Open Eyes

I have been distracted for the last several months, maybe for the last year. I have been moving, learning about myself, wrapped up in what seems most important in the moment. Tonight my eyes were opened anew.

It is the 11th hour for civilization as we know it. I am appalled, enraged, and saddened by humanity's treatment of our planet. The system is broken. The earth is not a limitless resource. We cannot continue to live on energy borrowed from millennia ago. It is becoming more and more obvious that we have overstepped our bounds. I had forgotten momentarily the magnitude of the devastation of which we are capable. Don't even get me started on politics.

Pure awe at the capacity of earth for creation and purification, however powerful, is only the first step to recovery. I have lapsed in my studies, lost my voice for the issues. Here is one of the most supportive cities in the U.S. and I have completely forgotten myself. It's time for me to hit the books, find a group to lend my voice, start writing again, and register to vote. It is the 11th hour; the storm is coming. It's 11:59.

Open up your eyes.

Space Pods and other creepy things

There are some things in the world that just make my skin crawl. Chief among them are those things that give birth to their young through their skin. Who knew I would confront my ultimate heebie jeebie at the Portland Classical Chinese Gardens? Lotus pods are just one form of this inter-Kingdom freakishness.

To me, the most horrifying grotesque putrid thing in the world may have to be the Surinam toad. Coupled with the fact that I am more than a little disturbed by amphibians, these toaads have the most disgusting of all births. During mating the males' actions press the fertilized eggs into the soft skin on the females' backs. Her skin heals over the eggs forming a honey comb of pockets. Then, in a few weeks the little toadlets emerge leaving the mother a pitted horror-show. (I refuse to disgrace my blog with a picture of these things, besides just looking up that link made me queasy.)
It is for these same reasons I don't like berries. Sure they seem innocent enough, but left unattended those egg laden skins can turn into this:
And that's a risk I'm just not willing to take.

Since I have sickened myself with all this skin-baby talk I'll leave on a good note. My favorite structure in Portland: the St. John's bridge.
The bridge was completed in 1931. It provided many workers with jobs during the first years of the Depression. At the time it had

• the highest clearance in the nation,
• the longest prefabricated steel cable rope strands,
• the tallest steel frame piers of reinforced concrete,
• the first application of aviation clearance lights to the towers, and
• longest suspension span west of Detroit, Michigan.

It gives me a little dose of Oz every time I cross it. I am so glad it's in the neighborhood.

Weekend Escape

Labor Day weekend was the last weekend that neither Chad or I will have rehearsal or a show to be working on until Thanksgiving! With that in mind, we had to get out of town while we could. We retreated from the Portland city limits to the hills just southwest of town - wine country!
We stopped first at the Anne Amie winery. If Pinots are their specialty, I don't know why they don't have more of them on their tasting flights. Most of the wine we tasted seemed incomplete, sour even. The Pinot Gris and Noir were much better than the rest of the flight, and truly stood out as the wine on which they focus their energy.
What Anne Amie lacked in taste, they made up for in scenery. Outside their antiquated tasting room, the Coastal Range unfolds in front of you. They have a beautiful garden, and this passion flower bloom begged for a photo.
Our next wine destination was closed for a private event; however, we stumbled upon this gem, the Red Ridge Farms Herb and Plant center. Row after row of carefully labeled immaculately cultivated flora. We both had a good time snapping shots of some of their showier plants.


We took a chance stopping at Sokol Blosser Winery and couldn't have been happier about it. Beautiful setting, very tasty, full, drinkable wines, and organic to boot!
Oh, and did I mention that the wines are affordable? Even their dessert Riesling was perfectly balanced finishing in a bright note of crisp apple. Another bonus, Sokol Blosser is the first winery in North America to receive a LEED rating for their cellar. A scrumptious end to a delicously free Saturday.