Blue sky today – great for a drive into Oregon wine country – maybe the last time in awhile. The goal was to pick-up the final shipment from Coeur de Terre, our very first club membership, a discovery made early in our Oregon state residency. We met the owners and winemaker on our very first visit, and have been loyal customers ever since, having stopped by over 80 different places during the last seven years. We landed here in Portland on August 11, 2014 and stayed at the same Residence Inn where we’ll spend our final night here before the long drive to Florida. 

The first stop on today’s tour was McDonald’s where we just missed the breakfast deadline and had to settle for cheeseburgers and fish sandwiches. Our schnauzer Tally was thrilled to be out of the house and in the drive-thru regardless of what they were serving. We then stopped at a former work friend’s property to see the progress on their remodeling and construction plans. I miss our once-weekly lunch meetings that were lost in the pandemic panic. Tally got to see some of the neighbors chickens, cows, and horses. Once we finally got to our wine tasting appointment, she also got to hang out with the vineyard dogs.

On our way back home, we made an additional vineyard stop, but Tally had to wait in the car. She did, however, get to visit with some of the neighboring goats and, as it turned out, saw two friendly faces. Oddly enough, when we arrived, I didn’t recognize them even after they gave us a friendly hello because they were wearing masks and sunglasses. We did not have an appointment, but fortunately the guy behind us gave us his tasting spot, so we were able to stay. To thank him for the friendly gesture, we gifted him with a bottle we had purchased at Coeur de Terre. He and his wife both went to school in Evansville, Indiana so this started a good conversation. In the meantime, the other couple had removed their disguises, and we finally figured out that they had lived down the hall from us up until a few months ago. They were glad to see Tally, who would often sneak into their apartment like she lived there.  It was truly a surprise encounter, that happened after too many coincidental circumstances to even mention, with people we thought we’d never see again. 

A nasty highway accident delayed our trip home by more than an hour, but we were content with just reflecting on the enjoyment in simply getting  out of the apartment. Our day in wine country was certainly more thrilling than sitting around watching television. Plus, we came home with about ten more bottles, even after giving one away. The strangest things happen when you’re drinking wine, so it turned out to be a memorable adventure for all of us. Tally slept the whole way home, exhausted from her duties as an apprentice vineyard dog