little black journal

Shane and I have been talking about a getaway over to Eastern Washington’s wine country for awhile now, so when Jack and LaVerne invited us to head over to Walla Walla with them for the weekend, I thought, “Good wine?  Fantastic weather?  Time with good friends?  Yes, Please!”  And we were off…

Our first stop on Saturday was at Hightower Cellars in Red Mountain.  The wines there were good, but I found myself particularly taken with this wall constructed out of planks cut from old barrels.  Very cool.

From Red Mountain, we headed farther east and made a stop at L’Ecole No. 41.  This was a very cool spot – the tasting facility was set in an old schoolhouse.  Very charming.  Again I found myself spending more time looking at the building than actually tasting the wines, but that would soon change.  My palette had only been teased at this point, although we were certainly on our way to having an absolutely fantastic day.  Look at those smiles…

After L’Ecole, we headed farther east to an area just south of Walla Walla.  This was where we really started getting into the good stuff.  We popped into a tiny little winery called a’Maurice and I tasted a Viognier that made my eyes get wide and my taste buds go, “Wow!”  K Vintners had a Syrah I really enjoyed and a farmhouse that Shane and I are hoping to retire in one day.  And Waters Winery had a Cab that I will probably dream about next time we are craving a good glass of wine on a chilly Seattle evening.  We hit a lot of wineries and tasted a lot of wine that day (I believe the final tally was 30 pours!), but we somehow still managed to take things slow and soak in the beautiful scenery and warm Walla Walla sunshine.

The fruit on the vines was full and plump and ripe for the picking.  Many of the vineyards were just beginning their crush.  I was glad we were able to see the vines while many of them still held grapes – a vineyard just doesn’t quite seem like a vineyard without these purply clusters.

We kicked off Sunday with a trip to the Walla Walla farmer’s market.  The market was small, but was stocked with some fantastic deals on produce.  We walked away with a heavy sack of plums for $3, and Jack and LaVerne purchased several pounds of tomatoes for just a couple of dollars.  Walla Walla has such a small-town feel to it – quiet, quaint, and full of very friendly people.  The real charm of the town really shone through when the old, slightly overweight Elvis impersonator jumped onto the small market stage and begain his round of Elvis tunes adn 11 a.m.  No one batted an eyelash, as if this were perfectly typical town entertainment.  I have to say, the guy wasn’t half-bad.  And his bright blue, bell-bottomed jumpsuit was an impressive fashion statement.

We hit three more wineries that day, concluding our whirlwind trip with a tour of Col Solare Vineyards in Red Mountain.  We got the insider’s scoop and were able to check out the wine tanks, the cellar, and stroll among the vines.  The view from the winery’s terrace was stunning, and the sun that hit us as we stood there was so wonderfully intense.  I was reminded of California for a moment.

This was such a perfect little weekend jaunt.  I definitely have some work to do on my palette – I don’t feel like I can pick up the subleties of what makes a certain wine really special – but if practice makes perfect, I’m willing to do my homework on this one…

Yesterday was the baby shower for our dear friends, N and J.  Shane gave me a suspicious look when I told him that it was a co-ed baby shower and that all the other husbands would be going, since he was under the impression that any party that ends in the word “shower” typically is intended for women.  But I assured him that he wouldn’t be asked to do anything silly at the shower, and told him that our stellar chef-friends J and L would be preparing some of the food, and so he gladly agreed to come.  Now don’t get me wrong – we had a fantastic time – but my promise of “no silliness” hardly held true.  Shane did manage to skip out on the “guess that mystery baby food” game (I played, and decided that I will never subject my infant to horrors of strained peas), but no one was going to let him escape the “chug apple juice from a low flow bottle as fast as you can” game.  Much, much trickier than it would seem…  And let me tell you, there is no funnier sight than a group of blind-folded men try to fumble their way through putting a diaper on a stuffed animal.  I was laughing to the point of tears as I watched Shane focus with extreme determination on getting that diaper on poor, contorted little Tigger.  I must admit, my husband had an unfair disadvantage in the race, since he was given the only stuffed animal with a tail, but he did his best and I trust that he will be a stellar diaper-changer when duty actually calls.

We have now become total believers in the Mom/Dad baby shower.  Not only does the presence of men make for some good laughs, but it also reinforces the fact that the woman isn’t the only one having the baby.  The father should be expected to be every bit as involved as the mother in the new child’s life.  One of the best gifts N and J received was a “Diaper Dude” – a diaper bag disguised as an ultra-cool canvas messenger bag.  For although my husband will be expected to change diapers, tote around bottles, and make sure the pacifier is handy, I won’t ask him to shoulder a bag with Winnie the Pooh and daisies all over it.