Season's Greetings to the DFCF
 
 
 
 
[The parts in brackets were edited for publication purposes.]
 
 
 
 
KATHRYN BRYAN HAMPTON,
Napa Valley assistant (seasons 1 through 7):
 

Dec 15, 2024
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS, THOMAS and DÖRTHE!!!
 
Lovely photo of you both!!! Wishing you a delicious Christmas season and plenty of time for you to chill and sip a toddy or two.
 
Big hugs for a wonderful New Year full of good things.
🥳🎄💕🎁🥰 Kathy
 

Dec 15, 2024
 
Hi Thomas,
 
Nice to hear from you. [...]
 
I'm often reminded of "Falcon Crest" as so many of today's TV "business" shows have the same basic type of plots with similar dialogue (and less interesting characters) but technology makes them look au courant when in fact they don't appear to be as good as the serial dramas of nearly 40 years [earlier]!
 
I only wish "Falcon Crest" would be revived. Did you know that 90 % of America's wine grapes are grown quite close to my home in San Francisco? It's a huge industry now and new plots count easily found. In the last week, Northern California had a tsunami warning and a tornado warning (both climate occurrences never before seen here). I wonder what Angela would have felt if Melissa had been swept away by a tornado.
 
I'm retiring from my rare book business next year. At 72, maybe it's time to see Dubai and Rhodes! With Trump coming back, I might even visit Germany — to ask for political asylum ;)
 
Happy New Year, my best to Sascha,
Howard

Dec 15, 2024
 
Hey, Thomas --
 
Thanks for reaching out.
 
Nice photo of you & Dörthe!
 
Plex TV is a new one to me, which is no surprise since we've been binge-watching "Yellowstone" (starring Kevin Costner, basically "Falcon Crest" set on a Montana ranch... real cowboy stuff instead of vineyard stuff) for the past several weeks and haven't really poked around on the remaining plethora of streaming options now offered by our cable provider. I swear, there must be two dozen "channels" vying for the world's attention here in the U.S.... several of which will probably be in bankruptcy before long.
 
[...] There comes a point when it feels good to sit down and actually open a book and shut all the screens in our lives off! [...]
 
We're busy almost every day with multiple online screenwriting competitions and periodically publishing books on the topic. By all appearances, at least half the population is writing a screenplay in hopes of breaking into showbiz... We still have a 16-year-old in the house, so she's keeping us "young."
 
I had lunch with Billy Moses last month; he still looks like "Cole" although the blond has turned to grey! He just moved (with a fairly new wife) and has taken up permanent residence in Mexico (which might give you an idea of the immigration policies, judicial politics, and economics negatively affecting life in Southern California). If we didn't have our girl in high school, we'd probably be on the move to Nevada or Arizona simply to avoid California's insane taxes.
 
But until then...
 
Warm regards to Dörthe, Sascha, and all the FC folks... with very best wishes for a joyous Christmas and a bountiful (your health is the true wealth!) New Year...

Dec 15, 2024
 
Dear Thomas,
 
So great to hear from you.
 
Everything ok here. Lots of company.
 
I hope you and your family have a very happy, healthy Holiday season.
 
Best,
Jane

Dec 15, 2024
 
Hi Thomas!
 
I remember you fondly.
 
I went from Lorimar to having kids (Hayley is now a new 31 and Christopher a new 29!). Then I started my own business and eventually, after my husband lost everything including our home, I went back to work and am now a real estate "global advisor"! with Sotheby's International Realty here in Brentwood, Los Angeles. [...]
 
[...] I'm supposed to get together with Victoria LaFortune in a week or so and should be seeing Jane Schwartz Janiger (costumer) in Palm Springs over the New Year!
 
Richard Denault is on Facebook and Instagram... AD.
 
We should get out, get together, together!!
 
Love and hugs,
 
Wendi

Dec 16, 2024
 
Dear Thomas,
 
Thank you so much for our good wishes. The world seems to have [gone] crazy. Like you, I hope for peace.
 
Donna

Dec 16, 2024
 
Hi Thomas and Dörthe,
 
Thank you so much for the holiday wishes. We send the same back to you.
 
It sounds like you've had some excellent travel this year. We went to Japan in May and then sailed back to the States. It was a great trip. We'll be sailing again in the Spring from New York to Southampton via Canada. Ireland, France and the English Coast. We look forward to that. We are not traveling as much as we'd like due to my mobility issue but we do the best we can.  
Otherwise all is well, Steve is writing and we manage to keep busy. We trust your work is going well too.
 
We hope our paths cross again soon. Again, thank you for the wishes.
 
Hugs,
 
Henry and Steve

Dec 17, 2024
 
[Happy Holidays] to you, as well. I am sure that you must have heard that Jill Jacobson just passed away. Apparently, she had been ill for some time. Take care.

Dec 17, 2024
 
Hi Thomas — thanks for the kind wishes and of course the same to you and the Mrs.
 
[...] thanks again and it was a great pleasure working with you! I hope we can meet and shop at the Christkindlesmarkt sometime.
 
Best,
Chip