This year we’re not including a printed letter with our mailed Christmas cards. We’re shortening that list. This link to this website posting is printed in the few cards we’ll soon send out (writing this Christmas Eve), and will be in the Christmas ‘e-letter’ that goes to many more people. We hope that those who find their way to this page will find it informative, and maybe even humorous!

We and all our kids and grandkids are healthy. The normal cuts, bruises and occasional broken bones with the grandkids. Some of us may have had COVID, but nothing serious. Only two tested positive, and their experience was not much more than a bad cold.

Nate and Adele, with Peter (14), Lydia (12) and George (10) remain in North Branch, NJ. Nate’s working again for Johnson & Johnson, at a new plant making low volume single person cancer meds. Adele continues homeschooling the 3 kids, and like most mom’s with 3 youngster’s she’s also busy with sport leagues, music lessons, church and more. One excitement in their household this year was another big flood. They live in one of the 6 counties in NJ that got ~8″ of rain in a couple hours on Sept. 1.  The Raritan river basically in their backyard rose 18 feet in a few hours, bringing about 3 feet of water into their first floor. With a couple hours warning, and the great help of their 3 kids, they got a lot of potentially water damaged belongings moved upstairs beforehand. But they lost some bigger furniture, including a piano. Some appliances and the water heater needed replacement, as did about 4′ of drywall thru out the 1st floor.  The kids learned some great demo and construction skills while helping Nate do the necessary repairs. The kitchen stove and dishwasher somehow survived, freezer and refrigerator did not. Nate set up a ‘temporary kitchen’ the next day, with a simple utility sink and small apartment fridge.  All but the kitchen is repaired now, and that should get done soon.

Adele’s kitchen in temporary mode

Wall in Adele’s house with the damaged drywall removed

A couple feet deep water in front of Adele’s house 

Water rising in Adele’s house

Son Dan remains in Honeoye Falls, slowly growing his computer business. He’s doing more website working along with a variety of business and individual clients for software and hardware support.  He continues as the Town of Mendon Zoning Board of Appeals chair.

Son Josh continues as a Residence Director at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, supervising a team of RA’s in a freshman dorm. He’s also working diligently on a Masters in Math Education. Coursework should finish summer of 2022, with student teaching that fall. He also continues his weekly Sunday classical music radio program from 1-3 PM on WXXI FM. He enjoys helping in the vineyard during the summer.

Son Noah is back working full time at Damiani Wine Cellars, along Seneca Lake. He’s gaining various skills from a variety of work in both the tasting room and wine production operations.  He recently moved from Geneva, NY to Ovid, NY … about 5 miles from us. So between that and our growing wine business, we’re seeing a lot of him now.

Speaking of the vineyard and wine worlds, the big news is that we officially are selling wine made from our grapes. Orders can be placed online, with shipment to 42 states available, for our semi-dry 2020 Riesling and dry 2020 Cabernet Franc.  And, if you live within about 1+ hour drive from Interlaken, NY, you can possibly save on shipping by contacting Noah or Fred. Depending on our general driving around, we may be able to deliver to you personally, and avoid the UPS shipping charges. Please call/text Fred at 607-342-4292 or office@airyacreswinecellars.com – or Noah at 607-342-0221 or noah.bassette@airyacresvineyard.com.  Coming around May 2022 there will be more wines from the abundant 2021 harvest including a drier Riesling, a sweeter Riesling, a Gewurztraminer, a ‘bubbly’ Gewurztraminer, a Gewurztraminer/Riesling blend, and a Cabernet Franc Rose. Late in 2022 will be more Riesling and Cabernet Franc, a Lemberger, and a Lemberger/Cabernet Franc blend.

Below is the very first bottle of Riesling, bottled April 28!

The very first bottle of Riesling on April 28

Pam putting bottles of Riesling into the boxes on the bottling line

Our logo’d wine glasses

Noah has set up a Facebook and Instagram pages for the vineyard, so there’s lots to see there.

Since we haven’t built a tasting room yet (hopefully in 2022), to keep this wine stored at the appropriate temperature, Fred built a well insulated and heated/cooled room in one corner of the vineyard barn. He had some great help from friend Tom March doing the framing for the walls, and from friend Mike Emrick installing the mini-split for A/C. It’s now storing our 110 cases (and slowing decreasing!) of Riesling and Cabernet Franc, along with the materials to pack and ship the wine bottles.

Outside of ‘the insulated and temperature controlled wine room’ Fred built in corner of vineyard barn

Our wine inside the wine room

On the vineyard side, 2021 was a great growing year for the 5 acres of Cabernet Franc, Lemberger and Chardonnay planted in 2020. They will get their first harvest in 2022. Also this year we planted about 1 acre of Saperavi, and about 1 1/2 acres of Rkateseli. So in 2024 we’ll have wines from them.  All this vineyard work kept Fred quite busy from May thru October.  The kids and grandkids all helped some at various times, as their schedules allow.

If you’re curious about vineyard operations, check out this page of pictures and videos.

Fred with the ‘wire Jenny’ used to deploy wire for vine trellis

Nate and George installing clips for movable trellis catch wires

“The crew” at end of long harvest day October 24.
1st row: Dan, Nate, Lydia, her friend Becca, Adele
2nd row: Pam, Fred, Peter, George

Pam riding the harvest bin wagon headed out to harvest Gewurztraminer.

George, Pam, Becca, and our friend Tom March sorting Lemberger grapes

Pam continues as Teaching Director of the Between the Lakes Community Bible Study class. There about 50 men and women participating in the groups that meet on either Tuesday morning (in person) or Tuesday evening (via Zoom). Each week, from Sept. thru May, Pam prepares a 15-20 minute teaching on a chapter or two of the Bible, which is video recorded so the Zoom groups can watch. This year the class covered the book of James for 6 weeks, is part way thru Revelation, and will finish out with 6 weeks in Colossians.  The Zoom groups include people attending from Maine, Tennessee, and Connecticut – so not matter where you are, if you’d like to visit via Zoom and check it out, just contact Pam at pam@bassettes.com or 585-301-1812.

In May we got together with ‘our three sons’ for Mother’s Day.

Josh, Pam, Dan, Noah – Mother’s Day lunch

In June Noah treated Fred to a Red Wings game in Rochester, for Father’s Day.

And in July they joined us for Fred’s 67th birthday.

Noah, Fred, Dan, Josh at Fred’s birthday

Over the summer each of the grandkids, individually, came to ‘Grandparent’s Camp’, and had fun visiting local attractions and just enjoying the lake at the cottage.

Peter, George, Lydia displaying gingerbread creations

October 25th saw Pam’s 70th birthday.  As the weekend before was a big harvest weekend, everyone was here, and Adele, Dan, Josh and Noah put together a surprise party here for her. And then on the 25th Fred and Adele Bain (Pam’s longtime friend from Australia) arranged a surprise Zoom gathering. Fred got Adele on the Zoom, and she called out to Pam, who was in the next room. A great surprise and Zoom visit went on for a while!

In November all were here for Thanksgiving, including Fred’s brother John. John moved to a different Assisted Living facility in November 2020 – The Falls Home in Montour Falls, NY. After a bout with COVID (~2 weeks in hospital, and 6 weeks in rehab), he’s back to ‘pre-COVID’ status.

On Christmas day Pam, Fred, Josh and Dan went to Nate & Adele’s for a few days. Josh’s gift to Peter is tickets to the Jets football game on Sunday! Speaking of Christmas, for some of us this is a very special time celebrating the birth of Jesus.

As Jesus said to Nicodemus: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:14-18)

We continue enjoying the beautiful Finger Lakes. We’d love to have you visit us. Wherever you live, be safe, enjoy every day, and cherish the people you love!

If you like to look at more pictures, go to this ‘family’ Shutterfly share site, and from there you can find links to our other share sites.

You can reach us at fred@bassettes.com or 585-727-3328, and pam@bassettes.com or 585-301-1812.
7878 Footes Corners Rd., Interlaken, NY  14847