Oregon to Sacramento

Harvest was actually pretty mellow. I worked a lot of the peak of harvest doing lab and computer related work, which was quite a change from the cellar-oriented stuff I had done the previous two harvests. It definitely broadened my understanding of the entire process, and allowed me to integrate a lot of my theoretical knowledge with the processes down in the winery. Also, working with a winery management software program allowed me to get a God's-eye view of the winery, understanding where processes fit in with each other. I was lucky to work with an extremely knowledgable team, between the Cellarmaster Cris and the Winemaker Lynn, both of whom are Davis graduates with a very deep understanding of how science fits in with winemaking. They were able to elucidate a lot of the intricacies that had seemed beyond the comprehension of previous coworkers at previous wineries. So though I missed cleaning tanks and driving forklifts, it was nice to see the other side of things for a season. It will do me well in years to come.

Meanwhile, we were eating fabulously. Our cook, Natalie was the tasting room manager, who created feasts every day. She'd downplay her chili or pastas, but couldn't help but admit that her best meals were excellent, like the seafood soup (you float a little crispy wafer with a chili paste on top, and only eat that part once it has soaked up the seafood boullian/broth)...mmm. Amazing. And everyone was really cool and friendly so harvest was extremely enjoyable. We didn't even work particularly long hours or for a long time, as it was a rather brief and moderate harvest, and we had many volunteers helping out.

While we had biked through the beautiful countryside to work during good weather (and from the hilltop where the winery sits, we could gaze upon the path we'd just taken), during harvest we had to carpool. The cloudy skies and regular rain dampened my mood at times, but good friends staved off the SAD. I can't emphasize too much how much fun I had with Doug Adam and Cris. It was amazing, and I'll never forget hanging out with those guys. Between biking Portland, touring breweries, watching movies, bitching about Newberg and work, and just shooting the shit, it was great times.

Meanwhile, I tried to explore Portland as much as possible. My cousin Becky was there and we were able to meet up a few times. My brothers came up and visited once, which was freakin awesome. I went to a weekend music festival around Portland and met cool people and saw awesome bands. In short, I fell in love with Portland. A beautiful city with cool and beautiful people.

Alas, it ended too soon, but I was happy to return to Sacramento and family. My dad took the train up and joined me for the drive home. It was a lot of fun walking around Portland and driving around Oregon with him telling me stories of his years spent in this part of the country. He worked the orchards, went to clown/mime college, and lived in Portland, variously. We together explored the coastline, staying in a teepee (actually a yurt, but close enough). Then headed inland to my Aunt Fran's cabin up in the mountainous regions between Eugene and Bend. Fran is a cool chick and we ate good food and enjoyed good conversation, as always with the family. Then we made our way through Bend, on to the California border and finally to the evil I-5 and back to Sacramento, in the nick of time for Thanksgiving.

The holidays were excellent, also with great food and conversation. I was lucky enough to pick back up my old waiting jobs in Sacramento, for the holidays, and make a bit of money to help fund the travels. But most of my free time has been spent hanging out with family and friends, and making some new ones. It has all been very fun and I've enjoyed Sacramento's social world like I never did back when I really lived here.

So in two days, Jerome and I head off for Fiji, aka paradise, aka second home. The joy is sneaky, and it rises up slowly as the day approaches. I can't wait.

After Fiji, I head off to South America. My job doesn't start until March 10, but I'm going down early because, well, I don't have a job any more here in Sacramento, and it's cheap down there, plus I need practice on my Spanish. And besides, who knows how much longer I can manage to maintain this lifestyle; for now I need to make the most of every opportunity.