Fish Hats & Gold Shovels

Isn’t that one awesome hat?
(Photos courtesy of Joe Borreson of Balzac Communications, unless noted otherwise)

Two years ago, I was writing the bocce column for the Yountville Sun. After submitting one column, Sharon (the Sun editor), said there was no room for it, but that my column would appear the following week. Okay, these things happen, but I WAS curious to see why I had been bumped.
Turns out that in the area of the paper that normally contained my column, there was a lengthy article about Davie Pina being honored as Napa County Grower of the Year by the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association.
Dang, I was bumped by my kid brother! Well, he’s back in the news. How does he do it? Must have something to do with his headwear – Check out that hat! Is that wild or what? But I gots hats, too!

Here’s my current hiking hat and two retired hats:

(Photo by Ranndy Pina)

When I ran into a fellow vineyard manager while wearing my current hat, he asked: “Where did you get the Turkey feather?” But I can read between the lines – What he really wanted to ask was: “Do you realize THAT is a Turkey feather in your hat?” Hey, what's wrong with a Turkey feather? Even Ben Franklin said that the Turkey would be a better choice as the American symbol than an Eagle.

Ben wrote to his daughter:

"For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on."

Check it out here: http://www.greatseal.com/symbols/turkey.html

The following excerpts from a Wines & Vines article by Paul Franson will explain why Davie gets to wear that cool hat:
Napa Valley, Calif.--Members of the Rutherford Dust Society broke ground on an ambitious restoration of the Napa River bed today. The effort is intended both to restore the natural habitat of the river and protect adjacent vineyards from erosion; it should also reduce vineyard pests near the river.

RDRT (or "Our Dirt") seeks to:
* Understand the dynamics of the river system
* Stabilize river banks and address bank erosion to reduce fine sediment pollution
* Create a riparian buffer to protect agricultural land uses
* Reduce the impacts of flooding
* Protect and enhance fish and wildlife habitat
* Reduce Pierce's disease pressure on vineyards
* Provide ongoing education about the river and its watershed.

To read the entire article, please click on the following:
http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=news&content=66010&htitle=Growers%20and%20Vintners%20Start%20Napa%20River%20Restoration

The only thing better than a hat with a fish on it is

a hat with 3 fishes on it.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, with their gold shovels are:
Bruce Wolff - Water Board, Larry Stone – President of Rutherford Dust, Davie,
John Williams – Frog’s Leap, Diane Dillon – Supervisor, Richard Thomasser – Flood Control