Lummi Island Wine Tasting April 27 ’13
Closed Friday!
Just a reminder: although we are back, for a number of reasons the wine shop will be closed on Friday, April 26. We will be open for our usual hours on Saturday, April 27 (2-6pm)…looking forward to seeing you all!
(remember: click on images for larger versions!)
May Day
As it turns out, May Day, or Beltane, is the halfway point ( i.e. cross-quarter day) between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Like the other solar events people have celebrated since time out of mind, May Day was the perfect time to celebrate the fecundity of Spring. Traditionally it was a time for dance and song to hail the budding of new life across the countryside. Young couples paired off as a sort of engagement; if all went well, they would marry at the summer solstice in late June, and that is likely the origin of the June wedding tradition. Once again, rituals we take for granted turn out to have evolved long ago in concert with the solar calendar and the cycle of planting and harvest. Now, of course, these traditions have been reduced to their most basic commercial elements. Like the mythical Farengi, we are a pragmatic species!
When I was first in school (age 4 and 5), I remember making May baskets in class. And while the idea is Dangerous out of all proportion nowadays, the tradition we were taught was to put little goodies (jelly beans and such may have been provided at school–my teacher for both subprimary and first grade was a charming and attractive young nun named Sister Cecilia), and then to hang the May Basket on someone’s doorknob. I remember thinking about handing that basket on that cute red-haired girl’s door (oh, wait a minute, I was confusing myself with Charlie Brown…!), but so soon after Easter (at least in some years) the idea of goodie baskets seemed a bit redundant. Which of course makes you wonder whether the idea of Easter Baskets evolved from some overlap between the fecundity of Rabbits and the broader fecundity of Spring. What do YOU think??
We’re Back!
We arrived home from nearly a month on the road this afternoon. Last night we stayed in a Washington State Park south of Olympia. Quite dramatically, after the parade of brownish-gray, arid landscapes that have dominated our landscapes during our trip, the familiar setting of tall firs and dense undergrowth (and yes, a bit of Mud here and there) was a welcoming beacon. (Although, really, if we are honest with ourselves, does anybody really like Mud…?
Cigar Box Guitars
Last night we camped at a Washington State Park south of Olympia. Our site was a short distance from a very distinctive old school bus, you know, the really big ones with the rounded sterns…? We noticed a smoke-belching chimney from a fire in the indoor stove, a fire in the outdoor fireplace, and the sound of old-time music as we walked by. This morning we had a chance to meet and converse with our neighbor and bus-owner, Terry Strasheim. from nearby Centralia.
It turns out he made the instrument he had played the night before: a “cigar-box guitar.”…! Apparently this is an old tradition undergoing a bit of a revival. Now maybe one needs to be from an earlier generation to understand what a “cigar box” is, and even earlier to know what a “cigar-box guitar:” is. The basic idea is that it is a stringed instrument with a fretted neck is attached to an old-fashioned cigar box as the resonating body. It has three strings, and is tuned like a dulcimer.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get a sound recording of Terry playing his prototype instrument. All you need to know is that they are very funky, very compelling, and most often have only three strings. Terry can play a wide range of tunes on it. He does not yet have a website, but would love to tell you more about his work and his instruments. You can email him at muzeckman@gmail.com for more information. They are awesome instruments; every music buff should have one!
Wines
Unfortunately we have arrived home too late to pick wines for this weekend. Trust us when we say that whatever we pour will taste great! Looking forward to seeing you all!
Lummi Island Wine Tasting April 20 ’13
Special note on next week’s hours
Ryan will open the shop as usual tonight (Friday, April 19) from 4-7 and on Saturday from 2-6. Next week, however, THE SHOP WILL NOT BE OPEN ON FRIDAY, APRIL 26 , but we will be back in time to open for regular hours next Saturday, April 27. We will post another reminder about this next week, and look forward to seeing you then!
Boondocking with Leigh and Brian
Boondocking is what RV people call dropping anchor for the night someplace where you don’t have to pay. Apparently there are tons of public lands out there, particularly in the West, where this is allowed. So we met up with them just outside the northern boundary of Joshua Tree National Park in south-central California, and set up a little compound. Lots and lots of space…the dogs loved it, and it does have a certain charm, a little like being out on the ocean…
as usual, click on photos for larger image
our little compound in the middle of Nowhere
Brian and Curtis on a morning stroll
Leigh at the back door of the Airstream
We drove through Joshua Tree from south to north. Although we had been here before many years ago, I had not realized how huge the park is. There aren’t so many Joshua trees in the southern part, but there are other cactus, and many were just starting to bloom. There are areas with expanses of cholla and others with expanses of ocotillo. A wild and beautiful place…
Lummi Island Wine Tasting April 13 ’13
On the Road
We picked up our new trailer in Denver last Friday, and spent our first night at Lake Pueblo State Park in southeast Colorado. We discovered that yes, the car is underpowered for the job, in the sense that we go very slowly up hills and the mileage dropped from about 22 mpg on the trip to Denver, and more like 15-16 with the trailer. It does seem to do better with a little more octane in the fuel. Here in the mountain states they call 85 octane “regular,” and 87 “plus,” or as we know it, “regular.” Sometimes this “plus” has 88 octane, and the car seems to like that pretty well.
Santa Fe
We stopped in Santa Fe for a few days visiting Toby and Barbara, who also have a place here on Lummi. They have a spread southwest of town which they have turned into a private jewel. We visited a couple of museums in Santa Fe, and this little creation caught my eye– a bejeweled model of an old VW bus towing an old trailer…Cute, huh??? Remind you of anything…???
The Road to Phoenix
Somewhere around Gallup, NM we found this viewpoint, which is quite spectacular in person. Looking at the photo here the landscape is just too big to capture. This view is looking east back toward Albuquerque. Click on any of the photos to see a larger version! Big Sky, huh??
Currently we are in Phoenix visiting family, heading west tomorrow to rendezvous with Leigh and Brian this weekend in California.
This week’s tasting
Although we are on the road, Ryan will open the wine shop as usual on Friday (4-7) and Saturday (2-6). I have no idea what he will be pouring, but as always it will be good! So stop by and keep him from getting lonely!
Lummi Island Wine Tasting April 6 ’13
On the Road
The picture at left is of a sister (brother?) trailer to the one we are picking up (taking in tow, actually) in Denver tomorrow. From there we will meander our way back to scenic Lummi Island over the next few weeks, visiting with old friends and family along the way, several of whom we (and possibly many of you) first met at our wine shop (e.g., Leere, Leigh and Brian, Kier and David…).
The Dark Lords of Coors
As I write this, we are visiting an old high school friend of mine in Golden, CO, a lovely upscale town a bit West of Denver. This summer marks 50 years since our high school graduation, a fairly iconic milestone, and it has been a great visit.
I have to say that while I have no strong opinions one way or the other about Coors beer, which is made here, I do feel compelled to say that the structure that houses the brewery has an unmistakable Darkness about it, its vast gray concrete ramparts strongly resembling Mordor itself, so Creepy I doubt that anyone who has seen it could ever again drink the beer it produces. I mean, I thought it was some kind of Power Plant, built to last maybe, but without a shred of aesthetic sensibility.
However, the town of Golden and surrounding countryside are quite lovely, and we have enjoyed our stay.
Tomorrow we hit the road in the new trailer, and so will not be present for the usual festivities at the wine shop. Ryan will open the shop for regular hours on Friday (4-7) and Saturday (2-6). Only he knows what wines he will pour, so stop by and find out. We will be thinking of you, and will update our travel notes periodically over the next couple of weeks.
The Dark Lords of Coors
2072 Granger Way