morels

In the Pacific Northwest, the delectable morel mushroom is the most prized of all the mushrooms. It's a springtime mushroom -- as opposed to the yellow chanterelles we get in the fall -- that becomes especially abundant after a forest fire. They love the dry ponderosa timberlands of eastern Washington, so a journey in search of these forest-floor morsels requires a trip over the Cascades.

One of the spots we've been wanting to visit since we set foot in WA is the Methow Valley. People wax poetic about this place, so AJ and I wanted to see what it's all about. The area also experienced the largest fire in the state's history last year, and by all accounts the morel hunting was pretty good.

We let the crowds disperse from the holiday weekend, and then pointed the Subaru northeast towards the Methow. We were greeted with 75 degrees of warmth and intermittent thunderstorms - all made for a stunning scene. And the morels? Yes, we found them - and came back with a bundle.

The light created by the dark clouds and bright sun was simply gorgeous. 

The fire took out major portions of the valley - lots of evidence of burned homes and bridges, and lives disrupted.

Gorgeous fuzzy white forest flowers.

The burned forest, which is prime mushroom territory.

Lupines everywhere!

The famous morel - 5 of them peekin out from under a crevice.

Adrienne plucking the loot.

More forest flowers...

Thuderstorms started to roll in!

The light in the forest was spectacular.

Careful!

Our digs for the night.

Our loot.

Paired a fancy morel dinner with a bottle of Big Table Farms Riesling - with morels on the label!

The Mazama Country Store - so Sunset!

Deep eastern valley leading up to the Cascades.

Approaching the summit over the pass.

old friends AND wine - what could be better?

Adrienne is currently bobbing around out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, doing the kind of research that will help save the world or something. Me? I am sticking around on the homefront, making sure the garden and cat stay alive. But I figured the greenery and the black fuzzball could survive at least one night alone, so I road tripped down to Oregon to see old friends and do a bit of tasting in the Willamette Valley.

This trip turned out to be an extra special treat. I drove all over the backroads of wine country, much of which I had not seen before. The Willamette was simply stunning - quiet roads, green rolling hills, oaks, vineyards, and wildflowers galore. I got to visit some winery old favorites, discovered some new ones, and went to one that's been long on my list. Ah, the life.

But the real reason I made the 4+ hour trek was to see old friends in Corvallis. My old COMPASS crew and friends are an extra special lot who we see far to seldom. The time was short, but we squeezed in a hike, a dinner party, lots of catching up and drinking, and even shot off half-dozen fireworks. It was an absolute ball.

The only thing missing was my lady friend - but perhaps a tasting trip in the fall will be in order, and another check in on all the Corvallis crew.

Karen and Kirsten leading the troops.

The craggy old oaks on Bald Hill are my favorite - something I miss living this far north.

Sadie lookin like a black little fox. Actually, looks like Wiesty.

Me and my 'ol buddy, Finn.

The crew at Cindy and Michael's house.

 Crinders and John!

Everyone around the dinner table - what a great shindig!

Michael the pyro

Kirsten, the birthday girl!

John and Lizzy!

The stunningly beautiful Willamette Valley.

Our friend's amazingly beautiful farm and winery, Big Table Farm.

Tasting the goods at Big Table Farm

The farmer at Big Table Farm - Clare Carver!

My happy place....

the meyers visit the muttons

Spring is a fantastic time of year in the PacNorWest, when all of the flowers come out in droves and show off their vibrant colors. What's growing now? Tulips and other crazy bulbs, plus a bunch of early rhododendrons and azalias. Simply gorgeous.

Mar and Jer came up for the spring break holiday, and soaked in the sights. We headed out to Victoria, B.C. for a splash of old-world charm and a visit to the Butchart Gardens. It was amazing and is a must-see when on Vancouver Island.

Other than that, we just enjoyed their company and chilled around Seattle. Mark came down to see his brother, and as always AJ cooked up a feast that will be remembered for a while to come. Its always great to see family - this time the visit felt too short, but we know we'll be down in SoCal soon to see them again along with everyone else. Can't wait!

Had our second fire of the year on a lovely April evening

We made it over to Victoria and stayed at the famous Empress Hotel - a real treat!

Victoria is the capital of B.C., so we went into their legislative building. Very cool, and well over 100 years old.

Victoria has the oldest Chinatown in North America outside of San Fransisco

Downtown Victoria

 Mom and Dad in front of the old tobacco store, where they bought a very expensive Cuban cigar!

 Scenes from around the Empress Hotel

Scenes from around town at night

J&M&J

We trekked out to the Butchart Gardens - simply stunning. The bulbs were growing like mad. 

Scenes from around the garden

Back in the States, so we had Uncle Mark down for a visit!