wine anyone?

 When I was in the San Francisco, California area for the christmas and new year holiday I was very fortunate to take an afternoon excursion to the Sonoma Valley for these two wineries. I love their wines and you should definitely try them out too!

at the Rodney Strong vineyard! I ended up getting their reserve Port wine...it is the most amazing Port i have ever tried. It is light and beautiful. 

driving into their drive way

a winter view from the top of their tasting room

omg, the smell from the current collection was amazing! upon the entrance you are surrounded by the luscious aroma of sweet wine. it smelled amazing, like nothing you have ever smelled before.

the oak casks are from Europe and are about 10 feet tall and with about the diameter of 5 or 6 feet wide.

entering the Francis Ford Coppola winery in Healdsburg, Ca

the Coppola vineyard

the Coppola Vineyard pool. you can come and hang out at their public pool for a small nominal fee...lol...but it mostly open for private functions! it was a gorgeous scene...

actual set props from the Bram Stroker Dracula film directed of course by the winery name sake.

i was amazed by the Victorian wedding dress of one of the movie's character. all that upper de'colletage was just fitting for the movie persona.

million dollar Tucker car and can you believe Francis owns two of which only four was made in the world? guess who owns the third one?

the Godfather's desk from the movie set.

a memorabilia wall from the movie set of the Godfather

cast list of the Godfather movie, i am not sure who's hand written list this is, but I guess Francis owns!

I was lucky enough to taste a flight of wine from the Coppola list and unfortunately I didn't a taste of the Grappa, but I am sure it is wonderful!

the Sofia rose' were beautiful and a little on the drier side but none the less yummy!~

one of their wall of selections

a table setting of holiday goodies

Change of direction here...

okay, so due to a brief sigh of relief and busy days, I thought I'd like to add my trivial resource cents here too... let's say I had an epiphany of sorts of what nirvana would be like (for me) and it begins here.....as I sit here listening to my fave lady Niki Minaj (thank you lovely), I stare in solace the winter 2012 issue of edible PORTLAND (www.edibleportland.com) and it makes me sooo happy. Thank you ECOTRUST for a wonderful community print resource. I am happy to be able to share with you a small window of the edible communities here in Portland, Oregon. I will also have postings of the wine country here in Oregon as well. It is all something I have a love for and I am happy to share this sustainability with you. Please check  the edible Portland out and don't forget to support your local farmers! they are a huge part of the heart of America. Let's get organic so go out there and shop local. Remember start locally expand globally!  I will post up beautiful photographs of the local sights and scenes for your enjoyment. the whirlwind of an ADHD here as my BFF calls me....

This winter's edible Portland highlights the "Life on a Mushroom Farm" on it's cover. It also features the "Three cheers for Parsley" and the "Cost of Coffee" as well.  I will rehash on the eP cover's featured farmer. The parsley and coffee articles are great too so you should definitely check the website out and enjoy. I love the parsley recipes and so will you. www.edibleportland.com

the featured article titles, "Out of the dark, Meet your local mushroom farm" composed by Lola Milholland is beautiful and simple in its direct message.  The article begins on the brief run down of what a mushroom is and where the capital Agaricus variety derive from....definitely not from Oregon. She also states that less than 4 percent of that variety is produced in the West Coast US (mostly in California of course). What a shame! Holy basil world! how can that be...so, the buddies Dan Thall and Brian Shaw take the variety to higher local level. they braved on the mushroom world. hehehe....thank goodness! The organic wizard Dan Thall cohorted with his college friend Brian Shaw and the Hood River Organics came into fruition. who knew growing mushrooms was that difficult! completely! and although having an organic operation sounds liberating and environmentally sound, it is at least 80 percent sweat equity.  the labor of love and science works in this organic farmers' idealism. exact science on temperature, water control, compost and the only non-local manifestation of "spawn" produce the king of this turd pile....cremini and portobello mushrooms.  all local baby! the pair also have an ample size amount of lush and organic fruits, eggs and bread as a part of their CSA (community supported agriculture) program. In the end, after the scientific and organic compost is used over, it is recycled into their organic orchards and shared among the local communities. a wonderful way to organically come full circle with their mushroom dreams.  You too can purchase the lush and bootiful compose from them. check them out and give them a holler of love and praise. http://hoodriverorganic.com/ourfriends.html sounds like i am going to make a visit to the two gentlemen's farm for my visual collections...keep in tune for future local photographs of the gorgeous upcoming NW spring season.....i hope....in the mean while, the following photographs are from four years ago in my first annual spring and summer visit to Hood River, Oregon. enjoy!

in Hood River, OR somewhere upon the fruitloop lane

a small glimpse of the eastern side of Mt. Hood

at my favoritest place, the Lavender Farm in Hood River, OR

another scenic shot

at the Rasmussen Farm in Hood River, OR

sunflowers of course!

a few alpacas of course, you gotta love em

driving out towards the river 

another slip of Mt. Hood, OR

other websites of interests:

http://www.hoodriverfruitloop.com/index.html

http://hoodriverorganic.com/ourfriends.html

http://www.oregonwild.org/about/blog/?Subject=Mushrooms

http://www.oregonwild.org/about/hikes_events/explore-wild-oregon

the beauty of no bad hair days

A friend's sentimental message of love through my favorite flowers....who doesn't love sunflowers and stargazers?

A duration of chemotherapy

Just some of the stuff I got.....steroids and chemotherapy....

Prevailing heart rest day

Today was a quiet and somber day. It started with me knocking my water bottle almost empty with whatever juice and Vitamin D3 left. It was early and dark out of course. Upon returning to my empty bed, I thought about the wonders around me and how to interpret them for here. How should it continue, my thoughts of last....

Swallowing all the whirlwind around me made me freeze. This was all a result of the MRI and needle biopsies I endured gracefully and alone. You should have seen that uncomfortable MRI experience. I had to reschedule it because of my claustrophobia. Thank goodness there was an opening the following evening. A dose of Vicodin was awaiting me upon my return home. It was not the conventional position that one assumes. How does one begin to describe biopsies? Hmmm....my breast surgeon said it was going to be the worst part of it all. Partly correct, partly out of heart professional mind! I do not want to get graphic here so I will leave to your imagination. All the medication, poking, prodding, physician appointments, surgeries, advice, tears, sweat and sleepless thoughts were all holding me tight and ready for our journey ahead. It began with that first surgical date. My oncologist said a date for chemotherapy. My breast surgeon set a date for my chemo port placement. What a duel they were!

Mamma here to save the day! Of course my poor pathetic and sad lonely self had to endure all this, NOT! Island culture is very close knit and here she was, on the next plane to take care of her late bloomer of a hag daughter. Sacrificing father and husband home with her youngest daughter for a year. Who does that? My wonderful and sweet mamma....thank you mom!

Next step, early morning appointment at the radiology of course. Meeting with the CT Scan. Starting off with that gross stale water of iodine I had to drink. All cold stale liter of it. It was about finding exactly where and how big my tumor and unexpected second tumor was. I heard too much of how lucky I was that I had one huge tumor (the size of a golf ball) versus the pea size shot gun pieces that statistically occur. Unfortunately, I had two.  It wasn't what I wanted, but who choices cancer at all. What the heck did this mean now?

It meant the worst was yet to come. The psychological pains of breast cancer let alone my journey is an illness I do not wish upon my worst enemy. Upon no one. My family for the next four years where in for a horrible ride.