My brother has retired form 28 years of winemaking with the likes of Mosaic, deLorimier, Belvedere and Krug. Today he peruses a less hectic path of crushing only one ton of zinfandel grapes for his personal pleasure.

One half ton of grapes in each bin

Checking the temperature

Checking the sugar levels

And the taste test

The fermentation process naturally produces an insulating CO2 layer which Don is fortifying with dry ice.

And the finished elixir 

Jet Boating the Rogue

This time I did the 52 mile trip up to Blossom Bar Rapid. This is the longest and most exciting run on the river. The jet boats can run in as little as 8 or 10 inches of water. The captain will maneuver within inches of boulders at a hight speed. Very exhilarating.

The Wedderbuirn Bridge at Gold Beach

Getting all your ducks in a row

Comerants

Fish and Game sampling the fish population

Wild mink hunting for dinner

Spinnig brodies on the river. Great fun

River otter out hunting. He has a nasty head wound.

A bouncy ride

A tenacious tree growing out of this rock spire

This is Blossom Bar rapid. The river is choked with boulders and progress upstream is impossible. When I used to raft the Rouge from Grants Pass, this was the most difficult rapid to run.

Another great day on the road.

Trashy Art

You will find the amazing Washed Ashore Project in bandon, OR. "Washed Ashore builds and exhibits aesthetically powerful art to educate a global audience about plastic pollution in oceans and waterways and spark positive changes in consumer habits."

Not to be missed if you are traveling the Oregon coast.

Shore Acres State Park

Shore Acres began life as the summer mansion of pioneer lumberman and shipbuilder Louis J. Simpson. The grounds showcased five acres of formal gardens planted with trees, shrubs and flowering plants from around the world.

Gwyn, Dana and Linda

Prickly Rhubarb from Chile

Monkey Puzzle Tree from South America

Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend is the last big push to get out and camp. For full timer's like myself it is a weekend to make reservations somewhere to hunker down. We stayed at the Tillamook Elks.

In the morning I did a 4.8 mile hike out to Cape Lookout with Arlene and Mary.

Arlene and Mary

Several places one wanted to watch their step

At the tip of Cape Lookout.

In the afternoon Larry, Paul and Charlie on guitar entertained us with a wonderful concert.