Workin' on The Chain Gang.

One of the Hardest yet most enjoyable jobs I ever had was working for Mayacamus Vineyards. Mayacamus Winery is pretty much at the top of Mount Veeder above the Napa Valley. One season in particular stands out from all the rest. It was Planting time and we were a crew of about eight to ten people. One day as we were hard at our labors clearing rocks and digging holes to plant the young vines I was digging a hole about 10 feet or so from my good friend Gary B. Every now and then Gary would let out a loud groan, sort of like "OOOhgg".

He must have repeated this about four or five times when suudenly I heard some one else let out a "AAHH" Followed By Gary's "OOOhgg" Then another
"AAAHH". Every one must have noticed this because almost simultaneously the
Rest of the Crew chimed in with "Thats the sound of the men workin on the Chain Gang". That as you probably know are some lyrics to a song from the fifties or sixties. The fact that this song came to the minds of about 7 people at the same time has always astonished me.

At another time of the year Known as "The Crush" The grapes are picked and the proccess of making the wine begins. This was my favorite time of the year because following the picking of the grapes the Head wine maker for Mayacamus always threw a big party for the crew. Sometimes it would be at the top vineyard which is all the way on top of the mountain. From there we could almost see the entire San Francisco Bay on a clear day. They provided all the food and of course the Wine, Ah yes the Wine. Later in the evening there was a bon fire and people would bring guitars and there would be singing and a good time was had by all. We worked really hard but after all was said and done it was all soooo worth it.