I can’t write about tannins without thinking about the movie, “Sideways.” Sheri and I honeymooned in wine country both in the Los Olivos area and later in Sonoma valley. Although we don’t qualify as “cork dorks” we do like wine tasting and of course the subject of tannins is very present. Below you see a pic of day three of leaching out tannins from the already harvested and ground up acorns picked off the sidewalk on our residential street. I was pretty amazed to see how dark the water got, which was refreshed yesterday. That’s a lot of tannins. I did a little reading on Wikipedia and not surprisingly tannins are found not just in acorns, oak trees (which wine barrels are often made from), but in many other foods as well. In acorns it is so strong that this leeching process must be done or they are inedible. I have to say the whole harvesting acorns from nature is a lot of work!

Which brings me to something else that I’ve been wanting to write about. Seminary. That too, is a lot of work. Next week, I will begin my final semester at Claremont School of Theology (CST). It’s a little sad to think about, but also exciting to prepare for the next leg of my journey of becoming a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. All told I will have spent three years studying at CST. Next, we will move to Berkeley, California and there I will attend Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary for one year of residency called, “the Lutheran Year.”

It’s been a good two and a half years so far at CST. I’ve learned a lot and been stretched both intellectually and spiritually. It’s a wonder to think that I’ve come this far, and that my family has been so supportive and patient thus far. I am deeply thankful for this. Some processes take a while to endure in order to come out the other side useful and helpful, especially if you’re a wild nut with more than your share of bitterness. That’s a bit of an exaggeration!