We arrived in El Masroig this morning for our third season in Catalunya. We're getting a later start this year because of delayed marketing opportunities but it's good to be back. As you can imagine, I went straight to the vineyards. All things considered, they look pretty good. This summer has been relatively wet and cool so there's always a chance of powdery mildew. I didn't see anything amiss in that regard but I can see a couple of weeks worth of weeding to be done. There appears to be a larger crop than last year and that's good because the birds have already started to pick on the fruit. In spite of my efforts, I would estimate we lose about 5% of the crop to them in a average year. There isn't much to be done because of our proximity to the village. Some of those pigeons and doves look like they're close to 10 pounds (almost too fat to fly!). Right now it doesn't look like we'll need to irrigate.
Maria seems to be doing well and is happy we're back. I went to the Cooperativa to refill our "bucket" and was happy to see some familiar faces. Most of the folks at the Cooperativa take vacations sometime in August and, of course, the whole town knocks off for Festa Major which will begin August 24.
We're expecting some guests later this month. My cousin Chelsee (Jennifer's daughter) and two of her friends just graduated from college. They're doing eight European countries in eight weeks. We're looking forward to seeing them. They will just miss the Festa Major.
Thanks for keeping in touch and please stay tuned!
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