Dream / Not A Dream

True story:

I woke up early this morning. Too early. So I went back to sleep for an hour or two.

When this happens, I have weird dreams during the second sleep phase.

I dreamed I was back on my old job, sitting around on break with co-workers. Somebody mentioned we were going to get a new employee, a woman.

"What's her name?" somebody asked.

People tried to recall the new employee's name but nobody could remember.

Finally someone said: "I know. Her name is ___________."

And right at that moment, in the "real world," nearby church bells started ringing loudly, as they do on Sundays.

Still in my dream but a second before I awoke, I said: "Huh. Seems her name rings a bell."

Like I said: true story.

George The Greek!

My buddy, the painter George The Greek, performing his original song CYBER LOVE.



I hear a Neil Young-ish flavor in George's music.

One of the great joys of my life is that I'm friends with this guy.

Burgenland

Saturday, a two-part mission in Burgenland: visit our friends at their place on the Neusiedlersee, and pick up a case of wine.

B heard about a good wine that's very reasonably priced. Burgenland is a wine producing area so you can get some great deals directly from the vintners. She called the vintner at his village establishment and the conversation went like this:

B: I want to pick up a case of wine about 7 this evening; are you open that late?
VINTNER: No, we close at 4. Tell you what---I'll leave a case out front and you can pick it up.
B: How will I pay you?
VINTNER: Just send me the money later.
B: Aren't you afraid I'll just take the wine and not pay you?
VINTNER: Oh, I don't think you'd do something like that.
B: What if someone else sees the wine sitting there and steals it?
VINTNER: Oh, I don't think anyone would do something like that.

Just when you think human beings have no redeeming qualities whatsoever, this guy believes in and practices the Honor System.

We visited our friends who have a house on Neusiedlersee. Unfortunately the husband has been quite ill for several years and he was very tired when we got there---we only got to say hello, then he apologized and said he had to lay down and take a nap. We didn't see him any more. I feel for the guy; he used to be a fighter pilot, rising to be the head of the entire Austrian air force, and had always led an active life. Now this. Which goes to show, you have to seize the day while it's there to seize.

But we had a good visit with his wife. We sat on the back porch talking and drinking coffee while their dog, a friendly black Lab, kept coming around to get attention. Which I gave. I like friendly dogs.

My buddy Artus.

We took the dog for a walk along the Neusiedlersee. It was very windy, maybe a steady 30 MPH.

Enlarge the pic. Notice the guy in the lower left corner. He and his friends were pushing the overturned catamaran back to shore---by walking it in. The lake is 6 feet deep or less, despite its huge size.

Lots of kite surfing going on.

In port, things were calmer.

Our hostess served a local white wine---pretty good, and only 3 Euro a bottle (about $4.30 a bottle.) So after saying our goodbyes, we drove through Podersdorf and stopped off to get a case.

The vintner's store where we bought the first case of good, yet cheap (!) wine.

Then a long drive to the opposite side of the lake to the village of Zagersdorf to see if the vintner there had really left a case of wine sitting out front for us.

On the road to Zagersdorf. The bucolic Burgenland countryside.

We drove down the quiet country lane to the vintner.
Sitting atop the barrel was our case of wine.
Sitting nearby was the vintner's cat, who was a friendly boy. 

We took our wine and left. Nice to see some people still trust strangers.

These make wine.

Back home, it had started to rain. We popped a couple of pizzas in the oven and enjoyed a lazy evening, the wind moving the branches of the trees across the street and the gentle rain putting us in the mood for a bottle of wine.