Negative capability

I met up with some travel group friends in Seattle for a day-out in the wine district of Woodinville, on the east side of Lake Washington. Chateau Ste. Michelle has some of its major production facilities there, and about forty other wineries also have tasting rooms of one size or another. Actually, most of the grapes for Washington State wines are grown east of the Cascades, but it makes sense for wineries to showcase their production in the major cosmopolitan center that is Seattle.



Chateau Ste. Michelle is something of a wine giant. They are the largest and oldest winery in Washington State, producing around 2 million cases of wine every year. That's a lot of fermentation!






Oak-y dokey?











Another winery I really liked was "Brian Carter". His wines are blended in the European style, and are especially well-matched with food - like wood-fired pizza!













We stopped in the combined production facilities and tasting room of two wine-makers: Januik and Novelty Hill. I felt very trendy!













We were an interesting and eclectic group, but bound together by our interest in wine - and travel, and people. Rashid, who was visiting from Vancouver, drove me, Kelly, and her husband Hans around from winery to winery in his sporting Mini Cooper!













We ended the day at a lovely beach-side restaurant in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland. We then
returned to the city, tired but satisfied - and full of pleasantly viniferous memories.

From left to right, that's Rashid from Vancouver; Kelly from Los Angeles; and Guthrie, an architect-dude from Seattle itself.

Gosh, so it's been five years since I've been out in the Pacific Northwest. So I've come out to see some friends and visit some places and explore some islands.

I stayed in Seattle for a few nights with my friend Al and his family, and then Al and I took a quick trip up to BC for a few days. We crossed over the Puget Sound to the western portion of Washington State, and then we took the ferry from Port Angeles over to Victoria. The crossing of the Strait of Juan de Fuca - about 40 miles - takes about two hours, but on a nice day it's a lovely outing. Arriving in the harbor of Victoria is really very exciting. Victoria is almost unbelievably quaint - it's exceptionally "cute". Almost like a toy city!


Waiting to board the "Coho" for our crossing











A happy ferry passenger











Arriving in Victoria

Did you know?


I was driving across northwestern Wisconsin today, and stopped at the Bong memorial marker. It's just a little to the west of the port of Superior.









"It was here that Major Richard I. Bong was born, received his education, and grew to manhood. After attending Superior State College where he received his first pilot training, he joined the US Army Air Corps on May 29, 1941. Assigned to the New Guinea combat theater of operations on September 5, 1942, he quickly proved his mastery in the air by shooting down two enemy aircraft in his first air battle. By destroying a total of forty enemy aircraft in air combat he became America’s leading air ace of all time. Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by a grateful government, and winner of many other military decorations, he lost his life testing a jet plane in August 1945 and lies buried nearby."

Allen and his partner Max were in town last weekend, visiting from Chicago. Pleasantly, Allen's parent's hosted a "Beer-can chicken and jello mold invitational," with invited guests encouraged to bring their own jello concoctions. You know, there really is a great deal you can do with jello!

Allen himself contributed this Lime Jello and Mandarin Orange Mold. He's doing well: assistant manager at a Tarzhay Store on the north side of Chicago.








The Fitch's brought this delightful Peach Jello Ring. See how tall and elegant it is!










The Volcanologist brought this impressive three-layer Strawberry Jello Surprise. Typical of him to know all about stratification!









Nessa won the Grand Prize for her Watermellon Jello Bowls. They were oddly but deliciously stimulating, if you know what I mean. Strictly for the over-21s. Nessa is moving from Iron Harbor this month - she's left her job with the social service agency and will be starting Nursing School in the fall. Good for her.