OCTOBER 2025
    NOTICE: THE WINERY WILL BE CLOSING FOR GOOD ON OCTOBER 31st.

                                     SALE!  DUSTY BARN -- $19.79.
                                             

DID YOU KNOW. . . that El Paso Winery has been around for 47 years? Yes, it has, and I've owned it for just about 30 of those years. So, it's with great sadness and a little excitement that I've decided to close the winery on October 31st -- for good. 

I think it was about 12-15 years ago that Jerry and I started to talk about selling the property. He, being a bit older than me, had dreams of playing golf every day. We didn't actually have any specific plans, just talked about it a lot. And because we already had a tiny fisherman's cottage down on Long Beach Island for over 43 years, it would then become our home. Maybe we would stay there or maybe move closer to one of our kids. 

Then. . . along came Sandy. It's interesting how "Sandy" sounds so innocuous. Actually, Sandy was quite harmless -- no fierce winds, no devasting loss to the dunes, no loss of lives; but what devastation she left behind. It was full moon and abnormally high tides, and she entered from the bay. She just seeped in, in the middle of the night. No one was allowed onto the island for 3 weeks. When Jerry and I were finally allowed, it was so strange. No water had entered our house but everything in it was destroyed; every sofa, mattress, sheetrock, appliances were contaminated. No one would ever live in our little house again. Every bit of debris was carted away leaving a 50 x 100 foot piece of sand.

So, after bartering back and forth for about two years, it was determined that the family, not just Jerry and me, would rebuild. Believe it or not, it took three years more before we finally got our Certificate of Occupany. It seemed that since there was so much devastation, all zoning codes, etc., would have to change. So, there went our plans of moving to the beach house.

So, back to the winery our thoughts went! Actually, the winery looking pretty good, compared to the alternative. The two of us resumed our lives, but still talked about retirement. Jerry mostly. We took a trans-Atlantic cruise to Barcelona. Great. Relaxing. But five days out, and early one morning, I sneeked out onto the balconey to watch the sunrise. I noticed that the ocean water was moving West. I watched for awhile and finally woke Jerry up to show him this phenomenon. . . Covid had hit Europe. All ports were closed and we were to return to the US. Our ship had turned around in the middle of the night.

So, back to the winery again! The two of us resumed our lives. Besides, Jerry was scheduled to have relatively minor surgery in two weeks anyway, and I was busy preparing for our year end annual "closing for the season" sale. Busy, busy, busy.

Then, one night, Jerry got up to go to the 'john', slipped, fell, hit his head, bled profusely. The ambulance came and brought him to Vassar Hospital. I never saw him or spoke to him again. I wasn't allowed into the hospital. They said he died from Covid. Horrible. Horrible. Sad.

So, where else would I go, but back to the winery. It still looked good, maybe even great. Great, because it's here that's been my home for almost 30 years. But, it's time. Time for me to move on. Jerry would want that for me. He's probably wondering why I haven't done it sooner, or why I haven't continued traveling again. I'll tell him why, the next time I see him. 

Thanks to all of you who read my newsletter every month. The pleasure has always been mine,
                                                   Fondly, Maryl