Welcome to opalholicsanonymous.com where opal season lasts forever.

Hello all, it's me... BRIGHTLIGHTS!

Man it's been a long time since I've been here. Ok, we moved, computer died, forgot about opal with life chipping away at me, etc.

Just watched the movie Uncut gems and while it was not the family movie we'd like about opal, it did show how someone gets addicted to opal and just had to have it!

So then I figured I'd check out the old OHA and see who's still hanging around.

I am not doing the stay-at-home dad gig anymore, the kids are now 16 & 14 and don't really want to hang out with dad anymore! So now I'm an assistant vintner at a local winery. Yep, big jump from the old job but it's fun stuff and I get to use some of the education I got from my father years and years ago.

Anyways, we are all well and I wanted to check in and say hello.

BL

Hi BL, Was it you who got a large kunzite at a local auction? Wine huh sounds enjoyable, welcome back.

Wow, what a nice surprise to find your post BL. I'm delighted to see you and to hear that things are well with you and your family, and your new career sounds fantastic! Was your father a vintner? That is really cool and I'm so happy for you.

I also glad you were able to get back in here, I've wondered where you were and how you're doing. Hope we'll get to see more of you now. Welcome back!

Thanks for warm welcome back from both of you.

My father made home made wine and I did to, but he wasn't consistent in the results. Half the time they could have secondary fermentation and blow corks . and other half of time he was better at making vinegar.

But I learned basics from him, and was better at home winemaking. Now in the winery, it has been taken up a notch and the batch sizes are much bigger. Typically fermenting up 670 gallons at a time then pulling out of that and bottling runs of 200+ gallons as we need it.

Yes 8's that is me with the kunzite. Here's some eye candy... Ok, maybe not. Seems I Cant do that on the phone, it says it's too big. I'll post later when I figure it out.

Cool. Thanks for coming back. I take too large of files to easily upload them myself. too far of internet.

I understand your dad's dilemma all too well since I used to make wonderful German and Russian dark beers, until the seasons changed and I couldn't maintain the proper temperature for fermentation, so after two failed batches I decided I needed a small refrigerator I could set the temperature on, but he never got one so the beer-making adventures ended, which was a real bummer since I had been doing so well at first. Maybe someday I'll get a small refrigerator that can maintain a 55º temperature and be able to give it another shot. In the meantime I bake breads, and even made my own Arkansas sourdough starter for sourdough breads. It may not be San Francisco sourdough, but it's pretty darn good.

That must be amazing to be making wine in such quantity, and I'm sure they've got their system down and equipment that maintains everything at the proper temps. Way cool.

The photo may really be oversized for the forum, but if you have it posted anywhere else online other than social media, you can try right-clicking on it, selecting 'copy image location' if there's that option, and then bring it here and put it between the img brackets. I'm looking forward to seeing it myself so I hope we can figure out how to do it.

Yep just filtered 233 gallons of Sauvignon blanc fun stuff.

I'm glad to hear his winery is still doing well. I just wish he was making beer since that's my thing and I can't even remember the last time I had a glass of wine. He wouldn't want to make the switch, would he? LOL!

That's the funny part, he drinks more beer but doesn't want to make it. He bought the winery because his wife likes the wine. lol