the ZuppeQueen Chronicles

It was reported in a recent Visa Card study that polled 500 Baby Boomers (ages 43 to 61) and 500 Echo Boomers (ages 18 to 28), two groups key to consumer spending trends.Some 79 percent of Baby Boomers and 74 percent of Echo Boomers believe “our society will one day operate without cash and checks and will conduct all payment transactions electronically.”

But that’s about all they agreed on. Here’s what the study also found:

• Baby Boomers think Echo Boomers are self-absorbed losers. The study found just 25 percent of Baby Boomers would describe the Echo Boomers as an admirable generation. And 68 percent of Baby Boomers believe Echo Boomers and too self-centered.
• Given that, Echo Boomers may want to rethink their position. By contrast, some 68 percent of Echo Boomers said they admire Baby Boomers — or did before reading the survey results.
• They should settle this over a nice dinner — paid for with Visa, of course. Among Echo Boomers, 45 percent cited dining out at restaurants as their second largest expense, after housing. Among Baby Boomers, it was cited as the third largest expense, after housing. Oh, and medical/dental.

The Fredericksburg Texas Rotary Club helps sponsor the Last Chance Forever - Bird of Prey Conservancy operated out of San Antonio Texas.  A few days back, the ZuppeKing and ZuppeQueen were graciously asked to attend an outstanding educational program presented to local third grade children as Rotarian Sponsors.

Founded in 1978 by Master Falconer and Veterinary Technician John Karger, Last Chance Forever is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned birds of prey, scientific investigation, and also just as importantly, the education of the public. Each year the project receives between 150-300 birds into the facility for care. Averages of 65-80% of all cases are successfully returned to nature. Birds which are deemed non-releasable and are not suffering when possible are held to be placed in propagation projects, natural science centers for educational purposes, or humane research projects.

In addition to properly caring for the birds, Last Chance Forever has designed an educational program for presentation to children, civic organizations and interested individuals. This program is seen by over 500,000 people annually throughout the United States. It promotes a common sense attitude towards the interaction of mankind and our environment. Through this program, we also hope to encourage a change in attitudes concerning birds of prey such as hawks, owls, falcons, vultures and eagles.

In all, 8 species of raptors were shown to the group of 150 people.  Each bird was shown for its diversity and its contributions to the well being of mankind were explained.  It was quite sobering to learn how these birds are simply struggling to survive along with man.

Last Chance Forever
P.O. Box 460993
San Antonio, TX 78246-0993

To Contact By Phone: (210) 499-4080
To Contact By Fax: (210) 499-4305
To Contact By Email: raptor@ddc.net

Somehow somewhere in life I got the idea that producing and bottling wine was a long drawn out complicated process.  I don’t know where that idea came from.  Perhaps it was because in the days before the internet… “The information dark ages” access to knowledge was a little hard to come by.  Unless you lived in a major city the local library had maybe one or two books, if any books at all, on what ever subject in which had one’s interest at the time.

Take wine making for instance.  The ZuppeKing lived on the high plains of Texas as a boy.  It was remote, it was isolated, it was the Bible belt, and so a book on winemaking would have been difficult to find listed much less resident in the local library.  Today, well the sky’s the limit.  In just a few seconds one can have hundreds of listings for any subject imaginable. That’s why I call the pre-internet era the information dark ages.

Ok, now to my point, Winemaking.  It turns out that winemaking is really not difficult at all.  It’s arduous to be sure but not difficult.  Who would have thought?  So discovering the winemaking process by reading the internet is one thing but to experience winemaking first hand is another, more rich, experience.

Fredericksburg Texas sits at the top of the Pedernales River Valley which is the center of the Texas wine making industry.  So, here in Fredericksburg there are 10 or so wineries literally with in a few minutes drive from home.

One of those wineries, the Woodrose Winery http://www.woodrosewinery.com/ is one of the more progressive wineries in terms of the Texas wine country visitor.  Maybe customer friendly is a better term.  Lucrecia Klafka who runs the tasting room is friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful to everyone who enters.  She does a great job of making the customer feel appreciated.   Woodrose Winery is a place that any interested person can learn about the complete wine making process from planting and growing grapes to bottling the finished product.

For some reason there is an air of snobbery at some wineries.  Certainly learning to enjoy the complexities of different wines takes time and experience but it is not rocket science by any stretch of the imagination.  So I find it strange that some wineries seem to take joy at intimidating new wine tasters.  That is not a problem at Woodrose Winery.

A few weekends ago the ZuppeQueen and I plus two good friends who own A Place In Time B&B http://www.aplaceintimebandb.com/ visited the Woodrose Winery on bottling day. It is a fascinating process bottling wine.  First you visit the tasting room and sample the wares out on the deck while making “smores” over the firepits.  The ZuppeQueen reccommends the Three Dog White with smores.  Then you walk the 100 yards out to the bottling area get to work.  No real experience required because the process is quite automated… empty bottles and corks and labels in and filled wine bottles out.  It’s simple, fun, and educational.  And, it makes you dream of owning your own winery (mine [dream] is in northern Italy though I am not sure why?).