The There There Letter: Merlot, Memory, and Mysteries
Three things from DAH.
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. I pen, promote, and make change (not the coin kind).
First up this week, Merlot …
Poor old Merlot. It seldom gets any respect these days. I worked at a winery that was expanding its Merlot production just as a huge boom in that varietal's popularity hit in the early 1990s. I did some quick math and realized that we could make more money selling our new wine in bulk instead of in bottle. We sold most of it to big wineries desperate for the volume, to maintain their grocery-shelf share of business. Merlot production and sales grew too quickly. That red varietal was suddenly popular and available everywhere, and not always of the best quality. Paul Giamatti's character slammed Merlot hard in the movie "Sideways" (2004). Merlot staggered, and never quite caught wine drinkers' imaginations the same way again. That means there are some great bargains on some very nice Merlot wines. I quite like Columbia Valley (Washington State) Merlots. Those from Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, and 14 Hands (those three brands are all part of the same company) are usually very, very affordable and widely available in California, where I live. I prefer smaller-producer wines with a definite sense of place. But I wouldn't say "no" to a nice glass of Merlot.
A long read about the rise and fall of California Merlot
Second up this week, Memory …
I've written about memory before. Or, rather, I remember writing about memory. I think. Or memories? Anyway, I came across this quote: "So a single image can split open the hard seed of the past ..." (Mary Karr, "The Art of Memoir"). I like that notion: splitting the seed so that memories can burst forth like a flowering weed in the spring. I did as I usually do: I made an internet search for "seed of memory" thinking I'd find an inviting rabbit hole to plunge down. But I didn't. What I did find was many, many, many links to the album and song "Seed of Memory," produced in 1976 by Terry Reid. 1976! The year of Starland Vocal Band (Afternoon Delight) … why can I remember that silly song so vividly (sky rockets in flight, afternoon delight), and have no awareness at all of Terry Reid? "The thought of lovin' you is getting so exciting" is more significant in my memory than "brave dreams that are kindled from ashes." My memories are shallow, indeed.
Terry Reid - Seed of Memory Lyrics
Third up this week, Mysteries …
I'm an inveterate reader of mystery novels. Not thrillers, not spy stories, and nothing Gothic. I love mysteries from the Golden Age (1930s, mostly). I love how many of the writers break the fourth wall for a wink or giggle with the reader. And I love the more modern writers who continue with that semi-cozy genre (if the story is too cozy I get impatient). A few favorites (not really Golden Age): Dolly and the Singing Bird by Dorothy Dunnett; Murder, Maestro, Please by Delano Ames; The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin; Double Negative by David Carkeet. I'll even take a dip into the noir of Raymond Chandler. Christine and I are reading Louise Penny's Gamache novels aloud together (thank you, Beth!). And I'm ready to begin a Fred Vargas novel: Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand (thank you, Susana!). There's always a mystery for me before bed-time.
5 Benefits of Reading and Watching Mysteries
(I love the Amerikanki about-us statement: "A Women's Guide to Living an Awesome Life!")
And a bit more, the initial lyrics to "Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band (I have no shame … nor did they … check out the official video):
Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight
Gonna grab some afternoon delight
My motto's always been 'when it's right, it's right'
Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night?
When everything's a little clearer in the light of day
And we know the night is always gonna be there anyway
Thinkin' of you's workin' up my appetite
Looking forward to a little afternoon delight
Rubbin' sticks and stones together makes the sparks ignite
And the thought of lovin' you is gettin' so exciting
Sky rockets in flight
Afternoon delight!
And that, blessedly, is all for this week Happy New Year!
From Mary Oliver's poem "Sometimes" …
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. I pen, promote, and make change (not the coin kind).
First up this week, Merlot …
Poor old Merlot. It seldom gets any respect these days. I worked at a winery that was expanding its Merlot production just as a huge boom in that varietal's popularity hit in the early 1990s. I did some quick math and realized that we could make more money selling our new wine in bulk instead of in bottle. We sold most of it to big wineries desperate for the volume, to maintain their grocery-shelf share of business. Merlot production and sales grew too quickly. That red varietal was suddenly popular and available everywhere, and not always of the best quality. Paul Giamatti's character slammed Merlot hard in the movie "Sideways" (2004). Merlot staggered, and never quite caught wine drinkers' imaginations the same way again. That means there are some great bargains on some very nice Merlot wines. I quite like Columbia Valley (Washington State) Merlots. Those from Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, and 14 Hands (those three brands are all part of the same company) are usually very, very affordable and widely available in California, where I live. I prefer smaller-producer wines with a definite sense of place. But I wouldn't say "no" to a nice glass of Merlot.
A long read about the rise and fall of California Merlot
Second up this week, Memory …
I've written about memory before. Or, rather, I remember writing about memory. I think. Or memories? Anyway, I came across this quote: "So a single image can split open the hard seed of the past ..." (Mary Karr, "The Art of Memoir"). I like that notion: splitting the seed so that memories can burst forth like a flowering weed in the spring. I did as I usually do: I made an internet search for "seed of memory" thinking I'd find an inviting rabbit hole to plunge down. But I didn't. What I did find was many, many, many links to the album and song "Seed of Memory," produced in 1976 by Terry Reid. 1976! The year of Starland Vocal Band (Afternoon Delight) … why can I remember that silly song so vividly (sky rockets in flight, afternoon delight), and have no awareness at all of Terry Reid? "The thought of lovin' you is getting so exciting" is more significant in my memory than "brave dreams that are kindled from ashes." My memories are shallow, indeed.
Terry Reid - Seed of Memory Lyrics
Third up this week, Mysteries …
I'm an inveterate reader of mystery novels. Not thrillers, not spy stories, and nothing Gothic. I love mysteries from the Golden Age (1930s, mostly). I love how many of the writers break the fourth wall for a wink or giggle with the reader. And I love the more modern writers who continue with that semi-cozy genre (if the story is too cozy I get impatient). A few favorites (not really Golden Age): Dolly and the Singing Bird by Dorothy Dunnett; Murder, Maestro, Please by Delano Ames; The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin; Double Negative by David Carkeet. I'll even take a dip into the noir of Raymond Chandler. Christine and I are reading Louise Penny's Gamache novels aloud together (thank you, Beth!). And I'm ready to begin a Fred Vargas novel: Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand (thank you, Susana!). There's always a mystery for me before bed-time.
5 Benefits of Reading and Watching Mysteries
(I love the Amerikanki about-us statement: "A Women's Guide to Living an Awesome Life!")
And a bit more, the initial lyrics to "Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band (I have no shame … nor did they … check out the official video):
Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight
Gonna grab some afternoon delight
My motto's always been 'when it's right, it's right'
Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night?
When everything's a little clearer in the light of day
And we know the night is always gonna be there anyway
Thinkin' of you's workin' up my appetite
Looking forward to a little afternoon delight
Rubbin' sticks and stones together makes the sparks ignite
And the thought of lovin' you is gettin' so exciting
Sky rockets in flight
Afternoon delight!
And that, blessedly, is all for this week Happy New Year!
From Mary Oliver's poem "Sometimes" …
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
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