Cloudline Pinot Noir
Oregon

Producer: Cloudline
Importer: n/a
Year: 2008
Price: $16.99

Kind spirit, you fool no one –
Your richness revealed in your smile.
You appeared on the scene of my shaky misgivings,
Exposing the shadows with friendship.

If ever I admired a soul – Content,
Riding out these damaging waves of change.
Kind spirit, your strength brings me home,
Stirs my heart to a renewed ambition.

— Written ten years before the picture was taken.

O’Reilly’s Pinot Noir
Oregon

Producer: O’Reilly’s
Importer: n/a
Year: 2009
Price: $20.99

Chasing, sniffing, slobbering, snoozing: the typical dog day activities. A routine similar to the discovery and enjoyment of this wine tonight. Exhausted, returning from Fido’s 27th jaunt of the day, you hunt down the appropriate bottle from your ever dwindling stash. A quick whiff of the ruby glass, and your mouth starts to water. The first sip, and your weary bones thank you.

Limbs and paws assume their respective lounge positions on couch and floor. Atop your pedestal, you peer at the wiry bundle of fur and wonder how he has already fallen into a peaceful slumber. For once, the hard wood appears much more inviting than your cushy perch. Glass in hand, you slide down and sidle up, careful not to disturb sleeping (snoring) beauty. Woman and dog have found their place for the evening… at least until the next glass.