The Winery

So much happened today!  I don't really know where to begin, so I'll try to keep it in chronological order.  So, I didn't really head out of the house till about noon-ish, and made my way out to Monroe, where I'll be spending most of my summer.  It only took about 30 min to get there, which is nice.  It's pretty much a straight shot, and is a very pretty drive.  Outside of Eugene, it's mostly farmland, where they were harvesting this year's wheat crop.  I saw plenty of horses and cows grazing on the picturesque pastures.

Upon arriving at the winery, I was welcomed by 145 acres of rolling hills covered in miles and miles of rows of vines.  It was absolutely stunning.  I made my way to the tasting room, where there was a very pleasant woman named Ginger there to greet me.  We briefly chatted about the ins and outs of shipping wine to other states.  After our brief conversation, I met the head of the winery, Chris Mazepink, who showed me around the estate, and helped me get more familiar with where everything was.  He was filtering there estate Pino Grigio, It smelled FANTASTIC as small amounts spilled out onto the winery floor while pumping it out of the fermentation tank...I wanted to just stick my head in and breath in the aroma.  From there, he took me to where they store all the barrels that they have shipped in from france.  The barrels cost about $1000 each, and after about 8 vintages, they sell them to various companies for about $25 each.

I had to fill out a bit of paperwork, and did so in the laboratory.  In the lab, I met Kim.  Kim is an intern lab technician, who has a degree in forensic science.  She told me a little bit about her story, and I really look forward to learning some of the science behind the wine making process from her.  between her and Chris, I believe I have a LOT I can learn, and I really look forward to working and having some good chats with them both.

After touring the winery, I took a drive up the narrow gravel road through the actual vineyard.  The vines were being pruned by the workers and everything looked very well kept.  Upon reaching the top of the hill, I could see for MILES and MILES.  Chris mentioned that on a clear day, you can actually see the snow capped Cascade mountain ranges.  I examined some of the vines, and found that the grapes were still quite small (see picture below).  I was tempted to pick one to give it a taste, but I knew I would just get a mouth full of sour grape flavor- so I just let them be...Their days are numbered anyway.

Overall, this was the best day here in Oregon so far.  The thought of helping make something, that from vine to bottle only travels less than a mile, is very exciting to me.  I can't wait to get busy in that winery!

Here are some pictures of the sights I saw today, including some blueberry bushes on an organic blueberry farm just outside of town:

Looking down the hill of vines to the winery.

Baby Grapes

I think the vines bring out the color in my skin...

Day 3 in Oregon

Sorry I haven't updated sooner...I've been busy getting to know Eugene! I'm all settled in my room, and have been getting to know my room mates. I got pretty lucky with this house- I am sharing it with 3 other people. It's a pretty awesome dynamic going on here. Everyone here is a student of some sort, and each has a really interesting story. One of the girls is studying Arabic, and is going to Tunisia, Africa next month to study abroad, and is also fluent in French. Will has a business degree (I think), and is working as a personal assistant for a "Serial Entrepreneur" who has a newfound love for booking flights on private jets. The other girl is working on her master's degree in special education.

We went grocery shopping yesterday, and got a bunch of fresh produce. They pretty much share all the food in the house, so we just split the grocery bill three ways. Adrienne likes to cook, just as I do, and with the asian market less than a mile away, I'm sure we will be making some great dinners. We have talked about making a Thai dish soon, and I look forward to learning some new cooking techniques.

It's way green here, and the colors are pretty overwhelming coming from the most brown and dead state in the US. I was actually riding my bike, and saw on the asphalt what looked to be cherries. I thought at first that someone might have dropped their groceries, but after looking above me, I realized that they were growing from the tree above me. After sampling a fresh picked cherry, I realized that there weren't cherries at all- They were baby plumbs of some sort. I've never tasted anything so sweet and juicy!

I'm headed down to the winery today, and will be filling out some preliminary paperwork and getting a quick tour.  I'm pretty dang excited to check it out and meet the crew.  Maybe I can sneak in some fishing while I'm in Monroe... I hear that the river there has some decent trout fishing- We'll see.  I'll definitely be taking some pictures and possibly videos of the area up there, and I'll post them tonight or tomorrow for you guys to see :)

Well enough writing for now...I'll let some of the pictures I took do the talking.

Me under a tree (Literally)

The California Coast

Driving through the Redwood Forest

Yep...Those are Elk!

The City of Eugene

The garden in our back yard

I'll post more pictures as I take them, and I'm sure I'll have more stories to come!

Day 2 - San Francisco

It's 7:30am in San Francisco, and I just woke up.  I'm sipping my coffee in my hotel room and recollecting my thoughts from the day before.  The hostel I was planning on staying in was completely booked- which is okay because I got a better deal on a clean queen bed in a Marirott thanks to our friend who is an employee.  The hotel was a little farther than I wanted to drive, but I'm here, and I'm well.  I still feel a little tired from yesterday's drive, but i think this bold black potion might do the trick.

I left Phoenix yesterday morning at 6:00am.  With only one stop in Monterey Bay for dinner with my old friends Nick and Kat, I made it to SF by about 11:00pm.  Needless to say, I was tired from the long day of driving.  To make things more interesting, the night before I left I had the most restless sleep I think I have ever experienced.  I guess the excitement and anxiety really got the best of me.  On the bright side, the same excitement and anxiety kept me awake while I was driving...I felt like a zombie, but it worked to my advantage!

I saw lots of great scenery yesterday.  Quite an array of landscapes indeed!  From the deserts of Arizona, to the windmills in Indio, on to the vineyards of Paso Robles, and finally the Pacific coast (Monterey and San Francisco).  I have a few pictures for your viewing pleasure

I still have about 10 hours of driving, and I'm enjoying relaxing in the hotel room a little longer than I probably should.  I'll be driving up the Oregon coast today, and eventually landing in Eugene.  It's quite a ways away, but I'll be there soon enough.  On the way, I'll be passing through the Redwood Forest, and should have LOTS of pictures and videos to share soon enough.  

Oyster Point, San Francisco 

2 Days Left!!

It's Friday, and there are 2 days left before I depart.  I'm trying to keep on top of everything that needs to be done before I go, and today happens to be car day.  I replaced a tire on the Jeep, and am working on getting the Civic road ready.  The little red wagon is getting 2 new tires and an alignment...possibly more- we'll see what it needs.

We are all finished moving out of the house, and have all our stuff stored in Shelli's mom and dad's garage- Thanks Guy and Mary!  We had a huge crew of friends helping us get everything packed and moved last Sunday, and we actually got it all in one day.  I spent about 7 hours on Monday cleaning and getting the place ready for inspection by Freddie Mac.  Thanks to our diligent efforts, I was able to score a check for relocation assistance from the law firm- Also known as "Cash for Keys"---BONUS!!!

Now that it's coming down to the wire, best way I can describe how I feel is excitement mixed with a touch of nervousness.  I'm excited because its a huge change that we are both totally ready for.  I'm nervous because I really don't know what to expect when I get there.  I'm confident that everything will work out just fine, but the uncertainty is a bit of a killer.  I just hope I'm prepared for it.  I know I'm not the first one go through a cross country move without ever having been to the final destination, but it's still an interesting mix of emotions that I have never experienced.  Surreal.

I've been trying to spend what little time I have available with friends and family in these days before the journey.  It's been great hearing words of encouragement from our closest friends, and frankly it's the main thing that's been keeping me sane as I mentally prepare for this.

Thanks to everyone who has been there for us in this crazy time of our life.  Your support and encouragement are what reassure us that we can do this.  We really do have some fantastic friends, and I'm really going to be missing some people.  I just wish I had enough time to spend with everybody.  Sadness.

I'll be updating my blog frequently along my trip up north, and will be posting some pictures and messages "Social Network" style.  You can also keep track on my personal Facebook page.

Here's our dog Micah, all packed up and ready to move:

Well, we're in the middle of packing, and getting ready to get out of the house. Thank God! It's been a lot of work, but we are really kicking butt. We will be ready for exodus by this Saturday night/ Sunday morning. We are just about 3/4 of the way done packing everything into boxes, and should have everything but the big furniture in the garage by Friday.

I have my room lined up for the month that I'll be up in Eugene, and I'll be honest, I'm a little nervous about it. I'll be sharing the room with 2 other people that I don't know, so I hope we will get along. The landlord seems pretty nice, and has an english accent- Instant cool points. She lives just down the street, which is nice in case there's any problems. Here's a link to a map of the location: 12th Street and Polk

I'm leaving on July 25th, and will be stopping at a hostel called Pigeon Point Hostel. It's located about 50 miles south of San Francisco, and is right on the coast. They advertise falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing into the cliff walls just yards away from the facility. Check out the link here: http://www.norcalhostels.org/pigeon/

I'll then be traveling up the coast toward Eugene, and will hopefully arrive by the evening of the 26th. If all goes well, I should have some time to settle into my room, and check out the area. I'll be stopping by the Benton Lane Winery to fill out some paperwork, as well as looking at homes for me and Shelli to rent. I'll have my fishing pole and bike with me, so hopefully I'll be able to check out some trout fishing for at least one day. All in all, I'll have a little less than a week before I start bottling at the winery for 2 weeks. After that, I will have a week to find a rental.

I'll be taking lots of pictures, and will be updating the blog as much as I can along the way. I'm sure I'll have lots to report, since pretty much everything will be new to me there. Hopefully I'll have some evening time to check out some local breweries. I'll update on that too!

It's been a crazy last couple weeks! We have finally formulated a plan for moving to Eugene. My last day of work here in Arizona is July 24th. I'll then be packing up a few belongings and heading north for a month. It'll be fun, but I'll be alone while Shelli stays to wrap things up with her job- pretty sucky for both of us.

While I'm there, I'll be starting work at the Benton Lane Winery and helping to bottle last year's vintage. I'll have a little time before that begins and a little time after it's over to find a place for me and Shelli to live. I have been very busy looking for someone that would be able to rent a place to me, but am sure someone will pull through soon. Hopefully I'll meet someone that can give me an idea of which areas we might like to live in.

Another interesting development... I just turned 26. Holy Crap!! I know it's relatively young these days, but I can't help but to realize that I'm over a quarter of a century old. I have a lot to learn in the years to come, and am looking forward to some new and enriching experiences when we move to Oregon.

Enough depressing stuff. Now I'm going to make a suggestion for a movie to watch. Available on netflix's streaming video: 180 Degrees North. It's an inspiring documentary that takes you to Easter Island, Chile, and finally Patagonia. The guy who is narrating it is a surfer/climber, who is taking a trip to Patagonia to climb this really tall and impossible mountain. There's a little romance thrown in, which is sure to be a hit with the lady viewers. Bottom line: If you enjoy the outdoors, adventure, and extreme sports, you will probably like this movie.

That's all I can think of that's happening right now that is worth blogging about. Here's a picture of me practicing the guitar...its nice to have my fingers back in shape again- it's a lot more fun to play when you aren't in pain.