The Active Pursuit of Joy

I view travel as the active pursuit of that elusive moment of joy. All summer I have experienced this, both first hand and through the travels of others who are visiting loved ones or moving on to new adventures.  However, in the Midwest, I have also noticed that people like to bring that joy back home with them. Masters of DIY, they turn their homes into resorts with back yard pools, hot tubs and fire-pits. They toil to make their neighborhood a small garden of Eden, or buy a cabin up north among the lakes and forest. What brought this to my attention was the new vineyard and winery in town. I was amazed that I had this in my backyard, but then found out that more than a few Minnesotans grow grapes and make their own wine.

I had never heard of Minnesota wine country, but there are two AVA's (American Viticultural Area) in the state: Alexandria and the Mississippi River valley. Growers have found that the lakes around Alexandria and the valley climate both make it possible to produce certain wines. I inadvertently visited both areas this summer and joined in with others in search of the good life.
The bikes outside Nelson's Creamery were too many to count. We joined a line that stretched out the door to get some of their famous ice-cream.  And of course there was plenty of cheese to buy, and wine. The owners had created a classy wine-tasting room out back and sold a huge variety of imported wines. It made for a nice stop on a beautiful drive through Wisconsin dairy land.
Others go out of their way to visit The Stone Barn for the authentic wood-oven Italian pizza.

I hear that some teachers opened the place and it only operates in the summer for those who want a bit of rustic fun on the weekend. They created a bit of Italy in the Midwest. At one time I would have laughed at someone's attempts to recreate an authentic foreign or classical experience with new materials in their own back yard. However, I now see all the work that goes into the bringing what we love best about a foreign culture or unique geography back for others' enjoyment. It is similar to the time a neighbor found the ingredients I needed to bake Brazilian pao de queijo, or when another friend kindly came over to make me a delicious curry with authentic spices.  We are all passing on the experience and sharing the good life .
I have a great admiration for those who can cultivate, decorate, cook, and create those foreign delicacies in their neighborhood for the purpose of sharing joy with other around them.

While helping with the judging of a local homemade wine competition I was able to pick up some advice and a story or two.  Grapes are not original to Minnesota, the climate being far too extreme. The first settlers made wine from corncobs. I had to have that process explained to me, as we tasted the wine entry after the judging was over.  Minnesota has wild grape, which can also be used to make a very potent wine, (some might not call it wine as it is over 50% proof). One local wine maker remembers a summer when, over the course of two family gathering for a christening and a confirmation, they were able to mobilize the guests to pick enough wild grape to make wine. "You could light that batch on fire!"

Since then the University of Minnesota has developed some hybrids that can survive the Midwest winter, and there are over 40 wineries around the state. One is the Three Oaks Winery just 10 miles from my home. I drove through the vineyard on my way into work. Naturally I had to stop, ignore the "No Trespassing" sign and walk between the vines. The grapes are doing well and this year's wine looks promising. Then I am thankful for all the research, time and backbreaking effort gone into bringing this joy home.