La foire aux vins 2013 .......and news from CALLA below

We were given an invitation to the wine fair at the local supermarket by our neighbor, Anne, who was going to be in Paris yesterday.  We didn't know what to expect, but we went in the rain and found that the French are just like Americans.  There was a huge line outside the store at 8 pm and we now know that you have to be early or the food will run out!  There must have been 300 people in the entryway of the store where there were tables set up with canapé, wine tasting, and a table at the start with a glass of champagne for everyone!  Very nice, but we don't like crowds and it was hard getting around, especially to the wine tables....nothing new!  We left before everyone and wondered if we had missed something.  We didn't know if there was a special price for wine, or just the ability to shop when the store was closed to the public.....we had to show our invitation to get in!  When Anne gets back, we'll have to ask her what we missed!  However, there is an excellent article about French wines and supermarket sales here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/dining/tips-for-buying-wine-from-
bordeaux-in-french-supermarkets.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

So, if you want to come visit us and stock up on great wine, our guest room is open!


The quotation at the top reads:  "The taste is a mystery that finds its best expression in wine" and the author is Jim Harrison, an American writer.  

CALLA's NEWS

In other disturbing news, Calla has been officially laid off as of the end of November, 2013.  She has been waiting for this news and it finally came yesterday.  This will be the first time she has looked for work in 8 YEARS and she needs lots of prayers and encouraging thoughts for her new job search!  

She's not alone, since the contract for her part of the work involves 10 other people that she has worked with for 8 years.  The company also had to lay off half of their staff last month due to a change in the NIH contract!  Not a good time to be in the job market.....never a good time!  The company has gone from one of the 50 best companies to work for in DC to a skeleton group of about 100 people!