archy

After the weekend
We spent the weekend at my Mom’s. For those of you who have been following my occasional comments about my Mom’s cancer, her recovery is going great. Since returning home from my sisters’ in Alaska, her blood tests have continued to improve, her hair has grown back, she has gained back most of the weight she lost (to the extent that she is now complaining about gaining weight), and best of all, she has enough energy that she wants to drag us out to do fun things.

In fact, she’s lots more fun than we are. We’re happy to stay home and take naps on the weekend. Mom took us to the new Maryhill winery to taste the wines. Maryhill has been around for about four years. Their first vintages were produced from grapes they bought from the neighbors. Their vineyards are now mature enough that they are producing wines from their own grapes.

I’m not sure who’s behind the winery (I suppose I should put on my investigative cap and find out; could be Lithuanian mafia), but they have enough cash that their plan is to develop the winery itself as a major concert venue. They are on the right track. This year the have four concerts: The Temptations, Hootie and the Blowfish, Don Henley, and Willie Nelson, a very nice line-up to appeal to yuppie geezers, like I almost am. They are new enough, that not many people know about it and the shows aren’t sold out. That will probably change next year (if the second Bush administration allows concerts by anyone except Christian rock bands). If you live in the Pacific Northwest, this is your chance to get in on a hot thing before it becomes hot.

Their wines are very good. We’re not experts, but we’re finally at the age where we care about more than price when buying wine. Price is still first, but we have elevated food compatibility from distant second to close second. And food means something other than chips and clam dip. Their 2000 Syrah (first vintage, I think) is one of my wife’s favorite steak wines. I’m still looking for the perfect clam dip vintage.