tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267320430562720022024-02-20T22:39:32.970-08:00les doigts dans le nezmjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-7941715474051905692009-12-10T22:35:00.000-08:002009-12-10T22:55:48.668-08:00el capitan, i salute you......last stop...yosemite national park...and i was lucky enough to have a morning of sunshine before the clouds rolled in to make the light flat...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQz8gX5F-nin-cifOMi-gfHwOgK422nAWsqviCvYj21oLVXFl3AimO4H2TJowXtjlYdC8K8nEeXqUj1GWqY78tS8loofBaZpRyXbj3iAKx86D-AGNfio6vyxg4dln7aHoCx3EKxbgvTs/s1600-h/DSC09482.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQz8gX5F-nin-cifOMi-gfHwOgK422nAWsqviCvYj21oLVXFl3AimO4H2TJowXtjlYdC8K8nEeXqUj1GWqY78tS8loofBaZpRyXbj3iAKx86D-AGNfio6vyxg4dln7aHoCx3EKxbgvTs/s400/DSC09482.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413866756276582818" border="0" /></a>easiest view to get to so it almost feels like cheating. now i just need to come back and hike half dome and glacier point (both closed in the winter).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP49qEInaYQPQa_eqjNCTPjXYRPaSeHsZcCb9ZP9Eez_2e9e8QUpzSYql3zm92jZi9cmpkJY0wkCGFJ_h_TT3fHFbxWLvGmO0-kmygzeCN-ealFUdAMXeaQ935OlDppqfCvUR8699IufY/s1600-h/DSC09489.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP49qEInaYQPQa_eqjNCTPjXYRPaSeHsZcCb9ZP9Eez_2e9e8QUpzSYql3zm92jZi9cmpkJY0wkCGFJ_h_TT3fHFbxWLvGmO0-kmygzeCN-ealFUdAMXeaQ935OlDppqfCvUR8699IufY/s400/DSC09489.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413866765609733826" border="0" /></a>bridalveil fall where i watched some ice chunks break off from the top, which sounded like a cannon shots echoing through the valley.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmUHxoxwCDSQeknNTRqMb168T2_WJ0rqLfpcegwbuHoyen6w6m3iewqgAOhytCppryB0fwXKIHHLNZGWs3ngpqC7U1oovv9UWKr0jX3rlTarrJwTTQPb9LNUQQ9nOHtF48QGTGz8oVp0/s1600-h/DSC09501.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmUHxoxwCDSQeknNTRqMb168T2_WJ0rqLfpcegwbuHoyen6w6m3iewqgAOhytCppryB0fwXKIHHLNZGWs3ngpqC7U1oovv9UWKr0jX3rlTarrJwTTQPb9LNUQQ9nOHtF48QGTGz8oVp0/s400/DSC09501.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413866768499918962" border="0" /></a>mirror lake with what i call a t-rex skull stone. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRUr5DoKfJeYxvuy_HGPLpjAWZGIeuHXcer0q02MDaEVKx_w0JE2vmsuYVfsPVaE7jtvLiVV_z_kwpTYLspUsfKUqDsyzelMHc7w9hn9JXbx8p4KCfDyKKb7kYU5GmfLI8cUU4YNuYTk/s1600-h/DSC09538.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRUr5DoKfJeYxvuy_HGPLpjAWZGIeuHXcer0q02MDaEVKx_w0JE2vmsuYVfsPVaE7jtvLiVV_z_kwpTYLspUsfKUqDsyzelMHc7w9hn9JXbx8p4KCfDyKKb7kYU5GmfLI8cUU4YNuYTk/s400/DSC09538.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413866787663706802" border="0" /></a>being alone and with the daylight quickly receding, this mirror lake loop hike was the only one i could feasibly do. although i was in mountain lion habitat, so luckily i had made some friends along the way...<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bq8Kf9g9sLNtNRh_lzfJpQ2Aizpcan4gBV78kalDyLypVEEz3WJ5RL0dRj_ODs0MsoA1MMB2pYE3bqkL6MOAdYj7ipY_hQhjlC1RSUWtf0t6khgh900dwVDYfiQQmaoL6p7OzaIdQ7k/s1600-h/DSC09525.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bq8Kf9g9sLNtNRh_lzfJpQ2Aizpcan4gBV78kalDyLypVEEz3WJ5RL0dRj_ODs0MsoA1MMB2pYE3bqkL6MOAdYj7ipY_hQhjlC1RSUWtf0t6khgh900dwVDYfiQQmaoL6p7OzaIdQ7k/s400/DSC09525.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413866777912558514" border="0" /></a>now back to portland...mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-29428337262589063652009-12-09T23:58:00.000-08:002009-12-10T00:16:37.778-08:00running to stand still......joshua tree national park...not too sound cheesy but someplace i have always wanted to visit...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Oq4dzRHFGXbnZiSDsuBIs9ZLU4brfLzFmf6qHDg1TULUC8mOQe1kUDJSiSt-pRISd90rzRa1Ljo4RCeYMOUNJQnf2-xnnB1HruuvBXs8v-8pkpxFFH8nBgZjeOeq8flstkF6uRXi9tI/s1600-h/DSC09480.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Oq4dzRHFGXbnZiSDsuBIs9ZLU4brfLzFmf6qHDg1TULUC8mOQe1kUDJSiSt-pRISd90rzRa1Ljo4RCeYMOUNJQnf2-xnnB1HruuvBXs8v-8pkpxFFH8nBgZjeOeq8flstkF6uRXi9tI/s400/DSC09480.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413516591374206434" border="0" /></a>(p.s. i'm squinting into the sun...not trying to hold a sneeze in or something worse)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxfSB2iX-_LPXv762zXDC8WfPwavG-ypl1xdwBDy3AAybsFn4JdUu3BolDuWo7FnosdeiIYM5TNzPJ8bMrxyAzEm1VxW-6szw46zCJSkyBG9ohMNKVnchfA3plSglt8U5xikB_3bThO4/s1600-h/DSC09430.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxfSB2iX-_LPXv762zXDC8WfPwavG-ypl1xdwBDy3AAybsFn4JdUu3BolDuWo7FnosdeiIYM5TNzPJ8bMrxyAzEm1VxW-6szw46zCJSkyBG9ohMNKVnchfA3plSglt8U5xikB_3bThO4/s400/DSC09430.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413516572352461698" border="0" /></a>it was a balmy 40ish degrees, but at least the sun was out so i warmed up pretty quickly on my mini-hikes. i only had a short amount of time and, being by myself, didn't have time to do more intense hiking or bouldering. but it was absolutely stunning landscape and i found a lorax ;)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKe2tiycDCvb-Q734RwbkGPvTNlaUCGvZ0qGHxMxK_yU1LhB4f9FmcYdw_YRBYDwVZhHqU-qEhcQg_rdlcEWZdpDgH5C46aevA9Fcty3AgDnyk0QBRmv7Z-256V3QNvX2BbO3_oAhaNpw/s1600-h/DSC09458.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKe2tiycDCvb-Q734RwbkGPvTNlaUCGvZ0qGHxMxK_yU1LhB4f9FmcYdw_YRBYDwVZhHqU-qEhcQg_rdlcEWZdpDgH5C46aevA9Fcty3AgDnyk0QBRmv7Z-256V3QNvX2BbO3_oAhaNpw/s400/DSC09458.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413516602751815666" border="0" /></a>apparently you used to be able to swim here?! or maybe in the summer? <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzxw8SK6dUVSPCf-NCv0sjvEoZj_L2uKgNJM9RY12QzMrgRijj8YBMF0VNJpj3xlrNiGjfB8InNdTrDS9Zi4uCYJNogIRelQzb4XxzOEGr__ZAgaicLNbD3jjgYLvHTiQxpFryHrkq-w/s1600-h/DSC09452.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzxw8SK6dUVSPCf-NCv0sjvEoZj_L2uKgNJM9RY12QzMrgRijj8YBMF0VNJpj3xlrNiGjfB8InNdTrDS9Zi4uCYJNogIRelQzb4XxzOEGr__ZAgaicLNbD3jjgYLvHTiQxpFryHrkq-w/s400/DSC09452.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413516584927099026" border="0" /></a>well swimming is out, but i wish i could go rock climbing...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2rQYgqA75aLE5CrGk1AgXkyHlKRten1ug_JOBdcSmW5_yeD0yrCuHcQeJfpFqe6_rCs55HtgsYO_eg31E3VThuIiSLzT5rV0xRg__zn8nTx66bt3_QuY0gSEViapxuwbu-ON7K9eqh8/s1600-h/DSC09448.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2rQYgqA75aLE5CrGk1AgXkyHlKRten1ug_JOBdcSmW5_yeD0yrCuHcQeJfpFqe6_rCs55HtgsYO_eg31E3VThuIiSLzT5rV0xRg__zn8nTx66bt3_QuY0gSEViapxuwbu-ON7K9eqh8/s400/DSC09448.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413516579134392290" border="0" /></a>now to book it to yosemite national park...mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-50562485781863180272009-12-09T07:49:00.000-08:002009-12-09T08:13:01.788-08:00on the road again...well harvest was intense...a lot of running up and down and left and right. so i figured i needed a vacation. i've been wanting to drive down california and see friends that i've just moved away from and friends that i've been meaning to visit.<br /><br />it had been awhile, but it was great to get onto that open road with just me, my music, and a lot of chocolate covered raisins. my itinerary included stops in ukiah (brand new nunamaker-bailey baby), sebastopol (i've got to see my peeps at paul hobbs winery), sonoma (a grown-up dinner party at the early-myers'), petaluma (haircut and scalp massage...priceless), san francisco (suppenküche, finally, as well as harris' steak tartare and tu lan). on my way down to santa barbara to visit alison at palmina winery, i decided to take the 1 through big sur and the like. beautiful coastline, of course...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QxgRJPkYU4nTCXg54uGdSCv01cwdhGzrPjTa7v7ZXq6mWczBvQP0FGUkOx8_-DuO7W-eEKI-5OyOsq_g8JY0ORgGGMhtpNOiRIBmDnJUKnaoaW09-Nm7xqFOy5I4CjJQ6Dzpk6gqpW0/s1600-h/DSC09356.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QxgRJPkYU4nTCXg54uGdSCv01cwdhGzrPjTa7v7ZXq6mWczBvQP0FGUkOx8_-DuO7W-eEKI-5OyOsq_g8JY0ORgGGMhtpNOiRIBmDnJUKnaoaW09-Nm7xqFOy5I4CjJQ6Dzpk6gqpW0/s400/DSC09356.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413266224549938210" border="0" /></a>then i finally made it to los angeles to visit darling danielle. i hadn't been to the city of angels since right after the infamous riots, so it was nice to see that the scars had healed. i did see taye diggs at bouchon, but i did not (sadly) see lindsay lohan passed out in the corner of bar marmont or britney spears and the kids at toast. of course, the last thing i had to do was walk hollywood blvd and i wonder what they were setting up for...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfe2pIRcoXTBHxijJlVFO0mij7MdF-E5tAO_qAmRsnLO7JJTPmivXXBCDxFcKfHNt8ViYCMA4Jbrx_1lrK1IdBlK8tb6STTCkcOsbb60efxYtnICdmubpJUmQD0dBlDRjGNUx7uD_Djo/s1600-h/DSC09375.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfe2pIRcoXTBHxijJlVFO0mij7MdF-E5tAO_qAmRsnLO7JJTPmivXXBCDxFcKfHNt8ViYCMA4Jbrx_1lrK1IdBlK8tb6STTCkcOsbb60efxYtnICdmubpJUmQD0dBlDRjGNUx7uD_Djo/s400/DSC09375.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413266241178430642" border="0" /></a>unfortunately, mother nature wasn't very willing to cooperate with me as it poured the last day i was in los angeles and while i was driving down to san diego amdist some gale-force winds. at the cactus garden in balboa park, i could clearly picture what the scene might have been like with all that rain...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41tk-HLFEmW_SyRWq3UWa9UrGguxYP6n_avTy-nOVEGLETt2Hr2zlBxOpFCpVDqHykVP82prURzoBNgy-cUgNJyeFlArJrASc-i1lprJ7z17RUBV7vnpDBwBD_9a8JpZcq8xQELUyeUo/s1600-h/DSC09387.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41tk-HLFEmW_SyRWq3UWa9UrGguxYP6n_avTy-nOVEGLETt2Hr2zlBxOpFCpVDqHykVP82prURzoBNgy-cUgNJyeFlArJrASc-i1lprJ7z17RUBV7vnpDBwBD_9a8JpZcq8xQELUyeUo/s400/DSC09387.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413266252247872034" border="0" /></a>so san diego was my southernmost stop and i finally got to visit jenn instead of the other way around. beautiful beaches...maybe made even more beautiful with the partly cloudy weather and high surf. but i thought san diego was supposed to be warm and sunny...i guess i'll have to come back when i can actually lay out at the beach!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-n3ne7ZQf7hgZVcekb1mzqJMXpTyRk1Rl8ZyygLjxk1qzS_hrrbF4Pe4pMpQJAVdQ24hDzUun978FNM_h8MEXU0TEKFQ9jmg-unUY_cFOn01Gg3Wj_3HlZk237tapkrTOPhlZFpiJ3Ao/s1600-h/DSC09423.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-n3ne7ZQf7hgZVcekb1mzqJMXpTyRk1Rl8ZyygLjxk1qzS_hrrbF4Pe4pMpQJAVdQ24hDzUun978FNM_h8MEXU0TEKFQ9jmg-unUY_cFOn01Gg3Wj_3HlZk237tapkrTOPhlZFpiJ3Ao/s400/DSC09423.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413266253516784562" border="0" /></a>more to come...mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-84277664339490243792009-10-04T22:47:00.000-07:002009-10-04T23:01:30.339-07:00you call this hard?! i call this FUN!!because it's that time again...time to harvest!!! if you've read any of my earlier posts, then you know what harvest is like. if you haven't, well, it's harvest and i don't have the time to explain (if that can give you a slight hint as to the madness of harvest) so you'll have to read my earlier posts. so my view from my office/lab at paul hobbs winery in sebastopol was beautiful, but can it compare to the view from the penner-ash wine cellars patio where we eat lunch everyday?!? check out for yourself below. you can't see it, but off to the left is an amazing garden. i haven't had to buy produce once since august...amazing!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUMwiM4tq0BaI8ZQ1TAUTzZlFfTCWad5Qrr6e3RcBOvIGZekZ0jwe3cyKS12WdrbhM587UsyXZjRm2N39BTyZxP5MafLgDjRGglS-AAoktEe3sCBU7vpM5RPF87IIXgQ7iN20ewJFSfk/s1600-h/penner-ash2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUMwiM4tq0BaI8ZQ1TAUTzZlFfTCWad5Qrr6e3RcBOvIGZekZ0jwe3cyKS12WdrbhM587UsyXZjRm2N39BTyZxP5MafLgDjRGglS-AAoktEe3sCBU7vpM5RPF87IIXgQ7iN20ewJFSfk/s400/penner-ash2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388988707046535298" border="0" /></a>the winery has a very nice gravity flow set-up where the grapes are crushed above and fall down to the tanks waiting below on the fermentation deck, which you can see below. after which, the tanks will be emptied down to the last level where the press is located. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6woRPXsVBqbntqOyJ8NC-Iwh9m4kQpLdga85RZKbZA9Jg22tlPm8usJz7OB9b4_RZezzPD8XyanAISap66X_WoQWdf_K13cuVp54GNE3-shdHpOD0ys4gIY9srG_iGLoBhlI95AbzsA/s1600-h/penner-ash1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6woRPXsVBqbntqOyJ8NC-Iwh9m4kQpLdga85RZKbZA9Jg22tlPm8usJz7OB9b4_RZezzPD8XyanAISap66X_WoQWdf_K13cuVp54GNE3-shdHpOD0ys4gIY9srG_iGLoBhlI95AbzsA/s400/penner-ash1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388988703482057954" border="0" /></a>i guess catered harvest lunches is a big deal in oregon's willamette valley, so jon and i were very honored to cook lunch this past saturday. well jon cooked obviously and i just made mousse au chocolat for dessert. it was an amazing meal where most of the vegetables came from the winery or people's gardens. grilled lamb that had been marinated in parsley, mint, and garlic and topped with a heirloom tomato, basil, kalamata olive sauce. frittata with zucchini, potatoes, braised swiss chard, mushrooms, and cheese. warm bread salad with feta, cashews, and asian pears. mmm...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcOBNK58vKcRfNS92QJdGcdP-TDKyhLHAFe4wAjsm8H6UcrQL5pCmqi3y3YuDugAhWdTg_ehlTD2IO7XL3k15jrf0G58yOQEe7hdAGk-BoZSj5gFlXBjMg1iowvLP4YWp9TKCQmEJ6FA/s1600-h/harvest+lunch1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcOBNK58vKcRfNS92QJdGcdP-TDKyhLHAFe4wAjsm8H6UcrQL5pCmqi3y3YuDugAhWdTg_ehlTD2IO7XL3k15jrf0G58yOQEe7hdAGk-BoZSj5gFlXBjMg1iowvLP4YWp9TKCQmEJ6FA/s400/harvest+lunch1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388988717237682338" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9n62GLxJEIgbBvkU7shyphenhyphenONuhKxga_5u65ILDVMBU5Y6CM-oe6hBLmMQmlEhPC0R6hudzPzTsAB3UlVKW_JXPAMeZPDeWEhMplKoXnepC3PDDCiRqcgHa-jZjiL7SgCa8xhb02WZ_p7NM/s1600-h/harvest+lunch2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9n62GLxJEIgbBvkU7shyphenhyphenONuhKxga_5u65ILDVMBU5Y6CM-oe6hBLmMQmlEhPC0R6hudzPzTsAB3UlVKW_JXPAMeZPDeWEhMplKoXnepC3PDDCiRqcgHa-jZjiL7SgCa8xhb02WZ_p7NM/s400/harvest+lunch2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388988722852729250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxi3LhmihErBtLdoTT_mQh4vbw32OVOJ_mcbIPx7jV4cuJIEcdl7mRBvE_hFyTe-qXFpd4wkT54IDyG3WK1qal1nzF8yUx7TlOnOXUmjoc_z7NnQ7hwLS3JKEYOv8fpSXNx2jab8dgxiU/s1600-h/tom+zuc+tart.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxi3LhmihErBtLdoTT_mQh4vbw32OVOJ_mcbIPx7jV4cuJIEcdl7mRBvE_hFyTe-qXFpd4wkT54IDyG3WK1qal1nzF8yUx7TlOnOXUmjoc_z7NnQ7hwLS3JKEYOv8fpSXNx2jab8dgxiU/s400/tom+zuc+tart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388988731255085298" border="0" /></a>i found a way to enjoy tomatoes...bake them in a tart with zucchini and basil (all fresh from the winery garden). throw in some mozzarella and that's what i call amore :)mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-76840915936392627642009-07-22T07:44:00.000-07:002009-07-22T08:00:22.926-07:00monterey bay aquariumthis posting comes a couple of weeks late, but it's been hectic...<br /><br />last fourth of july weekend, i willingly faced holiday traffic and drove down to monterey to meet up with becky george in order to finally explore the monterey aquarium. despite the high price of admission and screaming kids, it was worth the experience for the photos i took below. the sea otters and penguins were adorable. the giant fish and sharks were impressively sized. the stingrays that you could pet were scared and annoyed with all the kids' hands reaching into their tank.<br /><br />i especially enjoyed watching this yellow fish which seemed to just sit there and mouth "hello". mmm...sashimi...i'm just kidding!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioptiPJ6fvURk5zPjDof5kKAfFCQkqUvVLYtirk53tgD0u46fj8PyhcZ3WWEytntOEtV3q8OLwiNVLjNLTGioO0d5jI6na-vo48n4eDpzK8wYHb3jcURJ-ZH9mUSd0qMPLuLWGLKAnXfY/s1600-h/yellow+fish.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioptiPJ6fvURk5zPjDof5kKAfFCQkqUvVLYtirk53tgD0u46fj8PyhcZ3WWEytntOEtV3q8OLwiNVLjNLTGioO0d5jI6na-vo48n4eDpzK8wYHb3jcURJ-ZH9mUSd0qMPLuLWGLKAnXfY/s400/yellow+fish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361296235300131234" border="0" /></a>but the main reason that i wanted to go was to see the jellyfish and i wasn't disappointed. luckily, i could tune out everyone else and it just seemed like the jellyfish were noiselessly floating in space. it was very elegant and ballet-like. my favorite is this one below...the stinging sea nettle jellyfish. this is just one of what seemed like hundreds floating in the one tank together...almost in unison.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHXqp3bbx7SJYqO_1-GooXAL22wVNETDxZeUlxRw6a05OQcRn5H3eWjhdG7ODvOscmKpE3eXQnP64Lx9ZsDGHuWBMyg3b36vkxCl0EjsmT6-KhLe46e6PSVONXJ0eeGhKXcF037N49hQ/s1600-h/nettle+jelly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHXqp3bbx7SJYqO_1-GooXAL22wVNETDxZeUlxRw6a05OQcRn5H3eWjhdG7ODvOscmKpE3eXQnP64Lx9ZsDGHuWBMyg3b36vkxCl0EjsmT6-KhLe46e6PSVONXJ0eeGhKXcF037N49hQ/s400/nettle+jelly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361296244876329426" border="0" /></a>the purple striped jellyfish seemed more acrobatic, but maybe that was because it's tail was a lot longer and it seemed like it was doing backbends and cartwheels.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQ1CxtsBFbjS6IAL8sZ9zl1nkmtpJeGUvov0XN6NJo18qRTAKIrKgXnwuPXt9omMOCrdJKFw2Ul7oP1D5jAZYIZd_BX9m0Bzq9lyK0Be_jdu-tDVzgwA7-Dx5i6Z7xFE0P7pn60i_-JE/s1600-h/purple+jelly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQ1CxtsBFbjS6IAL8sZ9zl1nkmtpJeGUvov0XN6NJo18qRTAKIrKgXnwuPXt9omMOCrdJKFw2Ul7oP1D5jAZYIZd_BX9m0Bzq9lyK0Be_jdu-tDVzgwA7-Dx5i6Z7xFE0P7pn60i_-JE/s400/purple+jelly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361296249149915378" border="0" /></a>the moon jelly, which seemed like a ufo because it had no long tail with which to entrap its prey.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK02CjgotRILAgyuUsGT5jcNz4u0_uwdvN0cMFnVNRlY-GlGqNGxyOvkXNIwp-ptSBiMcG4q8uOlUltVNqzvKA3PjQFf0YOvyf9OTQ8oAehf3vUygR36pDWH0xOadDIcz8gH7o7apd_zw/s1600-h/moon+jelly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK02CjgotRILAgyuUsGT5jcNz4u0_uwdvN0cMFnVNRlY-GlGqNGxyOvkXNIwp-ptSBiMcG4q8uOlUltVNqzvKA3PjQFf0YOvyf9OTQ8oAehf3vUygR36pDWH0xOadDIcz8gH7o7apd_zw/s400/moon+jelly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361296255167222402" border="0" /></a>next stop...portland, oregon!mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-11169649322251187472009-06-11T10:00:00.000-07:002009-06-11T10:09:58.430-07:00bee kindi know what you're thinking, "holy crap! 3 posts in 2 weeks?!? what is she on!?!". don't worry, i'm not taking blogging speed. interesting (well at least to me) things have been jumping into my lap lately!<br /><br />so yesterday during lunch at the picnic tables at the winery, i heard roberto (our cellarmaster) give a faint yelp. i looked over and saw a swarm of insects. as our jaws dropped, the buzzing noise became very apparent. and in front of our eyes, what appeared to be a brown oval shape began forming in one of the trees on the treeline. as the swarm steadily decreased in size, we realized that there must be a new queen and the bees were swarming to protect her and to start building a new hive for her. this was amazing to me purely because i'd never witnessed anything like in my life...the start of a new beehive. after maybe 5 or 10 minutes, the swarm was gone and was nestled in the tree as you can see below... <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkg9Z5zLUa2CmypsHfurgFIyvZrRC2XldW7TFcX_MZ0bm2hr-Nvo4VfwAYMPvXIcWhY9jjqfntguS6hPFmv2_OLEBogF2ijY7YPNAvmoDcfKBau1kSM_LmPyYWaYftlFl85TbOwmdoTQ/s1600-h/bees+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkg9Z5zLUa2CmypsHfurgFIyvZrRC2XldW7TFcX_MZ0bm2hr-Nvo4VfwAYMPvXIcWhY9jjqfntguS6hPFmv2_OLEBogF2ijY7YPNAvmoDcfKBau1kSM_LmPyYWaYftlFl85TbOwmdoTQ/s400/bees+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346116229679029266" border="0" /></a>apparently there are beekeepers you can call in sonoma when you have a new swarm of bees. they will come and safely transport the swarm so as to start the new hive in a safe environment. interestingly enough, bill wiebalk (our director of sales) is one of these beekeepers, so he drove over in full beekeeper gear (that he apparently keeps in his car) to scoop the swarm up as you can see below...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtu3mSi3ECcwLL73xFrOb6iAWpjrhE3NgDpxhI111ePSA0SXEAQyHRQTliWMi6yHAAkwaD-kKiIRYMLwVXQvqdmQ_VD5PxEOBdwrV9pQR4WY0k6FZEwa0YBZEOiHIpiiPlgiy026ICFiU/s1600-h/bees+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtu3mSi3ECcwLL73xFrOb6iAWpjrhE3NgDpxhI111ePSA0SXEAQyHRQTliWMi6yHAAkwaD-kKiIRYMLwVXQvqdmQ_VD5PxEOBdwrV9pQR4WY0k6FZEwa0YBZEOiHIpiiPlgiy026ICFiU/s400/bees+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346116238336466642" border="0" /></a>so there you have it, that's how a beehive gets started. now i wonder how the new queen gets nominated...mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-63076637903226834862009-06-10T08:53:00.001-07:002009-06-10T09:22:30.916-07:00indulgence weekendi haven't had one in a bit and it's a longshot from an actual vacation, but i'll take what i can get right now!<br /><br />our 1st indulgence was to hike the dipsea trail (starting near downtown mill valley) and the sun trail to the german tourist club, which you can see below.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEh60lTGx0h9Ok9UqAJTgJY4LiwKrxoENg9ePFyk2qYaG87QsAsmmm-Ppl_Dc_JsYqpu3Ozt6eY9akR1i9Xt9bZ4zgqFyDnNDVb9aDUP7vl-fY9rABZg0FZkULNO4SoymaTFXv_xaohk/s1600-h/3608025038_c172fd2025.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEh60lTGx0h9Ok9UqAJTgJY4LiwKrxoENg9ePFyk2qYaG87QsAsmmm-Ppl_Dc_JsYqpu3Ozt6eY9akR1i9Xt9bZ4zgqFyDnNDVb9aDUP7vl-fY9rABZg0FZkULNO4SoymaTFXv_xaohk/s400/3608025038_c172fd2025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345727787437649906" border="0" /></a>the dipsea trail was quite a workout for my glutes and quads, but with every step, i reminded myself that there was beer at the end. the german tourist club overlooks muir woods and is open to the public on weekend afternoons (for the most part). we were rewarded with amazing views (a camera phone doesn't do justice to the views so i didn't even try) and awesome german beer (is there any other kind? don't worry belgium, my beer heart lies with you as well). you can bring your own food, so we made ourselves some fresh kielbasa sandwiches with mustard and cheese.<br /><br />it was great to get in touch with my outdoorsy side again and hopefully i will be getting my fill of the wilderness in oregon.<br /><br />the following day was our 2nd indulgence but of a very different kind. jon and i treated ourselves to sunday brunch at the top of the mark restaurant in san francisco. it's standard fare for sunday brunch and maybe only slightly better quality than any other sunday brunch, but the views...360 degree view of san francisco on an actually sunny sunday morning! but wait, there's more, part of the all-you-can-eat brunch is a caviar station. so as you can see from the photo below, we topped our blinis with a heavy-handed serving of caviar! ah, life...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfRJpmp9t-bPnNHZQ-KT3965Xjdi5jKGl61xe47ActFSCgejqxB_579Bz8B7v-XHj_17fgb5JLsFCVcPzXgT4pQCWydPBpkiyVO5x3Cr5YRwMDIJvRh_XUixX2qbuLIl02t8PnUk51VM/s1600-h/3614394662_230c686c01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfRJpmp9t-bPnNHZQ-KT3965Xjdi5jKGl61xe47ActFSCgejqxB_579Bz8B7v-XHj_17fgb5JLsFCVcPzXgT4pQCWydPBpkiyVO5x3Cr5YRwMDIJvRh_XUixX2qbuLIl02t8PnUk51VM/s400/3614394662_230c686c01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345734806430245554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8TVpYel3NoekNB_saHeQeDFfPIF4reJF7AoqZBi0AVrkYNs5t2KG_fauXWA3-IUhGioRF1QbFqlQg_kYCDCc79W88wClnPPHmTB7vOiGQ6_8fGUIK2UpDwhdImh4_nQYiwOm8DkJiAI8/s1600-h/3607203081_199d87a896.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8TVpYel3NoekNB_saHeQeDFfPIF4reJF7AoqZBi0AVrkYNs5t2KG_fauXWA3-IUhGioRF1QbFqlQg_kYCDCc79W88wClnPPHmTB7vOiGQ6_8fGUIK2UpDwhdImh4_nQYiwOm8DkJiAI8/s400/3607203081_199d87a896.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345727782293560562" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-78153933258821367912009-06-04T15:06:00.001-07:002009-06-04T15:14:20.950-07:00no news is good news......it's funny. i didn't realize that it's been almost 6 months since i've put up a new post. funnier still is that the last post was titled "i heart portland" only because the decision has been officially made and i will be moving to portland in the middle of july! it's been great in california and at paul hobbs winery, but i've decided that i want to go back to the cellar so that's what i'm going to do at penner-ash winery this harvest. wish me luck and adios california!<br /><br />i don't even know if anybody is still reading this thing or checking in on this thing, but there will most likely be more posts once i'm in my new "hometown".<br /><br />please come back and join me on my new adventure in the rose city!<br /><br />(in case anyone was wondering, yes, i'm still with jon [gasp!] and he'll be joining me in portland in the fall as he starts chiropractic college)<br /><br />i'll just leave you with my delicious lobster from canada (eh) that was only $7.99/pound in a great chinese grocery store on clement street in san francisco...mmmm...fiesty lil' one...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQouA4LQwsmX-Ye5uBb1otE8RaCohc6MH1sLFI-6axm-M07QVmehmXM0IbAqUFSdMptIOetZC2tPFp-65SgEFX1n3a3nEm7Tw6SvAmi2WZOXuKks2gfzf2VCFZAA5WzGaeUCQVXE8EYlk/s1600-h/3596564688_2970900e54.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQouA4LQwsmX-Ye5uBb1otE8RaCohc6MH1sLFI-6axm-M07QVmehmXM0IbAqUFSdMptIOetZC2tPFp-65SgEFX1n3a3nEm7Tw6SvAmi2WZOXuKks2gfzf2VCFZAA5WzGaeUCQVXE8EYlk/s400/3596564688_2970900e54.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343598933715689410" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-24997540631040552842008-12-13T14:51:00.000-08:002008-12-13T15:06:06.385-08:00i heart portlandso i just got back from another trip to portland...4th one...in fact, it's the most visited city that i've never lived in, which is rare since i usually like going to see new places. granted, each time i go, it's for a different reason where i see different people and different places. this time around, i went with jon so he could take a look at wscc's campus. this visit was also more of a exploration of portland and (since i'm with jon) an eating marathon. i hadn't really trolled around the different portland neighborhoods yet, so it was interesting to see them all. my conclusion (besides the obvious fact that i heart portland and i'll be moving up here soon)...portland has some of the most creative and interesting cocktails in its bars/restaurants/lounges. the best was from the teardrop lounge where i had a cocktail called "the freedonia", which is made up of foie gras infused armagnac, costa rican coffee, some other liqueur that i can't remember, and pistachio gastrique. strange, but so smooth. of late, i've been getting back into cocktails and even starting to like gin...maybe this past harvest kind of put the kibosh on beer and wine for me temporarily.<br /><br />oh and did i mention the eating? we had a lot of good recommendations from a friend of jon's and we tried many of them and they were all quite tasty. our favorite restaurant was "pok pok", a thai restaurant, that we went to twice...couldn't get enough the first time around! you can see the bar in the background below...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCo-kDxrq-TWJY0OVwF-zJnyVtJTyDF1OsL5dImU8r7crDOxWqHSV0Qb1lfmD2X3OtHBCkUSLwODrWQ2rzGvPQJMNnrSKfo59q2JB4R1u34b56FzbuPa-EKRZFJf7vHFhXNfAhck1nh3c/s1600-h/jon+and+i+in+portland.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCo-kDxrq-TWJY0OVwF-zJnyVtJTyDF1OsL5dImU8r7crDOxWqHSV0Qb1lfmD2X3OtHBCkUSLwODrWQ2rzGvPQJMNnrSKfo59q2JB4R1u34b56FzbuPa-EKRZFJf7vHFhXNfAhck1nh3c/s400/jon+and+i+in+portland.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279411233693119746" border="0" /></a>i didn't take many photos...it was basically grey and cold in portland...but please enjoy the one below of mt. shasta. you can also see my rubber duck collection in the corner. tom stransky gave me the red one randomly one day and just the other day, someone left the white one on my car windshield in san francisco...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOp7BuMtDuI8p43z2w4KrM8lbbX3oR7ghdr3lsB9exBhykpoZz3N2fDs-vXdZGYA7UcmD2ofZLrWqqq3Jg5lFk21xdhHmKtez5YclIDwP6y50nAIBSwRv0sFbleljfhZzKeKx4zGaHYFg/s1600-h/mt+shasta1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOp7BuMtDuI8p43z2w4KrM8lbbX3oR7ghdr3lsB9exBhykpoZz3N2fDs-vXdZGYA7UcmD2ofZLrWqqq3Jg5lFk21xdhHmKtez5YclIDwP6y50nAIBSwRv0sFbleljfhZzKeKx4zGaHYFg/s400/mt+shasta1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279411252262891362" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-20395206956357974852008-12-04T13:13:00.000-08:002008-12-04T13:38:57.523-08:00gobble gobble gobblehappy turkey day...yeah, i know...it's december, but it's been incredibly busy at work and i'm just now getting around to posting a couple of photos from my thanksgiving. this year, i decided not to go home due to the expensive plane tickets and the possibility that i would have to work over the long weekend. instead, jon hosted a small gathering of friends and we cooked thanksgiving dinner. it was a great night where the drinking started in the afternoon and most everything went off without a hitch. i even rallied to go out to the elbo room for some dancing later that night.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8-YuB8_50IS68s0dRtIf0oWS7COT39__dkRipZ6i6Uazi-UuzOU72bSU590eRkf_NAprFdJv3mCyzHJwt_EEjJGGsSdUeObGJ7g8HJjxLZPhNrUuuR6TM2b4GKkWpqwQqE0SjF4qcMI/s1600-h/1127081117.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8-YuB8_50IS68s0dRtIf0oWS7COT39__dkRipZ6i6Uazi-UuzOU72bSU590eRkf_NAprFdJv3mCyzHJwt_EEjJGGsSdUeObGJ7g8HJjxLZPhNrUuuR6TM2b4GKkWpqwQqE0SjF4qcMI/s400/1127081117.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276046550927065842" border="0" /></a>paul hobbs winery provided me with a 17.6 lb willie's organic turkey...biggest thing i've ever tried to cook! but it was a beautiful turkey. we wrapped it in aluminum foil and baked it for about 4 hours (an hour or so too long since we were distracted by our oysters on the half shell and champagne) before removing the foil, basting with herb butter, and baking for another 30 minutes. i thought it was quite tasty, but jon thought it was a bit dry. well at least it looked delicious as you can kind of see below...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMx-e4padbncMY3_JnXWsOAKqhI8EAklml70jTLSP4RW6JJ1cuMWyyxmfr7V2Qw-_sWcfm7CnxzfT8sa0gc5F-Av8T_JhZFw4JEtonPkIEzCiNY-AftqALkPPUCIjcQuBB_o8LUA1Ir4/s1600-h/1127081707.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMx-e4padbncMY3_JnXWsOAKqhI8EAklml70jTLSP4RW6JJ1cuMWyyxmfr7V2Qw-_sWcfm7CnxzfT8sa0gc5F-Av8T_JhZFw4JEtonPkIEzCiNY-AftqALkPPUCIjcQuBB_o8LUA1Ir4/s400/1127081707.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276046556685969186" border="0" /></a>sadly the photo of our thanksgiving table as well as our guests didn't turn out quite light enough, but below is our side table with a view of the candy pumpkins and pumpkin pie. my 1st attempt at a pumpkin pie...i've never been a big fan because i always thought pumpkin pie was a little too heavy so i found a pumpkin-chiffon pie recipe where there was added honey and whipping cream...mmm...and i hadn't even added the honey-brandy whipping cream and candied pecans on top yet :) all in all, it was an awesome thanksgiving. i give thanks to my friends, family, jon, and the fact that we're going to have a democrat in office by next year...cheers to that!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uaQgsUPWR2Sokv8d9lZ5tYJPaF0eVbGWWf5OyfPOovSMSy8Nd8k54kw3ZcBM0i0qQhFmJFPEyUX5QnCVm8G0cf3i6CCtgEs6ZmyhBMwTbZ3voIGpEA1Ot5Jn87U8DwRQS1uJrM7O-BU/s1600-h/1127081708.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uaQgsUPWR2Sokv8d9lZ5tYJPaF0eVbGWWf5OyfPOovSMSy8Nd8k54kw3ZcBM0i0qQhFmJFPEyUX5QnCVm8G0cf3i6CCtgEs6ZmyhBMwTbZ3voIGpEA1Ot5Jn87U8DwRQS1uJrM7O-BU/s400/1127081708.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276046566316809730" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-50938100615685936212008-10-30T14:22:00.001-07:002008-10-30T14:30:03.982-07:00trick or treat!it's amazing...we received our last lot of grapes october 24th...chardonnay grapes, no less. there's still a lot of work to be done with the cabernets that are fermenting in tank. also, my work load in the lab is steadily increasing as i'm monitoring all the barrels with the 2008 pinots and chardonnays. but, this week will be my first week with 2 days off...in a row! i don't know what i'll do with myself. i do know that i'm starting to have the energy to call my friends again, many of whom i haven't talked to in ages.<br /><br />well, winter is definitely approaching...even in california. it's certainly darker in the morning when i leave for work and a bit colder. today we got our first autumn rain and it was a chill-to-your-bone kind. i look forward to sweater and hot chocolate weather though. and after these few years in california, i still miss the first snowfall.<br /><br />on that note, i leave you with the pumpkins that jon and i carved this week. it was great to be a kid again...hand inside the pumpkin tearing out pumpkin guts. and it was great to roast pumpkin seeds again...mmm...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEs9ZByNNrSOCJvYTf2IXAuDu2YEtNCggyE8xlC7V4jgCgzDbaxNw3G8K8f9b9JGWQ_AWGa8z0emnZ-QTc0pKhO7HzVybRhClTm9Cht8xYEjWmv8priZtgGAOaUqAw1CgOxZRQ7Wiety0/s1600-h/pumpkins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEs9ZByNNrSOCJvYTf2IXAuDu2YEtNCggyE8xlC7V4jgCgzDbaxNw3G8K8f9b9JGWQ_AWGa8z0emnZ-QTc0pKhO7HzVybRhClTm9Cht8xYEjWmv8priZtgGAOaUqAw1CgOxZRQ7Wiety0/s400/pumpkins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263060633618766322" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-50888792196444717512008-10-05T10:52:00.000-07:002008-10-05T11:15:12.247-07:00every day is a wednesday...teetering on the humpso i'm still in harvest. i have been since labor day. it's been an odd harvest. the heat at the beginning of september brought in our 1st wave of pinot and chardonnay. then it got colder. then it started warming up a bit more during the day, which led to the 2nd wave of pinot and chardonnay. then it threatened to rain, which brought in a bit more pinot, chardonnay, and our 1st cabernet. then it rained. so now we're in limbo...waiting for the grapes to dry a bit and regain equilibrium. then, i bet you, it's going to hit us like a ton of bricks.<br /><br />i love my job...i love my job...i love my job...<br /><br />well, at least that's what i say to myself every morning on my way to work. ah...i've lost track of what the actual day of the week it is. to me, every day feels like a wednesday. teetering on that hump day. unsure which way the see-saw will swing...back towards the beginning of the week or towards the end of the week where a faint light glows showing the way to the elusive "day off". although, to be honest, sometimes i'd rather not have a day off, then my body is constantly on adrenaline to keep going and going. when i come back from 1 day off, my body is just more tired than before. to fully recover, one needs 2 days off in a row. well, there's always december!<br /><br />at least, my life is not filled with ugliness as you can see by the photo of our estate vineyard at 7am a week or so ago before the rains came.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJEGSzWHz574W-hryjwdDDRufdgU6BUXYcLaqi2SE0asxJJonIwoWW8Cz7-I3AMCWizhCNbIYsL0Ktmn6KfnWHwdUzW2Zt_ZfODTdKw9l7KVxB0NieT6nOxgvLB5c50FHMZEX2RahN_Y/s1600-h/0925080703.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJEGSzWHz574W-hryjwdDDRufdgU6BUXYcLaqi2SE0asxJJonIwoWW8Cz7-I3AMCWizhCNbIYsL0Ktmn6KfnWHwdUzW2Zt_ZfODTdKw9l7KVxB0NieT6nOxgvLB5c50FHMZEX2RahN_Y/s400/0925080703.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253729616039835986" border="0" /></a>and on a different note. i've done a piss-poor job trying to grow my dahlias that i had high hopes for back in the summer. too much sun...not enough sun...too much water...not enough water (kind of like this harvest). so imagine my surprise when i noticed that one of the plants did try to produce a flower...albeit a quite "special" looking flower as you can see below. but a flower nonetheless! you can understand the degree of suprisedness (yes that's a word in my world) when you see what the rest of the plant looks like next to the flower. reminds me to be optimistic again...maybe america's economy won't completely crash...maybe voters this year will actually do the right thing...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFT6I2MB7uBkO_E_ibOlIKSHJGvsS7P_l6UB1YhQWmoFNGZABeX475Zm-HhKsr3u62AHniPLx0JlFaZoT2o7DGuRPYto8lPywAJ-WlSuNcdR9QjtYsmivNwia9BHAoNiCofQX8ggwdO6c/s1600-h/1004081824_0001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFT6I2MB7uBkO_E_ibOlIKSHJGvsS7P_l6UB1YhQWmoFNGZABeX475Zm-HhKsr3u62AHniPLx0JlFaZoT2o7DGuRPYto8lPywAJ-WlSuNcdR9QjtYsmivNwia9BHAoNiCofQX8ggwdO6c/s400/1004081824_0001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253729618402521746" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-87220043147244257582008-09-04T12:37:00.000-07:002008-09-04T12:39:40.431-07:00hurry up and wait...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq31PblYU66CqWQBVsplVkzkyIpnotEfHI6PVC0LnCn6VcgQQIY07DK0zBzfwsyz-P5VOjo9oyrcMWPM_k1Iqd16kohswoo96GwndLdrUZtt1_t8oZn2jjOErEzVKEyS7TTGxj9i9KGs/s1600-h/2008+1st+grapes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq31PblYU66CqWQBVsplVkzkyIpnotEfHI6PVC0LnCn6VcgQQIY07DK0zBzfwsyz-P5VOjo9oyrcMWPM_k1Iqd16kohswoo96GwndLdrUZtt1_t8oZn2jjOErEzVKEyS7TTGxj9i9KGs/s400/2008+1st+grapes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242252920027891266" border="0" /></a>all right, here's our Paul Hobbs Winery harvest team processing our very 1st grapes of the 2008 harvest...some delicious pinot noir from the Valdez vineyard...mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-28430066731825810772008-08-27T13:44:00.000-07:002008-08-27T13:56:10.076-07:00time to crush some fruit......it's crazy...it's the end of august, but it's still august and we received our first lot of chardonnay...albeit for a custom crush client, but still...it's pretty bleeping early! this means that the madness of harvest begins again. this year will be a strange harvest for me since this will be the first time that i WON'T be a harvest intern. i'll actually be in charge of a couple of harvest interns (or sample bitches as their nickname will most likely end up being :). it'll be intense and it'll be a test of my managerial skills, but it'll also be most interesting. i'll have to try to keep the blog updated on how everything goes.<br /><br />well, at least i got in one last weekend in san francisco with my newly minted boyfriend (yes, that's right...mj has finally snagged a man...poor sucker...hahah) before he won't be able to see me for days on end. it was an interesting weekend as well since we went to the friday outside lands concert in golden gate park. that was madness on a poorly organized level. there were way too many people and the artist line-ups were way too close together. i only got to see half of the black keys (while eschewing beck since i assumed, and correctly, that there would be way too many people trying to see beck) before i felt that i had to make my way over to the main stage for radiohead. i didn't even get that close to the stage (as you can see from the blurry photo below). it was good to hear them play their new stuff, but i will always hold dear to my heart the concert i saw on their ok computer tour at the rosemount theatre in chicago...center section, third row...it was most amazing...almost a life-altering experience. well their light show has matured with the new technology, but they are still one of the greatest bands ever. we left halfway thru their encore because we were afraid of the onslaught of drunkards trying to get out. it was a correct decision since i heard a riot almost broke out in the tunnel that leads to one of the exits. luckily, a friend has an apartment on geary street so we got to drink beers while watching the poor souls waiting forever for a jam-packed public bus. ah, that is the way to do it...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrKCw_7foP4PTOdn9oRq-mrRyVjCUbTqqc7KGshusEYHY2toqp1zOFlmoZbLVDMAANbJh_TMSJjofhyAy5GTtjuLuy10btaYItXBA99e0xk4lBNFf17WndWV1vGR_P2RSWXOO94kJjn0/s1600-h/DSC09332.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrKCw_7foP4PTOdn9oRq-mrRyVjCUbTqqc7KGshusEYHY2toqp1zOFlmoZbLVDMAANbJh_TMSJjofhyAy5GTtjuLuy10btaYItXBA99e0xk4lBNFf17WndWV1vGR_P2RSWXOO94kJjn0/s400/DSC09332.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239301441184913778" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-17481517260125084562008-07-29T11:12:00.000-07:002008-07-31T10:30:29.567-07:00pinot mania @ ipncwell, i'm fresh from a road trip that i took with my roommate katy (of flowers winery) and my good friend rebecca (of schramsberg winery) who was interning at domaine meo camuzet in 2005 while i was at maison champy in burgundy...yes that's right...a trio of enologists! we drove up to mcminnville (oregon) in the willamette valley (about an hour drive from portland) for the international pinot noir celebration. we three are quite the pinotphiles, so it was high time that we did some serious tasting of oregon pinots (as well as the californian, burgundian, and kiwi wineries that were also pouring). we were highly impressed with penner-ash winery and a few others. there is some great potential for pinots there. the quality is defintely there in the grapes. the winemaking could be tweaked. in the end, this trip pretty much confirmed my desire to move to and (hopefully) settle in portland. i miss city living (so not the case in petaluma) and i miss new england. the willamette valley and portland hold the keys to resolving this! i can live in a city and just drive 45 minutes to an hour into wine country, ski country, and ocean beach country. and i can be among the evergreen forests that remind me of home.<br /><br />i also ran into dimitri bazas, the winemaker at maison champy, my old boss, and now a good friend. his palette is unbelievably amazing. the wine literally speaks to him, so it was very interesting to taste with him and refine my palette as well. who knows, dimitri and this trio of enologists may be doing some interesting things in the future...les anges...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ifk40U958NLtu6ROH_JA8Ix1gnSduTxlMG6PqRjKUhqO1aOU8RGI5-0VeoEmGisLk_8EkT_ZI0GPEK5ptK4qWqlTWiW1L5UMvmMPp6MHKkdw11yVlmDendtcknqHDwEZryWYvtuUz1Q/s1600-h/dimitri+et+moi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ifk40U958NLtu6ROH_JA8Ix1gnSduTxlMG6PqRjKUhqO1aOU8RGI5-0VeoEmGisLk_8EkT_ZI0GPEK5ptK4qWqlTWiW1L5UMvmMPp6MHKkdw11yVlmDendtcknqHDwEZryWYvtuUz1Q/s400/dimitri+et+moi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228601488010502162" border="0" /></a>dimitri and i before we dug into our delicious fried chicken...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitu1GEmb8NlLlGpYf_7UUib3KJwvZTkBbB4kHE8jJLmJO2OLE308UnCHyt12iiEyX4IKJLvEAa3p84BAF4pUrBcMpev4MjOoDcIcyAO-_n6P-NAp6yVrQSjV-mRbDDGCju_6rxGh3RsmU/s1600-h/becky+the+explorer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitu1GEmb8NlLlGpYf_7UUib3KJwvZTkBbB4kHE8jJLmJO2OLE308UnCHyt12iiEyX4IKJLvEAa3p84BAF4pUrBcMpev4MjOoDcIcyAO-_n6P-NAp6yVrQSjV-mRbDDGCju_6rxGh3RsmU/s400/becky+the+explorer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228601487361063714" border="0" /></a>becky searching the horizon at penner-ash winery...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_peirfrHWA3PRU7WixEldZoX1gUplGkXAWxVBmi74tREt31kt8C6yCoBv2P96ZhHQlQicFyteqe2odzMOKwZdNoBvx7NW0YVDEIad1KomxDANPC5XwBj-JJNIukuOySkjt2cywzxdPM/s1600-h/super+katy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_peirfrHWA3PRU7WixEldZoX1gUplGkXAWxVBmi74tREt31kt8C6yCoBv2P96ZhHQlQicFyteqe2odzMOKwZdNoBvx7NW0YVDEIad1KomxDANPC5XwBj-JJNIukuOySkjt2cywzxdPM/s400/super+katy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228601492081947154" border="0" /></a>super katy at archery summit winery...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuYX201LjMFZfM3JIvYE-sn_BH-jZaETalQ7YwF-vjM_IwQfUJWY9SkIn4PwatvtCBrWunJ0oEZPv90u7m1rW55TG3x5qoBorG3mPMhh31O81SVivHYs9DdRcR394L8yZPfeQ5xjeFcI/s1600-h/archery+summit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuYX201LjMFZfM3JIvYE-sn_BH-jZaETalQ7YwF-vjM_IwQfUJWY9SkIn4PwatvtCBrWunJ0oEZPv90u7m1rW55TG3x5qoBorG3mPMhh31O81SVivHYs9DdRcR394L8yZPfeQ5xjeFcI/s400/archery+summit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228601492602550226" border="0" /></a><br />view of the estate vineyard at archery summit...<br /><br />p.s. these photos were all taken with my new favorite thing...my new cellphone, the lg dare, or verizon's answer to the iphone...mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-72332871696362202292008-06-29T11:20:00.000-07:002008-06-29T13:12:19.852-07:00hallelujah! the sun rises again...it's been awhile i know and i'm sure most of you have lost interest, but things have been pretty much business as usual in petaluma/sonoma county with nothing very exciting to report let alone take photos of.<br /><br />there has been one thing of note that has been going on in northern california...wildfires. i didn't get any photos of how hazy it was and there's no way to instill the smell of bbq that permeated the sonoma county air for a week, but it has been wicked hazy/smokey out here since last weekend. the sunrises and sunsets have been weirdly amazing and it's been ridiculously cooler than usual because the sun couldn't infiltrate all that smoke. from my office window, you can usually see the napa mountains and mt. st. helena, but you couldn't even see 100 yards away into the next vineyard. petaluma has been far from danger, though, so i'm quite lucky. <br /><br />and happily, today, i looked outside and i could see the sky...mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-7370404583467436742008-04-27T16:05:00.000-07:002008-04-27T16:36:48.051-07:00budbreakspring is here, which most of you know, but i've been a little slow in updating my blog. however, with spring, comes budbreak and the rebirth of our vines. it's very exciting to see the vineyard come alive again, especially since i pruned some so it's good to see that i didn't kill any vines ;).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn1InxAkqdSi6Mcj4WgqeqOEW0NDwjry5Qwe4cFiSkvKB1I2m9WO_g4jYb3_6WWsGUZOSGT3OrKrTNRoa9Y2WwGJ0Sv1fcyOEkdHsVjyzhtGS9RT1hJpWgnJzen2Lc1UOjyK9JRck4_U/s1600-h/bud+1a.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn1InxAkqdSi6Mcj4WgqeqOEW0NDwjry5Qwe4cFiSkvKB1I2m9WO_g4jYb3_6WWsGUZOSGT3OrKrTNRoa9Y2WwGJ0Sv1fcyOEkdHsVjyzhtGS9RT1hJpWgnJzen2Lc1UOjyK9JRck4_U/s400/bud+1a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194070145918951538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja13LQJ7MFfH8OyMDyFUcI0FTlnh2PhNYJ7stTPs2ET-rCGfIe5YxfJWpl9nrLCNOGFU0Vq68gwJNBZguJEpPMrvNazd4FEmw6w-mDFomtqhgnaX5GRUsRVZzA-D8dXSczKMhaguPqAQA/s1600-h/bud+3b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja13LQJ7MFfH8OyMDyFUcI0FTlnh2PhNYJ7stTPs2ET-rCGfIe5YxfJWpl9nrLCNOGFU0Vq68gwJNBZguJEpPMrvNazd4FEmw6w-mDFomtqhgnaX5GRUsRVZzA-D8dXSczKMhaguPqAQA/s400/bud+3b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194070154508886146" border="0" /></a>it's also been exciting because our new winery for the 2nd label is almost finished being built. i went over last week to help guide kieran move tanks with the forklift. i also witnessed how they actually lift these giant tanks up...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzt7ilJzx9cMShDmLMa5_I9fatyiFmtR__48nqMNqKvH9J-zFk6tHY_kyt4-wCaM_X2y8Z8Mu8me7K9JPlf4mDs-cE-2LpY8hth-zKW6AbtxfRaqw64YRchB37saqivr9jh8BBU2MUToI/s1600-h/DSC09205.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzt7ilJzx9cMShDmLMa5_I9fatyiFmtR__48nqMNqKvH9J-zFk6tHY_kyt4-wCaM_X2y8Z8Mu8me7K9JPlf4mDs-cE-2LpY8hth-zKW6AbtxfRaqw64YRchB37saqivr9jh8BBU2MUToI/s400/DSC09205.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194070167393788066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKq5GEstCMiiYRiItyKyWqH29HzREZIfF1b8tb4s0i5Lt4BW4QwX16fsN2cc7JB1qfgrdTlakaDphrOR9vVCNouAaVydJ-WGQjq9EfQ8P5n_iUtTC53CaFWdKVrodfUktlTs4y5ZhSV0/s1600-h/DSC09207.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKq5GEstCMiiYRiItyKyWqH29HzREZIfF1b8tb4s0i5Lt4BW4QwX16fsN2cc7JB1qfgrdTlakaDphrOR9vVCNouAaVydJ-WGQjq9EfQ8P5n_iUtTC53CaFWdKVrodfUktlTs4y5ZhSV0/s400/DSC09207.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194070171688755378" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85np8GNYQPx1vJU3O6oDXg4HaevgLYxdjsLA5EnR5ges0Hjt1A0uN0acdr0udFhyphenhyphenqluyIBxxWe2jA5vWPHRiPz2zK3f0uS7uGwcPZt_sD6X462lumMmBVrar2pLQ0_Qute_RTSSvbp5k/s1600-h/DSC09216.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85np8GNYQPx1vJU3O6oDXg4HaevgLYxdjsLA5EnR5ges0Hjt1A0uN0acdr0udFhyphenhyphenqluyIBxxWe2jA5vWPHRiPz2zK3f0uS7uGwcPZt_sD6X462lumMmBVrar2pLQ0_Qute_RTSSvbp5k/s400/DSC09216.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194071357099729090" border="0" /></a>i also took in a a's vs. twins game because it was a special $2 ticket/$1 hot dog night. it's nice to see that even at the colliseum, you can still find yankees haters in the girls restroom. it was a great game made even greater 'cause i got to spend it with my roommate katy and my best friend katie!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkdtmesLk2MfuMvvuGtBQMac58etnNgudNgy1SUqkPWW8CCFY30DrCsd_6mDWWcIok_cyzUW91kL9weZkLorlSEJv8utOMrukEDsDw-pvND-ETGnO8YIgLhZoqCnCtXvvgUW02QONn78/s1600-h/DSC09194.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkdtmesLk2MfuMvvuGtBQMac58etnNgudNgy1SUqkPWW8CCFY30DrCsd_6mDWWcIok_cyzUW91kL9weZkLorlSEJv8utOMrukEDsDw-pvND-ETGnO8YIgLhZoqCnCtXvvgUW02QONn78/s400/DSC09194.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194070163098820754" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-32616372565548346552008-03-14T14:01:00.000-07:002008-03-14T14:15:45.608-07:00wait a second...<span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >...i'm not in my 20's anymore?!? alack and alas, as most of you know, i turned 30 last week. it seriously just crept up on me. and you all know that i still act like i'm 25!<br /><br />well, i decided to attempt to embrace it by having a party in san francisco at the wine bar, </span><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: arial;font-family:";font-size:100%;" >amélie</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" > (props to amelie for putting up with our party). i wished more of you could have been there, but i do realize that not all of you, unfortunately, live near the bay area. but there were still enough people (some of whom i haven't seen in awhile...that's you, former uc-davis labmates!) to make it a fun time. jenn even snuck away from the hospital and flew up from san diego! a lot of wine was drunk , but not enough dancing occurred...well the venue wasn't really appropriate for dancing and we stayed too late to try to find a nightclub before they closed. i would highly recommend </span><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: arial;font-family:";font-size:100%;" >amélie to anyone looking for hip wine bar to hang out in san francisco. i won't regale you with the photos dannie took of me trying to be a model (including the one that is my new facebook profile pic), but please enjoy the group shot of some of us below ...</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EYbYWRgqsIPNvJvvcvSiiCiOM39YjR9xOv_DEIW0T6A8layfOkuqwnENnbkEaGmCBQw4aYwotNAPfFj3Coc9wpCZU6uCJ2kyPVp0qu1WqB8oZwaIs8c1DV9m4NrA1zh5sW1NBKfJzNs/s1600-h/amelie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EYbYWRgqsIPNvJvvcvSiiCiOM39YjR9xOv_DEIW0T6A8layfOkuqwnENnbkEaGmCBQw4aYwotNAPfFj3Coc9wpCZU6uCJ2kyPVp0qu1WqB8oZwaIs8c1DV9m4NrA1zh5sW1NBKfJzNs/s400/amelie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177705867615312498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">i have to thank dannie and jenn for being the photographers of the night. the photos seen here were taken by dannie, so i have to include her artistic photo from our hotel room below...</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LTgSKNud8BuqV0LjlU2CkxcvsYeR4k_d30dPdBfKJx8BALiD9eZh94v04fS502PXpCnoVHrS9rmKxfp0TosukczPFO4ucZvqID_dFkyXJdGpJJoOuDw-BEhzusobq6dJiK2YFvxBOHs/s1600-h/bay+bridge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LTgSKNud8BuqV0LjlU2CkxcvsYeR4k_d30dPdBfKJx8BALiD9eZh94v04fS502PXpCnoVHrS9rmKxfp0TosukczPFO4ucZvqID_dFkyXJdGpJJoOuDw-BEhzusobq6dJiK2YFvxBOHs/s400/bay+bridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177705871910279810" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-86828017861088640832008-02-29T14:01:00.000-08:002008-02-29T14:37:03.190-08:009th Sonoma County Pruning Championship<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRiuBdoh69WPrk1V-i2LL0MPuSxUIJOHek9tCxbL3wdFZLc6fjSkyd57v21eQtbvMx0f9t7GfvSGTo242KUiXuVkvSbobu9twVQcZv3fNt9UHHL-1WU7ht8h1KVXuCfkHk_xZqHdi4mA/s1600-h/IMG_1706.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRiuBdoh69WPrk1V-i2LL0MPuSxUIJOHek9tCxbL3wdFZLc6fjSkyd57v21eQtbvMx0f9t7GfvSGTo242KUiXuVkvSbobu9twVQcZv3fNt9UHHL-1WU7ht8h1KVXuCfkHk_xZqHdi4mA/s400/IMG_1706.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172534735715012034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJXfn1QjdC94CUsn6xGFu6MFXymsToZhpljGzVDNol2irn2GO5EpXWdvF1LO9nEWoMbgNy6N8EGvNOj2YFyH_DauaHH4HjdGCHQ6CnatM5uCdXQUrZAkWl5Rfsy9pAtqHVfWNkhqSUoA/s1600-h/IMG_1729.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJXfn1QjdC94CUsn6xGFu6MFXymsToZhpljGzVDNol2irn2GO5EpXWdvF1LO9nEWoMbgNy6N8EGvNOj2YFyH_DauaHH4HjdGCHQ6CnatM5uCdXQUrZAkWl5Rfsy9pAtqHVfWNkhqSUoA/s400/IMG_1729.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172534748599913938" border="0" /></a>i<span style="font-size:100%;">t's leap day, so as a salaried worker who is not getting an extra 8 hours of pay, let's take a field trip to the sonoma county pruning championship! the main draw is the individual race where you're judged on speed and ability/finesse. however, there's also a "celebrity" contest with winemaker/vineyard manager teams representing some of the AVAs in sonoma county. our intrepid winemaker/vineyard manager team of megan and scott (in the photo below) were entered in to help russian river valley win it all in the relay pruning race. unfortunately, it was not meant to be...damn you, alexander valley! however, we did get some great action shots and one of the sweeping vista with the ritchie vineyard.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQSz-sTdA3i_3Jbswt7CdZCUnub0Bb_b1ZoErCkyYsGLJ6ZYlGmPfh1arSkFgROS_1Oxiov7d61TZNVuzqtDc0svbmUr6_iDRxcDW9EHx-bhjBtAXaj83CUJGMDifZTqjlRkAq328sv8/s1600-h/IMG_1723.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQSz-sTdA3i_3Jbswt7CdZCUnub0Bb_b1ZoErCkyYsGLJ6ZYlGmPfh1arSkFgROS_1Oxiov7d61TZNVuzqtDc0svbmUr6_iDRxcDW9EHx-bhjBtAXaj83CUJGMDifZTqjlRkAq328sv8/s400/IMG_1723.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172527576004529346" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQTVSPOcHmNhhr08PDzlzAjhFJ3hfvavAwExcN51ZU13U_OdiB3L5bQw4CP5bGUXPI8qD-_QnSQ6Bqs5ZAoFJLJfJRQF7csAlw9V29rJyu82vUErVR5XT4juZ2V_iUHeq4A78ufkSkCY/s1600-h/IMG_1742.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQTVSPOcHmNhhr08PDzlzAjhFJ3hfvavAwExcN51ZU13U_OdiB3L5bQw4CP5bGUXPI8qD-_QnSQ6Bqs5ZAoFJLJfJRQF7csAlw9V29rJyu82vUErVR5XT4juZ2V_iUHeq4A78ufkSkCY/s400/IMG_1742.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172527601774333154" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-4913673612907500592008-02-18T11:00:00.000-08:002008-02-18T11:39:14.720-08:00planting walnut trees in mantecathis past president's day weekend, i ventured down to manteca to visit katy's (new roommate and past fellow craggy ranger) family and repay the favor of helping us move into our new apartment. what better way to celebrate our founding fathers' birthday by planting walnut trees (sorry, we didn't get to the lone cherry tree that was to be planted)!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVOsgtmsQ7AG0IpkyV1Nht5j2TYEDh7ZhuhYOD0nO_cOT403GhN7I6HZDtNrLNtNAeYJRJc08pcO6TpDcH92ip_m1nXciOiwn_FjdjuANe6y03wUow_n-LhK5R4qDdJB1Vy7dr-1XrPw/s1600-h/DSC09093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVOsgtmsQ7AG0IpkyV1Nht5j2TYEDh7ZhuhYOD0nO_cOT403GhN7I6HZDtNrLNtNAeYJRJc08pcO6TpDcH92ip_m1nXciOiwn_FjdjuANe6y03wUow_n-LhK5R4qDdJB1Vy7dr-1XrPw/s400/DSC09093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168400793820393010" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzoMhdbNEu2BkUqbC7fSb7ZwZktdX1XZsqJoF-6OxWTmZ3roaaKBA0hBFzfvWY21dSzjlj5xwZwZe2K6Q-HGPYOiprrVdqPr1mHqrkCDN73qgJPiEA5Qpgnl_68oOGHpnwqV5MSx7VhA/s1600-h/DSC09108.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzoMhdbNEu2BkUqbC7fSb7ZwZktdX1XZsqJoF-6OxWTmZ3roaaKBA0hBFzfvWY21dSzjlj5xwZwZe2K6Q-HGPYOiprrVdqPr1mHqrkCDN73qgJPiEA5Qpgnl_68oOGHpnwqV5MSx7VhA/s400/DSC09108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168402528987180658" border="0" /></a>the 1st step is to line up the trees so that every row is as straight as possible to make mowing and other upkeep easier as well as for general aesthetics. to do that, i had to stand with a pole marking where i thought was the appropriate spot, while katy drove the john deere gator around and gave me alignment directions.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSXZWv78A_OCBc6LcYHjnh_aToBfbGAO7uTjyKCynk6CNlNZxlIwYD7yXO6C9CZvfx2uGUPf8Wy3vbRRWq3S8QDKzMrC1tQSNLZvw83Ao9Wj-EfvMC5zQVA5mCTpBVMnfDxviiST08CY/s1600-h/DSC09095.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSXZWv78A_OCBc6LcYHjnh_aToBfbGAO7uTjyKCynk6CNlNZxlIwYD7yXO6C9CZvfx2uGUPf8Wy3vbRRWq3S8QDKzMrC1tQSNLZvw83Ao9Wj-EfvMC5zQVA5mCTpBVMnfDxviiST08CY/s400/DSC09095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168400802410327618" border="0" /></a>once that is done, then katy's dad drills a hole with a bobcat and we get to the planting. a few scoops of black dirt, make sure the roots are layed out properly, a few shovelfuls of dirt, a few steps to get out the air bubbles, a few more scoops of black dirt on top of magic tea bags, and we're done! pretty easy, but wait, there's 64 more trees to go. luckily, along with this hard work, i was treated to some of the best meals, including true bacon, slow-roasted pork butt burritos, and grilled tri-tip.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNyJ8ydUjiaKnkvyWNhJSXi7X15HwB2lTP-MyRbQVTxt4CzV6fde-DgfaY5CztP-9GJuP-XvfNRHbYSUq3htsq6KODfDp9aMOVavrZFM7xLngIx3duTuZ3O_vPEgOypvrC7HGZdV6Qjg/s1600-h/DSC09104.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNyJ8ydUjiaKnkvyWNhJSXi7X15HwB2lTP-MyRbQVTxt4CzV6fde-DgfaY5CztP-9GJuP-XvfNRHbYSUq3htsq6KODfDp9aMOVavrZFM7xLngIx3duTuZ3O_vPEgOypvrC7HGZdV6Qjg/s400/DSC09104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168400811000262226" border="0" /></a>katy's family also has many springer spaniels, one of whom just had puppies. i quickly found my favorite. you can see "winky" in the top left corner with the one eye that is covered half in white fur and half in brown fur. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclKB0yyTzWAtncOONkXhabQB54dfFXikcaMyNVOmhq6DbX8QJ-29v2rpCbfsoByteBcpi29k-ys3_X1K8OqzICA9LL-raGEMRUmp1Rp_2CI6BGuGqTD5cyIASbzNUBwhQf-f0RT0Sve0/s1600-h/DSC09097.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclKB0yyTzWAtncOONkXhabQB54dfFXikcaMyNVOmhq6DbX8QJ-29v2rpCbfsoByteBcpi29k-ys3_X1K8OqzICA9LL-raGEMRUmp1Rp_2CI6BGuGqTD5cyIASbzNUBwhQf-f0RT0Sve0/s400/DSC09097.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168402576231820930" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-35891481820650888802008-02-03T21:43:00.000-08:002008-02-03T21:50:05.276-08:00WTF!?!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMVN4ssQHhexCTSQrpwKYwnHIR6Uw4-Nc7Bc7DcHpP_54DRajt2YjtDEVgXGvr4Yc5rM-LhrcqZFF2vEyc7jfJEYF-tqqxoYWU-gmIhivvSQT8mYHlbWEhCQa00J-EHJtaaE62BhMhag/s1600-h/DSC09049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMVN4ssQHhexCTSQrpwKYwnHIR6Uw4-Nc7Bc7DcHpP_54DRajt2YjtDEVgXGvr4Yc5rM-LhrcqZFF2vEyc7jfJEYF-tqqxoYWU-gmIhivvSQT8mYHlbWEhCQa00J-EHJtaaE62BhMhag/s400/DSC09049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162997948649693986" border="0" /></a>that's all that this squirrel has to say about this sunday...mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-55407056145135416772008-02-02T23:38:00.000-08:002008-02-02T23:53:00.330-08:00the hobo lifewell, it's the new year and i've been living the hobo life. since returning from oregon, i've been staying with danielle colombo (my long lost sister some would say) in santa clara and commuting to sonoma valley for interviews. i'm proud to say that i have been hired on as an enologist at Paul Hobbs Winery...my first "real" job in the wine industry! it's a fabulous winery in the sonoma valley making some awesome wine. i will soon move into a new apartment in Petaluma with my friend katy that i met in new zealand. don't worry, i'll be e-mailing out my new address. and for those of you close enough, there will be a small party to christen the new apartment. ah, parting with the hobo life will be sad...<br /><br />i did start my new job without having moved in yet, so i had a pleasant commute from the sonoma coast for a few days...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVf-8HxRdb4ATcgXYwKmP_0sPtqrL-DxbnLjCkesDsQemQN5kvX0qotcrnfUcOQN-MAnSKnYRzoCrpnYPMfwY9f1hBjcUbnoecCGgVVbEec8g7syw4sM2nPRnLQeAuoeKi_m9ygQnwly0/s1600-h/DSC09033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVf-8HxRdb4ATcgXYwKmP_0sPtqrL-DxbnLjCkesDsQemQN5kvX0qotcrnfUcOQN-MAnSKnYRzoCrpnYPMfwY9f1hBjcUbnoecCGgVVbEec8g7syw4sM2nPRnLQeAuoeKi_m9ygQnwly0/s400/DSC09033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162656137972409058" border="0" /></a>...followed by a few days commuting from marin county. and next week, i'll be commuting from napa valley! everybody's been real friendly and i believe i'm adjusting quite well to the new workplace and having to work again. it has been hard to get used to waking up at 5am again. the winery is small enough that i still get to do the occasional cellarwork, which i still quite enjoy. and the view from my lab (that's right folks...especially those of you from my bbri days...i'm back in a lab) is quite pretty.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-m5QAepFEQbg3QJ4RE9n3ZiTeAODH9cVZ9gY-bkUAHMJ_EsgP03vVzatuJEQwrBBFU_n-l3fO0PiHyA5OPBJ40rxycA1THPWy35TvdwBvyehULXqOwknqdGFajNjt_NCjrmRbGhHT-M/s1600-h/DSC09036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-m5QAepFEQbg3QJ4RE9n3ZiTeAODH9cVZ9gY-bkUAHMJ_EsgP03vVzatuJEQwrBBFU_n-l3fO0PiHyA5OPBJ40rxycA1THPWy35TvdwBvyehULXqOwknqdGFajNjt_NCjrmRbGhHT-M/s400/DSC09036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162656150857310962" border="0" /></a>(got to love the bubbling cash still)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiev2QNgx9wDKY7drDDfrs_Djxcml_O5xO5qtIhSE2J0DUUTACQEGoTvowU7W_8UXIbYCsSK3WXC-nugAWWVXkeFxGZM6RZLUk27bp_AsOQzP2Pv-lH9TOSj3aR1aic6k5rjUshDDR0vpE/s1600-h/DSC09038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiev2QNgx9wDKY7drDDfrs_Djxcml_O5xO5qtIhSE2J0DUUTACQEGoTvowU7W_8UXIbYCsSK3WXC-nugAWWVXkeFxGZM6RZLUk27bp_AsOQzP2Pv-lH9TOSj3aR1aic6k5rjUshDDR0vpE/s400/DSC09038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162656159447245570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2lMyXwv5eySPLUBFzQOyjGQJTopJ6Qh6l5N7Ny7x74rH5BOmSAZ0pi0bJaTMdJchEp_wFOr_ZTEo8MH_VlIvbBOLAsfCJCwj9dgFRjD3ZZA1p2okb1A4zJbzTOff0wwVUZhXZs0cmbU/s1600-h/DSC09042.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2lMyXwv5eySPLUBFzQOyjGQJTopJ6Qh6l5N7Ny7x74rH5BOmSAZ0pi0bJaTMdJchEp_wFOr_ZTEo8MH_VlIvbBOLAsfCJCwj9dgFRjD3ZZA1p2okb1A4zJbzTOff0wwVUZhXZs0cmbU/s400/DSC09042.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162656163742212882" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-78010293716853375632008-01-08T18:16:00.000-08:002008-01-08T22:57:23.861-08:00city of rosesnew year and new blog entry...<br /><br />...well, i decided to take the opportunity to check out my potential future in oregon and to visit wynne's home turf. i was lucky to make it up before some huge storm seemed to overtake the pacific northwest and northern california. i was even luckier to manage to get up to mt. hood on one of the very rare sunny days in order to get on a snowboard for the first time in two years. i happily picked it up right quick and with no broken bones by the end of the day. (the photo below is courtesy of pdxguide.com because i didn't bring my camera with me for fear of breaking some part of my body by falling on it).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5BHajGHztXEsDDoumJrKLbLBRWA45WK5cqT7ZrKxXyoC3siOv8_wuoFWEFwY-IBZYDpoMPPO3vl1eMye_ahU3-YZSjM7glH3bGQqBZe45FFs1f0llpJwCsSr4g7YcZNGYFFGKabsIas/s1600-h/skihood.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5BHajGHztXEsDDoumJrKLbLBRWA45WK5cqT7ZrKxXyoC3siOv8_wuoFWEFwY-IBZYDpoMPPO3vl1eMye_ahU3-YZSjM7glH3bGQqBZe45FFs1f0llpJwCsSr4g7YcZNGYFFGKabsIas/s400/skihood.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153361598007126594" border="0" /></a>and so, in conclusion, i LOVE portland and the northern willamette valley! a bit of new england and a bit of california. i must find a way to move up here in the very near future. i think i'll be able to handle the rainy winters in exchange for no sales tax and roses year-round. (the 1st photo is of domaine serene while the 2nd is of domaine drouhin's vines)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNDFNrFhz3-DnZgIZeCMd8hlu2sp8y8UWwH_udojUBJ98BhcVSe_fVdx8C4FZQUwgXrUMJl2wZox9Bkqk4FEFuhhb9HzwZHhdIi1o-uoTvMeJtLF6s1NIi29cGqv4BVrbCR2QrxMp3yE/s1600-h/domaine+serene.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNDFNrFhz3-DnZgIZeCMd8hlu2sp8y8UWwH_udojUBJ98BhcVSe_fVdx8C4FZQUwgXrUMJl2wZox9Bkqk4FEFuhhb9HzwZHhdIi1o-uoTvMeJtLF6s1NIi29cGqv4BVrbCR2QrxMp3yE/s400/domaine+serene.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153361602302093906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelsqaPyZP5-rOxpvRoaO5-3MOOKTkErykWwEGyPY15aPhexHLnCmnuCSUb8bMGiHy-1XNCBM7RzZN_TYk40Ke-WfCcglsEnWwgddVSs_UYLVZ-KQ80hutw-BOIwxemkZ9hq1cBh1-wbc/s1600-h/domaine+drouhin1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelsqaPyZP5-rOxpvRoaO5-3MOOKTkErykWwEGyPY15aPhexHLnCmnuCSUb8bMGiHy-1XNCBM7RzZN_TYk40Ke-WfCcglsEnWwgddVSs_UYLVZ-KQ80hutw-BOIwxemkZ9hq1cBh1-wbc/s400/domaine+drouhin1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153361610892028514" border="0" /></a>another reason for loving oregon is what i've finally realized about california drivers. i would like to call it the Mysterious california Highway Incident Phenomenon or McHIP. now this syndrome may seem more evident to me, a non-Californian (some would say MASShole) driver. i know i have encountered this elsewhere, but just seems more predominant here in the golden state. before i continue, i must apologize to the california drivers that don't fall under the McHIP syndrome. there's usually 3 basic incidents that make up McHIP...<br /><br />1. the inexplicable traffic slowdown or complete halt for 10 to 3 hours. by the time, traffic begins to move again, there's no evidence at all for what actually caused this !@$#& stoppage.<br />2. as you cruise down the highway, you see a bend up the way. all of a sudden, everyone starts braking. it's as if they see the bend and begin to freak out that maybe the world ends on the other side of the bend. you would think that this can't be everybody's absolute first time on this part of the highway. california short term memory...it's the same way with the re-appearance ofbad fashion trends.<br />3. finally, the most maddening, you get some jerk on your tail while you're already going 80-85mph. so you move to the right, let the jerk pass, then resume your position on the left-most lane. then, without warning, the jerk slows down to 60mph. then they get all pissy when you start riding their tail. you'd think that if these drivers would get all distracted that they would use cruise control so they could at least maintain their speed while they drink their coffee, apply their make-up, do the crossword puzzle, and make business deals on the phone.<br /><br />well, i'll get off my traffic soapbox now. until next time, please enjoy napa vines and mustard plants!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9J0MAHONvBHv5xlV0ZfaP8-sAqGP7ASNJLENe5MeeZqXzdV6RY3N3uNQzuomJ5hUokMOB90gnCFmAJHPzQo_2VODwpBeq8JY5SYKh6lObmfPjJepKq5SxYfo7xcBbJKqlowHltg24SU/s1600-h/DSC08974.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9J0MAHONvBHv5xlV0ZfaP8-sAqGP7ASNJLENe5MeeZqXzdV6RY3N3uNQzuomJ5hUokMOB90gnCFmAJHPzQo_2VODwpBeq8JY5SYKh6lObmfPjJepKq5SxYfo7xcBbJKqlowHltg24SU/s320/DSC08974.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153358243637668338" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3gnmA6D7Xkm5B_zCB_qzk2VhssIccIvIRtEmuo22vf02vdtpkI-pyS1N-Oc2NNjA-GJaPQQagzS321E7BGycP2PtV1WUTQlf9Vb6ydrfuV1xeelcUcGp17My2PXXdBpo2KNAciMF0uw/s1600-h/DSC08982.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3gnmA6D7Xkm5B_zCB_qzk2VhssIccIvIRtEmuo22vf02vdtpkI-pyS1N-Oc2NNjA-GJaPQQagzS321E7BGycP2PtV1WUTQlf9Vb6ydrfuV1xeelcUcGp17My2PXXdBpo2KNAciMF0uw/s320/DSC08982.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153302426242689458" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-73392727441055617582007-12-02T14:39:00.000-08:002007-12-02T16:18:30.835-08:00Krispé et moi en Bourgogneafter 1 and 1/2 harvests in napa, i jetted off to france for a 2-week vacation and to meet up with danielle in paris and kirsty in burgundy. unfortunately, i landed smack in the middle of the metro/train strike which forced me to take a 90 euro, 3-hour cab ride into paris. by the time i got on the train set for nuits-st. george a few days later, i had absolutely had it with paris...all the traffic, the saga of finding cabs, the almost 7-hour train ride from normandy back to paris (which should take 2.5 hours)...c'est chiant mais c'est paris.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmYNBcD04t2MknZUh7b9NClyqCF3omYOqyTKxv_ATxLaaOih03zr1jJUsDlDpkZxs3L1AGXNX_89e0FxAYdxx6DyT5ib0861rU_PJmdKjszNGKh7czxal0rNlhV_Qlj1xy5Fz3Fc6W64/s1600-r/DSC08841.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKa6OtIzNBnyyoh0TbB_0sH2EBmmX3q77C7Z0FR-zlcsd9t_86g-v1iQuAhcZZNLYrEcAOguZE1sLueO25ytkk5zm63VogoeQ32vQNnz89q_fUiEOMn3yWyQh02zys-mWy3cluYYJFnk/s200/DSC08841.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139523249202814050" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eCrkJq82g1mYBmHOU4X5VPAiSIsVjKuOjkvam1tccYjEdcmtL2n1odqJXmLSo1aRDTP00VB_Gm5uFon8ql3ZotQz5YrJAfmjRE00HE8i9oZUjLntR58DFYVoU0o8eeViKWZhLdf4MjQ/s1600-r/DSC08864.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJL_StZHfjEQEa1rgGok7r82AKUVcsB7iEcIeXWsRWnr4txCb-Dav_RaxOr8f2fm0vn2OAWwqolSg-iOISRN79GgoxHezcZVwJgKzCTiIm50GZlgSp1od0TVbbNR6CcBCJLUE9ANgCB4/s200/DSC08864.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139523300742421618" border="0" /></a>well, at least danielle, kindra, and i did make it to bayeux in normandy for a couple of days. wish i could spend more time in that area...eating butter slathered apples while drinking calvados...next time. i was glad to still be able to do the half day tour of the d-day landing sites, especially pointe du hoc (where the rangers scaled the cliff) which still has all the pockmarks from the allied shells.<br /><br />and then i made my way down to my beloved burgundy to meet up with kirsty or krispé or kurty depending on who you talk to at domaine faiveley where she had her internship. it was vachement bien to see kirsty and, especially, to catch up again. we just had fun tooling around burgundy. we made it to beaune several times to taste at maison champy (sadly all the 2005<br />pinots have sold out but i did score the corton-charlemagne that i helped make), to shop at the amazing saturday market, to eat at caves madelaine (my all-time favorite beaune restaurant), etc. we did take a very nice long walk from nuits-st. georges (where she's staying) all the way to clos de vougeot, passing romanée-conti on the way.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BSVM8kEn2y1Q6bJaNRDGe8XWBk9dV9gY0mS_7wPABcnZH_Lw4rQOplyQgJRk7ShcjlYH3_frNB3VoE2OQNe7yg0UzFLy1CcUqVgsUyvwSB_cZ0KpZX45KuHcrSCthMTVgzDg2ASTZYY/s1600-r/DSC08908.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNi0SswoU6EiE8bwKk60QywozM6bHubS332usODt9-99-xETuZHTb7hwqZr_EPEdd-69LwzUx18vWGpgv44anoXpHMamfaZT13tawo7UDQu33KIkHST6DZJJlBvcHcs5C1vI1npg9Vng/s400/DSC08908.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139514551894039554" border="0" /></a>we were also good and cooked a lot of meals so as not to spend our life-savings on meals out (that dammed dollar). we made a delicious thanksgiving meal with chicken, peas, polenta, and lardons (yummy pieces of thick-cut bacon) that went quite well with some patz&hall pinot that i had brought along. below, kirsty is modeling our big can of cassoulet and duck confit (which you all know is one of my all-time top ten dishes).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcccCPOaZvBkjmSjPh2eBe4BRte-HsW37gUxf7Nmr3oJYAWlD_zRwox6P2BHj5ncidsEHJNhcn8_KNICe4ylTVcUgv_n7IYYRrWCif92xJnnVwxIBVymtxM1hCAgtceI39QkvxKIOGi9o/s1600-r/DSC08931.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsIS4FR97yi9tb5Ispq8Snnq4g0m1-nrgmHJ0boo79ZY2XTY9XGHof4JbmJbr7ZOJCuTnJ4aGCXOFsXDipdgtOr7XcgZ90LfO7ADwzd5CHXb6B5m8mtIKZNJnzYowMB3qsMdMt4dRgaM/s400/DSC08931.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139514590548745234" border="0" /></a>sadly, we didn't get to a lot of winery visits and tastings. next time, we'll plan months in advance and have an exact itinerary all worked out (hahah...we'll see) but we did manage to polish off at least 1 bottle of wine pretty much each night. i couldn't reach jean-baptiste at domaine jean-claude bachelet et fils (i'll get you next time j-b), but at least i could try one of their st. aubin chardonnays at la cabotte, a delicious restaurant in nuits-st. george. interestingly enough, a vigneron from nuits-st. george was entertaining an american guest who turns out to be the son of robert haas from tablas creek. they very kindly shared their 1966 château palmer, which was still unbelievably fresh for being a little over 40-years old. no tears yet though, because kirsty and i did make up for it in good form by scoring 2 tickets to le grand tasting in paris organized by bettane et dessauve (vin de france journalists) from dimitri at maison champy. we tasted all over france and even into italy. sadly, our palettes now favor the fresh acidity found in burgundies so we found the rhône wines lacking and disappointing. happily, the sauternes premier crus and champagnes made up for it!<br /><br />now, i'm back in napa and facing the grim reality of a vacation ended. oh well, at least i found potential new homes in burgundy that i'll try to make into a pretty reality in a few years!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_RmZ-oqi01sVZkC2uq2CTpslyBU3VCB1emFapTHtErbKmJJ-f8R5ODPNbSyKwq1NWVgqeb5_8yuaqoF-ATpDNvQ_xkCo1uStT2DIOxatzjS0-QDUgg8GM87KIePdzqttkKBs1RuQ7uU/s1600-r/DSC08898.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xJu5X2-3EA-fVrYK9-j6AFMGiIw-45vwUkR3Ve6S2TIGxTnWsMaZQ6LFxXS8fEvFtPQnb3MaqNN5Z2Z7aRvHWHQCTUQUmX-lPGl9JLMMkOiexai5Rj2y2u2XVqE3Q88riprqt-MP9bc/s400/DSC08898.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139528506242784386" border="0" /></a>no post about a wine region would be complete without the requisite vine photos so here you go. some of domaine faiveley's vines with kirsty's impeccable calligraphy on the yellow tags, followed by 2nd crop still hanging pretty, and by far the smallest basket press (literally it's sitting on a metal bookshelf) to add to my tiny winery that's still in the works.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4TYhvLDsI1HoqwhJJDvdZqQkVABGbdPsr8jesabio-uOQL2CMPgThi5JJJlBNnzQTfIGr16Y8HuyS9FfasH4t41woLLFyFVSlUeQBNdzN3SSPhNjQHZqdGSKoz_OvDmHfsXl2tRSRps/s1600-r/DSC08902.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOTZhHMuc3_kxu5cU_g3_ynqPjSPO-qQ8YuRgKxE_mBRV7VvrNatWZJuxSRVw7lW3J2u9EB3xl4DZePtiTtVxiCrJmLTrgp_6w8a_VvUNGOPzDVCYTeZZFLkrAmVcKAw1ylrJtCBlu68/s200/DSC08902.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139531315151396034" border="0" /></a><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1vWDpFz7QQPrwcQKdFksKd6RFxPDIJORcHuH8oNxhKIaoW7bOWL8ojAxSgtva-xywOemIsyYGUk3ZzxEXq2PANPcfzTnh5sREKrhd4wbxoR73wRK3AqpqI4gQAjJXtisxHVQnLppLMk/s1600-r/DSC08927.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW8PSjn89eyWPE9-6GDRODub7E5NVhi0tZOqF3sZd9xr019KPYtDbp4Y_XWqNp8YGwuEnrHThOqMpJp5UJPud-JAuphXOfUrlKrNf6oRuVjI9umS8fJWSeh9HrZZ0QpwBQsknEtEnqs4/s200/DSC08927.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139531323741330642" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4MSFjI8toay-h3HoybII7RYkPQBea4xUngiJOIyHgP5nviu9Hn9mAdx87nPrgfSsFGmv_6PLCO_7xSRtOVU3MDWg_N98B7ha6QHoH9XJTmaeDQzymq5y_KEHkSfcnAOyb36fuSfAAlo/s1600-r/DSC08937.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIr-UYUrGEVBLrhqyUShr-vyxPJtheIZ9zMs-pB-JCmZy0FY8Jl9W0NOygvaNOgIcG8WKnRCiwtvCTpuBJvXpMMLXY8N8Akicz1FCBvKVQafVheMwYeUBpOZL7lRXze9I7P-lkQNC-24/s200/DSC08937.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139531370985970914" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3026732043056272002.post-74025399580981860382007-10-27T09:39:00.000-07:002007-10-27T10:12:22.131-07:00genossenschaftskellereiwell it was a whirlwind finish for my job at patz & hall, but i was immediately thrown into the fire at realm cellars (merci mille fois brittany for that job head's up)! as some of you may or may not know, the wine industry is different from most industries. many places like to have you on for a "trial" period during harvest (when they need the extra hands) so as to ensure the compatibility between the 2 parties. many of us are lucky enough to find a full-time job right off the bat, while the rest of us (like me) kind of meander along until the right job appears. my gig at realm cellars is also temporary, but there is a more likely chance that i will be able to find a permanent position afterwards. fear not, i will find work! if i don't have the wherewithal (love that word), then i'm sure my pimp brittany will be able to wrestle something up.<br /><br />in any case, i can finally say that i work at a genossenschaftskellerei, which is my favorite german word and means wine co-operative! realm cellars is housed in chateau boswell (sorry frenchies, i haven't figured out how to add accents) on the silverado trail a little north of st. helena. we are one of many small wineries that have space inside, including chateau boswell, arietta (where brittany is assistant winemaker), and a few others. it is quite a change from the lofty and spacious patz & hall. there are many things that i believe would make life easier...an actual trash can in the winery, those rolling platforms for our 44-gallon plastic brute containers, a bug sprayer that we can fill with our sanitizing chemical, etc. it is also reminiscent of the logistical dilemma at flag hill winery in new hampshire, which still makes graham scratch his head. as chris says, "it's like playing that game where you have these tiles you have to re-arrange to make a complete picture while utilizing one empty space, but you don't want to cheat by prying out the tiles and then putting them back in."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAyhkLwUKqiL9C-Zm9VgQZlMa3f0eWLeTOACo9aRirXfl8eihPpeNsMCkn_4wgVsoWcmBhu0IaXRZUMi24kp-XjTivSZEKJwnp4WRaw-lYh8poqWb7sm8ylGJXuDmqFQSYczKMxUiIUE/s1600-h/DSC08759.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAyhkLwUKqiL9C-Zm9VgQZlMa3f0eWLeTOACo9aRirXfl8eihPpeNsMCkn_4wgVsoWcmBhu0IaXRZUMi24kp-XjTivSZEKJwnp4WRaw-lYh8poqWb7sm8ylGJXuDmqFQSYczKMxUiIUE/s400/DSC08759.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126062844442786338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHDRSVx9GQbFRBS33QKB-A01NFV9SQ3sCRqbWelnns7gpbpSOZJH48HI6YuvA02gsoc6_uu0trqcF2G3pMO6Vl1v7tIyGx4J0glkaONFrz_y-npFggjIXRTHtmbCWFhY1QQoOM1NM68A/s1600-h/DSC08760.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHDRSVx9GQbFRBS33QKB-A01NFV9SQ3sCRqbWelnns7gpbpSOZJH48HI6YuvA02gsoc6_uu0trqcF2G3pMO6Vl1v7tIyGx4J0glkaONFrz_y-npFggjIXRTHtmbCWFhY1QQoOM1NM68A/s400/DSC08760.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126062857327688242" border="0" /></a>but i digress, in the 4 days that i have been working at realm cellars, i have had SO much fun...everybody (juan, mike, chris) at realm is great, i get to see brittany and her furrowed brow again, everybody else (josh, johann, luc, drew, emmanuel) have also been incredibly friendly. i can have beer with lunch and i don't need a harness to dig out a tank. i believe i have completely mastered my fear of heights as i've had to learn to work without a catwalk (clambering and walking along tanks will certainly do that). and this is the first time that i'm working with the bordeaux varietals and i must admit, when done correctly, they can be just as good as pinot ;). i can now also say that i've successfully filled the most expensive barrels without spilling any red wine and staining the precious wood.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fZrYZQEU7-DrAzP3rAj5UWKOV0FS9XnrNg8ImDofUQOPevBmEOzeLF9aOgh3fTfSpg3eiNRP7SPUr4uaKP5hfXaoLBYNaSF8XZmdHbtZFH3H4rnZw5hAabyAbYde5p-Q_5eFu1h3kNs/s1600-h/DSC08757.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fZrYZQEU7-DrAzP3rAj5UWKOV0FS9XnrNg8ImDofUQOPevBmEOzeLF9aOgh3fTfSpg3eiNRP7SPUr4uaKP5hfXaoLBYNaSF8XZmdHbtZFH3H4rnZw5hAabyAbYde5p-Q_5eFu1h3kNs/s400/DSC08757.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126062840147819026" border="0" /></a>one last thing, i believe i've been making a certain side of the family jealous with only photos of kali van zandt. thus, i would like to add some photos of elise and elliott...my other very adorably precocious cousins. time for the oohing and aahing to begin!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6XPrlq4spZcWkp9BUem52ODMJVEaGB1g_K5W15tFYYonqPyKAG4SipXRKAEyG20uYccH1LDA__ttsm8GLTgzPLdSef45a9vCHI3g4ZVXpSFXqg1iMJarYbQFOsm766PH24O4duhtaT8/s1600-h/200704_Elise_holding_Elliott.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6XPrlq4spZcWkp9BUem52ODMJVEaGB1g_K5W15tFYYonqPyKAG4SipXRKAEyG20uYccH1LDA__ttsm8GLTgzPLdSef45a9vCHI3g4ZVXpSFXqg1iMJarYbQFOsm766PH24O4duhtaT8/s400/200704_Elise_holding_Elliott.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126064128638007874" border="0" /></a><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0ODaigIXUEa0JNixMcs1zQIa9oUj-PdPWFIG8BviiDRvjZklNHWUXy14ykiEEfYY3bbL7kPZD_CcLKSmA9rwABesg73FlDJbINLJMdvJzFik6UPCrq3doG3ds9FiWepM5DU7ptXZsh0/s1600-h/200705_E&E_sunglasses.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0ODaigIXUEa0JNixMcs1zQIa9oUj-PdPWFIG8BviiDRvjZklNHWUXy14ykiEEfYY3bbL7kPZD_CcLKSmA9rwABesg73FlDJbINLJMdvJzFik6UPCrq3doG3ds9FiWepM5DU7ptXZsh0/s400/200705_E&E_sunglasses.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126064128638007890" border="0" /></a>mjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965845334349128695noreply@blogger.com1