Completion of the Exhibit-Space Floor Plans

Museum Curator Susie Cox gave me a deadline...I must have the completed floorplans turned in by December 10th... I needed that deadline. The core walls of the exhibit area are being produced by a German company and are called mila-wall® panels. My design and plans needed to take into consideration both dimensional and structural aspects of these special museum walls. Working with Jason Hancock, the exhibit specialist at the George Bush Presidential Library & Museum, we will be utilizing some of the mila-wall® panels with additional custom walls that we will fabricate in the Library's shop. Needless to say, I was happy to get this design element wrapped up. A lot of thought went into the details of this. My pencil drawings are now being transfered into CAD drawings that will become the master plans.

Recording the Audio

One aspect of this project that is new to me is the audio recording. Rather than hire someone, I decided it was something I wanted to learn so I invested in the equipment and off I went...

Sound is incredibly important to films and/or multimedia presentations. Try watching a movie with the sound muted. If you're like most people, you will very quickly loose all interest in the film...no matter how good the cinematography. I started the audio project by making a comprehensive list of all the types of images and scenes that I have shot and will be shooting in the vineyard, crush pad, cellar, etc. Then I thought about what sounds I would need to go with those scenes such as tractor motors running, pickers talking in the vineyard or a wine press. Since harvest 2008 is now over many of the sounds that I have "In the Can" so to speak are of the pickers in the vineyard. I noticed that during any break period, (such as when the tractor would run the full bins up to the flat bed truck) they would frequently sharpen their picking knives. The sound of the steel blades on the sharpening stones was an interesting sound that I recorded on several occasions.

The photo above is me with the new Marantz Pro Digital Recorder with a shotgun mic on a boom pole. This is my basic field setup. When I don't need the reach of the boom pole I use a small handle grip that is lighter and much easier to point. Once the raw digital audio is captured I load the files into my computer and Sony Sound Forge software helps me tweak it into something special. Sound Forge is to audio files what Photoshop is for image files. Audio has been a real learning experience for me, but I really like it...

The Honey Bees of Michel-Schlumberger Benchland Wine Estate

As mentioned in the previous post Michel-Schlumberger believes strongly in giving back to the land that gives them the grapes that produce the estates distinctive wines. Winemaking and the resulting wine can mean different things to different people. Making distinctive wines that reflect the terrior of the estate and/or vineyard involves much more than just fermenting grape juice. Winery owner Jacques Schlumberger and winemaker Michael Brunson are committed to the techniques and practice of sustainable/organic farming at the Michel-Schlumberger Benchland Wine Estate.

Today I visited the estate and photographed beehives, sheep, chickens, hawk perches and gardens...all will be featured in wine exhibit multimedia clips. The above photograph shows the estates beehives nestled just above Wine Creek. By the way... if you're interested in bees and beekeeping you should take a look at Barbara Schlumberger's, (Jacques wifes) "Melissa Garden" website.

Harvest Photography in Dry Creek Valley

I love Dry Creek Valley... It is a beautiful little slice of the world located in Sonoma County. It offers a simple, rural lifestyle where you can drive along narrow winding roads passing vineyards and farmhouses where you may see fencepost signs selling natural eggs or heirloom tomatoes, olives and fresh breads... many sold on "honor system" tables by the roadside. Dry Creek Valley is also filled with some of the best Zinfandel vineyards in the world. You also find Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and a little Chardonnay, among others. Two of my favorite wineries in this small idyllic valley are Michel-Schlumberger and Bella.

Jacques Schlumberger along with winemaker Michael Brunson have built Michel-Schlumberger into a beautiful example of a sustainably farmed benchland winery. An exhibit multimedia clip will feature the winery for it's impressive practices and trendsetting in the area of organic & sustainable farming in the vineyard.

A relative newcomer in Dry Creek, Bella Winery has seduced me with it's comfortable, non-pretentious atmosphere. It's almost new age and traditional at the same time. The wines are big and rich...tasting that "Lily Hill" Zin in the wineries hillside cave makes me one happy camper!
Bella is a small winery making handcrafted wines. The grapes are pressed in a medium size hydraulic basket press. These little gems employ old world pressing technique & design in shiny modern stainless steel versions with computer monitored accuracy.