself, constantly not feeling good enough but wanting more and to be better and feeling stuck but not giving up.

People say it's not about the technical aspect but the eye. Well, I got the eye, but the other stuff. Ugh, you can only teach yourself so much. Sometimes I just want to throw in the towel, I give up. Every single picture I take, I am unhappy with. Then part of me want to dive in, let's go, keep on learning. Chase it, like those wine makers who hand riddle each bottle.

I yearn to learn more and I feel I have reached this point where I desperately need collaboration. You can only go so far yourself. Which brings me to that good African proverb everyone on the El Camino de Santiago quotes:

"If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together."