Monday, June 23
I slept in a little since I had a long day and late night of work on Saturday, and then a really early work day on Sunday. I was pretty tired. When I got to work I scrambled to meet some deadlines on a handful of projects in my queue. We ordered Thai food for lunch and, unfortunately, I ordered and ate a stirfry with basil, peppers, onions and a brown sauce that was undoubtedly made with soy sauce. I didn’t think about it while I was eating it. I was starving. It wasn’t until after I ate, that it dawned on me I had just ingested gluten.
After lunch I drove up to a winery in the Dundee Hills and helped the Oregon Pinot Camp staff set tables for the traditional salmon bake dinner. It was fun - I sang show tunes with one of the staffers, including “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from Gypsy and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” from My Fair Lady. We goofed off while beautifying the tables. We put out the table cloths, the napkins and silverware, the glassware and the flowers. Again, I love setting dinner tables and making them lovely. After two hours, though, I had to go.
I dashed off to downtown McMinnville, on historic and quaint 3rd Street. I went into a Cowgirls shop looking for a sweater to wear that evening. I knew it would get cold and I left my jacket at home. I saw some cool cowgirl boots, but nothing that would work for that evening. So, I went into one of my favorite boutiques, Mes Amis. There, I found a nice three-quarters sleeved white shirt, a colorful turquoise and pink Pucci-esque scarf and an adorable white jacket that would work perfectly with my sear sucker pants. The owner, Naomi, was super accomodating. She allowed me to get ready in her shop. I brought in my sear sucker pants, put on a pair of heeled sandals, the new white shirt and scarf, and then I put on my straw cowgirl hat (see photo below).
I met the Gold bus at the Red Lion in McMinnville and we headed for the dinner location in Dundee. When we arrived, we went to the wine tasting first. It was nice to catch up with industry friends, to taste through some interesting wines and to interact with campers. I spent a good amount of time with a nice fellow who works at one of my favorite wine shops in Shirlington, Virginia, called the Curious Grape. It was cool to hang out with folks from my hometown. I also ran into an old acquaintence who I had come to know when I worked at Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg, Virginia.
After the tasting, I headed over to tent for dinner. I sat at a table with a handful of industry friends and a few campers. We had a tasty dinner of salmon and lite salads and sides. Gorgeous Pinot Noirs were flowing. It was a lovely evening.
I got better acquainted with a couple of industry folks that I hadn’t known super well prior to OPC - which was really nice. And then there was the fire pit with S’mores. I just toasted a couple of marshmallows with a small piece of Hershey’s chocolate. Before long, we loaded the campers on the bus and headed back to the hotels.
After, several people went to Lumpy’s Landing, the infamous dive bar in Dundee. I played a few rounds of pool with some friends, including a cool sales rep I got to know when I went to Colorado in November. I left relatively early, as I was exhausted. It was a long day and I was already reeking of cigarette smoke from the bar.
Irrespective of the tar and smoke stench in my hair and on my clothes, I was feeling pretty good. In fact, all the while home I was smiling. I knew it was going to be a good summer.
