Another reminder of summer’s end came last week when I visited Linden Vineyards. One of the benefits of having a show at a vineyard is that I’ve been able to observe the changing seasons through the emergence and growth of one particular crop: grapes. When I opened the show in March, the vines were just sticks, curling and clinging to the wires that hold them in place. I got to see the shoots emerge, the leaves develop, the grains appear and turn into grapes, and through the heat of summer, I’ve watched the grapes ripening into plump bunches. My periodic visits have yielded many photographs in all kinds of light and weather. I drove out to get one last look at the ripening bunches and almost got there too late! Tropical storm Hermine had been threatening to move inland, and wine grower-maker Jim Law was ready to start harvesting the chardonnay grapes to keep them from getting drenched. But the storm moved off, and the weather promised to stay hot and dry, so the grapes were given a few more days to soak up the sun. The biggest lesson I’ve learned from observing the vineyard has been how unpredictable it is to grow grapes for high quality wine. Jim has a lot of experience, and there’s not a day when he isn’t thinking about what he can do to keep the grapes happy. Lucky for those of us who enjoy his wines, his attention and hard work pays off!