My parents bought their property in ’73 and began building out here. They planted a peach orchard and we had chickens, goats, and a garden. Mom and Dad kept ledgers of their activity and the weather. I dug some up and thought I’d share with you some of their entries.
Here’s what it looked like in ’73. (Ignore the time-stamp. Back in those days, that was the date it was developed, not created.)
Teresa. Horse Heaven Hills in the background.
My brother Ben in 73. He thought we bought the whole mountain. He’s standing right about where Kiona’s Heart of the Hill Vineyard is — just south of Antinori Road, I think.
In 1981 I was 11.
My little brother Adam and I admiring the new babies. Also, how cute was my little brother???!!!
We planted a huge garden that spring and my goats had kids — one nanny had triplets and the other had twins.
Garden:
- corn
- bush beans
- broccoli
- cucumbers
- squash
- beets
- tomatoes
- carrots
- onions
The family made “peach estimates” in the spring, traditionally after mid-May. We had an Aurora Borealis on April 12th, I remember it clearly, north of here. The cold of that event and the timing — after the orchard had blossomed — put the peach crop at risk.
Mom: 300-500 lbs
Dad: 2000-4000 lbs
Ben: 3000 lbs.
I must’ve taken the moral high road and not wagered, as there’s no mention of my estimate in there. More likely I was out riding my horse when they made their estimates.
Our little orchard, with Rattlesnake in the background.
My grandmother, little brother Adam, my horse Spunky, and me. That is Red Mountain in the background. Directly behind that house is where Col Solare is now.
In the end Mom’s estimate was right. It was a bad spring for peaches.
Great-grandpa’s cowboy hat, some hand-me-down overalls, beat up sneaks, and my saintly mare. In the background you can see a little home — that’s the location of Ambassador Vineyards now. The little pine trees along the road are about 30′ tall now.
But it is always a good spring for riding.
