After Hours

No, not the kind of "after hours" that you are probably thinking. I am talking about the after hours that take place once our business doors close for the day and our family life resumes with the two miniature horses who live in our house.

You see, Tux and Belle used to have free roam of the vineyard. Getting their exercise was not a problem. For being 4 1/2 year old big dogs, they still have quite a bit of energy to burn off.

Now that we've opened the winery, things have changed a bit and they are spending more time indoors on the weekends. They spend a good amount of time during the day peering through the glass door into our "backyard" watching all the humans laugh and drink wine. And it is tough for them not to be a part of the action. So many hands out there that could be scratching them behind the ears! Although they are friendly and love any attention they can get, their collective 200 lbs. of energetic dog love can sometimes kill the mood for a relaxing wine tasting.

Some of our customers have witnessed them getting let loose, when someone (ahem: our2yearoldson), accidentally leaves the door open when going in and out of the house. And it is quite a sight to see them galloping out of the house towards the tasting bar area.

We usually hear a few excited squeals and then the natural reaction of grabbing the wine glasses off the table, should one of these ponies knock it over with their wagging tails!

And so, after several hours waiting patiently watching customers come and go all day long, we wait until the last person leaves and closed sign is up..