August 9-11 Vacation to California

So Trent and I are experienced road warriors. We left the Gorge, drove south 3 hours to Portland, Oregon. We filled up on gas than drove 5 or so hours to southwest Oregon to the Redwood forests. Just down the road we begin to see the giant trees poke out here and there, but soon you are surrounded with the most amazing goliaths trees out of a sci-fi movie. We arrive to our friends house in the dark. I wake up to find the following view.

You can click on any of those pictures to see the blown up original. Really, truly stunning. Three days there was way to short, but I had a very short vacation to fit in a lot of stuff. We left the afternoon of the third day and drove the 12 hours back to Seattle. Glad I spent some time looking at this view, as it may not be where my friend is in the future, and it was epic. The road trip itself was fun, something Trent and I both had done for so many years, but not recently and for concerts and friends for a change. Back to our real lives we go.

August 7/8 2009 Phish!!!

So for anyone who knows me, you probably know that I followed Phish around the country for more than a decade and 120 shows. They broke up in 2004 for what seemed like the final time. But alas, they got their act back together and on the road. We left the wine tour, and basically went into the show. We had been given a few tickets to sell, and they were marked VIP, so we sold our tickets and took them VIP tix! We reused them the next day (not to get in the venue, but to get back to the VIP grass section…ahh…rule breakers…)

So The Gorge Amphitheater has won awards for its beautiful location. 20,000+ people drive hours into the desert to enjoy the sunset over the Columbia River. The venue is only open Memorial day through late September and basically gives most Washingtonian something warm the bones and put some tint on the skin before winter returns.

So Phish comes out just around 8 to greet the fans before sunset. The music begins and the whole place erupts. Five years of waiting to see them again made this crowd very hungry for Phish.  

So the band completes the first set around 80 mins later and take a short intermission. They return to darkness, where their light system takes its place in the sensory explosion they create.

So I chose to have pictures instead of comments. Describing a Phish show isn't done with words, nor can pictures tell the full story. So I also am uploading videos to our YouTube site which you can get to at this link

http://www.youtube.com/user/SCinEurope

I don't think the videos capture it much better, so you will have to go do the live experience yourself!

So I took the following picture of a Port-O-Potty toilet in the camping area at the Gorge. Let me just say the warning was self explanatory and I was not tempted to open the door.

So we pack our gear, head our separate ways. We take this one last photo at a rest stop near the Gorge before saying goodbye to Rick. Trent and I would continue on our adventure south to California. We drove 12 hours this day to visit our friend in Northern California on the coast.

August 7 2009 The Cave Inn Vineyard and Resort Tour

So my friend Rick from Los Angeles flew up  to Seattle for the Phish shows at the Gorge. He picked up our friend Trent from Seattle and drove the two hours east to meet myself and another friend named Mike. Mike is from Walla Walla and is a world renowned Vintner. He crafts the skills of future wine makers at the local university. Well one of his students is now the head wine maker at Cave Inn. Cave Inn is a resort in the desert that overlooks the Columbia River, and is connected to the Gorge Amphitheater concert venue.

Click on the above panorama pic. This is a small vine that is outside the winery, good for receptions, weddings etc. The views from here are great, and only gets better from here

Mike is climbing into the hatch where the barrels are stored. This room is air conditioned as this vineyard is literally in the desert, with scorching hot sun, and shallow rocky soil. The building itself would keep the barrels cool and safe for days if power was lost, but that is precious cargo!

Inside are rows of barrels stacked 3 levels high, hundred feet long, and a few rows wide. There was every kind of wine that was grown onsite. Most of this would be bottled and sold by Cave Inn, others are sold to the open wine market.

 

My group of 4 was joined by a friend of the wine maker and her group of friends. the 10 of us had a very private tour.  Below is the equipment  used to actually turn the juice to wine before barreling.

The group head outside into the heat and a walk through the vineyards. The bus in the background is the band Phish who was staying at the resort the weekend they played at the Gorge.

  So we approach the reception building of the resort. Acres and acres of vines. Big chunky bunches of grapes everywhere.  Each section of the property produces different varieties and qualties of wine…so im told…. Another worthy click on the panorama below. Here we are looking from the main building over the individual cabins. Each has its own view and cannot see each other. The COlumbia river below, and the Gorge just off to the right   This picture says it all…Desert…river…vines…$$$ We ducked out of the heat to begin several hours of tasting. We had every red, every white and desert wine they make onsite. We sampled various years. Without a doubt the most samples of a single vineyard I have ever had. Four hours of sampling wine meant we werent melting in the sun waiting for the shows to start. Wonderful experience. Thanks for getting us hooked up Mike! A great day!!

Wild Days are here! Gay pride parade…

 

Day 1 without Colin……

The day starts with Colin’s alarm going off at 6 am. He finishes his last minute packing and gets ready. I of course am still laying in bed. Colin is all ready to go back to Seattle for 2 weeks. This is the longest we’ve been apart since we first met. We walk down stairs to say good bye to each other. I receive the biggest hug he’s ever given me. We say our “I love yous” give a few kisses and he’s off to the airport. I head over to the window and wait until he’s outside to blow him one last kiss goodbye.

I start to tear up and head back upstairs to bed. I close my eyes and wait for sleep but it doesn’t happen.

It’s time to get ready for the gay pride parade. To bad I have to go all alone but I’m going to make the most of it!

This is the start of the parade……

As you can see many colorful people out and about. It was one of the warmest days we had this summer.

I kept talking to this girl next to me asking her to translate a few of the floats. Her girlfriend came over and gave her a HUGE kiss and then looked at me and gave me an odd smile. She must of thought I was hitting on her girlfriend.

Note the name of the float…

Shake shake shake that booty….

I think the guy in the middle looks like they guy off Grey’s Anatomy.

Ok this next one is my favorite of the whole parade.

“We want to recruit you!” This is part of the police department.

There is many more pictures on http://picasaweb.google.nl/SCinEurope

After watching the float go by for 2 hour I had my fill. I head back home and enjoy some alone time. Oh how I miss Colin already.

~Saviya

So July Comes to A Close

July was nice as it contained our only two visitors so far, and my birthday!. August arrives and I am heading to Seattle for two weeks or so. I have to do some work back in the Seattle office, see my orthodontist, catch a couple concerts and rampage to California and back. Saviya is staying in Amsterdam. So we both have some entries in August  of our different adventures.

And to wish July a farewell…a old guy on the Sunday Market behind our house….trying to win the award for best performer of the day…And yes that is a condom on his head….

Saviya’s visit to Delft

When I first moved here I knew I needed to find a few friends. I put an ad up on craigslist for a new best friend and I got a great response.

One of the girls responded was Karen she moved to Delft to be with her new boyfriend Michel in February of this year. We made a date to meet in her new home town of Delft. So I was a brave little girl and rode the train all by myself for the first time.

What a great little place. Here is a couple pictures of Delft’s square it’s called the Markt.

 

 

Delft also has many canals like Amsterdam but in Delft they put little barges on them and make them into little outdoor cafes.

When we were walking back to her place we saw this cute little smart car.

Then Karen and I rode bikes through the forest and down to the lake and came around the corner and look at what we saw! How cute is this place?

So I had a great day in a new place in The Netherlands!

OH! and and this is a random picture I don’t remember if this was in Delft or some place else but it made me laugh really hard.

Think I should get Colin a pair, he’d look pretty cute in pink!

~Saviya

Bowling in Den Haag, Netherlands

So we were invited to go bowling and have dinner with a friend of Saviya's named Karen, and her boyfriend Michel. Michel works in Amsterdam and commutes by car to and from home in Delft. Its probably 40 minutes on a good day, maybe 60 or more on traffic days. The Dutch complain that traffic is bad, but they should really check out LA, San Fran or Seattle…

Karen had come to Amsterdam for the day, so the 4 of us piled into the car and headed for Den Haag which is most of the way to their home in Delft. We had of course been to Den Haag on a previous adventure, and were eager to get back. Here Michel, Karen, Saviya, and sombody’s Oma walk towards the great Steigenberger Kurhaus Hotel in the Scheveningen beach near Den Haag. That is a mouthful!

This hotel has a grand entranceway, which is open to the public for a quick peek at no charge. The above and below pictures show the skylight and hand painted elements of this wonderful building. It was first built up around 1885 and continued its grand design through the late 20’s.

And they have a piano player just above the stairs, with some big screen that was showing black and white photos.

And here is the front of the hotel on the beach side. Click on the picture to see how grand it really is!

And Saviya looking cute in pink!

So we had dinner at one of the beach front restaurants, than walked to the bowling alley. If you notice below I am putting on little booties over my socks before using the rental shoes provided. Odd, but I like it..better than that spray that probably does nothing….

Saviya and Karen…Michel bowling, and beer..like all social events in Germanic countries…

Here is a cute pic of Michel and Karen, really cool people. He is Dutch, she American here for her own adventure in Holland. Michel was the nights bowling champion, despite having only bowled a few times in his life…I was terrible as usual…

-Colin