Making The Old Into The New And In Turn, Into A Business.

Once in a while I post short films here that I find compelling. Usually they are focused on the work that someone does and they celebrate craftsmanship. I think this aligns quite well with that theme though in this case, rather than crafting a motorcycle from steel its the crafting of Old World food products.

Here is the story of an Austin, TX couple who discovered a passion that struck an all too rare balance between viable business model and an available niche in the market. Enjoy.



Charcuterie - A Documentary from Christian Remde on Vimeo.

A Weekend At The Top Of California - Loon Lake, CA

Hectic work schedules and a frantic early summer full of birthdays, anniversaries & graduations had both Kathy and I at the end of our collective rope. We needed a getaway, and badly at that, but didn't want to hassle with the 4th of July weekend crowds so on the following weekend we loaded up and headed to Loon Lake.

Resting at ~6350' above sea level Loon Lake is a bit of anomaly in large Sierra lakes in that there's always been a lake in the valley in which it resides. The valley once housed Loon & Pleasant lakes and the two were joined into one much larger lake by the 1963 erection of the Loon Lake Dam across the Gerle Creek outflow.

The name of the lake is a bit of a mystery. There are in fact Loons in California but not of the type associated with the Wilderness in Canada, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Those are the "Arctic Loon" who's range does not extend this far South. You can find "Pacific Loon" along the California coast feeding in "near-shore" areas, bays and estuaries but they don't appear in the Sierras.... Perhaps someone just thought it a good name for a lake.