Another hot week has passed but fortunately we got a couple big showers this week and the crops are looking good. Corn has started to tassel and grapes are growing with vigor. Some of the vines we planted earlier this year, in April, have already reached the top wire and we may get some fruit from them next season! 
There are lots of critters in the vineyards too, such as the Japanese beetles that Richard attacked early this morning. On a friendlier note, there are also abundant killdeer nests and babies running around. They're not harmful to the grapes and they're pretty cute so they're welcome to stick around.
The Dorchester retired teachers held a successful fundraiser last week. The group raised a couple thousand dollars for the scholarship fund and everyone seemed to enjoy the evening. Time Out, led by drummer and former teacher Shelby Clendaniel, kept the atmosphere light with lots of good tunes. Alison Layton played the role of impartial drawer of door prizes, and Molly Meridith provided delicious crab dip and other munchies for the evening fare.
We've got some more music lined up for July and August, as well as a new event we're calling Sundaes at Sunset. We'll serve ice cream sundaes topped with Joe's Cool Red and you can enjoy the setting sun as it goes down behind the vineyard. Check out our website for more details and dates.
Three weeks after opening and things are starting to get back to normal. The vines are growing vigorously and a lot of energy is required to tame them. We have to "tuck them in"- that is, take the vines which are growing in all directions and stick them into the wire so that they grow down from the top wire. It sounds more complicated than it is. But it is tricky to separate the vines and make sure the bunches of grapes are hanging freely. Sometimes the vines snap if you look at them wrong, as Nellie shared with me yesterday.