Our orchard continues to grow—we now have 33 trees, with four currently producing apples. This year, we will be planting two crabapple trees to support pollination for our newer Honeycrisp trees.

Last fall, we were fortunate to harvest approximately 1,200 apples from our McIntosh trees. We were proud to donate this crop to the Pepin School District for a community event in October.

We’re also pleased to report that our deer-exclusion fencing is now working effectively, protecting our trees from rabbits, raccoons, and other wildlife that have damaged previous plantings.

11th Annual Fundraising Event

We are excited to invite you to our 11th Annual Fun(d)raising Party, taking place on Saturday, September 12, beginning at 1:00 PM.

This event promises an enjoyable afternoon of community, games, and entertainment. Highlights include:

• Cornhole and other outdoor activities
• A variety of beverages, including our Altered States Apple Wine
• A selection of appetizers, dips, and shared dishes
• Live music (details to be announced)
• A delicious dinner for all attendees

In past years, we’ve enjoyed incredible performances from talented musicians, and we look forward to another memorable experience this year.

Supporting Our Charities

As part of our continued commitment, every guest who makes a donation—of any amount—to one or more of our three supported charities will receive a bottle of our Altered States Apple Wine as a token of appreciation.

Additionally, we will continue our tradition of matching all donations 1:1, amplifying the impact of your generosity.  See our Financial Donations!

We carefully review each of the organizations we support and are proud to partner with the following:

• Hope Coalition
  Providing advocacy and essential resources for women and children in need, including access to safe housing, childcare, healthcare, and employment support—helping build a future of stability and success.
• Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota
  Assisting individuals and families in achieving affordable homeownership, creating stronger, more stable communities for everyone.
• Central Asia Institute
  Empowering girls and women in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan through education and vocational training, fostering long-term positive change within their communities.

Our Mission

We host these events because we believe in giving back and making a meaningful difference. We are grateful for the opportunities we’ve been given and are committed to supporting others—locally and globally—on their journey toward safety, health, and prosperity.

At the heart of our mission is a belief in our shared humanity. We are inspired by the message of One Human Family, whose guiding principles remind us:

Like fingers on a hand,
We are all different and unique.
We are all of equal value.
We are all created to work together.
And although we appear separate,
We are connected and part of one another.

Visit Us

If your summer travels bring you to the Lake Pepin area, we would love for you to stop by and say hello. We always enjoy the company—and sharing a glass of our Altered States Apple Wine.

Please feel free to call ahead, as we are not on-site every day: 763-354-0880

Warm regards,
Jim and Linda
Lost Creek Hippies Vineyard

We enjoyed wine, beer, and soft drinks, along with tasty appetizers, a hearty pork stew, and a spread of desserts (including my signature apple–cranberry–walnut bars).

That said, we really do enjoy it all—though the recent uptick in animal attacks on the farm has been quite the challenge. We’ve been busy relocating raccoons, opossums, and other pesky critters to far-off places… maybe that’s what’s keeping us young?

We hope you’re staying healthy and happy, and that you’re able to spend some quality time this summer with your own family and friends.

We are very pleased to be continuing our Annual Fun(d) Raising Party on Saturday, September 13 at our farm and Apple Orchard in Pepin, Wisconsin. Your friends and family are most welcome to join you. We will enjoy meeting them. Children of all sizes are welcome ( we’ve got a new play area for the really little ones! ).

The party will start at 1:00 P.M., with an afternoon of various beverages and snacks. We also will again have corn hole games, 2 boards and several other semi-challenging but always fun games. We will be serving dinner at 5:30 P.M., and all can hang out into the evening, or if you prefer to stay over (we will find a place for you!).

If the urge overwhelms you, bring a small snack or dessert to share…. That is so nice if it works for you.

We raise donations for our 3 adopted charities by asking you to make out a check of any amount to one of them. Also, all who attend will take home a bottle of our 2019 Altered States Apple wine as our way of saying thanks for attending and helping us improve the lives of our local and distant neighbors.

As a token of our appreciation we will also match each donation you make to a charity by matching 100% whatever you donate!

We will always post a total of receipts from each charity ( your privacy protected ), showing our match, within 1 month on our website so please look for those in our Financial Section. You will receive your acknowledgment of your tax-deductible contribution directly from each of our 3 charities you donate to ( please have a mail address or email on/attached to your check ).

Our 3 charities remain active in their respective missions, and are so excited to read of their progress in helping our human neighbors thrive:

• Hope Coalition: Providing comprehensive services to women struggling with abuse and homelessness, and their children, in the Lake Pepin Minnesota/Wisconsin area, with temporary housing, counseling, and employment services.
• Habitat For Humanity of Minnesota: Providing an opportunity for financially challenged individuals and families to obtain and own affordable quality housing, benefitting all involved, including stabilizing their communities.
• Central Asia Institute, Bozeman Montana: Providing education and employment to rural residents, particularly women, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajiistan. Each of these countries have unique challenges . They continue to succeed in each of them… check out their progress thru our link on this website.

We’ve said this in the past, but it bears repeating: We are all ultimately bound together as human beings and when we help another then our lives and our whole society is improved by their success. We are well aware that you all do these actions, daily, as we help a family member or friend, contribute to our churches and social groups, work on political campaigns , support community activities. Our Annual Fall Fun(d) Raising Party is just our way of helping others succeed and giving back to a society that has given of so much. We will continue to do this as long as it works. We also so enjoy reconnecting with so many of you who have helped with planting and harvesting of our vineyard, and frankly, love a fun party!

Our address is:
N1901 County Road CC, Pepin, WI 54759.

Please Text, E-mail, or call me with number attending, for our food planning (information is below). Don’t hesitate to bring a neighbor or friends who share this desire to help those who need a hand. If you can’t make it to our event then feel free to send us a check (to one of our charities) address to James Lee at the farm address.
Please get it to us within 3 days of the event as we promptly total donations, match them and mail all that to the charities, requesting their prompt receipts on our website Financial Donations sections, so that you know that we do what we say.

We have had a almost 40 year connection with a group in Key West, Florida, called One Human Family. They have mailed out millions of number stickers all over the world… check our their website and request one for free. They believe:

• Like Fingers on a Hand
• We are all different and unique
• We are all of equal value
• We are all created to work together
• And although we appear separate
• We are all linked – and a part of – each other

See you on Saturday, September 13, 2025!

Our orchard apple harvest only took us 2 hours, with 1250 mainly MacIntosh apples. We donated them to the Pepin School District, and they distributed then in 75 bags at a community event on October 7. We hope someday to have a harvest event, and, no doubt, a Party!

Our Lost Creek Hippies Vineyard 9th Annual Fun(d) Raising Party on Saturday, September 14 was a success in many ways. We had almost perfect weather, and the 30 or so folks who came all the way down to our farm and apple orchard in Pepin had a great time. We, as hosts, were able to chat with everyone, the games, mainly corn hole were hilarious at times, with Sara demonstrating a new throwing technique never seen before, we think. Steve was able to “focus” and be “in the groove” some of the time… hey you do the best you can, right ?

The conversations were interesting, snacks, beverages, and finally dinner of pork stew delicious. It happened so well only because Linda and I got so much help from Ginny and Andrew, Brad and Rori, Pat, Nathania, and Jay. At our age we simply couldn’t have had such an event without their enormous help… Thanks, you made it work!

Financially, the event continues to seriously help out our 3 charities:
Hope Coalition: $1,725.00 from 10 donors, plus our match : $3,450.00
Habitat For Humanity: $485.00 from 5 donors, plus our match: $980.00
Central Asia Institute: $900.00 from 8 donors, plus our match: $1,800.00

Total donations were $6,230.00. Clearly, we are helping our near and far neighbors find success in improving their individual and their communities lives. People, as a result of your caring and generosity, will live better, with progress towards health and prosperity:
Hope Coalition: Providing comprehensive services to women and their children struggling with abuse and/or homelessness in the Lake Pepin area with temporary housing, counseling, and employment services.
Habitat For Humanity of Minnesota: Providing an opportunity for financially challenged individuals and families to obtain and own quality and affordable housing, benefitting them while stabilizing their communities.
Central Asia Institute, Bozeman, Montana: Providing education and employment opportunities to rural residents, particularly women, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. Each country has unique challenges, and CAI is making progress in sometimes extremely difficult conditions. Women and their families are succeeding. Click on the link to their website, and read about the success of Sulhiya of Pakistan in starting a small business.

We have said it in the past, but it bears repeating: We are all ultimately bound together as human beings, and when we help another improve their emotional and physical health, then our communities and each of us personally become healthier. We all do these things daily inner lives, by helping a neighbor, contributing to community events, and donating to worthy charities. Our Lost Creek Hippies Vineyard Annual Fun(d) Raising Party is our way of giving back to a world that has given us so much joy and love. One of the joys we get each year is hosting this event and interacting with all of you… an invaluable pleasure! We will continue to do this as long as it works.

We have a 40 year connection with some beautiful people in Key West, Florida. One group is One Human Family. They have mailed out millions of bumper stickers promoting their philosophy, which we find so positive:
Like Fingers of a Hand
We are all different and unique
We are all of equal value
We are all created to work together
And although we appear separate
We are all linked – and a part of – each other

We believe the above, as each of us is a spark of the consciousness that pervades the cosmos, everyone a lamp that shines, all equally precious, and each contributing to a bright beam of consciousness. When we help others live better lives, then our lives improve with the shared joy.

So, hopefully this warm weather will continue, at least until May of next year. We are against global warming, except for Minnesota! Stay warm, and mark your calendars for our 10th Annual Fun(d) Raising Party, on Saturday, September 13, 2025.

Peace, Love and Charity,

Jim Lee, Linda Norris, and Lost Creek Hippies Vineyard
N1901 County Road CC
Pepin, WI 54759

Cell: 763-354-0880

We are very pleased to be continuing our 8th Annual Fund(d) Raising Party on Saturday, September 14 at our farm and Apple Orchard in Pepin, Wisconsin. Your friends and family are most welcome to join you. We will enjoy meeting them. Children of all sizes are welcome ( we’ve got a new play area for the really little ones! ).

The party will start at 1:00 P.M., with an afternoon of various beverages and snacks. We also will again have corn hole games, 2 boards and several other semi-challenging but always fun games. We will be serving dinner at 5:30 P.M., and all can hang out into the evening, or if you prefer to stay over (we will find a place for you!).

If the urge overwhelms you, bring a small snack or dessert to share…. That is so nice if it works for you.

We raise donations for our 3 adopted charities by asking you to make out a check of any amount to one of them. Also, all who attend will take home a bottle of our 2019 Altered States Apple wine as our way of saying thanks for attending and helping us improve the lives of our local and distant neighbors.

As a token of our appreciation we will also match each donation you make to a charity by matching 100% whatever you donate!

We will always post a total of receipts from each charity ( your privacy protected ), showing our match, within 1 month on our website so please look for those in our Financial Section. You will receive your acknowledgment of your tax-deductible contribution directly from each of our 3 charities you donate to ( please have a mail address or email on/attached to your check ).

Our 3 charities remain active in their respective missions, and are so excited to read of their progress in helping our human neighbors thrive:

• Hope Coalition: Providing comprehensive services to women struggling with abuse and homelessness, and their children, in the Lake Pepin Minnesota/Wisconsin area, with temporary housing, counseling, and employment services.
• Habitat For Humanity of Minnesota: Providing an opportunity for financially challenged individuals and families to obtain and own affordable quality housing, benefitting all involved, including stabilizing their communities.
• Central Asia Institute, Bozeman Montana: Providing education and employment to rural residents, particularly women, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajiistan. Each of these countries have unique challenges . They continue to succeed in each of them… check out their progress thru our link on this website.

We’ve said this in the past, but it bears repeating: We are all ultimately bound together as human beings and when we help another then our lives and our whole society is improved by their success. We are well aware that you all do these actions, daily, as we help a family member or friend, contribute to our churches and social groups, work on political campaigns , support community activities. Our Annual Fall Fun(d) Raising Party is just our way of helping others succeed and giving back to a society that has given of so much. We will continue to do this as long as it works. We also so enjoy reconnecting with so many of you who have helped with planting and harvesting of our vineyard, and frankly, love a fun party!

Our address is:
N1901 County Road CC, Pepin, WI 54759.

Please Text, E-mail, or call me with number attending, for our food planning (information is below). Don’t hesitate to bring a neighbor or friends who share this desire to help those who need a hand. If you can’t make it to our event then feel free to send us a check (to one of our charities) address to James Lee at the farm address.
Please get it to us within 3 days of the event as we promptly total donations, match them and mail all that to the charities, requesting their prompt receipts on our website Financial Donations sections, so that you know that we do what we say.

We have had a almost 40 year connection with a group in Key West, Florida, called One Human Family. They have mailed out millions of number stickers all over the world… check our their website and request one for free. They believe:

• Like Fingers on a Hand
• We are all different and unique
• We are all of equal value
• We are all created to work together
• And although we appear separate
• We are all linked – and a part of – each other

We believe the above, as each of us is a spark of the consciousness that pervades the cosmos, everyone a lamp that shines, all equally precious, and each contributing to a bright beam of consciousness that we can all feel. When we help others live better lives, our lives improve with the shared joy.

See you on Saturday, September 14, 2024!

We’re already looking forward to our 9th Annual Fall Fun(d) Raising Party on Saturday, September 14, starting at 1 pm. This will again be a fun-filled afternoon of chatting, fun games, drinks of all kinds, and pork stew, along with appetizers and deserts. If we’re lucky, we’ll have music… we will see if we could possibly equal the two fantastic groups of last Fall’s event! We are eager to have all leave with a bottle of our signature Altered States Apple Wine, so mark the date and plan to bring friends/family who are like you in enjoying a great afternoon while helping our close and distant neighbors ( that One Human Family we’re in ) succeed and thrive.

We again this March made our annual Spring donations of $1000 to each of our 3 charities ( see their receipts posted in our Financial Section ), in honor of all of you who have over the last 20 years helped is with planting and harvesting and/or attended any of our 8 previous Fall events.

Eventually, we hope to have a Fall Harvest Event, but we will see. We are somewhat challenged horticulturally, but our enthusiasm (unwarranted) remains undaunted!

Each of our 3 charities continue on with their missions, we are proud to remain a small part in their success:

Hope Coalition: Providing advocacy for women and their children in need of help with resources to achieve safe and affordable housing and paths to future safety and success .

Habitat For Humanity of Minnesota: Helping lower income individuals and families acquiring and owning quality affordable housing, thus setting them on track for better lives, while stabilizing and improving their communities.

Central Asia Institute: Helping girls and women in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan thrive thru education and employment skills, thereby spreading their success to many others in their local communities.

We do these efforts because we are so thankful that, by chance, we and our parents were helped out by their societal strucure to live in safe places and enjoy the benefits of financial success. Knowing that we can’t take it with us to the “beyond”, we are proud to do these small efforts to make our world a better place now while we can.

We feel very day that we are members of One Human Family:

Like fingers on a hand…
We are all different and unique.
We are all of equal value.
We are all created to work together.
And although we appear separate, we are linked to, and a part of, each other.

Today our world can seem suffused with challenges, but we are “ glass half-filled” people. When we at times can feel overwhelmed, we can look for guidance to our many insightful human predecessors:

And this our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything. William Shakespeare

A human is a part of the whole universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings, as separate from the rest. This is a optical delusion of consciousness. Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion by embracing all living creatures and the whole of nature in it’s beauty. Albert Einstein

Two things fill my mind with ever increasing wonder and awe: the stary heavens above me and the moral law within me. Immanual Kant

This is my simple religion: There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. The Dalai Lama

Finally, on a lighter note:

• Distrust any enterprise that requires new clothes. Henry Thereau
• Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. Oscar Wilde

If you Summer travels take you down our way near Pepin, Wisconsin, Do Not Hesitate to stop by to chat… we love the interruptions ! Give me a call, as we’re not always hear every day: 763-354-0880

See you on September 14 !

Finally, we seem to be slowing down a bit. Our 4 established McIntosh apple trees produced several hundred apples, and 37 Honeycrisp newer plantings are growing, slowly. We’re expecting them to become productive in another 2-3 years… we’ve learned to be very patient.

On a much happier note, our 7th Annual Fun(d) Raising Party on Saturday, September 9 was really enjoyable for us and the 50+ attendees. So many warm, caring, fun, and interesting people were able to attend, including several who had not been at one of our prior events ( plantings, harvests, Fun(d) Raising parties ). Meeting and chatting with so many positive people was a joy for us… many pleasant memories… we’re motivated to do it again next year!

The music was outstanding ( I love folk music and Linda loves bluegrass ), so Dirk and Ben’s rendition of many classic tunes was appreciated by all. As a fan of John Prine, it was so good to hear. Cal, Don, and Terry of Trio Tipo followed with so enjoyable Latin Fusion Acoustic music… it was so mellow!

The Cornhole games resulted in considerable controversy! Things were going relatively OK until Linda started some ( light-hearted ) trash talking, thus throwing my partner, Steve, “out of his groove”, so we lost to Brad and Linda. We vow revenge next year!

The appetizers were many and delicious, and the many beverages, including our Altered States Apple wine, went well with them. Linda’s pork stew in the late afternoon was followed by several delicious desserts, again thanks to so many bringing treats.

Our charities did well by our efforts:

Central Asia Institute :      $650.00

Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota:   $400.00

Hope Coalition:    $2,075.00

As promised, we matched these donations, so that a total of $6,250.00 was sent to our charities. See the 3 receipts from our charities posted in our Financial Section of our website.

All who attended received a bottle of our Altered States Apple wine to take home.

Linda and I could not have had such an enjoyable and successful event without the help of Brad, Rori, Nathania, Oliver, and Pat… we thank them so much.

We can all be proud to be a part of making our challenged local and distant neighbors improve their lives:

Central Asia Institute ( Bozeman, Montana ): Helping girls and women in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan become educated, independent, and successful.

Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota ( St Paul, Minnesota ): Enabling lower income Minnesotans build and own affordable quality housing, thus stabilizing their entire communities and improving healthy and safe environments throughout our state.

Hope Coalition ( Red Wing, Minnesota ): Helping women in the Lake Pepin area who are challenged by economic or abuse issues, by housing and employment assistance and other appropriate social services in order to get onto tracts of success and well-being. Again, helping both individuals but also their communities become healthier.

We have and continue to believe that by helping our neighbors succeed, that our lives become fuller and more meaningful. We are all joined in One Human Family. Our help is making a meaningful difference in making our family healthier!

We will continue to do this as long as it works… the joy we get through these efforts is immeasurable. Plan to join us for our 8th Annual Fun(d) Raising Party, on Saturday, September 14, 2024 !

All have a warm and cozy winter, and Think Spring,

Love, Peace, and Charity,

James Lee and Linda Norris

Lost Creek Hippies Vineyard

We are very pleased to be continuing our 8th Annual Fund(d) Raising Party on Saturday, September 9 at our farm and Apple Orchard in Pepin, Wisconsin. Your friends and family are most welcome to join you. We will enjoy meeting them. Children of all sizes are welcome ( we’ve got a new play area for the really little ones! ).

The party will start at 1:00 P.M., with an afternoon of various beverages and snacks. We also will again have corn hole games, 2 boards and several other semi-challenging but always fun games. We will be serving dinner at 5:30 P.M., and all can hang out into the evening, or if you prefer to stay over (we will find a place you you!).

If the urge overwhelms you, bring a small snack or dessert to share…. That is so nice if it works for you.

We raise donations for our 3 adopted charities by asking you to make out a check of any amount to one of them. Also, all who attend will take home a bottle of our 2019 Altered States Apple wine as our way of saying thanks for attending and helping us improve the lives of our local and distant neighbors.

As a token of our appreciation we will also match each donation you make to a charity by matching 100% whatever you donate!

We will always post a total of receipts from each charity ( your privacy protected ), showing our match, within 1 month on our website so please look for those in our Financial Section. You will receive your acknowledgment of your tax-deductible contribution directly from each of our 3 charities you donate to ( please have a mail address or email on/attached to your check ).

Our 3 charities remain active in their respective missions, and are so excited to read of their progress in helping our human neighbors thrive:

• Hope Coalition: Providing comprehensive services to women struggling with abuse and homelessness, and their children, in the Lake Pepin Minnesota/Wisconsin area, with temporary housing, counseling, and employment services.
• Habitat For Humanity of Minnesota: Providing an opportunity for financially challenged individuals and families to obtain and own affordable quality housing, benefitting all involved, including stabilizing their communities.
• Central Asia Institute, Bozeman Montana: Providing education and employment to rural residents, particularly women, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajiistan. Each of these countries have unique challenges . They continue to succeed in each of them… check out their progress thru our link on this website.

We’ve said this in the past, but it bears repeating: We are all ultimately bound together as human beings and when we help another then our lives and our whole society is improved by their success. We are well aware that you all do these actions, daily, as we help a family member or friend, contribute to our churches and social groups, work on political campaigns , support community activities. Our Annual Fall Fun(d) Raising Party is just our way of helping others succeed and giving back to a society that has given of so much. We will continue to do this as long as it works. We also so enjoy reconnecting with so many of you who have helped with planting and harvesting of our vineyard, and frankly, love a fun party!

Our address is:
N1901 County Road CC, Pepin, WI 54759.

Please Text, E-mail, or call me with number attending, for our food planning (information is below). Don’t hesitate to bring a neighbor or friends who share this desire to help those who need a hand. If you can’t make it to our event then feel free to send us a check (to one of our charities) address to James Lee at the farm address.
Please get it to us within 3 days of the event as we promptly total donations, match them and mail all that to the charities, requesting their prompt receipts on our website Financial Donations sections, so that you know that we do what we say.

We have had a almost 40 year connection with a group in Key West, Florida, called One Human Family. They have mailed out millions of number stickers all over the world… check our their website and request one for free. They believe:

• Like Fingers on a Hand
• We are all different and unique
• We are all of equal value
• We are all created to work together
• And although we appear separate
• We are all linked – and a part of – each other

We believe the above, as each of us is a spark of the consciousness that pervades the cosmos, everyone a lamp that shines, all equally precious, and each contributing to a bright beam of consciousness that we can all feel. When we help others live better lives, our lives improve with the shared joy.

See you on Saturday, September 9, 2023!

We are looking forward to seeing you at our Annual Fall Fun(d) Raising Party starting at 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, September 9. This will be another fun-filled afternoon of conversation, fun games, drinks and dinner. You will also be taking home a bottle of our Altered States Apple Wine. Plan now to join us, and bring family and friends who are like minded in wanting to help make the world a better place for all.

So far this year, we have made donations of $1,000 to each of our 3 charities. See the “Financial Donations” section of our website to view the receipts. These spring donations are made in honor of all who have helped out in any way in our vineyard or orchard, and/or have attended our fundraisers to donate their time and/or money to the benefit of others.

Each of our 3 charities continue on with their missions, and we ( and you ) are proud to be a small part in their successes:

• Hope Coalition: Providing advocacy for battered women and their children to be safe and find safe and affordable long term housing.
• Habitat For Humanity of Minnesota: Helping low income individuals and families acquire quality affordable housing and owning these houses, with a resultant improvement in their communities health and safety.
• Central Asia Institute: Promoting education and livelihood skills, especially for girls and women in the remote regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

We have said it before – but it bears repeating: we are all connected and when we help others thrive, our lives become fuller and richer. We are all part of One Human Family!

Should your travels bring you down to the Pepin area, give us a call (763-354-0880) and if we’re around, you are welcome to stop by and visit. We’d love taking a break to chat.