First Freeze!!!!! Oct 19, 2011

Happens every Autumn: the growing season must reach its inevitable conclusion.

I am in St Louis right now but am told that Columbia, Missouri will hit freezing temps between 1AM and 9 AM.

Brief update. Lots going on in other areas of life, but all of the vines for this endeavor are prepared for the winter. Will be setting up endposts in the next two weeks - a warming trend is coming in these next few days after the frost.

Testing new iPod app to blog with

Trying a new thing here.

Man from Chicago sets sail for a different pasture - Columbia, Missouri

I moved from Southeast Logan Square last week. Actually I will be moving my headquarters to Missouri for the next few years. I am not there yet, but I will be in Missouri by the beginning of August 2011. Hopefully I will have my vines in the ground some time soon after.  It is funny, since I am not intending to harvest, crush, press, or ferment with any of my own grapes yet, I am still finding myself worried about getting the young vines in the ground and nearly established before the autumn weather arrives.  And it is only July 9th!!!!!  I worry too much about this.  It's crazy.

Where the dream of growing grapes grew.  Birthed in St. Louis, Missouri.
Developed the idea while living in Chicago, Illinois.

The bridge to the south.  Southeast Logan Square (Chicago, Illinois)

I spent 8 1/2 years in this apartment.  I lived for one year prior in the western suburb of La Grange Park, Illinois before moving to Southeast Logan Square.  Chicago was a fun place to live during this era.  I was involved in many great endeavors and look forward to furthering some of them and starting others as well.
The neighbor to the east of Illinois, the lovely state of Michigan, is now being referred to as the 'Napa Valley of the Midwest'.  To leave is very difficult, as I am only getting started.  But I depart from this region for good reasons.

Can a city boy make a go at this?  Will he spend 2 million to make a million?  Will he be able to fight off the pesky Japanese Beetle?  Is it possible to stop and change the course of one's career (in the mid-30's) and pull off a miracle? Find out......in 12 years!!!  Stay tuned to this channel (it may change because Google recently indicated they won't be involved with Blogger much longer) and also to the Conejo Loco Vineyards Tumblr website for further exciting and mundane news, media, updates, and otherwise poorly written English expression (most often manifest as a run-on sentence).

Now I better log off and begin learning about how the Germans settled in Missouri and quickly began setting up their vineyards in the 19th Century.

Remember, friends, the first occasion to buy wine will probably be around October 2018 (the 2017 vintage). It will undoubtedly be a small batch, but I expect it will amount to more than just 5 gallons of wine.  It's coming along.  Inertia.  Movement.  Things are rolling along.

Now if anyone wants to donate one acre of sloping land that is southern-facing, please contact me at the e-mail address listed on this blog.  I promise that we could come to agree to a case of wine a year or something on that order/or anything manageable, for the exchange.  Two adults can figure out an arrangement, undoubtedly, I am sure.

Until you can buy wine from me, I recommend the following places to consider:

Sleepy Creek Vineyards (Fairmount, Illinois)
One Acre Wine (Napa Valley, California)  
Domaine Berrien Cellars and Winery (Berrien Springs, MI)
Emeritus Vineyards (Sebastopol, California)

It takes a family to raise Robin chicks

Short on sleep, this is what I have to post for tonight.  This shot, which was a gift from the avian creature, was taken a few days ago - probably Wed May 11, 2011.  I thought there was only the mama hanging around and running the show, but she does have help from another bird.  I am assuming it is a male of the species.  Pretty cool.  They bark quite loud when myself and my roommate, and building mates walk out the door.  They only fly 10 feet away, but they definitely don't feel safe with a walking human nearby.  They abandon shop immediately and then proceed to screech at us in their own birdspeak.

Also, do yourself a favor and watch the documentary 'Merlove', if you are American.  It'll provide a little needed corrective to the lens that pop culture has thrust upon us.  The Europeans seem to be immune to the malady discussed in the documentary.  As well, there seems to be a movie coming out called 'Que Syrah Shiraz'.  I'll try to track some more info down on this one. 



-    Out!!!

Das Wetter

The Chicagoland area had a little thunderstorm roll on through today.  Some areas received upwards of 4 inches of rain!  Yowsers! 

(See for yourself) 

I really like that website.  But seriously, as Phil Collins was fond of saying, the gardens needed the rain.  Even my transplant strawberries were getting affected.  In their first few weeks in the new location that I have them in, it is clear that they communicate with droopiness when things aren't right.  Despite a very wet April, this past week with the warmer temperatures has really dried some of the areas out.

Paying attention to Tom Skilling's Twitter feed was pretty cool today.  He is a modern marvel with his interest in weather.  The man gets excited about the weather, Cantore is pretty awesome as well.

Breaking temperature records in Chicago...

(The legendary Dandelions of Grayslake, Illinois - Sunday May 8, 2011. Had to lie down on the grass(er, Dandelions) to take this photo of the Dandelions)

This is going to be a bit of a housekeeping entry.

- Bird thought to be injured
- Moon over Chicagoland
- Nest came after the bird
- Video of possibly eery night sky
- Dandelions
- Temperatures in Chicagoland

(I was catching up with the neighbor downstairs the other week and there was this Robin sitting on my front porch. To my eye, the bird looked like it was staring down the last few hours of its life. Why I interrupted the event as such, I have no explanation. Anyway, press the right-facing triangle and notice the bird's nest atop one of the pillars of my front porch. I think it is safe to assume that mama bird's water was about to break. Anyway, every time we come home or leave the apartment, we are greeting with a fleeing bird. She essentially flees the nest because we seem a potential harm to her egg. The bird, despite being with egg, really worked quickly to get that nest put together, and it is amazing engineering. Czech the photo below to bear witness. I haven't heard the sounds of a little baby chick just as yet. Photo taken Thursday April 7 2011.)

And, the bird nest:

(I just took this photo on Wed May 11, 2011. Just as I opened the exterior door to the apartment, the mama Robin immediately flew out of the nest and started chirping at me from a tree branch only 10 feet away. Very cute how dedicated she is. But the photo showcases her craftsmanship on that nest. Wow! The bird has a skill set if I have ever seen one. Just needs a resume and a cover letter.)

Greetings. I realized today, don't know why I would forget this, that I actually have 6 viable grape vines growing in Southeast Logan Square Chicago, Illinois. The varietals are, once again:

-  Mars Seedless
-  Syrah (not supposed to be growing here with temperatures like we get in the winter)
-  Cabernet Sauvignon (not supposed to be growing here either)

Two of these varietals I bought by listening to my heart and not my head (Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon). The Mars Seedless I bought at Lowe's Hardware because it was already a developed vine, unbeknownst to me that it was an inter-specific hybrid brought about in 1986 by the lovely folks at the University of Arkansas (Ar-Kansas as the folk musicians say).

And about that moon...

(Photo taken April 17, 2011 Grayslake, Illinois)

(Photo taken April 17, 2011 Grayslake, Illinois)

Today Tuesday May 10, 2011 in Chicago, the temperatures reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit at O'Hare International airport. Talk about craziness, but it was a lovely day. I even gave some of the plants outside a little drink from the garden hose. This temperature apparently broke a record for April 17, which has not been breached since 1896. Big deal, for sure.

(Mas Dandelions! Sunday May 8, 2011 Grayslake, Illinois)

(Many, many, many Dandelions in Grayslake Illinois Sunday May 8 2011)

As I sign off right now at this ripe hour of dawn, the current temperature is 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The world is alive here in Southeast Logan Square. Birds even like it here at the apartment. The next blogulation is going to involve the most recent photos of the vines on-site here at this urban appellation.

At the Southeast Logan Square appellation.....updates on vines.

I am back at the apartment and the past day's temperatures, while raining alot, reminded me of the negative 12 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures from a few months back in Glen Ellyn (vines that I need to visit and see how the buds are), it was the contrast in temperatures that struck me most. I think I have really great news for the vines here in Southeast Logan Square, though, to report.

I recently transplanted beer hops (called Humulus Lupulus Mysterialis - varietal unkown) at the Grayslake vine and hops nursery (the hops were inherited from a brother-in-law who recently moved to another part of the world with my sister - the renters aren't gardeners). Loads of rains and just worried the temps would be too cold. Actually, the temps climbed all night long. Very interesting.

Also, Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, California recently updated their blog to report how the vineyards are recovering from frost damage to the early buds. Their blog is top notch and also a very intelligently and well-written piece, full of wonderful detail about the operations out there on the Left Coast.

I have been a bit worried because my vines here have not been indicating too much growth, but, it is the Third Coast, after all. What do I expect, right?! So, with a little reality check in place, I feel comfortable knowing that it is only late April and there are still many warm days coming. Many cold days coming, too. I am particularly interested in seeing if the pruning of the Mars Seedless grape vine hurt the vine or not. Same with the Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grape vines - both of the Vinifera thread. It is true, when I started in this hobby, I planted with my heart: I planted varieties that I like to drink best. This is not always recommended when planting in the Chicagoland area, regardless of whether it is the Grayslake appellation, the Glen Ellyn appellation, or the Southeast Logan Square appellation. And so it is the case that this spring is very important to me on these few levels, including, that I transplanted my Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the Southeast Logan Square soil after starting them from cuttings some 13-14 months ago in flower pots inside my tiny little apartment.

I am very interested in seeing leaves, seeing some breakage of the buds. The Cabernet definitely seem to be pushing through quite nicely. I am a little reserved about any excitement regarding my strong Syrah grape vines. The Syrah vine by the front of the apartment seems to have more protruding buds at the current. Part of me just thinks that I have to trust that the roots will pull through. Then again, winter damage is a reality in this hobby. Time will tell. Hopefully these pictures indicate some good things, or at least predict a very exciting next 2-4 weeks here at the nursery/appellation. Mars Seedless definitely seems the favored vine for breakage next week.

Mars Seedless grape vine

(This image is terrible and has zero sharpness, but it communicates the message. After a rough summer with rat poison and an early March pruning, this vine is looking incredibly healthy. Taken Thurs May 5, 2011)

Syrah grape vines

(This is a snap of Syrah 01-2009 Chicago. It is pulling out of winter AND its 1st pruning!!!! Photo taken Thursday May 5, 2011. Nice feature to have a fingertip in the photo, yeah? That's a new technique they are teaching the kids at schools of Journalism these days. Everything cycles, kind of like fashion.)

(This is Syrah 02-2009 Chicago. This also is pulling through winter AND its 1st pruning!!!! Photo taken Thursday May 5, 2011)

Cabernet Sauvignon grape vines

(Cabernet Sauvignon 01-2010 Chicago. This vine was one of 3 that survived being brought up from cuttings inside my apartment - cut from the same cloth of the original vine in St. Louis Missouri. Started in faux Terra Cotta pots, I eventually planted these in early July, I believe. They survived winter. I may have pruned only a little. Can't recall. Photo taken Thursday May 5, 2011)

(Cabernet Sauvignon 02-2010 Chicago. This vine was one of 3 that survived being brought up from cuttings inside my apartment - cut from the same cloth of the original vine in St. Louis Missouri. Started in faux Terra Cotta pots, I eventually planted these in early July, I believe. They survived winter. I may have pruned only a little. Can't recall. Photo taken Thursday May 5, 2011 - I copied all of the redundant text. Fancy, eh?)

(Cabernet Sauvignon 0e-2010 Chicago. This vine was one of 3 that survived being brought up from cuttings inside my apartment - cut from the same cloth of the original vine in St. Louis Missouri. Started in faux Terra Cotta pots, I eventually planted this in early August, I believe. They survived winter. I may have pruned only a little. Can't recall. Photo taken Thursday May 5, 2011 - I copied all of the redundant text. Super fancy, shuh-uh?)

Willamette Beer Hops

(It's a mad world over at Conejo Loco's Urban Southeast Logan Square Chicagoland Vineyards when I glance at these hops. Could they be any healthier? I even cut out about 9-10 rhizomes to pass along to other rascals and this is still what comes up after a cursory shearing. Godspeed. That is all I can say. Godspeed.)

It has been a bit of a nail biter awaiting the arrival of the broken buds, but I think I can exhale now. Feeling like a success on these Southeast Logan Square urban vines. The only thing that remains, I guess, is a little decorative graffiti along the walls of the apartment or the backyard's wooden fence.