an education in wine production

Last Saturday I took a much-needed break from store-set up to help out my friends Dana and Nick. Dana is starting a winery, and they needed some extra hands to process the grapes that had come in that week for their Cabernet Sauvignon, so I headed out to the Hillsboro area for an eduction in wine-making and a few hours of work/fun.

Cab Sauv grapes

Basically, we started with lots of grapes, still on the stems. These Cab Sauv grape clusters were decently loose, so most separated nicely from the stem when they were fed through the de-stemmer (the red contraption in the photos).  My job was to stand on a bucket (cause I'm short) and dump grape clusters from the original bin (which you can see to the left in the image below) into the de-stemmer (the red thing), which would do it's thing and dump out separated grapes in to the bin that Nick and Dana are standing next to. Unfortunately, lots of little stem pieces make it through so Nick and Dana had to hand pick the pieces out as we went along... not so easy. The bin is really big, and the grapes come out fast so they have to work quickly.

Nick and Dana pulling any stray stems

The de-stemmer, and just grapes!

The de-stemmer shoots out the stems into the green bin you see below and someone (we all pitched in here) had to hand sort through those stems to pick out all the grapes that didn't come off in the machine. It's tedious, but worth the time because quite a few grapes didn't separate. Apparently these Cab Sauv grapes were way more cooperative (because they are fairly loosely clustered) than the Pinot grapes Nick and Dana processed the week before. Pinot grapes are very densely clustered, and don't come off the stems easily, so they had to be run through the machine several times. Boo on that!

Nick showing his son August the family biz.

Thanks Dana and Nick for my intro to wine making! The sticky arms and sore back were worth it, and I look forward to trying your wines next year!

syncline hike

Over the past several years I've heard plenty of friends mention Syncline for mountain biking, but I didn't really know where they were talking about, and it never occurred to me that people hike the same trails that they were biking. So last weekend, when the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance to go for a hike with some friends out along Coyote Wall, or Syncline, which runs along the Washington side of the Columbia River. Even though we got a cloudy day, the views were a treat, and it was great to finally check out an area that I've heard so much about.

The Columbia River Gorge... stunning!

Sean, riding the trails at Syncline while we hiked.

I think it's pretty amazing that if you stand at the top of Coyote Wall and look to your left you see what is pictured above, but if you took around, you see what is shown below. From open grassland, to a super steep rocky cliff, to evergreen trees in a few hundred feet. God, I love this area! Maybe next spring I'll give some of the trails up here a go on my mountain bike... the mellow fire lanes and fun downhill well clear of the cliff!

Coyote Wall

Hiking buddies, Danika, Kate, Ben and Jackson (where was Jen?)

The trail runs REALLY close to the edge of the cliff (as you can see behind Ben), and there is a small memorial just a few yards away from where the group is standing as a memorial to a mountain biker that fell to his death while biking there.

Not bad for a cloudy day, but normally Mt. Hood would be in the distance.

Kate took my, "Look at me, I'm sporty!" picture for my Match profile.

short sands

I've been meaning to get out to the coast all summer, and a few weeks ago I finally make the drive to Short Sands Beach to spend the afternoon relaxing with Gus. I really needed to clear my head, and the sound of crashing waves seems to do the trick wonderfully. Beyond that, watching Gus play in the waves and sprint down the beach brings a smile to my face, and I'm always impressed by the rugged beauty of the Oregon Coast.

Very happy beach puppy, Gus

Gus, splashing in the surf

Gus on a full sprint back towards me.

Beautiful color variation in the rock.

Such great texture and color on the beach.

For late September, it was oddly warm and not too windy, but the ocean was definitely angry that day. The waves where big and seemed especially loud as they rolled in that afternoon. My mellow day at the coast took a turn for the serious, when later in the afternoon a surfer drowned there at Short Sands. Watching about a dozen guys trying to get him back to shore, and then perform CPR for an hour was incredibly surreal. By the time the Coast Guard helicopter landed on the beach over an hour later I knew the guy was gone. It was awful, but a strong reminder of that surfs power, and how incredibly fleeting life can be.

Coast Guard helicopter

a taste of autumn

Wow, I have been wildly distracted the past few weeks. I apologize for my absence. Yesterday I woke up to what really felt like the first true day of autumn. It was dark and chilly, and I all day I couldn't quite shake the sense of melancholy I was feeling. But last night I got a real treat. My friend Sean cooked up some Chanterelle mushrooms that he had picked earlier in the day, and oh my, they were heavenly. So earthy and yummy. Thanks for sharing Sean!

sauteed chanterelle mushrooms on fresh bread, a taste of autumn!

Sigh. The rain is here. Summer is gone, and it's time to get back to "work". More details of my distractions in that area later this week.

opal creek

If you're looking for a mellow hike, with some stunning swimming holes along the way, Opal Creek is a great option. Not only are those swimming holes stunningly beautiful and crystal clear, but they are shockingly cold, so this is a good hike for a very warm day. When I was there on Saturday, the air along most of the trail was hot, dry, and filled with the smell of smoke from the wildfires burning to the east, but down by the creek the air was noticeably cooler and crisper. Early on in the hike (near the abandoned logging post), Matt and I opted for only a waist-deep dip since the water was so darn cold, and we just weren't warm enough yet to find that refreshing. We hiked on to Opal Pool, which is probably the deepest of the swimming holes, and also incredibly cold. It's a great place to stop for lunch, and if you're feeling up for a thrill you can jump in from the large surrounding rocks.

Check out the awesome font on this sign!

Opal Pool.

Opal Pool from up top.

After Opal Pool, we looped back past Jawbone Flats, an old mining outpost that still has a few rusty remnants of the old inhabitants. The trail is much more exposed here, and we certainly felt the heat, but soon enough we were back on the shaded trail headed downstream to our first swimming hole.

Rusty remnants at Jawbone Flats.

Matt was slightly more brave and tested the waters first. I opted for the brain freezing dive-in method over the prolonged wade-in process that seemed more like torture than refreshment! The water was freaking cold, but I have to say I felt pretty awesome once I got out!

The falls along Opal Creek.

mike & tracy tie the knot

One year and one day after getting engaged, two of my wonderful friends, Mike and Tracy, tied the knot here in Portland over Labor Day weekend. The wedding was beautiful, and the event brought together some of my closest friends, as well as a group of folks that I really wish I got to see more often. And Katy, you are so lucky... for some reason I can't get that video of you dancing to upload... damn you Blogger!

Sarah, Me and Kate enjoying cocktail hour.

Beth and Tracy (the bride)... that dress was stunning!

My athletic move yielded the bouquet... wearing 3 inch heels must have
helped because all I did was raise my hand in the air.!

Andy, Sean and Ben.

Mer and Duke... just 2 weeks from their 1st anniversary.

Daren and Becky... one of most fun couples I know.

The married people dance. The floor was packed!

dahlia show

This past weekend I drove down to Canby with my mom to check out the Swan Island Dahlia Show. Dahlias are in full bloom right now (and most will continue to flower well into October if the weather cooperates), so the fields of flowers were really gorgeous. Below are some of my favorites.