Remember photo albums? You know, actual printed photos put in a book that you can flip through?
With the onset of digital everything, physical ANYTHING is hard to come by. On the one hand, I think it’s better on the environment as well as space planning for your home. After all, who needs more clutter?
But the issue I have at my age is that there is a whole 20+ years of my life that’s sitting in boxes and boxes of photos and nestled in photo albums in my home library. Most of my “pre-baby” traveling with hubster is documented in photo albums and slides. Slides? Most of my honeymoon is in boxes of slides! Who is going to look at slides in the era of Instagram?
SO one of my favorite things to do on a Sunday lately is sit in my chair in the library with a cup of coffee and flip through a photo album or weed through a photo box. I pick one or two to scan for TBT on Facebook, and enjoy reminiscing about loved ones and adventures. I lament youth and wish I was as skinny as I was years ago when I thought I was fat (what was my problem!?) and count my blessings. It’s becoming a nice tradition.
Today I ran across photos of a trip to Napa Valley in California. Friends we were traveling with were very tied to the wine industry and scored some great lodging and exclusive tours. One of those trips involved a picnic day on Mt. Veeder. I looked through some stunning photos of the Mt. Veeder Winery. As its name describes, the vineyard is on a mountain. The grapes lined the sides of the precarious slopes and I remember wondering how they harvested the grapes during the crush without falling. The mountain had various micro climates and very fertile soil giving the wine an amazing, complex and unique nature. We ate a picnic lunch in the late summer sun under a giant oak tree and walked around the vines. The winery was small and only made a small amount of cases each year. It was a magical day. Of course we bought a few bottles to bring home. And when we get a chance to buy it now and sip that luscious wine, we get transported to the place where it comes from. I envision the grape vines lining the slopes as clouds hug the sides. I remember the hot sun towards the top, and the cool air as we walked down. That mountain is where it all started. And we had a chance to experience it, just like the grapes.
The best things have deep and magical beginnings that form and shape what they are. How ironic that today I was tasting a Starbucks single origin coffee from Mt. Ramelau. It’s one of the highest peaks in East Timor-a far away place in the Asia-Pacific. As most coffees from this area are rich and full bodied, the temperate conditions and rich soil on and around this mountain create a mild and smooth yet spicy flavor profile.
Mountains are magical things-whether it’s wine or coffee. Their unique one-of-a-kind place makes for one-of-a-kind taste experiences. Treasure those experiences. There are so few of them. And if you need to pull out an old, frayed photo album to help relive those experiences, so be it! Photo albums are like some nice clothes-they want to be taken out once in a while.
Please note: Starbucks Timor Mt. Ramelau and the fabulous pour over contraption with filters was provided by Starbucks. All thoughts, opinions and obsessions about Starbucks coffee are completely my own. Thanks! #starbucks #MtRamelau @starbucks #singleorigins
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