13 Comments

So well written. I have read it again and share with my siblings

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Thanks, John.

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Ah, John, I love Gravensteins. And what a beautiful story of your loving family memories. Thanks for sharing this heartrending journey with us.

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Thanks, Lisa. Gravs are the best!

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When I saw the title, I knew I’d be in tears by the end of it. Being in the same age group as you and Les, I kind of knew what was coming. What a lovely tribute to beautiful land, the fabulous bounty it gave you and the people who were smart enough to move there and enjoy it for 45 years. Once again - in appreciation, John.

Patty

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Thanks, Patty. It was a special place, particularly for my folks, but also as a focal point for family over the decades. Letting go of it was an unavoidable sadness.

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Know the process well - bravo for your eloquent farewell.

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Ahhh John, thank you for the well written tribute to your families history. I too share in a family farming business with my siblings, that my parents started and my brother joined them after he graduated from Cal Poly, in 1979. Kirk has been farming since 1980, learning from my dad. Fortunately we are a small family and we all get along and let Kirk be the farmer. Hi to Leslie!

Jill

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Thanks, Jill. Things would have been so different had my parents (my Dad, mostly) been willing to let responsibility for the various properties pass on to us while they were still alive, but alas that was not in the cards. By the time we could exercise any control, we were in stages of our lives that made it impossible. You and your sibs are so fortunate to have had things work out differently.

Les say howdy!

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We worked together for how many years and I never received a single Gravenstein! Hah. Love it, John. I think "Next Chapter" is gradually working its way into a film. I'd go and see it.

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Thanks, Tim. I remember bringing a sack full of gravs in to the newsroom once, but I think our resident foodie, Lisa McKinnon, snapped most of them up pretty quickly.

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What a year for you and your family, John. Whew. As I read this beautiful homage to the Gravensteins, and your family history, I kept hearing Jim Croce sing “ Time in a Bottle “ in my mind. You and Leslie , put it in bags to enjoy. Bravo.

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Thanks, Delia. It was indeed.

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