Great company, wine cheese and bread

It was a typical spring day in Oregon. It was raining hard, overcast, high winds and near freezing. I hope the opening lines scared away all the NOregonians (yes a Noregonian is anyone not living in Oregon) because it was a drop dead great day today in the 70's and not a cloud in the sky.

I do want to thank Andrew for planning the day and where we went it was a very special day. Thank you son.

While Andrew and his friend Brook(e) shot some pictures I did the same as we all looked up the hill to the King Estates Winery including Doreen after donning her shades.


So this is what we saw.


The vineyards reminded me of the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" and the beautiful scenes of the Tuscany landscape. The vineyards we very impressive and great to just see the grapevines growing.


I can't imagine how it would feel having this for a view every day.


We went to the wine tasting room for a sit-down snack of cheese, meats and bread with some olives and olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar for dipping and the purpose was to taste the wines. I'm not much of a wine drinker but the ones I tasted were ok especially the sweet desert wine. The area was very simply laid out with rich leather and dark wood.


Then we took the tour. I couldn't believe the size of the containers used to process the grapes.


Or the ornate cask room,


With small.......


And very large casks neatly placed around the room.


I liked processing vat #111 it looked a bit like a Titan Missile


Finally we were out the door.


Here is a view of one of the buildings on the estate.


Then there was this dog biting an old guy also leaving the winery. Not really it was his dog and the lady is his wife.


Then we went back to Eugene for a late lunch - early dinner at a restaurant on the north bank of the Willamette River near downtown Eugene.


My only picture in the restraunt was of the ceiling fan but the food was good.


In the parking lot there was a car with a couple of great stickers on it. This one and ....


....this one.


Next we went to Skinner Butte which overlooks the city for a fantastic views of Eugene and the surrounding area like this one of the city center.


and this one of the University of Oregon's, Autzen Stadium.


But my favorite view was the one of Jim and Doreen (pictured earlier) we couldn't ask for better friends. We DO miss you Michelle wish you were here. I know it's difficult to see all of our extended family and I do miss the time seeing Bryan and his sweet family and I wish we could have spent more time getting to know Jason and his family now that he isn't the little boy I showed how to kill snails with salt. We do think of you all.


No Scrabble

Quote of the Day ~

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. ~Cree Indian Proverb

Spring is here and so are Ed's Wheels

Spring is here for sure. The daffodills are withering, The tulips are in full bloom and the Rhododendrons are beginning to bloom.


The Pear is blossoming.


The Plum is looking great


And more Rhododendron blossoms. I love this time of year.


FedEx was right on the spot and their service is excellent as usual. It's a good thing they were today because Ed was expecting his new toy. Andrew and I quickly assembled this mobility scooter/golf cart for Ed. It's called a Red Max and it is very red and very cool. Ed inspected is carefully and was soon ready to ride.




So he mounted his new steed and was ready to roll.


Giddy up Max!! was all we heard as he wizzed away toward Sunday (a street at the corner) ready for a hard right turn.


Around the corner he went in a cloud of dust and a hearty high ho Silver.


He returned with a smile.


Satisfied and happy to have a way to get to the store and golf course. There is a golf bag holder for days he wants to hit the Oakway course a few blocks away.


Scrabble Queen even got in the act. I'm very proud of her for finding this very nice scooter for Ed and for Jill and Sharyn both for the kindness and support they are giving their dad, who raised them, both so well. Oh and speaking of raising things and spring I should point out the beautiful blooms in this Blog issue were hand chosen and cared for by that sweet lady riding in the middle of the street.


Tomorrow our dearest friends from the Boston area will arrive for a week long visit I can't wait to see them again.
Scrabble Score - No details BUT the contender won the last two matches........

Quote of the Day ~

Certainly, it seems true enough that there's a good deal of irony in the world... I mean, if you live in a world full of politicians and advertising, there's obviously a lot of deception. ~ Kenneth Koch

Kenneth Koch was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 27, 1925. He studied at Harvard University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree, and attended Columbia University for his Ph.D. He was a prolific writer and contributed much of his heart and soul to writing and the arts. Kenneth Koch died on July 6, 2002 from leukemia.

Isaac Andrew on the Road Gallery

The youngest photographer in the family recently took a plane to San Diego to pick up his grandfather's car and drive it to Eugene. Of course the student in him screamed "SPRING BREAK" now that he is a full time student again. He still has several good friends among this one who shares a name with Isaac. This was taken at the Presideo on the hill overlooking Mission Bay.



I'm not going to say anything else on these images other than they are taken at Balboa Park and at the Presideo - Enjoy Isaac's work









































Quote of the Day

When you take stuff from one writer it's plagiarism; but when you take it from many writers, it's research. ~ Wilson Mizner quotes (Playwright, 1876-1933)

Trivia Fact Wilson Mizner was the screen writer for numerous movies but once acted in one of his own movies playing the "singing drunk" which starred William Powell - The movie was One Way Passage filmed in 1932 the year before he died

Glass and Flowers

Haven't been out in the musemobile but travel doesn't always mean moving through space it sometimes can mean traveling through life. Such is the case today. On my window sill there are a few things I've picked up in my life. Something I really like are the glass insulators. This one is a Hemingray - 42 in green. Pretty nice and very heavy. I like it a lot.


I took one of the insulators and laid it on it's side and took a picture through the bottom. This is the result. In the center if you really use your imagination you may be able to make out the barn next door.


Here is a more normal view of this clear Hemingray - 43.


I played with some dark of night images this one was really blurred but I liked the effect.


This is another, more clearly defined image of the Red Tulip near our front door. All in all I'm feeling really lazy so I won't write much more, only the quote of the day.


Quote of the Day

"“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." ~ Albert Einstein (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955)