the fellowship continues...again

The fellows reunioned once again, as we've been known to do every two years or so. This time our destination was in the Applegate Valley of southern Oregon. The idea started with J&A and was simply meant to be a short jaunt to visit Charlotte and Terry--they live in Ashland. We figured we'd just see if others might be interested.

Lo and behold, they were. We ended up with 15 (including kiddos), which is a few shy of the whole lot. Shockingly, since there were so many, our only housing option was to rent Steve Miller's old house! He had a 700 acre ranch that he owned from 1976-86, where he wrote and recorded many of his most iconic works. The house is 4000 sq feet, is on the historic building registry, and smack-dab in between Seattle fellows and Bay Area fellows. This also happens to be smack-dab in the middle of nowhere.

But that turned out to be a bonus. The house was the destination. And with the wettest weekend of the El Niño season coinciding with our visit, we were housebound except for a few muddy and splashy adventures outside.

We ate. We drank. We played Cards Against Humanity. It was epic.

Really, though, this was no more epic than the other get togethers we've had. And that's what makes these weekends so fun. Yeah, its a pain to coordinate, settle on a weekend, pick a destination, shell out the cash, ask for time off...the list goes on. But we've all learned that its ALWAYS worth it cuz it ALWAYS turns out to be a truly rejuvenating weekend. We've reunioned all over the place--Sea Ranch, Santa Barbara, Sebastopol, and now we add the Applegate Valley to the list.

These folks are the best of friends. We met 10 years ago and there have been many many changes in all of our lives. But when we get together, we pick up where we left off and proceed to have the highest and lowest brow of conversations you can imagine. The best part is we have many more decades of such gatherings - who knows where's next?

Until next time Maurice, the Sinner, the Midnight Toker, and all the rest.
- The Gangster of Love 

Steve Miller's house on the pond

These were probably the bluest skies we saw - view from the house over the pond.

 Charlotte and Letise hangin.

 A pile of fellows!

 Simon and mini-fellow Hala.

 Charlotte and the miniest of Fellows, Lark.

 AJ and mini fellow X.

 Amber and Ken with mini fellow Elle.

 Amber, Ken, and Elle's super-feast!

 Fellows gather 'round the feedin table.

 Dinner!

CoCo and AJ really love each other. 

Faith and Hala playing legos.

A rousing game of Cards Against Humanity...

 Kid pile on Simon.

 Wet wet fields and the Siskiyous in the background...

 Gorgeous

 Gettin the kiddos out in the rain to burn off energy.

 Adults like the rain too.

 And CoCo loves the out of doors.

 Simon and Hala dodging raindrops.

Fellows loungin.

Fellows drinkin.

 Kiddos and their funny faces.

 A last supper of fellows.

 Hangin one last night by the fireplace.

Sad goodbyes :(

a strange trip through rain, heat, and cold

I don't think I've ever had a trip like the one from last week. Trekked from rainy Seattle to sub-zero DC, to 70+ degree LA/San Diego, to 90+ degree Phoenix - then back to the rain in Seattle. I had a work trip in DC that I coupled with an overnighter to CA and car ride with my folks to Phoenix to see a friend. This was not an easy trip to pack for!

All in all, it was great. The meeting in DC was productive and I got to reconnect with old friends; any chance I can get to see my family in CA is a bonus; and we got to see an old neighbor of ours who is like 3rd grandmother to me. Good times.

 

Old haunts in DC, including my old house and office building. What a time that was!

 DC means seeing old friends!

 Kids put on a dance party to Katy Perry.

 Javier plays the tiniest violin ever.

 Out at the brewery!

 John Meyer in his natural habitat.

An old friend, Dallas.

A couple hours in Carlsbad allowed me to see my nephew and watch Downton with my grandparents!

 Mom, Dad and me having margaritas in Phoenix.

 The reason for visiting Phoenix - our old friend Marg!

And if you HAVE to go to Phoenix, be sure to visit Taliesin West - Frank Lloyd Wright's homestead in the desert.

my favorite place at 6,000 feet

On the flanks of Mt Hood - one of the Cascade volcanoes just east of Portland, OR - sits Timberline Lodge. A gem of epic proportions, the lodge was hewn from the mountain itself in 1936 under the direction of FDR's WPA. It was the middle of the Great Depression, and the idea was to put local craftsman, artists, builders, and laborers back to work.

The place sits at 6,000 feet on Hood's south side, just as as the landscape turns from forest to rock and ice. On a clear day, the picture windows from the lodge's soaring lobby frame the flat-topped mountain perfectly. I took the above photo while sipping a cup o' joe all cozied up inside. A major source of Timberline's magic comes from the surrounding natural beauty, which is classic NW. But that magic continues inside the lodge, where time has stood still for 80 years. You can almost feel the ghosts of the past.

A giant stone hexagonal fireplace rises 90 feet in the main room, whose exterior walls are also hexagonal. Couches surround it, positioned to look at the yawning fireplaces or the snowy landscape outside. Some of the biggest wooden beams you've ever seen support the place, showing just how big the trees used to be in the Cascades. Craftman touches are everywhere - my favorite are the hammered wrought iron latches and door signs and hinges and door knobs and grates and straps that are everywhere. And the paintings, mosaics, and carvings that bedeck the place are unparalleled - true relics that should be preserved under lock and key in a museum.

But I guess that's what makes this place truly remarkable - Timberline is kind of a museum anyway. Everything is original - no half-assed replicas anywhere - and you truly feel like you're stepping back in time. Its precisely that which makes this dimly lit, campfire-smelling, rock-and-wood masterpiece so special. Put this on your list - you must visit and stay the night.

Below are some photos from our trip - you can click on the pictures to see bigger versions.

We arrived in a cloud - cold and grey.

But by the next morning, it was beautiful. This is Timberline's main lobby. The snow is up to the third floor in this photo!

Totally unique architecture.

Our room, with a view of the snowy landscape and mountain.

 The main lobby.

The big fireplace.

The timbers and top of the hexagonal fireplace.

AJ in one of the writing nooks.

JJ in one of the reading nooks.

 AJ and JJ in the famed wine vault of Timberline. They have largest wine selection of any place in Oregon - wine list is 29 pages long!

Its the artistry in this place that makes it absolutely incredible.

Our room from the outside looking in.

Skiing while recovering from from a cold with my lady friend.

The lodge backdropped by Mt Hood.

Coming thru!!

The gray skies gave way to blue ones!

And when the day is done, the clouds return and you go into the heated outdoor pool and hot tub.

The mountain the morning we left. Stunning blue and white.

Yours truly, in his element!