wine tasting - new homeowner style

We like wine.  If you didn't know that, then apparently we've never met.  There is nothing like a single block Cab from the Alexander Valley, a peppery Zin from the Dry Creek, or a silky-smooth Pinot from either the Willamette or Santa Ynez Valleys (you choose).  We've become refined connoisseurs, sharpening our palates enough to differentiate the taste of one year's juice from the next, or being able to detect a region's subtle undertones of their signature soil in a quick sniff.  And yes - I drive a Saab, we listen to NPR, and use reusable shopping bags to do our organic produce shopping with zeal.  So what.

Now we own a home that's a bit of a fixer.  We're poor.  Gone are the days of side-by-side wine comparos; their replacement is what you see above.  The Black Box is actually quite good - smooth and bold, well balanced with a nice lingering finish.  Its no Santa Barbara Syrah, but hey - we like it.  But to quote a line from one of our favorite movies, the Bota Box tastes like "the back of a LA school bus."

Don't worry about us - we'll drink good wines again someday.  In the meantime, our challenge is to find the good boxes of wine out there.  And it gives us something to look forward to - once we finish pouring cash into our new (and progressively more beautiful) house, we can once again embark on that journey of finding the perfect red blend that's promised to come from the Columbia Valley.

hawaii

My final treat on my month-long vacation before staring a new job: 4 days visiting a college buddy, Courtney, and her two kids in Waipio Valley, Hawaii.  Waipio Valley is one of the few valleys in the northwest region of the Big Island that's accessible by land, but barely accessible... the steep drive down in a 4x4 is always an adventure in itself!  See that road cut into the 2000 ft cliff in the background?  That's the only way in!

There are maybe 100 folks that live off the grid in the valley among the rivers, waterfalls, taro fields, black sand beach, and tropical forest.  It's such a unique place to raise children.  Courtney has a few friends in the valley raising kids as well, and it's quite an adventure for the young group. On my first day there, we did some fruit harvesting...

First some coconut tree climbing with a riveted audience. 











Nothing better than drinking coconut milk out of a papaya branch straw and gnawing on a sugar cane!

And then there's the beach...  my favorite place to be...


The next day we took a hike further back into the back of the valley to our favorite waterfall.  Here's a picture of me climbing up to get a water neck massage.  Abram and Angelina also did some dancing in the hose spray, with some much needed warming up from mom afterwards.






















Lots of hiking...

And some nice downtime at the house.  The house (pictured below) is the result of Courtney's and her late husband's handywork.  I've seen it through many stages over the years, and it's so comfy with it's running water, propane-powered full kitchen, and solar-powered electricity.  The kids (to the left) are preparing for their auditions with Cirque du Soleil on one of their favorite Christmas presents.  Every evening after Abram and Angelina went to bed, Courtney and I had some quiet time catching up with some wine in the candlelight.  I'm really lucky to have a friend living in such a magical place. It's a great break in the middle of a Seattle winter and so nice to catch up with an old friend.  I miss my girlfriends!

christmas 2009 in seattle

Ahhh, Christmas.  That time of year when one hopes to hunker down in a cozy cabin with loved ones, hot cider (spiked with booze of choice) in hand, surrounded by holiday cheer, music, and movies.  Presents and carols abound, and the spirit of the season just seems to ooze from everywhere.  


Now you'll expect me to switch gears here and tell you ours was exactly the opposite.  But it wasn't - Adrienne and I had a great first Christmas and New Year in the Ravenna Centenarian (which is remarkably cabin-like and cozy)!  What we missed: old friends, east- and west-coast family gatherings, and that big Christmas ham (for JJM).  What we didn't miss: winter travel, rushed visits, and worries about the Fluffer being all alone (for AJS).  We  did get a samll dose of family - we were treated to a visit from my folks after Christmas which was great.  And they hit a gorgeous great stretch of weather that allowed our new city to really show off.  


Below are a few images that capture our great holiday.

Home made stockings for J, A and the Fluff.  Good stuff was in there - no coal, just cheddar.

Fluffer got a pretty pretty pink princess house - which she loves! (do you see the eyes peering out from within?)

Spicy Bloody Marys...Christmas morning done right...

Our city on a beautiful winter day.

To all...may 2010 (pronounced 'two thousand ten, or twenty ten?  Discuss....) bring you nothing but the best for you and all that you love.  And maybe it may also bring you for a visit to J and A near the 49th parallel? 

thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a blast! Sara came out from Philly for the weekend and Uncle Mark made the trek down to Seattle for the day. We did it right: parade on TV, yummy brunch, bloody marys, football, long walk in the neighborhood, dinner, and pecan pie. By Friday morning, Sara woke up with sore muscles in her sides from laughing so much. Yes, it was a fun group and a great way to break in the new home.

Sara stayed the weekend and we explored the Seattle area a bit. Went to see the salmon running, but alas, no salmon in the little river (i.e., "Disappointment Creek"). The clouds parted for a day, so Sara had a chance to see the Seattle skyline surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. The snow capped mountains definitely impress any east coast visitor (they still shock me a little every time I see them). Went down to the very busy Pike Place Market, which apparently is what the rest of Seattleites with visitors in town did. Included a wine tasting trip to Woodinville and discovered we have 40 wineries a 20 minute drive from Seattle - nice! This was our first weekend in Seattle without a trip to Home Depot, and it was awesome to relax and hang out with my bff.

construction

New windows, some paint on the wall, and opening up a wall a bit really make a big difference! We still have lots of work to do before we have Thanksgiving guests, but things are coming along.

Old living room with horrible windows (check out the two next to the front door - weird)...



New living room with awesome windows...



Old entrance to kitchen...



New entrance to kitchen...

And our FINISHED guest room... We're ready for guests! Sara's first!

our neighborhood

We are still blown away by the fact that we were able to buy a house in a neighborhood like Ravenna. After living is some marginal areas of cities in the past, we were expecting our limited budget to bring us there again. Instead, we are in a quiet residential neighborhood that's accessible to everything and walkable to the essentials (pub, Whole Foods, yoga studio, park, bus stop, etc.). We've met many of our new neighbors, all great and all with young children, so we've already been asked when we're having some. Answer: maybe when your kids are old enough to babysit.

"Ravenna" was apparently named after the Italian seaport... not sure why, other than it's close to both Lake Union and Lake Washington. The map to the right (from Seattle Public Library) shows Ravenna around the time our house was built. As you can see from the topographic lines, it is hilly. We've scoped out the nearest lookouts to Mount Rainier, the Cascades, and Olympics so we can 'wow' our guests (especially east coasters) on a clear day. A few blocks south of us is a particularly steep ravine that was probably impossible to build on, so the city has maintained it as a park for a long time (after cutting down all the old growth Douglas Fir in the early 1900's... which is probably where our floors came from!). For you DC folks, it reminds us a lot of Rock Creek Park. So we have a new place for a run or for a mini forest escape.

Spent some time enjoying Lake Union on a sunny day this weekend. Such a beautiful city, that's for sure... Love being surrounded by water (for A) and mountains (for J). What a perfect combo...

living in 300 sq ft

So when we 'moved into our house' last week, it was actually only moving boxes into the basement and furniture into the bedroom. This is how we lived for a week. Not the best, especially when you're working from your 'home office'. But I suppose I've seen scientists' offices with more piles than this, so it's possible...

Wiesty loved the set-up. She had plenty of hiding spots. Note the large pile against the wall on the left. That was her cat cave for the week.

The inconvenience was worth it. The fir floors have been restored to their original grandeur and look stunning! Check out the video where I welcome our new floors with a tribute to the Meyer-Sutton household's favorite Sunday pastime.