Reconnecting With Gene Ludwig Again After Many Years Through Yesterday's Washington Post Business Section Article On His Company : Remembering Days When He'd Shop @ The Mayflower Wines & Spirits & Gave Me My One-Man ART SHOW @ Covington-Burling Law Offices: Thanks Gene!

Wow, that was so very many years and moons ago that I have to scratch my head and think hard about that period in my life back in the mid to late eighties when Gene would leave his offices above of Covington Burling at the corner of New Hampshire Avenue and M Streets N.W. Washington D.C. to discuss wine, art, life and family with me. We and our families became friends and we did some business together and it was a good time in our lives I believe. It was in mine, and I do thank Gene for giving me the chance to display and sell my art there in their law offices up on the steep walls in the inside upper court well that was like a shaft of life and light and art that brightened all the offices in this impressive building on pennsylvania Avenue. N.W. so very many years ago. First-class, all the way from having Annie Bissel hang my art and a lovely young lady write an introduction for me and my art, from the days in Paris, France when I painted and etched to the current days in Washington D.C. when I painted with acrylics and did many watercolors and collage pieces,too. Exciting times, feeling quite alive and inspired and motivated to carve my own place in time and to make a difference - to contribute something fresh and meaningful to speak to, to help and to please others in our community here in Washington D.C.

I was thrilled that Gene recognized my talent. Thank you for that Gene. That meant a whole lot to me then and still does today. I am sorry that our paths have not crossed much since the years 1999-2000 when they crossed again briefly the year I spent working at Addy Bassin's MacArthur Beverages. That was the last time I saw either you or your lovely wife , and the last time that I sold any wine to you.

Back at the Mayflower Wines & Spirits we would speak a whole lot about wine as you were spreading your wings and trying many wines, some which you had already heard of , and many that I would then recommend to you, have your complete and rapt attention, smile and both joy and keen interest.

I wonder today if you still like wine like you did then? Do you have any time to enjoy wine today? I bet that even though it seems you are amazingly busy that you still make time to enjoy both wine and food, and family and friends, too. I am sure of that. You find a way to bring them all together. You probably create times and invite people over to share in some of both? Just my thoughts, I'd have to have you one-on-one as it used to be so many years ago.

At MacArthur Beverages I do not feel that we ever had that one-on-one that we used to have and, at that point it saddened me greatly. I did find that time, however, that personal-meaningful one-on-one as I helped your wife with your needs then, and that was special for me, as working the year at MacArthur Beverages was quite special for me. Going back there was quite unique because even though I had been working wholesale for many years it never seemed like I had left as there were so many wonderful wines still for me to sell there from the eighties : mature and delicious and fully-ready to drink and enjoy immediately. What else could I have ever asked for?

From reading yesterday's article it sounded like the whole business is built on faith and trust and delivering results that work and portray things in the best possible light? Sounds right to me. That's how I like to conduct my wine business as I continue to help many individuals, one-on-one with whatever their need or wants might be? I try and get to that point where I understand what I am trying to do? for others and somewhat for myself as well, as I learn more each and every time that I stick my neck out to help others achieve their goals.

With my own art that I do it is much more open and instinctual and fed by the movement, the atmosphere, the place and time of day, the emotion, the state-of-mind that I am currently at?! I never quite know?

I do know that often I work " on empty " as I like to put it. I am at the end of the day, exhausted, at my end's wits and yet I push forward. I do it because something always results that I am pleased with. It may not be my very best but I am pleased that I went ahead and did it anyway. I have gained- I have learned from it somehow, and am somehow definitely better off as a result.

I also know that in this show that I worked on that it was a definite " family effort " that involved my whole family, including my father that came from San Leandro, California to be there with us for the opening of the show. I was thrilled to get his assistance as it was working down to the wire. I could not have done it all without the help of everyone, as there were signs to put up, labels, titles to be made for the works, etcetera. It was a magical evening and many people showed up for the show and I did, in fact sell some of my work : and it was invaluable exposure for me. I am thrilled that I did this, that I worked closely with everyone to get this done and I will never forget this important experience and period in my life. I still work very hard today with my art and at this point I am doing many quick portrait sketches of the owners and winemakers that I encounter each and every week at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits in Cleveland Park, Northwest, Washington D.C. that I have now managed for fourteen years. I take pictures of these people holding the sketches up to their heads and then give them to them as " my gift " as I want to thank them in the most personal way that I can with something from me to them showing them that I do appreciate very much their taking the time to come to the store and to taste their wines with me.

I look forward to seeing Gene and his wife again in the future. It was my wife that pointed this article out to me yesterday asking me if I had seen it? I said : " no ", but that I was very happy that she mentioned it to me, and that I would read it later. I did, and I enjoyed it. I read the whole article. My wife also mentioned to me that there was also an article on the famous Bordeaux property called Chateau Petrus. I was also happy to read that and it did make me both think and scratch my head once again as I thought about the vintage 1998 that they were touting as exceptional for red Bordeaux as well as for Chateau Petrus. I do not remember any of this. In fact I was always under the impression that 1995 and 2000 were exceptional vintages, even 1996, but not 1998? I know that it was a very fine vintage for sweet wines of Bordeaux like Chateau D'Yquem. Live and learn, live and let live, grow and let grow : I believe in all of that. I believe in relationships - friendships, trust and respect. I am so thrilled for all of this. I will write more. This is just the beginning here for me, inspired by yesterday's Washington Post article on Gene Ludwig and his group that

started with him alone in an office, trusting-believing in what he could accomplish, and has with hard work, a bit of luck, and perseverance. Cheers and thanks again Gene for believing in me so many years ago. I am glad that those talks of ours over many California wines like Liberty School have yielded such fruitful results for the both of us.

Take care, and until we next meet. I have passed your home in the past heading to Bobby Kacher's home where I have had some extraordinary times like the one with Betrand Ambroise and his daughter, that I had almost all to myself one delightful evening as we ate and drank really fine red and white Burgundy and spoke a mile-a-minute in French, I snapped away with my pictures, and Bertrand showed me how to drink his Corton red Burgundy with the meat that he had grilled and the red juice that it made and puddled the bottom of each of our plates. Bertrand was spot-on. I should have come and knocked on your door and invited you to come over? if I had thought of it I probably would. There's always a next time to look forward to Gene? You need to come over and sip some wine here at our home in northern Virginia and we can continue out talk about life and art and business and wine and food, family, friends, relationships. Cheers, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn Happy Monday afternoon everyone, August 5th, 2013. it's absolutely drop-dead gorgeous here now with low humidity, a breeze, baby blue skies and a few beautiful white puffy clouds drifting along ever-so-slowly-majestically: everything bathed in pure sunlight, and many bumble bees here and incredible yellow and black-blue butterflies going from lavender and white Plox to shades of lavender butterfly bushes as well. TONY 2:42 PM ... ahhhhh, I absolutely love it and am delighted to post this now. Sante a tous!