The last week of April and the first week of May still found grape growers being awakened by their frost alarms. Cold mornings, with temperatures tenaciously holding on to temperatures down into the low 30s, were more common than not.

Our pinot noir and chardonnay grapes are beginning to bloom. Ideally, growers look for even temperatures with no big swings between daytime and evening.

We hope the winds calm down and springtime rains hold off and let the grapes pollinate. Not too much to ask for from our partner Mother Nature.

As farmers, we play with the hand we are dealt. The potential for a nice-size pinot noir and chardonnay crop are there. The next few weeks will tell the story for this year's vintage.

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It is a good time to get away, after worrying about frost since bud break in early March.

A short getaway is only possible if you have someone you can rely on to watch the vineyard and make sure things are covered, as far as springtime frosts go.

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I am lucky enough to have Carlos Guzman, a very conscientious assistant, to watch things when I am gone.

The last four or five days of April, Karen, the kids and I had the opportunity to get away and drive up to Lake Tahoe to spend some time with brother Dana and his wife, Marsha.

We picked Kathleen and Clayton up from school right after lunch and headed for Paso Robles, where we picked up my mom, Elenita, and Georgiana Phelps, Marsha's mom.

Soon we were headed north with my wife, Karen, at the helm, allowing me to catch up on my sleep after being out on frost control for several nights in a row.

The kids were anxious to get to Lake Tahoe and play in what snow was left on the ground. We talked to my brother, who was already at the lake, on the phone, and he said it was snowing a little bit on and off most of the day.

Karen drove until we stopped for a bite to eat just south of Stockton around 5 p.m. After a quick fast-food dinner, we were back on the road, and before we knew it, we were heading up the mountain.

We could see the dark clouds ahead of us with a few sprinkles of rain hitting the windshield every now and then. I watched the outside temperature begin to drop as it got darker and we went higher.

It was 50 degrees around Sacramento, then dropping to 32 degrees as we had another 45 minutes to go before entering the Tahoe Basin.

Soon we could see snow alongside the road and in the trees. The kids loved it, but I was getting a little nervous, wondering if we were going to hit some icy parts of the road, as I watched the outside temperature drop to 27 degrees and a light snow falling, making it harder to see the road.

We made it to the bottom of the hill and past the welcome-to-Tahoe Basin sign. Soon we were standing in front of a nice fire; the kids were outside watching a light snow dust our car and front porch, while I poured myself a cocktail and enjoyed the fire.

The next day, we went out and found patches of

snow one or two feet deep scattered among the trees.

It was the perfect amount for all of us to make snowballs and play in.

The weather was beautiful, and we had a nice picnic among the pines surrounding the lake.

Saturday afternoon found us heading down the mountain for San Francisco.

Last Christmas, Aunt

Marsha and Uncle Dana

gave everyone tickets to see “High School Musical” at

the Orphean Theater. Our tickets were for the matinee performance on Sunday

afternoon.

It could not come soon enough for the kids, who

can sing practically every song in the show. We all

had a wonderful time.

Grandparents and kids

alike enjoyed a great performance.

With all its idiosyncrasies, San Francisco is a great getaway, a true example of how the other half lives.

Monday morning, we

all gathered for breakfast at

a small cafe near Fisherman's Wharf before heading for home. Before we knew it,

we were in Gilroy, the

Garlic Capital of the World, for a rest stop and a snack.

We continued south down Highway 101 through Salinas, the Salad Bowl of the nation, and past the winegrapes of southern Monterey and northern San Luis Obispo counties.

You always know you're close to home when you make the turn on 101 near Avila and the great expanse of the Pacific Ocean welcomes you to our beautiful Central Coast.

All of us need to get

away now and then. We

don't realize how much

we need to revive our

minds and souls, even if it

is for a few days. We are blessed to live in California, where within a couple of hours you can enjoy the diversity that makes up our Golden State.

Kevin Merrill is a vineyard manager for Mesa Vineyard Management in Santa Maria. He is president of the Central Coast Winegrowers' Association Foundation and a current board member of the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau. He can be reached at kmerrill@mesavineyard.com.

May 11, 2008