Ricky Nelson Is Still Dead, But His Spirit Lives On

So I've always wondered, in the Ricky Nelson song "Garden Party," what the line "Yoko brought her walrus" means. 

(Honestly, I've rarely wondered what it means.)

Yoko's walrus? (Nope, photo taken by

your faithful blogger took on an

Inspirato cruise to the Arctic in 2018).

Our new friend, Scott, from Jacksonville, is a big music guy, and claimed he had never heard "Garden Party" before.  I noted that of course he must have.  We were on separate buses, as he was smart enough to stay in Saint-Emilion to wander more and have lunch, while we went back to the ship for lunch and to get ready.

(Since most people went from the ship but others went directly from Saint-Emilion, I suppose you can say, "People came from miles around, everyone was there.")

So here's my text exchange with Scott from that afternoon at 2:37pm:

Scott: "Somebody is playing Garden Party on our bus right now."

Me: "Perfect."  (I was playing the John Fogerty version quietly in the back of our bus at the same time.)

Scott: "And I've never heard this song."

Me: "Really?"

Scott: "Really.  Not even vaguely familiar."

Me: "Just remember: You can't please everyone so you've got to please yourself."

Inspirato was throwing everyone on the ship a garden party (hence the Ricky Nelson mentions).  The party was at Chateau Soutard, which dates back to 1513, making it one of the oldest Right Bank wineries.  It used to be one of the few chateaus in Bordeaux where you don't need an appointment to tour the property and do a wine tasting, but now it is necessary.  

A quick look at their website suggest they offer an abundance of tours and tastings at different price points.  You can also pre-purchase picnics, bike the vineyards, or (for free) hike the nature trail.   

Anyhow, the rain, heavy at times, put a bit of a damper on the garden party, but the folks in charge from Inspirato and the chateau adjusted better than Brian Daboll and Daniel Jones and moved it into a huge hall inside.

(Editor: A bit bitter about the terrible showing of your New York football Giants on Sunday, huh?

Writer: For once, I'm at a loss for words.)

They gave us fake money for betting games involving wine.  I nailed my first two wins (blind tasting, five choices of appellations, gotta pick the right one) and then lost interest.  At least I went 2-0 (which the Giants can't do) before giving up (which the Giants can do).

We also took a brief tour of the winemaking facilities at the chateau.

Honestly, I thought the garden party would be a stuffy, not fun affair and briefly considered skipping it.  But it was more fun than I expected, and I'm glad we went.

Chateau Soutard.

"But it's alright now, I learned my lesson well.  You see you can't please everyone so you've got to please yourself."

(I gotta admit, I thought about rewriting the lyrics to Garden Party to fit this garden party, but that seems like work when I'm already ten days behind on the blog!)