Mother's Day Wineries Tour - Oregon Wine Tours

Dayton, OR:
Last weekend, for an early Mother's Day celebration, Patrick treated his mom, Ruth, and I to a wine tasting tour of four wineries. His dad Martin also joined in. This was a big gift from Patrick as he volunteered to be the designated driver. It was the perfect day for a drive through the country-side, warm and sunny. Little did we know what absolutely beautiful scenery we would see. A big huge thank you to Ron Burke at Oregon Wine Tours! He put this amazing itinerary together for us. We enjoyed every moment!

Starting the tour at Stoller Vineyards:

Pinot Noir Rose, just right for summer refreshment.

First of all, the property is wonderful. There is a large grassy area with tables and chairs for picnics and across a field, a beautiful oak tree with a tire swing. For about 10 seconds I wished we had brought the kids.

This swing was in constant use.

Cheese and crackers, a must for an extended wine tasting trip!

Secondly, the wine was fabulous. We took home several bottles from here, including their yummy 2014 Dundee Hills Chardonnay.

Finally, it's as environmentally friendly as wine making gets. In 2006, Stoller Vineyards became the first vineyard in the United States to receive LEEDS certification, achieving the rare gold level certification. A big CHEERS to the Stoller Family for their efforts in sustainability!

The next stop on our tour was Domain Drouhin, which starts impressing you the moment you drive onto the property.

On the drive into Domain Drouhin.

"French Soul. Oregon Soil."

The view from the deck behind Domain Drouhin is breathtaking. You can see mountains in the distance over rolling hills filled with vineyards and wildflowers. Also breathtaking, the 2013 Dundee Hills red blend alone is worth the trip.

If you visit, make sure to take a trip to the restroom, which leads right through wine barrels and processing room.

Martin, Ruth and Liz on the deck at Domain Drouhin.

Next up on our tour was Winters Hill Estate Winery. At Winters Hill we had the opportunity to talk to Russel Gladhart (winemaker) and Emily Gladhart, who founded the winery along with Peter Gladhart in 1990. She planted the first fields of vines. It was such a treat to get to talk to these knowledgeable people. The wine was some of our groups favorite of the trip.

A little help from Olympic Provisions (salami) and New Seasons (seasoned hazelnuts and almonds) to make it a truly Oregon experience.

Designated driver, getting a kick out of the conversation.

Durant Vineyards made up our last wine tasting of the day and included an olive oil tasting as well at the neighboring Red Ridge Farms. We were lucky to find some chairs open in the shade of a grand old tree.

Durant Vineyards.

A beautiful seating area on the property. Just down these stairs are rows of lavender, not flowering yet, but definitely worth a drive to see later in the year.

We topped off the afternoon with dinner at Subterra in Newberg.

Unfortunately we didn't put their wine cellar to the test because we were quite sated at that point, but the food was delectable. I'm still thinking about the pork and leeks meal I had.

Oh My.

A couple more pictures from the day:

Martin and Patrick in the Stoller Vineyards tasting room.

Patrick, Martin and Ruth at Durant Vineyards, with Red Ridge Farms in the background.

Jackson Bottom Wetlands

Hillsboro, OR:

It's been a while since we visited the wetlands and we were pleasantly surprised by how much work has been done on it. The grounds near the educational center are gorgeous, overflowing with native flowers and trees. The air is filled with birds and we saw many interesting critters on our walk through part of the property.

One of my favorites, a Great Blue Heron, hunting in the pond.

California Poppies

Along the Kingfisher Marsh loop we saw numerous white silken tents, home of the Western Tent Caterpillar larvae. (Thank you Mona Rentz for your help identifying these!) As you can see, many of the caterpillars have grown big enough to leave the tent and forage on their own.

Western Tent Caterpillar Tent

We weren't able to hike all the way around the pond because there is an Osprey nest on the south shore. You can see it from the far shore and it has several Osprey eggs. Osprey sometimes abandon their nest if disturbed so the trail is closed about half-way around the pond.

Pintail Pond Hike

Flowers near Education Center

Just behind the Center there are several birdhouses, a small pond, a seating area surrounded by wildflowers and behives for native bees.

Small pond

Seating area behind Education Center

Wild Roses along Pintail Pond

There is a small room full of educational wildlife exhibits that is open from 10 - 4pm, as well as a small gift shop. The star of the show is a huge eagle nest that was transported in from the wild. The kids enjoyed the exhibits, although it only took about 15-20 minutes to give it a good look.

An animal tracks exhibit unlike any other we've seen.

Osprey Nest

Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens

Woodland, WA - Hulda Klager was a remarkable woman who had an eye for plants and flowers. She had a vision for what could be, and, inspired by the work of Luther Burbank and others, she began hybridizing the flowers in her yard, including lilacs and even a bigger, tastier, easier to peel apple. She created many new varieties of lilacs and became known in her community as the "Lilac Lady".

Hulda overcame a number of obstacles throughout her career, including the death of her husband Frank, and a flood which wiped out all of her plants and shrubs when she was 83. Fortunately, a lifetime of generosity in sharing her plantings was rewarded when members of the community were able to help her recover and rebuild her beautiful garden.

Moskvy (Krasavistsa)

After Hulda's death in 1960, the people who owned the 4.5 acre property weren't able to maintain it. It was sold and marked to be bulldozed to make room for an industrial site. The Woodland Federated Garden Club sprang into action, forming the Hulda Klager Lilac Society, a non-profit organization, and obtaining the deed to the property and raising money to purchase the house. The gardens and home are now a national landmark.*

Nadezhda

Water Tower Under Repair

We had a wonderful visit to the gardens. They are maintained by volunteers and charge a small fee for admission. They also sell lilac plants. Sofia is interested in hybridizing and she would like to create her own variety of fruit, so I was not surprised to find her walking through the gardens with one of the gardeners, learning about how lilacs are grown.

Beauty around every corner!

There are trees, bushes and plants of many different kinds around the property. Many of the flower beds just look like a fairy could be found nearby.

Photo by Joanna Fenner.

*I found the information for this post in Where Lilas Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick and on the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens website: www.lilacgardens.com

"The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering." - Bruce Lee

Lakeview Cemetery, Seattle, WA:

"Don't fear failure. - Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail."

42 years after his death, he is still remembered.

My friend Tana and I visited Bruce Lee's grave with five kids in tow, including two martial arts students. It was a quiet moment in the midst of a crazy, laughter filled day. I had worried the kids wouldn't know how to handle the cemetery with respect, or rather, wouldn't be able to contain their spontaneous energy. However, as we stood quietly around the grave, one of the kids, Josh, told us stories about Bruce Lee from his book and we took it all in: the sunshine on a brisk spring day, the stunning view of Lake Washington, the fresh flowers and candles surrounding the grave, the respect.

Lake Washington in the distance.

The pall bearers at Bruce Lee's funeral included Steve McQueen, James Coburn, George Lazenby and Chuck Norris. He was a truly exceptional person who has inspired so many with his wisdom and discipline and sheer determination. I'm glad we had the chance to pay our respects in person.

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once. I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."

“The doubters said,
"Man can not fly,"
The doers said,
"Maybe, but we'll try,"
And finally soared
In the morning glow
While non-believers
Watched from below.”
-All quotes by Bruce Lee

Making Sushi - One Epic Cooking Lesson

Bonney Lake, WA - With Mr. Voelker away on a weekend with the guys, the rest of us packed up the car and headed north for fun with friends and what turned into an epic sushi making session.

Five kids who love sushi! They wiped this table out.

We made this sushi!

Making sushi was super fun. A big huge thank you to Tana Davis for the lesson!

Step One: Collecting Ingredients

We bought our ingredients at the HMart in Federal Way. An immense store, full of just about every kind of herb and produce you can imagine, they also carry a full selection of sushi grade fish. In case you were wondering, sushi grade fish has been frozen either cold enough or long enough to achieve "parasite destruction guarantee". That's what in theory makes it safe to eat raw. However, pickled ginger is usually served with sushi because eating that kills parasites as well.

Sushi Corner at HMart, just one part of their sushi section.

We brought some helpers with us.

Step Two: Prep and Assemble Ingredients

From bottom left: avocado, shrimp, seaweed salad, unagi (eel), salmon, rice, beverages, pickled ginger, lemons, imitation crab mixed with mayo, sweetened fish eggs, ground up dried shrimp, assorted nigiri sushi cuts, including squid and tuna, wasabi, more avocado, roasted seaweed wraps, pickled radish (yellow)

To make sushi rice, cook short grain white rice at a ratio of 1 cup rice to 1 and 1/4 cup water. Mix in rice vinegar, salt and sugar and let cool to room temperature. For 4 cups of rice, we use 4 T rice vinegar and 2 T each sugar and salt. You will need a bowl of water nearby because wet hands are necessary for working with the rice.

Step Three: Roll Em

Tana demonstrates.

Lay out the seaweed wrapper on the rolling mat and pat down the rice on it. Water on your hands makes this much easier.

Add center ingredients. Make sure they are laid out in the correct direction for the rolling mat.

Roll it up!

Cut from the center first. Keep your knife and cutting surface wet.

Finley paid close attention to the whole process.

To make the nigiri, form small rice loaves with wet hands and gently press fish on top.

Voila! A sushi feast!