Life on the road is trouble-free;

not so last week when we prepared to leave Bothel, Washington. The sewage disposal at our site was clogged (yep, that was quite a mess) so we had to use the dump station. When we arrived at our next camp site, Hood Campground, on the Snake River in the Tri-Cities area,

Love the Corps of Engineer campgrounds!

our pick-up refused to start. (After a couple of good cleanings of the battery posts, the problem seems to be fixed.) ABN attempted to put water on to brew tea but the pilot light refused to ignite. Captain started investigating and found the propane valve in one of the outside compartments had been turned off; neither of us turned it off so that remains a mystery.

Catching up with friends…………well it makes the little problems along the way seem like a minor annoyance.

In the Tri-Cities (that would be Pasco, Richland and Kennewick in southeastern Washington) we visited Captain’s longtime friends, Linda and Chuck. On first glance at their lovely hillside home, ABN noticed beets and squash tucked into a beautifully landscaped front lawn; with Fiestaware and a KitchenAid in the kitchen, she knew she was meeting new friends and soul mates. While sitting on their deck, looking over the valley we were introduced to wonderful Copper River Salmon (so much more flavorful than the Atlantic farm grown salmon that we usually eat.)

With Chuck and Linda as our guide,

we explored a few of the Red Mountain Wineries and found some very good wine. Our favorite wines of the day (Linizio Blend, Walla Walla Cab Sauv  ) were found at Cooper Winery.

The best view at Terra Blanca

And it was Tuesday!

While in the Tri-Cities, Captain wanted to connect with friends and colleagues from the nuclear industry. (Local and industry friends, take a close look, you may know some of these folks.)

After getting an oil change and transmission tune-up for The Wanderer, we said good bye to our friends and Snake River,

and continued our search for good Pinot Nior in Oregon.

Driving along I-84, just before reaching Portland, we took a break to hike to the top of Multnomah Falls.

At the top. According to FitBit, over 10,000 steps and 88 flights of stairs.

Oregon Wine Country is truly beautiful with rolling hills covered in vineyards and flowers we can only dream about in our hot and humid climate. Our search for really good Pinot Noir took us through the beautiful Willamette Valley, a ferry across Willamette River and up gravel roads.

A couple of our favorite wineries were Redhawk with drinkable inexpensive wine and St. Innocent for a nice, full flavored Pinot Noir.

Our very favorite was Brooks Winery, not only for outstanding Pinot Noir but also a lovely tasting venue with a spectacular view.

Deck overlooking the vineyards and garden

What goes well with Pinot Noir? Cheese of course! Happening upon the Willamette Valley Cheese Company, we had to stop and do their tasting.

 All the cheeses are made with milk from the cows we could see in the field. 

(Aged Chive and Black Pepper, Aged Asiago and Cumin Gouda found their way into our cheese drawer.)

Guess what else we found in Willamette Valley? Another Aggie! (They are everywhere!)

Michelle and Lowell (Class of ’70) from Colorado Springs occupied the site next to us at Silver Spur RV Park. We had a most enjoyable couple of evenings sipping Pinot and sharing stories. (Lowell is a real “rocket scientist” having worked many years at the Johnson Space center.)

Our palates have been pleased with the taste of fine Pinot Noir and our souls have been refreshed with friends. We have had just enough taste of Washington and Oregon to whet our appetite. We hope this is not our last visit.

We can now hear the call of the Zin and we are on our way!

Note to email subscribers, hitting reply to the email notification of a new post will send your reply out somewhere in cyber space and we will never know of your comments.  If you wish to comment, please do so in the comment section on the blog site or send a note using the email address you have in your contact list.

Gems in Aggieland

You know how it is; you live in a town but don’t see its gems. Let a new person arrive and you discover some surprises. That has been the case as ABN explores College Station on foot.

More than one local mentioned they didn't  realize it is a very walk-able and bicycle friendly city. With the large number of students who choose cycling over driving, bike parking lots like this one can be found throughout the A&M campus.

Of course, not everyone uses a bike parking lot.

Some locals don't know about the multi-use path around the perimeter of the campus.

A&M golf course with Kyle Field in the background from the multi-use trail

Did you (the locals) know you can walk to the campus from almost anywhere in the city entirely on a sidewalk? This delights ABN as she doesn't like to drive (bet you didn't know that, did you.) She took advantage of the sidewalks to stroll over to the MSC (Memorial Student Center) to visit the art galleries. A Rodin exhibit is featured in the J Wayne Stark Gallery.

Unlike the Rodin Museum in Paris where one sees famous sculptures like The Thinker, The Kiss and Gates of Hell, this exhibit is mostly busts of historical folks 

in which multiple originals were made from the sculptor’s first conception in plaster or clay.

Upstairs in the Forsythe Gallery, is a nice exhibit of works by founding members of the influential Taos Society of Artists.

If you do wander over to the MSC, remember to take your hat off before entering.

(No worries if you forget, no doubt an Aggie will tap you on the shoulder and remind you.)

The true gems of College Station are the A&M students who are very much a part of the community.

And this is how the green-ways are kept immaculate.

So what did Captain do while ABN was out exploring?

Repaired a gate,

washed windows,

grilled

and met up with friends for donuts or beer. Main topic of conversation? The Aggies' chances against the powerful Crimson Tide.

Leaving Faculty Club on Thursday evening, we happened upon Aggie Yell Practice.

So, what about the game? (Alabama 33, Texas A&M)14) Can we just move on? 

Note to email subscribers, hitting reply to the email notification of a new post will send your reply out somewhere in cyber space and we will never know of your comments.  If you wish to comment, please do so in the comment section on the blog site or send a note using the email address you have in your contact list. 

Howdy

from College Station, Texas. More precisely from Rudder Tower on the Texas A&M campus,

where we meet with friends at “Faculty Club” on Thursday evening. (I have photos of some of our friends, but neglected to ask permission to post on the internet.)

Settled into what has become our fall routine, ABN is taking advantage of the miles of biking/walking trails and extensive amounts of sidewalks to explore the town.

One of the treasures found while walking.

Texas A&M has very limited student accommodations on campus leaving most of the 60,000 plus students living in houses and apartments. The students are very much a part of the community. We continue to be impressed with the friendliness and respect shown by the students, whether on campus or around town. Earlier this week, ABN got caught in a rain shower on one of her walks around town. A female college student pulled up in a car and offered her a ride.

With so many students commuting by bicycle, College Station is very bicycle friendly with bike lanes as well as the bike paths.

On Thursday sister-in-law, Anna, and ABN left the “boys” with their mother and took a day trip to Galveston.

Lunch at Willie G's on Pier 21

Anna on

the "Duck," a land and water sightseeing tour.

After a hardfought game against Tennessee last week, the Aggies are off this weekend. Speaking of last week’s game (and you knew we would), this is the street in front of mom’s house, which is about a mile from campus, on game day.

And what a game! 5 ½ hours we sat at Kyle Field! From the fly-over, piloted by an Aggie and a Volunteer,

through the half-time

to the final score.

What about the game? Well if you haven’t seen the recaps, then you are not a college football fan. The Volunteers gave the Aggies all they could handle. In spite of the passion, we witnessed southern hospitality and respect from fans of both teams.

“Walking back to the parking garage, we have to cut through the Quad. Lots of chatter and whooping all around until all of a sudden there was complete silence. Our [US] flag was being lowered. Everyone stopped and stood respectfully until it was done. Only then did the chatter and whooping resume.”(This was copied from sister-in-law’s Facebook page, but was witnessed by us.) Makes one proud to be an Aggie and Aggie spouse.

Today we are glued to the TV, pulling for Tennessee to upset Alabama. Go Vols!

Greetings from College Station

Where we will be donning the maroon and white for the next few weeks.

The renovated Kyle Field. So sweet to be there for the win over Mississippi State last weekend. 

Tipsy Tuesday joins The Book Club at Carney's Pub and Grill. And what might the book be?  Wuthering Hops by Emily Brewske.

That's a wrap, Texas style.