Day 314: IPNC Recovery, Grocery Shopping & Good Gluten Free Eats

Sunday, July 27

I woke up at 8:15 a.m. with a heinous headache.  I had a blast last night but imbibed a little too much bubbly.  I threw my stuff together, dressed and headed back home.  On my way, I dropped off my IPNC pass for another co-worker to use it for Sunday events.

 

As soon as I got home, I dropped my bags on the floor in my living room, tossed my pillow on the sofa and fell asleep until noon.  The three extra hours of sleep saved my life.

 

I abruptly got up and made a list of things I needed to do.  I headed over to Walgreens to pick

up ant traps.  There was a trail from the dining room window heading to the cat food dishes on the kichen floor.

Then I stopped by Safeway and Whole Foods for specific groceries, which included gazpacho, gluten-free corn bread, heirloom tomatoes, lump crab meat, lettuce, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, and these amazing new gluten-free, organic crackers by Mary’s Gone Crackers in Black Pepper (made with brown rice, quinoa, flax seeds and sesame seeds).  I also picked up smoked halibut spread by Gerard & Dominique Seafoods based in Woodinville, WA.

 

When I got home, I opened up the halibut spread and gluten-free black pepper crackers, which was delicious!  I watched the movie Ten Things I Hate About You with Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger on one of the regular networks.  Meantime, I worked on my novel revision.

 

Later, for dinner I had gazpacho with lump crabmeat, topped with roasted corn salsa and fresh cilantro served with organic tortilla chips.  For dessert had a Klondike Slim-A-Bear vanilla bar in a bowl with fresh organic strawberries, and two small Glutino Dream Bites chocolate cookies with fudge middles, followed by a soothing cup of hot Yogi Tea in Indian Spice with local honey.  I relaxed and continued working on my revision notes for my book.

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Day 313: IPNC Vineyard Seminar, A NW Salmon Bake & The After Party

Saturday, July 26

I woke up at around 7:30 to get an early start and meet up with colleagues to pass along our IPNC passes (my office was exchanging passes to attend different seminars and events of IPNC).  I carpooled with Jerry and Meg to the IPNC breakfast at Linfield College. 

After, I got on my assigned bus, along with my boss and Meg, and we went to Belle Pente in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA.  The theme this year, and thus the topic of the day, was on sustainability.  Our group walked into the vineyard to learn more about and witness the sustainable farming practices at Belle Pente.  The vineyard seminar was followed by a general discussion about sustainability in the winery in the barrel room.  The panel included winemakers from Santa Barbara, CA, Burgundy, France and two Oregon locations, including the host.

 

 

 

 

Following the seminar, lunch was served outside at a handful of round tables decorated for a wine country celebration.  The chef was from Seattle.  The food was delicious, again following the local, seasonal, sustainable ‘farm-to-table’ model so cherished in the Northwest.

 

I enjoyed chatting with the goats.  I know.  Not the smartest animals to chat with.  But, they were actually very sweet.

 

We returned to Linfield and I met up with the Oregon Wine Board girls and hung out on the lawn, while the afternoon session of wine tasting and a farmers market food tasting was going on.

When the afternoon sessions were over, I drove back with Meg to her place to change for dinner.  I was exhausted and even tempted to take a nap, but I knew better.  I hoped for a second wind.

 

I put on a long, comfy sundress and met Kerry in her room at Linfield College.  We walked over to the Northwest Salmon Bake and waited in line with our friends from Anne Amie, who brought in a vintage bottle of Roderer Champagne.

 

Once in, we grabbed a cluster of tables and toasted the Champagne.  The decorations were really pretty – the set up was amazing in the middle of an Oregon white oak grove where lanterns hung and bounced on the soft wind.  We retrieved our dinner of baked salmon and an assortment of lovely salads.  We sipped on different vintages and regions of Pinot and Chardonnays.  It was so much fun!

 

 

There was a photo booth with all kinds of crazy wigs and boas.  We took many goofy group photos.  It was hilarious.  By the end of the evening, we hit the dance floor.  Our friend, Kim, brought a baguette on the dance floor and smacked some unsuspecting booties and then turned it into a limbo bar. 

 

After the celebration, we all headed back to Meg and Jerry’s for their After Salmon Bake Bubbly Party.  Which was a crazy fun bash.  I nearly cleaned up the charcuterie plate, I was so hungry.  I didn’t eat much at the Salmon Bake.  We had some spectacular bubbles from around the globe, including Oregon, France, Australia, and California. 

Someone brought on the red licorice for bubbly straws…

As the party was dwindling, at around 2:30 a.m., I made my way up to my room and went to sleep.  There were still people downstairs now sipping on Grand Cru Burgundy and oysters. 

It was a great IPNC.  Tonight was one of the most fun times I’ve had in wine country, or in Portland, really, for a long time.  The best part was dancing with the baguette on the dance floor and the photo booth!  We actually brought back a bunch of baguettes from the Salmon Bake for the after party, including the one that made its way on the dance floor!

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Day 312: The Start to IPNC

Friday, July 25

I slept in.  I was exhausted after a long work day and event.  I eventually got up and got to work just after noon.  IPNC was well underway and I would participate later in the afternoon.

 

I spent the afternoon getting caught up on work missed from a day setting up the wine dinner event last night.  I took an afternoon break and used a coupon I had for an iced mocha latte at the Coffee Cottage in Newberg.

 

When I was finished with work, at around 6:00 p.m., I changed into a cute gray strapless summer sundress with a couple of faint pink flowers on it, touched up my make-up and drove out to Linfield College in McMinnville for the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC).  I got there for the evening’s Alfresco dinner, where I met up with co-workers and colleagues, and then we walked over to the Grand Dinner.  I sat at a table with members and friends from the Oregon Wine Board, a couple other winery principals, and a handful of writers.  It was a nice dinner.

 

After, Shirley and I went to Double Deluxe in Mac for a nightcap.  We thought there would be more IPNC attendees there to hang out, but it was mostly locals.  We shared a drink with a couple of colleagues and then called it a night.  I stayed over at my friends’ Jerry and Meg’s house right down the street so I wouldn’t have to drive back and forth to my home.

 
I was glad for a decent night’s sleep, as tomorrow night would be a little bit more of a marathon, following the annual Salmon Bake, going into a bubbly party at my host’s house.

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Day 311: Putting on a Special Event

Thursday, July 24

When I woke up this morning, I said aloud, “today we get to throw a party!”  It’s an exciting feeling to be able to put on a special event that is going to be memorable for so many.  I went to pick up the printed menus, more flowers at Trader Joe’s…beautiful purple orchids, etc.  And I was on my way to the winery.

Once there, my co-worker and I got to work setting up tables for our pre-IPNC dinner.  The service team we hired showed up and we got to begin working our magic.  The tables were set and decorated in beautiful, rich browns, tans and shimmering gold and bronze, topped with smooth river stones, candles and white orchid blossoms artfully placed around the hurricane lamps, which were filled a third of the way with more river stones.  It was an earthy, natural beauty.

By the time we set everything up, lined up and chilled the wines that need to be chilled, I stole away to the restroom to change.  By 5:30, some of the guests began to arrive.  To summarize the evening, the event went really, really well.  The food was beautiful, fresh, seasonal and a pleasure for the palate.  The wines paired well with the intrigue of some older vintages, which made for an even more interesting experience.  The interaction with guests was lively and engaging.  I was really pleased.

After all the guests left, the chefs left and the service staff drove away, a few of us stayed behind to organize the rentals, clean up the tasting room and wash through trays of wine glasses.  We didn’t leave until around 12:45 a.m.

It was a very long day but a highlight for my work.

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Day 309: A Leaky Toilet, Caring for Orchids & Worry for Dining Out

Tuesday, July 22

This morning I woke up at 8:00 a.m. well rested.  I noticed the spare bathroom toilet leak was getting worse and dripping in two places.  I put a towel down to soak up the mess and emptied out the stainless steel bowl I put under the pipe to collect the other dripping area.  This was now getting really annoying.

I smeared an invigorating mint and clay facial mask while I got myself together.  Downstairs, I heated up a gluten-free blueberry muffin while I started caring for the orchids.  I took them out of the plastic, still in their terra cotta pots, and, per the instructions I received by a very energetic and knowledgable plant and floral department rep at Trader Joes, I drizzled water over the roots and into the dirt, not too much but enough to dampen the soil thoroughly.  I kept the plants out of direct sun.  And I even talked to them this morning because they were so pretty and inspired me. 

I drove to work with lots of purpose and joy for the kind of work I’ve been doing, the event planning.  Coming fresh out of a meeting with the event production company, my thoughts were dancing with smooth river stones, beautiful metalics and orchids.

I worked a long day and didn’t leave until 7:00 p.m.  I had been painting the names of our dinner guests onto the large, smooth river stones.  They looked really lovely.

When I got home, I was relieved the property management finally sent someone over to fix the leaky toilet.  I changed and walked over to the gym.  I walked hard for thirty minutes while talking to my mother.  There’s nothing like multi-tasking!

I knew I was going to need my energy for the next several days of IPNC and dinners out.  I would have to be careful with my gluten intake and be sure to choose wisely what I would eat.  It was going to be a challenge!

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Day 308: Finding Joy in My Work

Monday, July 21

I dashed off to an industry meeting first thing in the morning, to which only two of us showed up.  It was a quick and thorough meeting. 

I did a lot of event planning today and the day seemed to fly by.  By 2:00 p.m. my colleague and I left for Portland to meet up with our account manager at West Coast Event Productions.  We ordered all of the table settings and dressings.  It was very exciting and fun.  We selected some amazing pieces that were going to create elegant, lovely dining tables for our pre-IPNC wine dinner event.  Two hours later, we left and I was on a mission to stop by the Trader Joe’s in Lake Oswego in search of the perfect orchids for our floral scheme.

I drove to Lake Oswego and arrived at the Trader Joe’s by 5:30 p.m. and was assisted by a very friendly and knowledgable woman who helped me pick out the orchid plants and instructed me on how to care for them and prepare them for our event.  Basically, I was going to cut the flowers and lay them in the centers of the tables, placed between smaller, scattered smooth river stones.  It was going to be gorgeous.

I got home and went to the gym for a good forty-minute run.  I was feeling pretty good.  I thought about how much I loved the event planning part of my job, how I loved creating memorable, elegant experiences.  I held that joy inside and tried to harness it and feel great about my strengths, my skills and my work.

I worked on revising the first chapter of my novel.  I worked on shaping the natural speaking voice of my main character.  I was focused, but could only produce about 4 pages worth of edits.  This was going to be a long, arduous process.  But one worth the effort.  I fully believe when I finish this round of revisions, the book will be ready for an agent and publisher.  This gave me great hope and satisfaction.

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Day 305: Mexican for Lunch, Iced Lattes in the Afternoon & Perfection at Park Kitchen

Friday, July 18

I had a bunch of meetings today, but they were marketing focused.  I have a lot on my plate, but it’s all good stuff.  I spent much of the day planning for the pre-IPNC dinner.  I am excited about it.  I love planning dinners and doing the décor, putting the flowers together, just being creative and trying to create a memorable experience.

I had to pick up lunch today, because I forgot to get turkey breast lunchmeat.  So, I went to Panderia in Newberg for three corn tortilla tacos with carne asado and a side of rice and beans.  It was amazing.  I just love authentic, fresh Mexican food.  And I’m 99% sure it’s gluten-free.

In the afternoon my co-worker and I walked over to Coffee Cottage for iced lattes.  I had a raspberry white chocolate latte, more dessert than an afternoon pick-me-up.  Oh well.  Nothing like a sugar rush.

I left work later than I hoped and headed for downtown Portland.  I was meeting Kerry, Shirley and Susan at Park Kitchen in the Park Blocks to celebrate Kerry’s 35^th birthday.  We started with a round of delicious cocktails served up by our friend, and bartender extraordinaire, Jamie.  I had an herbaceous cocktail with a floating pear peel.  Kerry brought pink bubbly, which we had once we got a table outside.  Our friend Shelby met us at the table.

I ate a lovely cold cucumber soup with almond, shrimp and Thai spice flavor.    I then had lamb tartare with mint and chick pea hummus.  I was still hungry. Shirley and I selected a bottle of 2002 St. Joseph.  I ordered the roasted duck and split it with Shelby.

 

After dinner, we walked over to Ten-01 and found our friend, and sommelier extraordinaire, Erica Landon, outside sipping on some Gevrey Chambertin and Chambolle Musigny with her boyfriend and friends.  We grabbed the café table next to them and ordered a bottle of Ennio Morricone Moscato d’Asti and dessert.  I split the crème brule.  It was the perfect end to a perfectly lovely evening.

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