What does a vineyard have to do with gratitude? In this first conversation, Ruben Navarrete sits down with Tri Robinson at Timber Butte Homestead — home to what may be the highest-elevation vineyard in Idaho — to hear how it all came to be.

Tri shares the story of walking the Camino de Santiago with his wife Nancy at the end of his years as a pastor — not as a bucket-list trip, but as a pilgrimage: seeking God for direction in a new season of life. The answer came through a Mother Teresa quote, an unexpected request from his kids ("Dad, we think we should grow a vineyard"), and a stranger in overalls who turned out to be exactly the teacher they needed.

Along the way: 25 experimental Cabernet Franc vines, 500 bottles a year, a family drawn closer through shared work, living with the land rather than off it, and the question Tri and Nancy have asked since their very first date — what do you really want out of life?

This is the first in a series of conversations working through Tri's book, Journey of Gratitude — reflections on the seasons of a life shaped by seeking God, one decision at a time.

Get Tri's book, Journey of Gratitude, on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQ5H6VC1

More from Tri at Timberbuttehomestead.com

Hosted by Ruben Navarrete and Tri Robinson.