Oregon Vacation Day 2

Warning: Ridiculosly long picture post ahead...just fair warning :)
What a day! One regret I have of this vacation is that I definitely should have spent more time writing down my thoughts...good thing I can organize my pictures by day...and then the memories follow.

We left the Avalon mid-morning, and headed for our first couple wineries of the day.  We visited a distribution center, where the rep wasn't really interested in a tasting...rather just gave us a case of wine.  Okay, I'm cool with that ;)

The next winery, hip Chicks do Wine, was uber cool, I could have stayed there for hours...

Some of my favorite titles... "Drop Dead Red," "Bad Girl Blanc," "Blush Bunny Rose," and or course their Moscato, which is my favorite kind of wine, although Eric would probably call me wine "sissy" for that, because it's a pretty sweet, almost dessert wine.  One of the negatives (okay, really the only negative) about this trip is that I can't drink red wine.  Corinne + Sulfites = Migraine from Hell.  BUT...I was able to taste some really really good white wines, and one day I even braved it, took a pre-cautionary Imitrex (I don't really think you're supposed to do that...ooops) and tasted all the red wine I wanted.  I ended up with a little headache, but nothing like I expected.  I digress...  When we move, our awesome eat-in kitchen has a built in wine rack and a place for Eric's gorgeous stemware from when he worked with wines.  So... I bought this beautiful art print, which will be framed in that room.  I love it.

I left with a bottle of their Moscato, and the above bottle of Wine Bunny Blush.  Secretly, I could have bought the whole store.  Dave was so cute...he said we HAD to visit this little winery because of the "hip chicks" traveling with him.  That's right, Beth, we are pretty hip :) 
"Bessie" our beloved GPS navigator...managed to get us out of Portland, and off to our home away from home in Amityville, "Le Casa de Amore."  Settled on 20 acres of property, the view was spectacular, the house was just the right size, and I marveled at how easy it was for my West Coast born self to feel at home in the mossy, foggy air.  I miss this side of the country... (note to self: get rich, so you can visit MORE :)

if you're wondering if it really is a "round" house..you are indeed correct.  There is the most beautiful skylight at the top of the roof inside...we didn't use it because it was a little too cool at night, but I can only imagine what the view of the sky would be like...

some pictures of the scenery:






Although we found it difficult to leave this gorgeous place, we mustered up the energy of a long day and dealing with the time change (we were three hours ahead there), we ventured into town, picked up some essentials for the house (for me that would mean diet coke) for the boys that was a veritable selection of fantastic cheeses, artisan breads, and breakfast food.  If you know me, I could have just lived on the diet coke.. :)  We picked up some take out chinese...too tired to find a restaraunt, and went home where I am proud to say Beth and I throughouly whomped on the boys and beat them hands down in a euchre tournament.  Just admit it, guys, we're awesome...  The house had the most amazing couch ever, and I fell asleep nestled with a book in one hand and my journal in the other.  Sometime during the night I actually made it to the bedroom, instead of sleeping in the living room. 

Now, internal alarm clock, you and I need to have a little discussion.  A-hem...when I am on vacation, you are supposed to turn OFF.  I don't have to be awake at 7 am.  I don't have to go to work, I don't have to feed children breakfast and get them ready for school.  I don't have to do anything.  But what do my eyes do at promptly 7 am....fly open.  I could not go back to sleep no matter how hard I tried, so I got up quietly, put on my coat and tennis shoes and took a really nice walk in the cold-ish morning air.  We were so lucky that it was in the mid to high 50's the entire time we were there.  A lot of fog...but more on that later :)

It was a beautiful day....