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30 Jul |
Home at last Cycling, Day to Day Life, Vacations, Wine
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Well, we made it home safe and sound, and in only 2 days.
I would have preferred to stay another day, but I didn’t want to be forced to make the drive in two days, and besides we were pretty wined out from the last 3 days.
So after unloading the car and unpacking (Edie did most of the unpacking), we spent the rest of the day just relaxing.
Now the only thing I’m looking forward to is sleeping in my own bed tonight, and getting back to my normal routine of riding my bike, playing golf, and even doing a little work.
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29 Jul |
The vacation not so much from hell, maybe! Vacations, Wine
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I say maybe, because we still have at least a 2 day drive home, and anything can happen, but even though nothing could be worth me wrecking the car and almost killing Edie and me, the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) is an event not to be missed, even if Pinot Noir isn’t your wine of choice.
I don’t plan on reporting on the IPNC, because Alder Yarrow at Vinography.com, Dennis Schaefer of AppellationAmerica.com and a host of other reporters and bloggers were also at the event, and I’m sure all will do a much better job than I could ever expect to do.
I will just say that the quality and the quantity of food, as well as the service, not even taking into consideration they were cooking for and serving about 700 people, was just fantastic.
And the wines! There just seemed to be an endless supply of wine, young and old, and from every corner of the world, including the US, France, New Zealand, Chile, and even a pinot from Italy. (NOTE: You do have to learn to spit and dump at an event like this, or you’ll never make it through the first day.)
And everyone we met from Allen Meadows, the many winemakers from all over the world, and just your ordinary Pinot lovers, like ourselves, were very friendly.
We even met an attorney from Missouri at dinner Saturday night, who opened a 2003 Domaine Moillard Pommard Epenots, which he shared with everyone at the table. It wasn’t the best wine we had all week (that was the 2002 Domaine Serene “Monogram” we had at our Thursday night dinner), but it was still very good, and it was just great sharing, and enjoying together.
Unfortunately Edie could not enjoy the event as much as I did, because it seems the Revlimid is starting to have an effect on her taste buds, but I believe she was able to enjoy the food. Hopefully that will change when it’s time to go to New Zealand next March.
My only real regret is that we drove. We should have flown there, and rented a car. But you know what they say,
“What doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger”,
and I won’t make that mistake again.
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28 Jul |
The vacation from hell - Part II Vacations
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As I sit here on the veranda, outside our room at the Black Walnut Inn, over looking the Willamette Valley and Dundee Hills of Oregon, in what is almost absolute quiet
, except for the chirping of some bird, and an occasional rooster crowing, thinking how beautiful and tranquil it is, and day dreaming about what ever, I am quickly jolted back to reality, as the people in the next room open their door, and I hear them talking, along with the blare of their TV.
Since the initial turmoil of the first couple of days of the trip, things have settled down, and I have been able to relax more, and while we have had some good experiences, and met a number of very nice people, I still can’t help but anticipate getting home.
I guess I’m just not cut out for vacations. No matter how much I anticipate going some where, once I get there, I can always find things to be disappointed about, and I am always longing for home.
So why do I persist? Is it because I know mine and Edie’s time is limited, so I think we need to cram as much in of the world while we are still able? Why can’t I just be content to just stay at home, and enjoy that time together?
Oh well, I think I think I have been rambling on here about absolutely nothing for too long now, and breakfast is being served in about 15 minutes, so I had better get my shower, and get ready to go down stairs to eat. After all, we do have a schedule to keep.
You know, vacations can be very stressful sometimes.
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25 Jul |
The vacation from hell Day to Day Life, Vacations
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Well after a good meal last night, a full day without any driving, and an enjoyable round of golf (although I played terrible) this morning, at the Salishan Spa and Golf Resort, I am starting to recover from what has so far been the vacation from hell!
From the moment we left for Oregon on Saturday, encountering excessive traffic getting out of LA, and not being able to get a room in Pismo Beach Saturday night, to Edie forgetting her pillow at the B&B in Geyserville Sunday night, to me falling asleep at the wheel, and side swiping a guard rail Monday in Oregon, and then getting a ticket in Port Orford, shortly after that, for doing 45 in a 30 mph zone, this vacation has not gone very well.
Yeah that’s right, I fell asleep at the wheel and hit a guard rail, and I hit it pretty hard, cause it sure gave me a jolt.
But I guess I should be fortunate all I hit was a guard rail. I could have swerved into oncoming traffic, side swiped a pedestrian or cyclist, or simply run off the road and plowed into a ditch causing more severe damage, leaving the car undriveable, any of which scenario would have been worse than what actually happened.
As it was, the only damage to the car was cosmetic, and it isn’t even that bad, although it is noticeable. Other than a few scrapes and dents, mechanically the car is as good as it was before the accident, and neither Edie nor I were injured. My hats off to Lexus, for building a car that could withstand such an accident, and keep on going.
Still it’s hard to put this behind us, although we are trying, and things are starting to look up.
Hopefully as we head up to Dundee, Oregon tomorrow, having dinner at the Domaine Serene Winery, and as the International Pinot Noir Celebration gets started on Friday, this will all just be a fleeting memory.