I wouldn't say January is my favorite time in Point Reyes.
Professionally and personally, life is so full in November and December. I almost always come crashing down in January.
Minimal customers shows up at work, the rains start keeping everyone inside. Point Reyes is a quiet, dark, lonely place in the winter.
But, after my trip to France, I was inspired to be out there in the world. To be open. To connect. My little Virgo self, can so easily disappear into my cozy, teeny home and read books.
This first week of January has been a dream and all so impromptu like on the road. Everything was last minute. Wednesday I had lunch with my SF friend and then impromptu happy hour with one friend and impromptu dinner with another.
Then Jordan asked me to go with her to Avi's winery. Avi lives locally and we met years ago and talked and connected about French wine at our local bar and then we didn't talk until years later. He went to France, learned how to make wine and came back and started making natural wine in Point Reyes. We know many of the same people from the natural wine world but hadn't really connected until Jordan brought me to his cellar for some impromptu wine drinking on a cold, rainy day. All this time, someone on the same page as me and doing some cool ass shit was right here. Jordan brought the baby and we sat around drinking and talking in the damp old dairy barn Avi converted into a cellar.
I can't put into words how special it was, it felt like Europe. I think when you get in your day to day existence, you just exist, it's harder to be open and see what's around you. But, right under my nose, in my small town was someone doing rad things.
So, when Hanna texted me that we had a vacation rental for a last minute dinner party. I invited the friends I have meet through natural wine. And friends and family. We all met on this beautiful, secluded property right on Nicasio reservoir. My house is so tiny, I can't entertain, so it was a dream to invite people over who I consider in my tribe. A rainy Sunday night, in a beautiful house in West Marin drinking natural wine with wine people and good friends was a dream!
The dream week came about without making solid plans and being open to everything that came my way. The way of the traveler. Big ups to Jordan for making me connect with Avi and big ups to Hanna and Aaron for offering the vacation rental and Hanna for suggesting we do it.
I hope for more days like this, filled with good food and wine and community and new connections with good people.