Blue Skies and Red Wine
November 11, 2008
It seems only fitting that I write this entry on Veterans Day, a day after we hosted a truly special group of Air Force officers here at the winery.
Sometime back, one of our own, Mr. Doug FitzGibbon, was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of a two-star Air Force General stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, CA. And since then we have welcomed visitors from the United States Air Force, and all U.S. military branches, for a much needed break from the intensity of their duties around the globe. It’s our way of supporting what they do for us.
On November 10th, we hosted 17 Air Force officers from California, Illinois, Missouri, Hawaii, and Japan who were celebrating the retirement of one of their own. Doug rolled out the red carpet and I was thrilled to join them on their private tour and tasting. After all, it’s not everyday you get to shake hands with the real heroes of our nation.
The power of the coin!
If any of you have ever seen this, you will instantly relate. When someone slaps down the command coin in the officer’s club, everyone must present their coin within 15 seconds, or the next rounds on them! Well, Doug has a Travis command coin of his own and couldn’t resist throwing out the gauntlet. The accompanying pictures tell the rest of the story.
Needless to say, we were happy to pour our wines for these heroes and as you can see the new Belforte (port-style wine) was a big hit. And by “hit” I mean stampede!
Thanks to all of our friends at Travis and beyond, who risk their lives daily to protect and defend this great country. We salute you, and you are welcome at Whitehall Lane any time!
I wish to express a special and sincere thank you to General Sterns. After we shared a hearty handshake, I too held my very own coin, the 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force coin. It gives those of us who had the opportunity to shake your hand both great pride and joy to share with you these photos. My genuine regards and please visit soon.
