Walla the what?

Tranche Vineyard, Walla Walla, WA

Multnomah Falls, OR

Thursday morning, we departed for Walla Walla, Washington. It was 8 hours either up to Portland and due east or to go diagonally across Oregon over mountains more apt to be snow-impassable.  Many passes stated a need for chains in order to traverse in a storm, but with our snow studded tires on the AWD CRV, we figured we were good to go. We went through Portland and took the northern-most road in Oregon headed east along the Columbia River Gorge. Just across the river is the southern-most road in Washington—also a scenic byway. We passed many waterfalls including the Multnomah Falls, ranked as fifth highest in the US, at 611 feet, and most iconic in Oregon.  Fires last summer destroyed some trees and undergrowth that keeps rocks from falling, so some parts of the trails were off limits. It was already a bit rainy and cold when we arrived but we got out for a stretch break and checked out the gift shop, free fudge samples and hot coffee. The roadside along the route is dotted with signs about the Lewis and Clark trail or historic sites of the Oregon Trail crossings. Along the massive river, we also passed three big dams which we had seen from the air last summer when we flew into Portland.

seen in downtown Walla Walla windowshop

Periodic table and "studying vessels" in the classroom

Dr. Whitman of the Oregon Trail

We arrived in WW in the rainy-, almost snowy-, dark. Although multiple restaurants abounded, it was too inclement to walk to them so we dined in the hotel restaurant. The Marcus Whitman hotel is named after one of the pioneer fathers in the area. Judd has been reading in The Oregon Trail, about Dr. Marcus Whitman who led the first large party of wagon trains to the west.  On the second floor of the hotel, a series of paintings depict Whitman’s life, and how he impacted the lives of the Native Americans. He and his wife set up medical care and a school for the Cayuse and Nez Perce tribes. However, when a measles outbreak killed more Cayuse children and adults than settlers, the Cayuse because suspicious and massacred the white settlers. The painting gallery gets a little gruesome.

On Friday, Judd dropped me at the VA for a day long visit. They did keep me busy every hour and I departed with a job offer to be Chief of Staff. Judd spent the day driving around the neighborhood and went to meet a principal at a nearby school in Oregon. We have some serious thinking to do about a second relocation in one year.

Walla Walla is known for growing wheat and wine. Also, sweet onions. On Saturday, we explored the area and explored possibilities.  Although there are about 36 wineries downtown within walking distance of the hotel, we looked for some out on the hillsides where the grapes are growing.  Tranche was in a bucolic setting, with sheep punctuating the hillside and a view of the snow covered Blue Mountains behind the already-greening grape vines. But the most fun had at a winery was at College Cellars, just 5 minutes out of town.

Walla Walla Community College has a two-year enology program.  The wine is made by students and the tasting room is staffed by students. Besides the MUCH more reasonable prices and MUCH friendlier reception, we also got a tour “downstairs.”  How funny to go into a classroom, with whiteboards and desks in rows, and see cases of wine glasses in the back instead of Erlenmeyer flasks or beakers. Could not have had a nicer tour guide than first year student Vann Rudolph who explained the difference between fermenting wine in concrete versus stainless steel versus oak, why you can make some wines in 17 days and some aren’t really palatable until they’re years old.  Out back, Judd was fascinated by the specialized machinery.  I was charmed by the wine “library” where they store bottles from favorite years/places. We stopped afterwards at The Green Lantern for a light lunch but really couldn’t hit any of the other tasting rooms recommended to us.  We did write them down for future reference. The hotel was the site of Walla Walla High School prom and it was fun to see everyone in their ball gowns and tuxes.  We saw a crowd snacking at the Sweet Basil Pizzeria where we had a late dinner, and this morning, we saw glitter and sequins all over the carpet. But our room was far enough removed that we did not hear any ruckus to disturb our slumber.

Sunday was the 8 hour commute back to Jacksonville to prepare to face work colleagues on Monday who knew I was traveling to look at a new job.  They’re not too happy with me.

Home without grocery shopping or laundry done but with some classy wines

and the prospect of a new adventure…..

Our weekend of fire and ice......

Actually, more like hot water and snow


Deciding to be around for the 3 day weekend meant we were looking for local things to do to staid our ennui.  We purchased a backgammon game for each other for Valentine's Day, so we've been practicing that daily.  We still need the cheat sheet to even set up the board correctly.  We used to play in Peace Corps but that was 38 years ago and we're rusty on the strategy. I'm über conservative and it works for me about a third of the time. Our board-that-turns-into-a-suitcase fits perfectly on our camping coffee table so we can go outside and play in the sun which comes out in between snow flurries.

It snowed for an hour, great big fluffy flakes that melt when they hit the ground.  But the weather made things cold and gloomy enough that we wanted to get out of the house. This old historic house comes with modern heating but when you set it to automatically turn off when you're gone to work (or to be away,) the indoor temperature drops pretty rapidly despite all Judd's "weather proofing."  We keep telling each other, "It's an old house." An 1850 house to be precise.

So to warm up the weekend, we researched hot tubs.  Not to own, just to sit in--day use. Jackson Wellsprings natural hot springs is 25 minutes away in Ashland. We read about it on line, comparing it to the Chozu Japanese Soaking baths and gardens. Chozu was fancy and classy and expensive and even with our yoga discount, we opted for Wellsprings. They claimed a $10 day-use pass would get us in the hot mineral springs, sauna, steam room and cold splash.  We went to find out.  Driving in we were skeptical. It looked like a low grade RV park where there was hardly spitting distance between RVs. But there was a nice office building with a yoga studio, healthy snack bar and common meeting room under a huge tent called the casbah. The $10-each got us a code to enter the baths: Clean showers, well kept, cubbies for your shoes, clientele from 12 to seemingly 112 years old. A group of women friends, chatting too loudly. A couple young couples . A family, alternating from the hot tub (which holds about 40) to the "mini-Olympic" sized cold splash pool. We were there around 4pm and spent a couple luxurious hours. The pool content is a natural alkaline water heavy with sodium, chloride, calcium and slight hydrogen sulfide, redolent of hard boiled eggs but good for your skin and aches and pains. On the way out, the manager reminded us our pass was good until midnight and after 6pm the baths become clothing optional so we could come back after dinner. We were home by then, relaxed and/or dehydrated to the point of sleepy. Maybe next time. 

Sunday was National Drink Wine Day, so we did.  2Hawks Vineyard is just 20 minutes from Jacksonville and one we'd not yet visited.  It purported to have views of Mt. Ashland but we arrived in a torrent of windy snow and could barely see the vines. By the time we left, 2 flights, 2 glasses and a flatbread pizza later, it had nearly cleared up and we could see the ski runs in the distance on Mt. Ashland.  The vines had recently been trimmed. We can't wait to come back in the spring and sit outside. If Louis Pasteur says it's hygienic we should definitely drink more.

g

Year of the DOG

Happy New Year!

http://soccachinesenewyear.org/chinese-new-year-2018/

Yesterday Jacksonville held many Chinese New Year festivities.  There is a rich history of Chinese immigrants here, especially during the gold  mining years of the 1850s. It's also a great holiday to throw a parade.  This is Year of the Dog so it was a great big dog parade.  We took a new friend from the VA, just moved here from Miami, so showed Eric some little town bling.  Every shopfront has sported silk Chinese lanterns for over a week. The downtown roads (all 3 of them) were blocked Saturday morning for the parade. After the 30 min cavalcade of dogs were the marching or dancing local clubs as diverse as ROTC and K-9 rescue units to Belles and Beaus (period costumes) and antique cars. Afterwards there were booths in the park for Smooch a Pooch (Dog kissing booth) and professional dog portraits.  My favorite were the dancing dog dragons - see my awesome 5 second video on youtube:  https://youtu.be/4AHs88fdBoM  okay, not that awesome.

Last weekend, when we were out hiking the hills, we came across several signs of old China town, some signs historic (see below) and some enigmatic  (see farthest below.)

 

flowers and vino

Truth be told, we've gotten used to this Oregonian weather--walking/hiking everyday.  NOW they tell us the real truth. When we admire the temperature or the flowers already blooming, all the locals say, "Yeah, but this is atypical; It's WAY TOO EARLY.  We're going to have some more winter and all the blossoms will freeze."

Great! Now they tell us.  We've seen crocus, snow drops, daffodils already blooming.  I guess the danger is if the grapes and pears wake up too early.  Those blossoms freezing will horribly impact the harvest for the year. And the "really close ski area" they brag about near us, hasn't opened for the season from lack of snow.  That sounds like it'll make water scarce this summer.

We've consoled ourselves with more wineries.  ("Gotta catch 'em all.")

I told our pourer at Schmidt Family Winery, that my mother's maiden name was Schmidt. (TRUE!) He gave me a free pen. I was expecting part ownership. We had visited the winery last sunny Saturday afternoon and we sat outside by the fountain. It looked like an adult amusement park and the gardens were all green and burgeoning.  We heard there was live music for Friday night, so we went back and sat outside under the heaters to have brick oven baked pizza.  The lady purchasing wine behind me heard me tell the cashier I was from Jacksonville and she said she was from across the street.  I said I thought that quite convenient.  When I got our bottle back to the table where Judd awaited our dinner, Kaylee came over to invite us to the fire.  Judd asked how I had such a ready-made friend. I assumed she thought I was single and she was hitting on an older lesbian. Judd thought by "across the street" that she was our neighbor in Jacksonville across the street by our mailbox  (someone we've met once.)  All was cleared up after our pizza when we went over to the fire pit. She and her partner do live, literally, across the street from the winery--she moved up from Shasta, CA  wanting to farm food and chickens; he from Virginia, wanting to farm pot. "The market is flooded."  They just seemed happy to make new friends, even older-than-them friends. by a few decades.  The live music was a dude playing a programmable piano and singing old Johnny Mercer/Frank Sinatra tunes.  No one was sitting at his fire pit. But I knew the songs, hummed along and I tipped him. 

Schmidt Family Winery on a sunny Saturday in February

Mount McLoughlin from "panoramic view on Rich Gulch Trail"  3 blocks from our house

Crocus on Applegate St.

daffoldils outside Bella Union Restaurant on Main St.

Minneapolis for almost SuperBowl

I had the ?good? fortune to travel to Minneapolis for the first week of February for a work conference. Snow already all over the ground, -4 to +4 degrees by day. It was charming.  And did I mention it's the week before the Superbowl is held here? In fact, the conference hotel Radisson Blu [sic] was chosen for it's convenience to the conference and is joined at the hip to the Mall of America-- making it convenient to walk to the massive food court or to divert your attention by shopping or the amusement park. The conspicuous consumption and noise stimulation were overwhelming.

By happenstance, the Philadelphia Eagles were also staying at the Radisson Blu for their pre-Super Bowl LII festivities: bomb (or drug?)-sniffing dogs on every floor 3 to 6 security guards or police at every entrance, a hierarchy of MEDIA personnel with some special badge that let them special places. We regular patrons were tagged with blue bracelets at check-in (like entrance to the county fair) and we couldn't walk through the hotel lobby or get to the elevators unless we showed our bracelet to the guards.  At one point, several of us tried to access the walkway from the mall back to our hotel room and the door was barred, the guard reporting the hotel was on lockdown.  When we  were finally allowed entrance, it turns out it wasn't a lockdown due to any threat, it was because "the team" was using  the elevators. Seriously?  They're THAT special that they couldn't be inconvenienced by a few well-behaved doctors sharing the hallways? And there were signs saying no autographs or photos, as IF I would recognize an Eagle if I saw one...

On a different note, Judd and I have devised a way to be outside on a cool evening.  After BBQing dinner, we sit around with candles and adult beverages and warm ourselves around the gas grill.  Under the full moon, it was almost like being at a campfire or chiminea. Almost.

Burns Night and a blast from our past

We had been looking forward to our weekend sojourn all week.  Unable to find any Burns Night festivities around Jacksonville, we reserved dinner at a function in Eugene, a short 3 hour road trip up the highway. We were up early Saturday so cleaned out the fridge of leftovers by making a hash of all remaining veggies:  grated raw potato, grated carrot, chopped onion, some purple cabbage and the last  crimini mushrooms with egg over easy on the side.  We'll have to shop when we get back from the weekend.

I was looking for some yarn to travel with so looked up a yarn shop half way up the road.  The Knotty Ladies in Roseburg opened right at 10:00 when we arrived, some ladies sitting around a couch knitting with their coffees.  They encouraged us to touch everything. I needed to resupply some pink or magenta chunky yarn, having knit and given away another few hats. When they asked what my project was, I said pussy hats and they all cheered. Judd was particularly interested in the contraption that rolls your skein into a ball right before your eyes.  No more hours of husbands with their hands in the air

  this versus this

When I told folks at work that I was going to Eugene, McMenamins on the North Bank was highly recommended. We lunched at McMenamins with a seat right on the bank of the Willamette River, signs of spring abounding, such as runners and bikers and tulips 6 inches out of the ground. I overheard two similar-to-our-age couples at the table next to us talking about their upcoming trip:  fly to Luxor--boat to Aswan. Judd and I did that trip 37 years ago (1981) when we departed Peace Corps- Kenya.  Except we took a train from Cairo to Luxor and we went 3rd class on the boat up the Nile to Aswan, sleeping on the deck of the boat for 3 nights.  We arrived in Egypt on Christmas eve and I recall a banner over the hostel lobby that said, "Happy Birthday Jesus."  We had joked about being killed by Egyptian pillows if there were ever a pillow fight because they were so solid--we were sure they were filled with sawdust. And the boat trip to Aswan was most memorable for me for trying to sleep through the noise at night, which we assumed was rats playing soccer til the wee hours: THUMP, scuttle, scuttle, scuttle, THUMP, scuttle....repeat.

We were in Egypt just 2 months after Anwar Sadat was assassinated. My parents were none too happy to hear I was spending a month in Egypt (but then they weren't particularly thrilled that I went to Kenya for 2 years either.)The reason to go to Aswan is not just to see the dam but to view the ruins of Abu Simbel. These national treasures were unearthed and moved to higher ground in 1964 due to rising waters of Lake Nasser. I can't put my finger on it at the moment, but I have a pic of Judd and I at the bottom of the monument, just like the person below in the doorway with a hand extended. Read more here:
http://www.traveladvisortips.com/7-interesting-abu-simbel-temple-facts-to-know/

But I digress.  It was a blast to the past, but we moved on to our hotel to get dressed for dinner.  Having done our hour of walking to and from the local 5th Street Market mall, we thought we'd splurge on a taxi since it had been rainy/drippy all day.  But the taxi said it would be a 40 min wait so we decided to walk the 20 minutes to the Unitarian Church venue. Judd looked dapper in his kilt and knee socks. Many dudes were dressed in their Scottish finest, fewer women were. But there was certainly plaid decor, live music, and Scotch tasting.  

By the time we tasted hors d'oeuvres and chatted up a couple people at our table, when I went back for ur Scotch flight all the beautiful, wooden planks were used up.  The barmaid offered I could come back one at a time for the 5 flavors.  I found a plate at the appetizer table and labeled 1:00 with a swatch of garnish lettuce.  I told her to put number one at 1:00 and go around the clock in order.  I had two plated flights in no time and portaged them back to our table.  Real bagpipers did pipe in the Haggis but the evening was light on Ode to the Haggis or Toast for Lassies or Laddies and only one poem was analyzed more than read.  By the time I found the nice Irish lady-table mate was bashing Hillary CLiniton,  we left., walking back through the neighborhood.  Judd turned more heads as he beer-shopped in the local mini-mart. The cashier asked "something going on?" and Judd said, "not that I know of, why?"

"Great, now you've pissed off nana" et al.

SATURDAY was very busy--Judd freed of the burden of grading papers, making lesson plans and accumulating science experiment gear.  We played all day.  We finished up our 
protest signs and met up with thousands for the second annual Women's March, this one in Medford, OR, just 1 minutes from our house. 

Many upbeat, energized people, may cool signs and slogans.  We debated wearing the pussy hat, hearing that if offended some people who didn't have pink pussies or didn't have female genitalia. With the inclusivity of the march, it seemed the original wholesome intent of the original hat, to make an iconic statement, was upheld and there were plenty of magenta pink, baby pink, rose pink hats everywhere.  It made me cry to see the national and world participation pics after Sunday.

We beat the crowds to Organic Cafe with the "best salad bar" and while we were downtown, walked to the Medford Library.  Our card gets us to all 17 Jackson County libraries with reciprocity to pick up or return books, tapes or DVDs.  

--2 library cards
--2 book stores (one at the library, one in downtown Ashland)
--whiskey tasting at Immortal Spirits (whiskEy with an E--so not the Scotch we're used to but distilled right locally and quite good)
--shopping at Sew Creative and The Web-sters (a quilting store and knitting shop) in search of a device to pick up lost knitting stitches  (I have an order for more pussy hats)
--wine tasting with live music at Belle Fiori (a chateau of a winery on the hills above Ashland)
--home to make pico de gallo but no tortilla chips so--a walk to Ray's at 7pm for shopping

Quite a full day!   AND Judd also has no homework for Sunday..... What shall we do?