Family Archives - Page 6 of 16

Young Alumni of the Year

I’m proud of my daughter. So proud I’m taking time out of my vacation to write this short update about her receiving the Young Alumni of the Year Award from Westmont College. D’Aun and I were thrilled to hear that she’s being honored this way. Rachel truly deserves the recognition for her great work in Thailand through The SOLD Project.

But it goes beyond her work. Rachel displays a joy in life that naturally draws others to her. Her deep faith is the foundation of her life and it generates a powerful passion for justice, hope and love. …

Views of Summer

It has been an amazing summer. September is a wonderful month — the weather is often the best of the year. But it also makes me pause and realize summer is nearly over. Tonight they harvest our grapes, so I guess it really is Fall.

Thought I’d share a few of the amazing sunsets, wildlife, and cloud formations we have seen in and around the vineyard this past summer. None of these were taken with a filter or edited.

I’ll start with the most recent, a photo I took Sunday night of the Mount Diablo fire.

So which one is …

Tofanelli and Texans

Last week I wrote about taking the Texans to Caymus. Today it’s about taking them to Tofanelli Vineyards, or more specifically to Up Valley Vintners tasting room where Vince Tofanelli serves his incredible array of red wines.

If you read this blog or have had dinner in our home, you know how much I love Tofanelli wine. The Zinfandel is simply the best. Vince is a charmer and shares his knowledge of wine freely. And the background family story … well, you just have to love a wine that has a label showing the owners Grandma on a …

House Full of Texans, Glass Full of Caymus Wine

Last week our house was decorated in Lone Star flags. My father-in-law celebrated his 80th birthday and the event turned into a week long family reunion. We hosted some very fun people, made even more fun when we found out they loved wine.

So we decided to spend a day in Napa Valley. I sent an email to Janet Thomas of Caymus Vineyards and asked if she could set up a tasting for us. A Texan herself, she was more than happy to oblige.

But first the back story. A few years ago I was on a flight to Hawaii …

Mrs. Goble Goes to Washington

My Mom turns 89 years young today! It’s great to see how she continues to ask questions, learn, laugh, and seek out the fun things of life. She’s slowed down, of course. But she still has purpose, she still has joy. What a blessing.

Last Sunday D’Aun and I took Mom to Washington DC for a four day visit. It was an amazing journey filled with wonderful experiences. At least one of Mom’s forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence, she had another who was an officer in the War of 1812, and she had countless family members who fought in …

Prison Rodeo

A childhood memory came to me the other day. It was of a visit to see family in Oklahoma when I was young. These trips were often a weird mix of grand adventure (rolling down a steep hill in a giant culvert comes to mind). But just as often they were slow and dull.

To break the monotony my Mom decided to take me to a rodeo. But it wasn’t just any rodeo. It was a prison rodeo.

Once a year the State prison held a rodeo with all the participants being inmates. The public paid admission to watch the …

Taking Stock

Junkyard Wisdom is 4-years old now. Topics have bounced from leadership ideas to wine reviews, from PathLight updates to family stories, and a wide range beyond all that. All of it has reflected my range of interests and ideas.

After four years of this, it’s time to again ask what you have enjoyed most. I can easily look at the data and see what posts were the most popular, but sometimes popularity isn’t the same as having an impact. A quick example: the most visited post of all time was a book review, but that’s mostly because the author promoted …

Reflections on a Long Month

It’s been an interesting season here in the Goble household. My daughter flew to the East Coast, Europe, and on to Thailand nearly six weeks ago. Soon after my son flew to Thailand to meet her. In our home, that’s not too unusual.

But what is odd is having D’Aun gone as much as she has been. She had a great trip to Costa Rica with friends in the middle of January, then came home for a few days before heading to Thailand and joining our kids. During part of that time I’ve been to Belize and Santa Barbara. In …