My trip to Portland, Maine in 2007
Again I must consider my options.
Do I continue to keep this blog running or hibernate ?
You tell me.
Drop me a line and let me know what you think.
This could be the last month as my lease expires soon.
Hope you are all doing well.
Cheers
‘A man not old, but mellow, like good wine.’
Stephen Phillips
A trip into wine country has always been two fold for me.
The main reason is of course to find wonderful bottles of wine to enjoy.
The other is now to meet those who make the wine.
Learning about the history of the vineyard and the vines.
The tasting experience has become the best part of an estate visit.
There are some amazing little places, and these are the ones who offer
a more intimate, knowledgeable and pleasing visit.
The larger estates certainly have buildings, parking and restaurants
but can be sterile and staff can be there simply to pour and not offer
vintage history, stories and personal interaction.
Obviously the more people in and out of the tasting room an estate has
requires less personal attention. Shame.
This trip we planned our day more.
Checking maps and selecting 6 estates per day ( usually )
We got back to our hotel / B & B in a more rested state and could enjoy
the evening at a leisure pace.
There were still some lessons learned this trip.
One of the more important ones was that we should have brought
EVERY cooler we had, even the small folding ones you get with cases
of beer now and then.
Unless you have a larger vehicle ( SUV or Van ) with air con.
When the temps are in the mid to upper 30’s ( celsius )
it doesn’t take long for the vehicle to heat up.
you don’t want that hard fought for bottle to warm up and go bad.
We ended up getting another large cooler at Canadian Tire
just like the last trip.
Amazing how much space a bottle of wine can take …..
Must go places and don’t bother going list;
Mission Hill – Go to take pictures only. The grounds are outstanding, views are incredible and easy to get to. Wine tasting was the worst experience and the lunch menu was expensive, if we had waited the 45 min for a table.
Most places charge for wine tasting which is completely refunded when you buy a bottle or two.
Not Mission Hill.
They were the only ones to charge HST on tasting and did not refund that tax when buying bottles …..sounds like a tax grab of their own…done with that estates wine !
Silver Sage – Just Go ! The estate is beautiful, shady parking and the wine was divine.
The best part was the tasting experience. Each glass had a story and example of how to enjoy. She was very informative and quite funny. You can’t buy their product in any store so you must venture out or buy online. I recommend the Blueberry.
Ruby Tuesday – Definitely go. The wines are very hard to get away from the estate. They don’t make much but what they do make is delicious. Prudence was a fantastic host and enjoyed herself. After selling Red Rooster and taking some time off her and her husband are back doing what they love.
Red Rooster – Go for lunch and the estate grounds. Their wines can be found almost everywhere, the tasting floor was big and somewhat sterile. The grounds are nice and the lunch menu sounded yummy and reasonably priced. Shame the chef was MIA the day we went. Lots of art outside too. Go across the lane to Ruby Tuesday instead.
So much more to talk about …… next entry.
‘Wine is bottled poetry.’
Robert Louis Stevenson
It was a Volkswagen for me
or should I say for my parents ….
and it wasn't summer
well at least at home anyway.
Romance blooms in all shapes and sizes
usually where we least expect it.
Happy Anniversary to you summer lovers !
Who wouldn't want to be joined under the warm sun
amongst friends and celebrated with starry nights.
To all of us who have, cherish and enjoy
the place in someone's heart where we find solace.
Cheers
Nothing too exciting to report.
May is quickly fading, not sure what happened to April ……
Went to see the comedian Eddie Izzard last night.
Nice seats ( except for the loud laugher right behind me )
got to see Eddie's facial expressions. A good show overall.
The latin and appendix bits were my favourites.
Working on the outside sundeck now. Martin laid out a new wood deck
which looks amazing. Got the pump for the small water feature
and hooks for the hanging planters. Hoping to get the seating section soon
and then its just a matter of getting thru June to enjoy the summer.
June here in the Vancouver area is mostly rain, all month long.
This el nino year could change that, who knows, just had 10 cm of snow
up in the mountain pass yesterday.
Going to be making plans for summer camping again
unless the fire restrictions are in full force …..
Water restrictions are already in place in a few areas and they are flooding
one of the local lake/reservoirs, Buntzen lake, which is used for movie locations,
'Lake Placid' and 'Freddy vs. Jason' as a couple examples.
Not as much fun if you can't have a camp fire at night.
Love that smell of campfire smoke on my clothes, especially the next morning.
Martin trained and completed his bike marathon for 'Wheel to Heal'
raising money for one of the local hospitals. Which they seem to need thanks to the
terrible management by our local and federal governments over the years.
Don't understand how it is so hard to finance the necessary needs of our cities.
Sometimes I think the communist way of running things in that department is better.
looking forward to the summer anyways 
Need to get up to the okanogan to stock up the wine reserves ….. road trip !!
Cheers to all.
It has been busier than what I have been used to.
A good thing though.
Immigration plans are in motion too.
No more cruise ship work planned. Staying on land now.
Enjoying the work in the studio,
doing camera, floor directing and now playback.
The 2 shows being produced are Urban Rush and Studio 4
Thankfully the commute is easy, the train starts and ends
very close to home and the studio.
The team is great, friendly and like a family.
Last month there was this thing called the Olympics
happening here in Vancouver.
I was not able to see much of it, except on TV.
I was working everyday, providing transportation
for the media teams, as well as some shooting and editing.
The Shaw tower was located right next to the outdoor cauldron
which was cool to see. Still amazed at how many people came
to see it everyday.
The winter weather did not cooperate for the local mountains
and the snow had to be trucked in.
What were the odds it was going to be an El-nino season ?
We did go to the opening ceremony of the Paralympics
which was allot of fun.
Having everyone visit the city and event locations
up in Whistler and Richmond was great.
The Olympic party and international presence
was a testament to what we as
citizens of planet earth can achieve.
It is a shame that it cannot work on a global scale all the time.
I also know that the money spent during the Olympics
could have improved life and future planning for allot
of needy people. But that happens on a daily basis
when it comes to political policies and human nature.
Shame
Looking forward to the trend of warmer weather now.
The trees are growing green again and flowers are out.
Check out the web cam
Can't wait to start BBQ-ing and enjoying the patio again.
Got an umbrella for the deck now, so more outside time !
Wishing you all a wonderful spring.
Cheers
Who can afford to take time off work to watch this,
self gratification of artist's ?
I try to look for it online ….
but the networks are so anal
that they scramble to remove it.
Guess what ……
If I can't see how well these musicians perform live
why would I want to spend $150 on a REGULAR concert ticket to see them ????
or even spend an hour of my wages to put towards a CD ???
GET OVER IT !!
By squashing the free press
you shoot yourself and your artisit's
I am about to say 'Screw you and your media, don't need it !!"
Am I the only one ??
Cheers
Today I question
just how productive the United Nations is.
With the tragedy in Haiti
why can this organization not respond quicker
and more positively ?
What is the point?
Are the nations belonging to this organization
united or not ?
Enough talk, more action !
For all places in the world.
Wherever there is outright persecution
if it is based on skin colour or gender or religion,
I must try to do what I can to change it.
In Uganda they are putting people in prison
and attempting to put them to death
just because they are different.
In a quick search for the countries export items
coffee was one of the biggest and Starbucks is buying.
As much as I enjoy a mocha, I cannot in good conscience
continue to support in any way, the companies that do business
with a country that punishes the people that live there so severely.
Please join me in raising your voice to stop the violence.
Send an email to Starbucks and any other company that does business
with Uganda.
Under 12 hours left in 2009.
What better way to reflect than to sit in an english pub style bar kickin back a Murphy's Red pint.
Thanks to everyone who made the last year memorable and a few things to smile about.
The next year should have just as many surprises and moments to laugh about.
Most of the time we take life too seriously.Always take time out to be thankful for friends and family. Wake up early for a sunrise and always enjoy a sunset. Wishing you all a fantastic year and thanks for dropping by.
CHEERS !
