Cecily Parks

If you are planning to visit one of the over 200 wineries scattered throughout the beautiful Willamette Valley, it's hard to know where to start. The Valley region is home to more than two thirds of Oregon's wineries and vineyards.

It's our moderate climate that makes this possible. We have warm summers with cool evenings; an Indian summer often shortened by maritime rains; wet, (did I say wet?) mild winters; and long, often rainy (have I said wet yet?) springs make for an extended growing season allowing the ripening process for wine grapes to be gradual. What ensues is complex fruit flavors and aromatics.

The Willamette valley is best known for their exceptional Pinot Noirs. Because of the similarities in our climate with the the Burgundy and Alsace regions of France, we have often been called the promised land for Pinot Noir in America and the world. But Oregon and the Valley also produce other varieties such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Melon, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Cabernet and Merlot.

On any given weekend, the wine tourist can choose from a variety of tasting tours, and in the summer many of the wineries host special events with live music. Many newlyweds are choosing wineries as the place to exchange vows or hold receptions. And, of course, it's also a fabulous way to spend a lazy day!

One of my favorite places is Stangeland Vineyard and Winery. Owned by the Miller family, this beautiful award winning vineyard is tucked away on a hillside just outside and northwest of Salem. Their handcrafted wines are produced utilizing the best of Old World traditional wine making methods, including aging in French oak barrels, as well as New World innovations.

Owner Larry Miller, an analytical chemist by trade, founded Stangeland in 1978, but the winery really began to take off in 1991. Encouraged, Larry began pouring all his funds from his position with Akzo Nobel into the winery while honing his craft. As in most ventures, the winery started out small, producing only 140 cases. As time progressed, the winery has grown to produce approximately 2700 cases annually.

Retired since 2006, Larry is able to pursue his dream full time. Stangeland wines are now distributed in Boston, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Wisconsin, Oregon and most recently in Florida. They also exported 200 cases of wine to Norway for the first time, where Larry's grandparents originally immigrated from.

In a recent conversation with Larry, he said "It has been a long strange trip but I love what I do. In 2000 and 2001 Stangeland received gold medals for our 1998 and 1999 Pinot Noirs at the Mondial du Pinot Noir in Sierre Switzerland, a judging that contained nearly 800 pinots from 14 or 15 countries. The jury also had as many as 72 tasters from around the world mostly from Europe. After a 6 year dry spell, in 2008 we once again won a gold and silver in Sierre with our 2006 vintage Pinots. This time there were 1076 entries from 22 nations."

I'd say that's pretty darn impressive! I encourage you to drop by their tasting room, visit their website and join the Stangeland Wine Club. You can also view the catalog and order wine directly from the winery. Cheers!

Are Bloggers the missing link??? Maybe....

With the popularity of blogging at an all time high right now it's no wonder that, like texting, bloggers are developing their own blog language or "blanguage". I've also noticed some new blog slang lately (Blang) as well which is very similar to on line chat acronyms.

Now don't get all excited....it's not going to be an entirely new language and I'm not talking about learning to speak Klingon, and no, we won't be donning uniforms, wearing capes or even have a secret handshake. We will, however, be easily recognizable to others of our own kind. We are the ones that stand out in a crowded room because of our bloodshot eyes, arthritic fingers, swollen thumbs and laptops chained to our chest like anchors. When acknowledging a potential blogger, just make the two thumb "wiggle". If the other person "wiggles" back, then you know.

What I am suggesting is a way to convert the text shorthand to blogging. Here are some of my thoughts on new "blords" for our "blanguage":

New blogging blords:

Beeple: People who blog. I'm a beeple, you're a beeple, too. Yippee! I've finally found my Beeple!!!

Bloghog: A beeple who's obsessed with blogging.

Serial Blogger: Someone who posts constantly with inane, boring posts over and over again. Someone please dial 911B (see below), would ya?

Blog-anon: Where we all should be....Hello, my name is (your name here) and I'm a blogaholic).

Bliction: Addiction to Blogging.

Blogger-vention: A group of well mean ill informed interfering non bloggers who want to talk to us about our bliction. We're not bad, just so misunderstood.

Shorthand:

BRB: Blog right back

DIBTOL: Did I blog that out loud? Used when you write a comment, hit the send button and then slap your forehead. Did I really just say that? Quick! Hit the edit key!

ABITPIWTITD: A blog in the post is worth two in a draft. Use this if you have twenty drafts and you haven't posted any of them.

BOBAR: Blogged out beyond all recognition. We can all relate to this. When you haven't slept or showered for over 24 hours and, you refer to your family as "those people".

BYOB: Bring your own blog.

2MIB: Too much information blogging.

PMLAYP: Pee myself laughing at your post.

RTFRBP: Read the "freaking" rules before posting.

4COLNNIB: For crying out loud....not now! I'm blogging!

AATWB: Asleep at keyboard while blogging. Come on, admit it. We've all done it!

ROFLWC: Roll on the floor laughing while commenting.

999: Spouse or significant other watching-quiet. Shhhh!

9999: Spouse or significant other not watching-all clear-blog on!

411B: Who's got the info on the best blog?

911B: I'm blogging and I can't stop! Call for help now!

I'm sure you have your own ideas and thoughts on words to add to this list. Please leave them here in the comments so we can begin to form our Blogging Blible. Thanks. Live long and Blog! May the blog be with you! A blog a day keeps the Doctor away. Okay, now I'm done....someone please call 911B for me before I have a blog attack.

I blog because I've become addicted. The first time I tried it I could take it or leave it. The second attempt lent a little adrenaline high as I watched the comments stack up. And by the third post I was eternally hooked.

The rush was good. I wanted more. And now....it's a sweet sweet drug and try as I might I can't keep my fingers from the keys.

Yes, I admit it, I'm a Bloghog.

People blog for many different reasons. Some of us because we love it, some because they believe they should and others because they are point "Ho's".

But not all of us enter into the blogging world willingly. Some are victims, taken from their warm cozy beds, stolen away from happy homes and loving families and forced to blog 24/7 hoping to win their freedom. 

These innocent souls have fallen prey to unscrupulous forces that run Blogger Sweatshops across America. These "sweatshops" are popping up in warehouses and basements across America. This abomination must be stopped!

Their plight has been captured on tape. The following video pulls back the shade and gives us an inside peek at what really happens behind the "Iron Blogging Curtain". 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Christmas has passed. Whew! Thank goodness! I don't know about you but I've had it up to my eyeballs in holiday cheer. I can't even bring myself to say "Ho" anymore. Time to rid your living room of the sea of wrapping paper and repair the damage done from the eating assault you've put your body through.

Get up...yes, I know it's tough...but who's fault is it that you feel like swallowed three basketballs and you need a wheelbarrow to haul around your belly? Was it absolutely necessary to sample all three variety of pies and have seconds or thirds of Aunt Mamie's famous Jello salad? Pick yourself up from the couch (or roll yourself off, whichever applies), shake the last crumbs from your lap because now it's time to prepare for the annual New Years Eve celebration.

Personally, I don't go out and celebrate any more. First of all, this is amateur night on the highways. All of us "professional" drinkers have better sense than to attempt navigation through the slew of part time drinkers playing highway bumper cars. I'd rather stay in and force myself to stay up until midnight. Yes, that's right, I said force myself.

In my younger years it was all about the party. Heck, I didn't even start my heart til nine and wouldn't be caught dead in public until ten. But, now that I'm older I much prefer to stay in and celebrate quietly.

Unless you live in a cave, most everyone knows about the big ball that gets dropped in New York's Times Square on New Year's Eve and, of course, Atlanta's 800-pound peach. But you may not have heard about the gumbo pot, the pickle or the giant Peep, a fiberglass replica of the famed marshmallowy candy.

The Peep show is in Bethlehem, Pa., where the city drops the 25-pound illuminated treat from a crane. Wow! I wouldn't want to be standing under the giant peep if there was an accident. That could be a "sticky" situation, huh.

In Lebanon, Pa., a 71/2-foot edible bologna made by the Weaver-Kutztown Bologna Co. is lowered at midnight and then donated to area charities. If you have a hankerin' for a sandwich, bring along a loaf of bread, a knife and a jar of mayo...

In Key West, Fla., a conch shell drops atop Sloppy Joe's Bar; (Conchy Joe anyone?) "Drag Queen Sushi" is lowered in a 6-foot-tall shoe (I'd like to meet the person who wears a six foot shoe) at the Bourbon Street Pub; and a pirate "wench" descends from a schooner in the harbor. "Aarrhh, Matey."

Port Clinton, Ohio, the self-proclaimed "Walleye Capital of the World," drops a 20-foot, 600-pound fiberglass walleye fish at midnight. (hope it's fresh)

In North Carolina, Raleigh lowers a copper acorn weighing 1,250 pounds from atop the civic center, (be on the lookout for hungry frustrated squirrels carrying chisels) and Mount Olive residents watch a 3-foot-high glowing pickle plunge down the Mount Olive Pickle Co. flagpole into a tank. Hmmm....a pickle....my question is why??? With a name like Mount Olive you think they would be dropping a giant martini. Now that would be a party!

A giant gumbo pot is lowered in New Orleans, (yummy) and in Easton, Md., it's a giant crab (pinch me, please).

I think I'm going to settle in with Dick Clark (if they can still prop him up for a few hours), a good book and maybe, just maybe I'll manage to see the dawn of the new year and hum a few bars of "Auld Lang Syne".

See you all in 2009!!!!

Someone from Activerain tagged me for this stupid MeMe thing and honestly I'm glad they did. There are a few things old Santa would like to get off his chest and share with the world.

1. I hate all the elves....every last one of them! They are yappy, argumentative and lazy. I plan on replacing them with these girls. Ho!

2. I am allergic to reindeer dung. And it stinks to high heaven! How about a nice sports car with a Hemi?

3. I am sick and tired of yelling the same old line every year. Just for once I would like to say Hee Hee Hee instead of Ho Ho Ho.

4. Mrs. Claus is really my second wife. Heather Locklear was my first but she doesn't like the cold so she bailed.

5. For cryin' out loud. I'm a grown man. I don't want milk and cookies....next year can you please leave out a bottle of Jack and some spicy nuts.

6. Blitzen is gay. Yes, it's true. Not that there is anything wrong with that!!!!

7. I hate the color red! How about a smart three piece suit with a pinstriped tie.