Random Wine Adventures

After landing early Saturday morning, I rode the light rail to the station closest to Cassie's house. Portland has an amazingly efficient metro transit system that virtually eliminates the need for a car. Cassie and Andy walk, bike, or bus it everywhere around the city. Judging by the sheer number of fit-looking people we saw, most everyone does the same thing. Cassie and Sarah met me with a bag of pastries from the local bakery (ymmmm). Don't they look so cute hanging out by the bus stop?

After getting settled in, Cassie made some delicious roasted veggie and pesto sandwiches and led us to a verdant park for what she called "a short little hike." She neglected to inform us that it was three-hours long until we actually got to the park. I love Sarah's reaction to the news.

Ah, my sister the tree-hugger. 

"Here, miles from Japan
I stand as if warmed
By the spring sunshine of home."

The garden also had the craziest Koi Pond I have ever seen. This school of koi in particular totally freaked out Sarah since she suffers from koifishaphobia.

After the Japanese Garden, we toured the Portland Rose Garden. Portland is known as the City of Roses for a good reason!

That evening we went on an appetizer crawl to sample the cuisine at Cassie's favorite restaurants. First we hit up Pantanagra for tapas and sparking wine. We ordered the Gramona in honor of our mom—Ramona.

We were also fortunate enough to get a table at Giorgio's, the restaurant where Cassie works. The cod was delicious but what really stood out was the Heirloom Tomato Salad with 25-year Balsamic Vinaigrette. Mmmmm. I would buy another ticket to Portland just for another bite of that mouthwatering salad.

This was taken outside of the Low Brow, where we met a few of her friends from work.

The next morning we planned to drive to the coast and tour a few wineries in the area. Unfortunately, we were all feeling a bit queasy from our escapades the night before so we got a late start. Here I am with the sweet car I rented for the drive.

Cassie's friends Jen, Amy, and Kate joined us on the trip. What a cute group.

The drive to the coast was almost as beautiful as the hike to the beach. We found this awesome tree that is straight from the Lord of the Rings. Jen, Cassie, Sarah, and I are reenacting the scene at the beginning of the Fellowship of the Ring where the hobbits are hiding from the Nazgul.

The Oregon coast is beautiful.

The sheer beauty of the glistening sand and breaking waves took my breath away, as did the brisk wind and freezing cool temperature. Having recently returned from the Caribbean, I was not expecting the temperature to be in the low 50s! These people were obviously prepared.

Here is Cassie running for her life after splashing Sarah with the icy water.

As tempting as a swim sounded, we decided to hit up a few local vineyards. Oregon is best known for producing Pinot Noir, which is notoriously tricky and temperamental but I particularly enjoyed the deliciously crisp, sweeter white wines we sampled such as late harvest Gewurztraminer, semi-dry Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Muller-Thurgau. We started at Tualatin Estates which had a great view and an even better semi-sparkling Muscat.

We also visited Montinore Vineyards, where we sampled several fabulous Pinot Noirs and the best bottle of wine on the entire trip—the Pinot Noir Port.

We got a much earlier start the next day and began and Rex Hill, which was surrounded by the most gorgeous scenery.

The tasting room included a hallway with a tribute to the Oregon Wine Masters Club or something. All I know is that one guy got a little fresh with Sarah.

Torii Mor Winery was my absolute favorite winery because the atmosphere was so serene. The tasting room was decorated in a Haiku style and included a rock garden and poetry book. The wines were delicious as well.

Next we visited Bella Vida which was located at the top of a very treacherous hill. I'm glad we rented a car with a V-6. Check out the view!

The highlight of the afternoon was our visit to Sokol Blosser, makers of Evolution wine and Meditrina—both of which are in my top three favorites tasted on this trip. Their tasting room was packed but we still managed to squeeze in a full tasting and purchase entirely too many bottles!

We ended our tour at Erath, very satiated and content with what we had tasted that day. We each came away from the tour with about a case of wine, which was so much fun to carry through the airport!

That night we sipped more wine and played cards. . .just like to good old days. Sarah and I were sad to leave the next day but we vowed to return soon for more random wine adventures. . .as long as Cassie leaves her hiking boots at home! 

Currently Listening (What's The Story) Morning Glory? By Oasis see related

The Prodigal Cockatiel

Tom and I recently experienced a roller coaster of emotions regarding our favorite little cockatiel—The Professor.

Last Wednesday as I was entering our apartment after work, something spooked her and she flew right out the door. We searched in vain for her for hours, walking up and down the street calling her name and whistling her favorite tune. We even climbed a monstrously tall ladder (borrowed from the crew who is currently painting our building) so we could check the roof.

The situation was hopeless. The temperature was over 105 degrees and we worried for the Professor’s safely. As an indoor bird, we doubted she would be able to find food or water or protect herself from bigger birds. . or worse—stray cats!

After a nearly sleepless night, I composed an email to inform our family. Here is an except:

Recording moments like this in writing makes them so much more real, and in this case heartbreaking. Last night as I was entering our apartment after work, our beloved Professor flew out the door. We search in vain until it was too dark to see anything but could not find her. We are desperately hoping against all odds that she finds her way back but the outlook is grim. . .

The Professor was a tough little bird and endured a broken leg thanks to my clumsiness. She looked so cute in her little cast which was really just an ace bandage with two little staples on each side of her leg. Everyone at the vet clinic fell in love with her and didn’t want to give her back to us. She pretended to be angry with us for leaving her there overnight but forgave us quickly after the head scratching started.

I can’t describe how deeply it pains us to know that we will never be able to scratch her little head ever again.

We received a number of heartening responses that assured us we would find the Professor somehow but we just couldn’t see how. Despite the odds we felt like we had to do something. . .anything to try to find our little bird. So I created a  and vet within five miles, ran a lost pet alert in the newspaper, and posted alerts on the Internet.

Here is the flyer.

On Friday afternoon we received a call from a lovely woman who lived a few blocks south of us claiming she found a cockatiel in her yard. We rushed over only to discover a chubby, sweet little male cockatiel. . .NOT our bird. We were crushed but realized that there was still hope of someone finding her.

So we started driving up and down the roads surrounding our apartment looking for a little gray bird with orange cheeks. About 30 minutes into our search Tom yells STOP and jumps from the car. There was the Professor. . .just sitting on a rock near the street. She recognized Tom immediately and hopped right onto his finger.

We found our dear sweet Professor. . .safe and sound (minus a few missing feathers probably due to a larger bird attacking her). We were overjoyed and frankly shocked that we actually found her. It was a miracle.

Thank you so much to everyone who prayed to St. Anthony, the Patron Saint of Lost Things. As our experience demonstrates, it works.

Here are some cute pictures of the little girl when she had a broken leg. 

And her she is with her boyfriend, DJ Blaine, the coolest barbie doll on the market. He comes equiped with his own turntables, records, cell phone, and backstage pass!

Currently Listening Details By Frou Frou see related

Honeymoon in Jamaica: Part the Third and the Leaving Taking

For the final leg of our honeymoon we decided to retreat to the small fishing village of Treasure Beach in search of peace and solitude.

Treasure Beach is located on the southern coast of Jamaica several hours from Negril so we called on our favorite driver Johnny to take us there. On the way we stopped for a quick tour of the lower Morass area of the Black River, an area that at the last count was populated by more than 300 crocodiles.

Although the locals claim that the crocs only attack humans during mating season or when their territory is threatened, we decided to stay out of the water and opted to take the tour on a safari boat, which is many times safer! Our tour guide was on a first name basis with many of the crocs and fed them chunks of raw chicken as a reward for swimming near the boat. This is Margaret. She is at least seven feet long.

On the tour we also cruised past the oldest and largest Mangrove tree in Jamaica. The locals have dubeed it "Rasta-Mangrove."

After grabbing lunch at a great little place in town (we did not have the chicken), we continued on to Treasure Beach and rented a little room on the beach. Compared to Negril, Treasure Beach was virtually deserted.

We spent most of our time swimming, reading, and hanging out in the hammock hut.

We also found the most amazing food at two sister restaurants—Jake’s and Jack Sprat’s Café. Jake’s served mouthwatering Nouvelle Jamaican cuisine at romantic little tables overlooking a scenic cove. The ambiance was wonderful and every night we sipped Gin and Tonics while watching the sunset.

Jack Sprat’s Café was a bit more affordable and served the best pizza ever! We also loved their curried conch soup and jerk shrimp. In fact, we loved the food so much that we ate there every day.

We also discovered a fruit stand along the road near our hotel. It was here that we finally found our juicy, juicy mangos. Every morning we walked to the stand and bought mangos, bananas, pineapples, melons, and peanut brittle from the charming man who owned the place. Here is a picture of our typical breakfast.

The man was excited to introduce us to new fruits we had never tried before and procured for us, among other things, unprocessed cashews. The fruit of the cashew, called the apple, is incredibly juicy but quite acidic and reminded me of a dry plum. He also made a special treat just for us—his famous peanut porridge. Although I generally dislike peanuts, I loved the porridge which was quite hardy and sweet.

Sadly, we could not stay in Jamaica forever but we resolved to visit again soon.

Epilogue:The Leave Taking

We needed to get back to the airport in Montego Bay so for the third and final time we asked Johnny to drive us. Thank god we trusted our driver because that was the worst road trip we have EVER taken! The road—barely wide enough for two cars—twisted and snaked through treacherous mountain roads full of blind corners, pedestrians, and stray goats. I was carsick within 10 minutes and had to endure two more hours of rapid deceleration, exhaust fumes, and persistent honking.

Needless to say, I’ve never been happier to see an airport. While roaming the shops, we found a little place that my brother Nick would like.

Our flight was delayed leaving Jamaica which caused us to miss our connection in Houston at the George Bush International Airport. We roamed the airport there for a few hours and guess who we ran into! The original President Bush! My sister Cassie is soooo jealous.

Currently Listening The Essential Johnny Cash By Johnny Cash see related

Honeymoon in Jamaica: Part the Second

A few days into our honeymoon, we began to tire of scenery on the beach.

We were ready for a change and decided to relocate to the western part of Negril, which is known for amazing scenery. Instead of sandy beaches (and old dudes in Speedos), this part of the city has amazing cliff views of the sea.

As you all know, Tom and I are adventurous people. . .we walk on the wild side. So naturally when we discovered a hotel shaped like a castle built over an old pirate’s cave, we booked a room. Here is Blue Cave Castle.

Here is Tom on the castle stairs leading to the water.

And here are the original stairs used by the pirates.

Sidenote: During our stay, we heard rumors that the place was haunted by ghost pirates. Using our stealthy detective skills, we discovered it was only the caretaker wearing a ghost pirate costume to scare away the tourists. He would have of gotten away with it if it weren’t for us meddling kids!

Our room was hands down the amazing place we have ever stayed. We rented the penthouse suite, a three-story complex located at the top of the Castle, 120 feet above the sea. Our room was designed perfectly to capture the crosswind from the sea, which kept our room pleasantly cool. Here is a picture of our room. Notice the massive pile of books on the table. Sadly, I still ran out of things to read.

In addition to a kitchenette, our room included three huge, private sundecks-each with a beautiful view of Negril. We dubbed the sundeck on the first level the “Sunset Deck” because it was perfect for watching the sunset. This level was twice the size of our room and had a second bathroom and shower, which were very convenient after a dip in the water.

One of the highlights of our trip was when it rained one afternoon. We have been in Phoenix for too long.

My favorite sundeck was on the second level because it was perfect for drinking wine and smoking cigars.

We weren’t the only ones who liked our room. One morning while putting on my Sketchers, I felt something wiggling around my toes. I screamed in shock, dropped my shoe, and watched the biggest gecko I have ever seen run for his life. To my horror, he ran one direction while his tail remained near my shoe—twitching for a full 30 seconds. Tom assures me it is only a defense mechanism to distract predators but I can’t help but feel a bit guilty.

Sadly, our stay at Blue Cave Castle only lasted for three short days before we moved on to Treasure Beach.  More about that later!

Currently Listening Legend (New Packaging) By Bob Marley & The Wailers see related

Honeymoon in Jamaica: Part One

Tom and I just returned from our oh-so-romantic honeymoon in Jamaica, our first major vacation in years. In addition to being nicely bronzed thanks to the brutal equatorial sun, we had a chance to relax and recharge after some seriously crazy months at work. Oh, and we found mangos. Juicy, juicy mangos.

We spent the majority of our time on the western coast of the country in Negril, a city well known for its gorgeous beaches and amazing sunsets.

For the first leg of our trip we stayed in a cute little bungalow at the Negril Yoga Center. The entire place was full of lush plants and darling little mosaic tables, which we dined at each morning. They make the best homemade yogurt ever!

Every morning I promised myself I would attend a yoga class but didn’t actually follow through!
 

The staff was so great and surprised us with a lovely gift one evening.

Here is Tom enjoying a Cuban, er. . .Jamaician cigar outside our room.

We spent our days swimming in the ocean and lounging at the pool bar across the street. Our bartender Romeo, who bears a striking resemblance to Wayne Brady, kept us pleasantly buzzed with an assortment of tasty rum drinks. My personal favorite was the Dirty Banana.

Each evening we sampled a new great restaurant on the beach and watched the sunset. The food was amazing and we managed to sample at least a dozens variations of jerk chicken, jerk fish, jerk shrimp, and anything else jerk that Tom could find!

We also kept our fridge well stocked with the essentials-Red Stripe, water, wine, and of. . .mangos.

A few days into our vacation, we arranged a day trip to see some of the Jamaica countryside. Our driver Johnny was really cool and didn’t mind stopping several times along the way so we could buy plums, pineapples, bananas, and of course. . .mangos. Johnny told us a lot about the history and politics of Jamaica, especially about the lack of opportunity for workers. Part of the problem is due to the fact that over 60% of the GDP of the country comes from services and tourism, which has taken a hit due to a global economic slowdown. It is a difficult situation and we sincerely hope that it improves in future.

Our first stop was YS Falls, a gorgeous seven-level waterfall surrounded by lush foliage.
 

The water was freezing so naturally Tom dove right in.

We also toured the Appleton Rum Estate, the oldest sugarcane estate and rum distillery on the island. Our tour began in the bar where we were served Rum Punch, the national drink of Jamaica. We then walked through the process of making rum. I particularly enjoyed touring the warehouse where the rum is aged because it was 20 degrees cooler than outside due to alcohol evaporation. Because of the tropical climate, Jamaican rums age very quickly and lose up to 10% of product each year due to evaporation. This is called the Angels’ Share. Interestingly, Appleton ages their rum in recycled Jack Daniels barrels.

Our tour ended in the bar where we were allowed to sample all 20 of Appleton’s rum products. Needless to say, we were quite tipsy at the end of the tour. Sadly, the only picture we were allowed to take on the tour was that of a donkey squeezing sugarcane in the traditional way.

More to come!

Currently Reading Dreams from My Father : A Story of Race and Inheritance By Barack Obama see related