Clay Shannon, owner of Shannon Ridge and Vigilance wineries in Lake County, Calif., takes part in a virtual wine tasting event on Thursday, July 14, 2011. Photo courtesy of Shannon Gunier.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Wine tasting with the vintage’s winemaker is a treat for most wine lovers. But how can such a personal experience take place when the wine tasters are approximately 2,800 miles from the winemakers?

Technology – and a little ingenuity by organizers of a recent event – allowed American Wine Society (AWS) members in Scranton, Penn., to meet with Lake County winemakers while tasting their wines last month.

Clay Shannon, owner of Shannon Ridge and Vigilance wineries, and Gregory Graham of Gregory Graham Winery were special guests of a program entitled “Virtual Tasting: Lake County Whites” presented by the Electric City Chapter of the AWS on July 14.

In the chapter’s promotion of the event, organizers wrote, “Through the magic of Skype, a MacBook and a projector, winemakers from Gregory Graham and Shannon Ridge will conduct a tasting of their wines remotely from the comfort of their California wineries. Just north of Napa Valley, Lake County is one of the undiscovered quality wine regions in the state.”

“This was history in the making,” said Lake County Winegrape Commission President Shannon Gunier, referring to the first virtual wine tasting with Lake County vintners. “Clay and Greg did a terrific job of sharing the virtues of our region’s fine wines. I think everyone had a great time and learned a little about the quality of wine we are producing out here on the West Coast.”

The “virtual wine tasting” event came about as a result of conversations between Rick Gunier of North Coast Winegrape Brokers and David Falchek, an AWS board member, when they met at a Midwest trade show.

The Lake County Winegrape Commission sent wine, along with technical sheets and tasting notes, to the AWS chapter in Scranton ahead of the scheduled tasting date.

Rick Gunier and Falchek practiced the Skype connection several times to make sure the equipment was working correctly.

Falchek noted that several other AWS chapters were interested in participating; however, the technology requirements were not quite perfected to allow simultaneous multi-Skypecasts.

Gregory Graham, owner of Gregory Graham Winery near Lower Lake, Calif., takes part in the American Wine Society's virtual tasting of Lake County white wines on Thursday, July 14, 2011. Photo courtesy of Shannon Gunier.

More than 40 people attended the tasting event in Scranton, Falchek reported to Rick and Shannon Gunier.

While the winemakers could see some of the room via computer from where they were in Lake County, the tasters were able to see Graham and Shannon on a big screen in the conference room where the AWS chapter was holding its meeting.

In addition, as attendees enjoyed the tasting, the Electric City Chapter members were sending questions via text messages to the winemakers who were then able to provide answers to the entire audience.

“I think it went great,” said Falchek following the Skype-assisted tasting. “I know it was tough to tell from your end, but one member said, ‘We were able to connect with them better than some speakers who talk with us in person,’” Falchek wrote in an email to Rick Gunier.

“Everyone will have a warm spot for Lake County, Clay and Greg,” Falchek said about the AWS Electric City Chapter. He added that AWS will work on making the multiple, simultaneous chapter experience happen with future virtual tasting events.

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It was early October of 1937.

Harvey Knauer and his wife, Bertha, were eating at Mervin Millsap’s hamburger place across the street from the Big Oak Café in Lower Lake.

John “Bert” Thompson came inside the café swearing and cursing. Millsap asked Thompson to stop or get out, and Thompson replied that there was no one there who could put him out.

Millsap grabbed Thompson to put him out and with help from Knauer, pushed Thompson out the door. From outside, Thompson yelled, “I’ll get you both for this!”

After the Knauers finished their dinner, Bertha went to visit her mother-in-law. Harvey Knauer went to the Big Oak Café to play some pool with James L. Cassidy. Ken Lee and Bill Tremper followed and sat on an old counter to watch the game.

Thompson came in a little while later carrying a .22 caliber high-powered rifle. He went to the opposite side of the pool table and said to Knauer, “I’ve got you now. I’m going to shoot you.”

Knauer looked up, still bent over to shoot the next ball when Thompson fired, hitting Harvey just below his eye and near his nose. Knauer then fell on the pool table.

Cassidy started for the door but Thompson called him back, holding the gun on him and Knauer, but Cassidy made his escape out the back door.

Tremper and Lee took off running just as Roy Adams walked up heading towards the bar. Lee warned him, “Don’t go in there, Harvey just got shot.”

Thompson then came out of the bar pushing Knauer in front of him and ordered Adams and Knauer to sit on the curb and wait.

Just then, Mr. Alta Crawford and Roy Gardner drove up. Adams and Knauer yelled for them to get the sheriff and as they sped up, Thompson fired at the car, hitting it twice and hitting some gas pumps at Millsap’s place.

While Thompson was firing, Adams made his escape and Knauer hid in the bushes near the Millsap place. Thompson then started up the street toward the Wheeler Café.

Meanwhile, Deputy Sheriff Harry Snowbelt was playing cards at the Wheeler Café with Mrs. Wheeler, Jim Cunningham and Walter Walker.

Thompson walked into the café and while Walker was trying to talk to him and get him to relinquish his rifle, Deputy Snowbelt, being off duty, ran down to Millsap’s place for a gun.

After retrieving a gun, Snowbelt ran back to the Wheeler Café and ordered Thompson to put his gun down on the piano and his hands up.

Instead of obeying, Thompson raised his rifle and fired, striking Snowbelt in the heart. At the same time, Snowbelt fired twice, hitting Thompson in the arm and in the heart.

Both men were dead within seconds.

Knauer was rushed to San Francisco with the bullet still lodged in his neck. He recovered and lived to the age of 80.

Coroner H. M. Jones called an inquest and the jury returned the following verdicts: Deputy Snowbelt died from a gunshot to his heart as a result of a shot fired by Thompson and the death was found to be homicide.

Thompson died from a gunshot to the heart as a result of being shot by Snowbelt while in the performance of his duties as deputy sheriff. The death was a justifiable homicide.

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Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said the Lake County Gang Task Force conducted the operation beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 23, and continuing until 2 a.m. the following day in Lakeport, Kelseyville, Nice, Lucerne and the city of Clearlake.

Agencies contributing to the operation included the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Lakeport Police Department, the Clearlake Police Department, the Lake County Probation Department and the U.S. Marshals Service, Bauman said.

Throughout the day and into the night, the task force targeted approximately 30 validated gang members and conducted approximately 20 probation and parole searches. Bauman said a total of five arrests were made and an additional gang member who was not located at his home faces criminal charges for violating the terms of his probation.

Among those taken into custody were Berret J. Brown, 26, of Clearlake, arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance and violation of his parole; Julio Antonio Castellanos, 19, of Kelseyville, arrested for violating his probation after being found in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia; 42-year-old Doffus Lomack Gallon of Clearlake, arrested for violating his parole and possession of a controlled substance for sales after a sheriff’s narcotics detection K-9 alerted to cocaine packaged for sales concealed behind a dresser in his home.

Also arrested was 26-year-old John Roy Hogsett of Kelseyville for being a felon in possession of a firearm and violation of his probation; 20-year-old Richard Allen Hakala of Clearlake, who is not a validated gang member, but was arrested for possession of dangerous weapons after being contacted on the street by the Task Force, Bauman said.

He said 18-year-old Jose Guadalupe Aguilar of Lakeport was not located at his home during a probation search, but faces charges of violating his probation for having gang indicia in his room.

There are an estimated 200 validated gang members residing in Lake County, according to Bauman.

Anyone seeking information about the Lake County Gang Task Force or wishing to provide information about suspected gang activity is encouraged to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-262-4200.

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In Cal Fire's last report on the fire, which began on Aug. 3 northeast of Covelo in the Hulls Mountain area, its size was again readjusted, this time down from 644 acres to 617, due to more accurate mapping.

On Sunday evening, Cal Fire estimated the fire was at 97 percent containment, with full containment expected Wednesday, Aug. 10.

No cause has yet been given for the fire, which to date has cost $2.6 million to fight, according to Cal Fire's report.

One injury was reported earlier in the week. Cal Fire said no structures were threatened.

Firefighting resources were reduced again on Sunday, with personnel numbered at 406. Cal Fire sent two of the eight engines that remained on scene and four of the 13 fire crews that continued work on the blaze. Five water tenders also were involved with the work Sunday.

Cal Fire said firefighters on Sunday were continuing to construct and improve containment lines, improve and hold fire lines, and put out hot spots.

Firefighters were focusing containment efforts in a steep canyon area above the Eel River while the remainder of the fire is in the mop up phase, Cal Fire said.

Assisting Cal Fire and the US Forest Service with firefighting efforts were the Brooktrails Fire Department, Covelo Fire Department, Laytonville Fire Department, Little Lake Fire Department, Redwood Valley/Calpella Fire Department, Ukiah Valley Fire Protection District and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

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The Pass Fire, burning off of Hams Pass Road in the Hulls Mountain area began Aug. 3 and has so far burned 644 acres, according to Cal Fire.

On Saturday the fire reached 90-percent containment, and is expected to be fully contained on Sunday, Cal Fire reported.

Approximately 540 personnel, 24 fire engines (17 from Cal Fire), 24 fire crews (16 from Cal Fire), two dozers and five water tenders were on scene Saturday, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire has held a unified command with the US Forest Service, and intends to transition the command to the Forest Service on Sunday.

Along with Cal Fire and the Forest Service, cooperating agencies include Brooktrails Fire Department, Covelo Fire Department, Laytonville Fire Department, Little Lake Fire Department, Redwood Valley/Calpella Fire Department, Ukiah Valley Fire Protection District and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

So far, the fire has cost $2.1 million to fight, according to Cal Fire. The cause remains under investigation.

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The Pass Fire began on Wednesday along Hams Pass Road in the Hulls Mountain Area northeast of Covelo.

On Friday Cal Fire said the fire was holding at 644 acres with 80 percent containment.

Cal Fire said 756 firefighting personnel were on scene Friday, with 37 engines, 30 of which were from Cal Fire, and 28 fire crews, of which 21 were Cal Fire's. There also was one dozer and eight water tenders.

Firefighting costs to date total $1.5 million.

Cooperating agencies include Cal Fire, Brooktrails Fire Department, Covelo Fire Department, Laytonville Fire Department, Little Lake Fire Department, Redwood Valley/Calpella Fire Department, Ukiah Valley Fire Protection District, US Forest Service and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Mendocino National Forest was taking part in the unified command.

Cal Fire said the fire's cause remains under investigation.

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Firefighters worked to put out a fire on Crystal Lake Way that claimed the life of a Lakeport woman and destroyed the home she shared with her husband on Saturday, August 6, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

A CORRECTION HAS BEEN MADE TO THE VICTIM'S FIRST NAME.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A late Saturday night house fire outside of Lakeport took the life of an elderly woman, who died as she was attempting to escape her burning home.

The fire was reported at approximately 11:43 p.m. Saturday at 1128 Crystal Lake Way, the home of George “Ed” Neher and his wife, Wilna.

Lakeport Fire Protection District Chief Ken Wells said Wilna Neher's body was found 3 feet from the home's front door at about 1:45 a.m. Sunday, after several hours of trying to locate her in the area surrounding the home.

“It's tough when you know someone is inside,” said Wells.

Wells and his firefighters informed George Neher and family members who had gathered at the scene of the discovery of Wilna Neher's body.

Wells said George Neher – a former Lakeport Fire board member – and his wife had gone to bed for the night when they heard a crackling sound coming from the garage.

When George Neher got up to see what was wrong, he saw the garage filled with smoke. According to Wells, Neher went back to the bedroom to tell his wife to call 911 and get out of the house before he went back to the garage.

Firefighters assess the damage at a home on Crystal Lake Way outside of Lakeport early on the morning of Sunday, August 7, 2011. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

Witnesses in the area told Lake County News they heard explosions and some even reported seeing fireballs when the fire started.

When the first fire units arrived on scene Wells said they found the garage fully engulfed in flames and the house filled with smoke, with the fire moving rapidly.

Wells said a total of nine units – including engines, utility vehicles and an ambulance – responded. That number included a mutual aid engine from Kelseyville Fire and an engine from Cal Fire.

A total of 18 firefighters – 10 from Lakeport, two from Kelseyville and six from Cal Fire – were part of the effort, Wells said.

The California Highway Patrol sent an officer to help with traffic control, as the roadway was completely blocked by the fire trucks.

A Lake County Sheriff's deputy also was on scene to help secure it because of the fatality.

Nine fire units responded to the fire on Crystal Lake Way that claimed the life of a Lakeport woman and destroyed a home on Saturday, August 6, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

Wells said Pacific Gas & Electric responded to the scene to secure a power line from a nearby transformer to the house that had dropped during the fire.

The house was a total loss, said Wells.

The source of the fire that destroyed the stick-built home is believed to be the garage. Wells said additional fire investigators have been called to assist Lakeport Fire's two investigators, who he said will remain on scene.

He said the fire's cause isn't expected to be suspicious.

Wells said firefighters were going to remain at the scene probably until around noon on Sunday. Extensive mop up was expected to be necessary, as parts of the roof continued to flare up and smoke even after the rest of the fire was extinguished.

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An image combining orbital imagery with 3-D modeling shows flows that appear in spring and summer on a slope inside Mars' Newton crater. Sequences of observations recording the seasonal changes at this site and a few others with similar flows might be evidence of salty liquid water active on Mars today. Evidence for that possible interpretation is presented in a report by McEwen et al. in the Aug. 5, 2011, edition of Science. This image has been reprojected to show a view of a slope as it would be seen from a helicopter inside the crater, with a synthetic Mars-like sky. The source observation was made May 30, 2011, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Color has been enhanced. The season was summer at the location, 41.6 degrees south latitude, 202.3 degrees east longitude. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona.

Observations from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have revealed possible flowing water during the warmest months on Mars.

Dark, finger-like features appear and extend down some Martian slopes during late spring through summer, fade in winter, and return during the next spring.

Repeated observations have tracked the seasonal changes in these recurring features on several steep slopes in the middle latitudes of Mars' southern hemisphere.

“The best explanation for these observations so far is the flow of briny water,” said Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona, Tucson.

McEwen is the principal investigator for the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and lead author of a report about the recurring flows published in last Thursday's edition of the journal Science.

Some aspects of the observations still puzzle researchers, but flows of liquid brine fit the features' characteristics better than alternate hypotheses.

Saltiness lowers the freezing temperature of water. Sites with active flows get warm enough, even in the shallow subsurface, to sustain liquid water that is about as salty as Earth's oceans, while pure water would freeze at the observed temperatures.

“These dark lineations are different from other types of features on Martian slopes,” said Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project Scientist Richard Zurek of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “Repeated observations show they extend ever farther downhill with time during the warm season.”

The features imaged are only about 0.5 to 5 yards or meters wide, with lengths up to hundreds of yards. The width is much narrower than previously reported gullies on Martian slopes.

However, some of those locations display more than 1,000 individual flows. Also, while gullies are abundant on cold, pole-facing slopes, these dark flows are on warmer, equator-facing slopes.

The images show flows lengthen and darken on rocky equator-facing slopes from late spring to early fall. The seasonality, latitude distribution and brightness changes suggest a volatile material is involved, but there is no direct detection of one.

The settings are too warm for carbon-dioxide frost and, at some sites, too cold for pure water. This suggests the action of brines, which have lower freezing points.

Salt deposits over much of Mars indicate brines were abundant in Mars' past. These recent observations suggest brines still may form near the surface today in limited times and places.

When researchers checked flow-marked slopes with the orbiter's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), no sign of water appeared. The features may quickly dry on the surface or could be shallow subsurface flows.

“The flows are not dark because of being wet,” McEwen said. “They are dark for some other reason.”

A flow initiated by briny water could rearrange grains or change surface roughness in a way that darkens the appearance. How the features brighten again when temperatures drop is harder to explain.

“It's a mystery now, but I think it's a solvable mystery with further observations and laboratory experiments,” McEwen said.

These results are the closest scientists have come to finding evidence of liquid water on the planet's surface today.

Frozen water, however has been detected near the surface in many middle to high-latitude regions.

Fresh-looking gullies suggest slope movements in geologically recent times, perhaps aided by water. Purported droplets of brine also appeared on struts of the Phoenix Mars Lander.

If further study of the recurring dark flows supports evidence of brines, these could be the first known Martian locations with liquid water.

“NASA's Mars Exploration Program keeps bringing us closer to determining whether the Red Planet could harbor life in some form,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said, “and it reaffirms Mars as an important future destination for human exploration."

For more information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, visit www.nasa.gov/mro and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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This map of Mars shows relative locations of three types of findings related to salt or frozen water. Coloring of the map is coded to concentrations of shallow subsurface water ice found by the Gamma Ray Spectrometer - Neutron Spectrometer on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. Blue, at high latitudes north and south, indicates higher concentrations of water ice (deduced from detection of hydrogen); orange designates lowest concentrations. The white squares in the northern hemisphere mark locations of small fresh impact craters that exposed water ice close to the surface and validated the neutron spectrometer data. The red squares mark locations of putative deposits of chloride based on observations by the Thermal Emission Imaging System on Mars Odyssey. Such salt deposits could have resulted from evaporation of salty water. The blue squares mark locations of a type of feature reported in August 2011 based on sequences of observations by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/UA/LANL/MSSS.

An Atlas V rocket launches with the Juno spacecraft payload from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Friday, August 5, 2011. Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.

NASA's solar-powered Juno spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 9:25 a.m. PDT (12:25 p.m. EDT) Friday to begin a five-year journey to Jupiter.

Juno's detailed study of the largest planet in our solar system will help reveal Jupiter's origin and evolution.

As the archetype of giant gas planets, Jupiter can help scientists understand the origin of our solar system and learn more about planetary systems around other stars.

“Today, with the launch of the Juno spacecraft, NASA began a journey to yet another new frontier,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “The future of exploration includes cutting-edge science like this to help us better understand our solar system and an ever-increasing array of challenging destinations.”

After Juno's launch aboard an Atlas V rocket, mission controllers received communication from the spacecraft indicating it has achieved its proper orientation, and that its massive solar arrays – the biggest on any NASA deep-space probe – have deployed and are generating power.

“We are on our way, and early indications show we are on our planned trajectory,” said Jan Chodas, Juno project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “We will know more about Juno's status in a couple hours after its radios are energized and the signal is acquired by the Deep Space Network antennas at Canberra.”

Juno will cover the distance from Earth to the moon (about 250,000 miles or 402,336 kilometers) in less than one day's time. It will take another five years and 1,740 million miles (2,800 million kilometers) to complete the journey to Jupiter.

The spacecraft will orbit the planet's poles 33 times and use its collection of eight science instruments to probe beneath the gas giant's obscuring cloud cover to learn more about its origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere, and look for a potential solid planetary core.

With four large moons and many smaller moons, Jupiter forms its own miniature solar system. Its composition resembles that of a star, and if it had been about 80 times more massive, the planet could have become a star instead.

“Jupiter is the Rosetta Stone of our solar system,” said Scott Bolton, Juno's principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. “It is by far the oldest planet, contains more material than all the other planets, asteroids and comets combined, and carries deep inside it the story of not only the solar system but of us. Juno is going there as our emissary – to interpret what Jupiter has to say.”

Juno's name comes from Greek and Roman mythology. The god Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief, and his wife, the goddess Juno, was able to peer through the clouds and reveal Jupiter's true nature.

The NASA Deep Space Network – or DSN – is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions.

JPL manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

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Lake County residents Tom Jones and Cathy Hall enjoy wine and the view at the Moore Family Winery on Cobb Mountain, Calif., during the 2011 Lake County Wine Adventure. Photo by Esther Oertel.

Had you not been aware of this annual festivity, you may have wondered why large purple flags snapped in the breeze at key points throughout the county, or what people were doing traveling about with maps and wine glasses in hand.

The weekend’s events are organized and promoted by the Lake County Winery Association (LCWA) as a way to showcase Lake County wines and encourage out-of-town visitors to our county.

My husband and I were among the throngs that enjoyed food and wine at points north and south. Being firm believers in not driving while drinking, we developed a system that worked rather well; on Saturday, I was the designated driver, and on Sunday, he was.

Along these lines, I’m happy to report that the “designate a driver” program encouraged by the LCWA was more successful than ever. Monica Rosenthal, LCWA executive director, said they received substantially more inquiries about the program this year than in the past, as well as more requests for information about limousine services.

It seemed that everywhere I went, wine enthusiasts were accompanied by someone sporting one of the designated driver buttons funded by the Clearlake Police Officers Association and the Lake County Alcohol and Other Drug Services division of the Lake County Mental Health Department.

A faux cable car from San Francisco, Calif. ferried wine enthusiasts around during the 2011 Lake County Wine Adventure. Photo courtesy of Bonnie Sears.

One creative group rented a faux cable car from San Francisco to ferry them about. I was told it took a full five hours to get to Lake County from its home by the bay.

Like a mythical ghost ship, stories were told about this unique transport as I traveled from winery to winery; however, I didn’t ever see it myself. Thanks to Bonnie Sears, who contributed a photo of it, I can now attest that it’s real.

While last year the diversity of the various wineries intrigued me, this year my mind was absorbed with the adventure of the event.

During my conversation with Rosenthal, she mentioned that while other wine-producing areas have passport events, they’re typically confined to a single region along a well-traveled route.

In contrast to this, the wineries in Lake County are situated in such a way that traveling from one to another is truly an adventure.

Val Guarin, long-time Moore family friend, displays the tri-tip sandwiches offered at the Moore Family Winery on Cobb Mountain, Calif. during the 2011 Lake County Wine Adventure. Photo by Esther Oertel.

Some wineries are nestled in remote valleys, others are atop mountains or on lakeshores, some are along dirt roads and others are at the homes of the winery owners.

Rosenthal told of a group of five couples that increased their adventure by traveling the back route from the Brassfield Estate Winery in the hills above Clearlake Oaks to the Tulip Hill Winery on Highway 20 in Nice.

We certainly had our share of jostling jaunts as we traveled along the routes that were unpaved. I have to say that each effort was entirely worth it once we reached our winery destination.

Other than one repeat venue, none of the wineries I visited last year were on my route this year. I prefer to meander rather than rush, to soak up atmosphere rather than get a passport stamped. My favorite venues include those that are both on and off my 2011 route.

Tracey Hawkins of Hawk & Horse Vineyards displays the port-filled chocolates she specially ordered for the 2011 Lake County Wine Adventure. Photo by Esther Oertel.

Free roaming chickens greeted us as we approached the Beaver Creek Vineyards tasting room situated in a small, rustic ranch house on the edge of their organic vineyard. Pens with docile sheep were nearby, only adding to the country charm of this venue.

The tasting room interior was reminiscent of an Old West saloon, complete with dark wood, behind-the-bar mirror and friendly barkeeps. While there was no player piano, live guitar music added to the festive atmosphere.

At Langtry Estate & Vineyards, a barrel storage room was turned into an intimate café for wine adventurers. Small tables, Chinese lanterns and glowing red lights provided the décor.

Tom Jones, one of the people I ran into later in the adventure (new to the county and a first timer on the Wine Adventure) described being overwhelmed by the history of Lily Langtry’s stories and artifacts here. They impressed him even more than the wine, which he enjoyed.

These participants in the 2011 Lake County Wine Adventure relax at Six Sigma Ranch, Vineyards & Winery in Lower Lake, Calif. Note the hand-built pizza oven in the upper left corner. Photo by Esther Oertel.

I chatted in the darkened café with Kelseyville denizens Jan and Darryl Smith, who were enjoying the event with friends from Reno, Nev., Carl and Caroline Giufurta.

They had just come from visiting Gregory Graham Wines, and like many I met along the adventure, raved about the exquisite food and wine pairings there. (I also heard the same about Tulip Hill’s fare.)

Darryl Smith, the group’s designated driver, was especially impressed that Greg Graham himself manned the barbecue.

The atmosphere at Hawk & Horse Vineyards was homey, with the winery owners' young daughter selling gold-painted horseshoes outside the tasting room to raise money for her rodeo endeavors.

One of the hits of the day were the chocolates filled with Hawk & Horse port wine that owner, Tracey Hawkins, had specially made for the event.

The shaded lawn surrounding the Six Sigma Ranch, Vineyards and Winery former stage stop tasting room served as the platform for the food and wine pairings there. I was quite impressed with one of their food offerings, pinot noir-soaked prunes, and I must confess that I had to exercise great control to keep myself from eating every last one.

Family patriarch and Six Sigma founder Kaj Ahlmann was on hand to personally greet each visitor, and eager sheepdogs provided entertainment with an occasional exhibition of their ability to herd some very patient sheep.

The mellow atmosphere of this venue lulled many a visitor into sitting a spell to relax and enjoy the shade as well as the wines, myself included.

Family members Livia Buttita-Kurtz, Nick Buttita and Pietro Buttita poured wine at the Rosa d'Oro Vineyards tasting room in Kelseyville, Calif. during the 2011 Lake County Wine Adventure. Photo by Esther Oertel.

The Moore Family Winery on Cobb Mountain offered sweeping mountain vistas from their tasting room and deck, where long-time friends of the winery founders greeted visitors and served food.

Amazingly, the Bellamy Family from San Diego managed to fit in 14 winery stops prior to their visit to Moore.

Barbara Bellamy and daughter, Britni, expressed their delight in the diversity of the wineries here, saying each one is impressive in its own way, from large, sumptuous estates like the Brassfield Estate Winery to those more rural in nature, such as Noggle Vineyards & Winery (where they said the food was excellent), Hawk & Horse Vineyards and Ployez Winery. They were especially impressed with the hospitality they experienced throughout.

While enjoying the patio at Moore Family Winery, I received a tip from fellow Lake County resident, Cathy Hall, about the food pairings at the Laujor Estate venue, where Cougar’s Leap Winery and McDermaid Family Vineyards were also pouring wine at the Laujor family’s home.

Displayed at the Rosa d'Oro Vineyards tasting room in Kelseyville, Calif. are the awards received for their wines at the 2011 California State Fair in Sacramento, Calif. Photo by Esther Oertel.

When I arrived there, I was immediately taken by the expansive view of the vineyards with the blue of Clear Lake in the background.

It was then I noticed the backyard swimming pool. Still and perfectly clear, this azure gem beckoned, enticing me to take a running leap into its cool, sparkling water.

Instead, I demurely moved to the line of tables with their thoughtful and delicious food and wine pairings, where I was impressed over and over again. (Was it possible that Brie could be that buttery, polenta that creamy, strawberries that luscious? Apparently, yes.)

Vigilance Winery is another venue that had million dollar views. It was hard to tear my eyes away from the view of Clear Lake that overtook me at every angle.

The Vigilance tasting room is in a renovated home from 1926, and their white wines were offered in the cellar of that historic place. Up on the deck, employee Roberto Reyes served up red wines to pair with some tender and tasty home grown lamb.

We finished the Wine Adventure weekend with wine and food on Main Street in Kelseyville, where the Rosa D’Oro Vineyards and Wildhurst Vineyards tasting rooms are situated. Another winery, Shed Horn Cellars, poured wine down the street at the Saw Shop Restaurant.

While information on the number of tickets sold won’t be available until the Wine Adventure committee has a chance to meet, Rosenthal reported that attendance was up substantially from previous years.

Last year, more than 1,000 people participated in the Wine Adventure. One venue saw at least double the attendance of last year, and another had to have glasses replenished due to the heavy influx of visitors.

If you’re interested in taking part next year, mark your calendars for the last weekend in July and be sure to line up your designated driver!

Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Grapes mature on the vine at Vigilance Winery near Lower Lake, Calif. during the 2011 Lake County Wine Adventure. Photo by Esther Oertel.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' new report showed that the US unemployment rate dipped slightly, dropping from 9.2 percent in June to 9.1 percent in July, with nonfarm jobs rising by 117,000 last month.

As far as economic recovery goes, that number of jobs added in July “is still treading water,” according to Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Dr. Keith Hall in testimony he gave to the Joint Economic Committee in Washington, DC on Friday.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics report said the number of unemployed people in the country was 13.9 million, which – along with the unemployment rate – “has shown little definitive movement.”

The labor force totaled 153.2 million people in July, the agency said.

The bureau said there were 6.2 million long-term unemployed Americans – or those jobless for 27 weeks or more – in July, accounting for 44.4 percent of the overall unemployment number.

During Hall's testimony on Friday, Joint Economic Committee Chair Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) asked Hall for historical context on the number of long-term unemployed.

“We're at easily record levels,” said Hall.

The number of long-term unemployed particularly concerning, Hall explained, because research has shown that the longer someone is unemployed, the longer it takes to help them find work.

He said the median number of weeks of unemployment also has doubled from five to 10 during the current recession.

“These numbers are clearly very concerning,” he said, and added that, in level and percent, “and almost any way you look at it,” they are at historic levels.

Hall told the committee that about 130,000 jobs need to be added to the economy every month just to absorb population growth, so it's important to look at the number of jobs added above 130,000 in order to assess the recovery.

In a review of major worker groups, unemployment was lowest for Asians (7.7 percent), but trended higher for whites (8.1 percent), Hispanics (11.3 percent) and black Americans (15.9 percent).

Unemployment for adult men was 9 percent, 7.9 percent for adult women and 25 percent for teenagers, the report said.

The July employment report showed that job gains occurred in health care, retail trade, manufacturing and mining, while government job numbers continued to drop, with a loss of 37,000 jobs.

The report showed that private sector job numbers in construction, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality changed little over the month.

Main areas of job growth in July included health care, which added 31,000 jobs; retail trade, 26,000 jobs; and there were 24,000 jobs added in manufacturing – primarily in durable goods.

Persons unemployed for less than five weeks declined by 387,000 in July. People working part-time for economic reasons remained mostly unchanged at 8.4 million, while there were 2.8 million people marginally attached to the labor force, little changed from a year earlier, the agency said.

The Friday report also noted that among those marginally attached to the labor force, there were 1.1 million discouraged workers – those not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them – in July, about the same as a year earlier.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

At the same time, more use of technology, such as broadband access that would increase telehealth solutions, can help ease strain on the system and further promote healthier outcomes in rural communities, according to the paper released by the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization.

The paper, titled “Modernizing Rural Health Care: Coverage, Quality and Innovation,” explores how health reform implementation, particularly health insurance expansion, will increase the need for innovative care models and points to technology and a stronger role for rural primary care as promising solutions.

It also reports the results of a new Harris Interactive survey of 2,000 patients and more than 1,000 primary physicians in rural and urban areas.

“The next few years will be times of considerable stress on rural health care, but also times of great opportunity, since across the country there are already impressive examples of high-quality care, tailored to the distinctive needs of the local community,” said Simon Stevens, UnitedHealth Group executive vice president and chairman of the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization.

“The challenge for all involved in rural America now is to build on that track record of innovation and self-reliance, so as to ensure that all Americans – wherever they live – can live their lives to the healthiest and fullest extent possible,” Stevens added.

The new report includes new findings on coverage, access and quality, as well as detailed suggestions for improvement.

Rural coverage

The report contains new projections showing that around five million rural residents may join Medicaid and other insurance plans as a result of the planned 2014 coverage expansions – which would represent a higher percentage increase than in urban areas.

Already almost one-third of people in rural areas depend on Medicare and Medicaid, compared with one-quarter in urban areas.

Rural access

Coverage is not the same as access to high-quality care. More than half of rural primary care doctors report that patients they refer to specialty care have to travel an average of about 60 miles. Furthermore, the 2014 coverage expansions will place increased pressure on rural care delivery.

The good news for rural areas is that a higher proportion of rural primary care physicians surveyed said they were currently accepting new Medicaid patients (84 percent vs. 65 percent of urban primary care physicians).

And looking forward to 2014, 59 percent of rural primary care doctor respondents plan on accepting new Medicaid patients, compared with only 44 percent of their urban counterparts.

However, the report also finds that around 11 million rural residents currently live in areas where primary care supply is relatively low but where the increase in the insured population will be high relative to other counties.

Partly as a result, almost half of rural primary care physician respondents expect a primary care shortage over the next few years (compared with 37 percent of urban primary care doctors).

Rural care quality

The report finds that both rural consumers and rural primary care physicians rate the quality of local care lower than do their urban and suburban counterparts.

While nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of urban and suburban residents assess the quality of their local health care as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good,’ only half of rural residents do so (49 percent).

Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of rural residents say their local care is only ‘fair’ or ‘poor,’ compared to 12 percent of urban and suburban residents who believe that.

New data in the report also pinpoint the need to improve health screening and preventive care in rural areas.

Practical solutions

Given these challenges, there is an urgent need to deploy at scale innovative new rural care models. The working paper identifies a range of options, drawing on successful private and public examples in particular parts of the country.

The report goes on to call for: new incentives and reimbursement models for rural primary care physicians; a bigger role for the 24,000 rural nurse practitioners and physicians assistants; greater provider collaboration across rural areas and with urban health care systems; innovative models using mobile health clinics; faster rural uptake of electronic health records; well-designed market incentives for rural areas; and greater engagement by rural consumers in improving their health.

The paper offers several concrete steps to promote greater use of rural telemedicine and telehealth:

• expanding rural broadband connectivity to enable growth of telemedicine adoption;

• improving and aligning reimbursement approaches across payers to encourage greater use of telemedicine across rural settings;

• improving availability of telemedicine technologies to consumers; and

• reducing regulatory barriers to use of telemedicine technologies and health professionals.

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