One morning a few months ago while on vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with my family, I hiked to the top of Rendezvous Mountain and came upon a sight that I have yet to forget. It’s not that it was so unusual, but it was symbolic for me. I was walking along the top ridge of the mountain when I saw several paragliders running off the cliffs and sailing away, confident that their parasails would hold and that they would find their way safely to the ground after an excursion in space. I admire people who take risks, who push themselves physically and mentally to accomplish things. I know that exhilarating feeling of accomplishment that comes after doing something that requires great exertion. In many ways, the stories our editorial team have put together in this issue reflect the admiration I feel for people who make good changes happen in their lives and who take certain risks.

For instance, we interviewed Rick Gehris, the founder of an Ormond Beach, Florida-based company called Surfari, which offers surfing lessons to students of all ages. As Rick explains, “The only requirement is the desire to learn.” Rick and his wife, Paola, travel the world, paddling out from shore seeking to ride the roughest, tallest waves they can find. “Sometimes after work, I am out of energy and tired, but as soon as I enter the ocean and paddle to catch that first wave, I get uplifted with a burst of new energy that is hard to explain,” says Rick. Although I am not a surfer, but rather an avid swimmer, I understand what he means.

We traveled again to Sonoma County, California, to visit with some old friends of ours at Blackstone Winery (“Our Return to Wine Country”). We never tire of touring those expansive. scenic vineyards and witnessing the mysteries of the winemaking process. And despite the generations-old techniques for making great wine, the folks at Blackstone are never complacent, but rather eager to make changes and improvements.

In this issue we also travel to America’s other coast, the rough and rocky world of Maine, where we meet up with some career lobstermen (“It’s all for the love of Maine Lobster”). The ways of their livelihood have changed dramatically over the last couple of decades—due to everything from overfishing to stringent industry regulations. However, these men (and women— yes, there are some who ply the waters for a living) learned to adapt, and that is an admirable quality. Chef Mike never stops making changes in the Stonewood kitchens. Here, in this issue, our writer Anne Marie Cloutier spent time with Mike to find out how and why he created the Oak Grilled Steak Salad. And, as always, readers come away with new techniques to employ in their own kitchens.

Anyone who loves margaritas understands the appeal of tequila. But until we visited the Patrón Spirits Company in central Mexico’s Jalisco region, we hadn’t realized just how involved the making of the drink can be. After reading our article (“Time & Tradition”) you’ll never think of tequila in the same way. On a more domestic front, we met with two of America’s most important design experts, Ed McCann and Richard Kollath, to find out how anyone can transform one of the most important rooms in every house, the kitchen, with new uses of color and inexpensive decorative items.

In our popular Casual Bits pages, we explore a variety of things that bespeak change and adventure—fun new facts about our Founding Father on display at his Mount Vernon home, a new way to go site-seeing in Paris, a book about New York City that even its natives are talking about.

So, come join us in the New Year as we celebrate change— and why it’s a state of life we should welcome.

Doug Sullivan, CEO of Stonewood Grill & Tavern