So there it is, the first official wine tote bag artwork put out there by Rutherford's Honig Winery, created by your humble scribe. The fruit of a multiplicity of hands. And, speaking of fruit, isn't that what wine comes from? Fruit? Hmmm, sounds like the segue to a short wine post. And without further ado, here it is!

First off, to the particular. Honig Winery makes its home deep in the Napa Valley, in the town of Rutherford. Rutherford was founded almost a century ago by one of two brothers, both of whom nursed strong passions for street racing and were rabidly loyal to their own brands. Milton, the eldest, adamantly proclaimed Henry's as the ultimate conveyance and could be heard multiple times a day saying he'd "ruther have a Ford". In the usual way with etymological origins, this was soon shortened to RutherFord and ultimately became the official name of his home.

Street racing eventually gave way to grape growing, due to the huge demand for grape jelly during World War II and Rutherford became the premier supplier of Welch's and Smuckers. Then, in the early sixties, competition in jelly production from France's Loire valley caused a handful of growers to switch their attention to wine, a very minor commercial item up until that point. Many laughed at this change in focus, but a few far seeing vineyard owners sensed that wine might one day be considered almost as important as grape jelly if they approached it correctly. Louis Honig was one of these visionaries.

I invite you, gentle reader, to visit Honig and learn more about these heady times. For it is now time to jump ahead to the present. One day, the precise date lost in the mists of the past but probably around August of this year, I was contacted by Kelly to see if I might be able to craft the artwork for a wine tote, something ideally suited to, well, toting. And the final product of that effort is the image that started this post, one that combines a variety of elements whose nexus is defined by that winery at 850 Rutherford Road. The actual tote? It looks kind of like this:

Not bad, eh? But what's the story behind those leafy images? And the round blue dealies? How do they figure in? And how about some particulars on the Honig winery itself? Be sure and come back for more in the exciting saga of "How Crowden Spends His Time When He's Not Playing With His Dog."

Hey guys. I learned about this from a David Pogue video and immediately ordered it. The item AND packaging was so cool I had to post about it. So here's the device, the Pocket Spotlight:

How big is it in reality? Well, here's a picture of me holding it:

So notice that it's small. And also notice that the picture is dark and my skin looks kind of sickly. That's because I'm taking the pic it with my iPhone, using the iPhone's flash. But HERE's what you see if you take this puppy, slap it into the mic input of the iPhone, turn it on and take a pic:

Zowie powie! Is that better or what? And for an even better comparison, here's a still life of my dining room table taken with iPhone and its built-in flash:

Aaaaand, here it is with the Pocket Spotlight:

Pretty great, no? These were all taking in the early AM, with the sun still long from shining down upon us. Now perhaps you're remembering that I mentioned the packaging. Well, here's what came from Photojojo, the guys who make this nifty device:

How crazy is that? A nice box with cute graphics. A tiny tote bag with a happy note. A plastic Ankylosaurus! A kazoo. And a pair of googly eyes! The invoice is just as happy and upbeat. Talk about going the extra mile to amaze and delight. These guys have it down. If you're hankering for one of your own, they're at http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/pocket-spotlight/ and they have Crow's Caw of Approval!

Sounds like the most boring job in the world. Holding a sign to drive traffic into a store. How can you possibly make it something more, both for yourself and for those driving by? The awesome Mckinley Williams shows how!