As you read this I am heading down Interstate 5, on my way to visit my folks down in Eagle Rock. Unlike some previous travel stories, I don't anticipate any strange weather delays and hope for smooth sailing.

While my wife and I have differing musical tastes, she is a formidable DJ for road trips with the little ones, finding balance and harnessing the particular energies in the car. Our younger daughter, Simone, born at the beginning of the pandemic, just turned 2 last week - so she'll get some special attention and her various musical requests honored for the most part. Oddly, even at her young age, Simone and I have mostly similar favorites. Many of her go-tos sound like campy broadway ditties or hokey Beatles knockoffs and I have no problem with that. Her older sister, Ellery, is all energy, seeking catharsis in her set lists, the more dramatic or downright zanier the number the better. And when I'm tired of feigning maturity, I'm generally down for her jams too. I implore anyone to crank up the volume and surrender to the concise 90 seconds of electropop that is It's Raining Tacos and let any and all blues or anxiety melt away.

Though I'll be about six hours south by car, and Liv currently twelve hours east by plane (in Portugal!) you'll certainly be in very good hands with Max and Ezra and the rest of the crew, Crystal, Brenda, and Erica. The team is there to help you find the perfect bottle or help you stock up for any weekend parties, adventures, or getaways you may have planned. For those simply stopping in for a delicious glass of wine tonight or this weekend, they'll have you covered too. I'm nearly certain the music will be better there, and the conversation more stimulating than our car ("Dad... last night I peed on my poo"). You can also count on the likelihood that you and I will be enjoying some good wine, quite likely at the very same time, in a joyful place, surrounded by good people. And yes, there will be tacos.

Keep everything warm for me,

Daniel