Don Powers

A Great Day for USA Soccer!

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:19:17 -0700

I don’t usually write about sporting events in my blog but today was an exciting day! The USA national men’s soccer defeated Algeria 1-0 on an exciting Landon Donavan goal in the 91st minute to win group C and advance to the final 16. They accomplished this in spite of two good goals be disallowed by game officials in each of the last two games. The team kept their poise and showed that they have the capacity to go deep into this tournament. I’ve posted two youtube videos on the right for your enjoyment. The first shows Donavan’s winning goal and second the reaction of fans at a packed pub in Lincoln, Nebraska when the goal is scored. Between this and the Lakers besting the Celtics (yes, I am a Laker fan) life is good.

Sean & Carlie's Wedding

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 13:58:21 -0700

Theo and I got married in the middle of July in 1979 smack dab in the middle of hot southern California. If you look at our wedding pictures you can clear see which ones were taken before the ceremony and which ones were taken after based on the presence or absence of glistening faces (i.e. sweat). Sean and Carlie’s wedding caused me to reminisce since as the evening progressed (at least our wedding was earlier in the day) the temperature rose faster than a bullet train. Can’t imagine what it would have been like had the ballroom NOT been air conditioned!

Okay, enough complaining. It was actually a really nice wedding and we all had lots of fun. The ceremony itself was short and simple which in my view is always best. I found it interesting that the two weddings I’ve attended this summer (this one and my niece’s in California) unity was symbolized by the pouring together of colored sand. I guess unity candles are out. The other thing I discovered was that both my sons can dance. A bit odd to me considering I could not dance if a gun were pointed at my head. Clearly they didn’t learn this skill from me. Then again over the past several years I’ve discovered many “skills” mastered by my children that they certainly didn’t learn from me.

I’m not exactly sure how one is supposed to feel when one of their children gets married. This was a first for me so I have no data for comparison (yeah, sounding like a scientist). I didn’t really have any deep feeling but rather this just seemed to be a natural logical step for Sean. Sean has always been relatively mature for his age and he was ready. (Although I began to doubt when all his friends gave him beer-drinking equipment for wedding gifts......addressed only to Sean.) I suppose the most profound feeling I experienced this day was a sincere pride in the great job Sean has done in becoming a man. The more I look back on Sean’s life the more I realize that I just never had to worry about. I truly believe Sean will be a fine husband. Carlie is a fine woman and I expect the both of them will really enjoy walking through the rest of their lives together.

I’ve put a link to the wedding photo gallery for those interested at the top of the page. Click on it to see many pictures take of the three days of wedding-related activity.

Wedding postscript:

Shortly after returning from their honeymoon Sean and Carlie had to take their car into the shop. It turned out to be a $600 break repair. Isn’t it amazing how quickly life’s realities sneak up on you? I will admit however that there was a certain satisfaction in knowing that this time the bill wasn’t coming to me. ;-)

Southern Oregon/California Wine Adventure!

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 14:41:50 -0700

Last weekend my niece Vanessa got married in southern California. Travel was a bit complex due to my wife and son’s work schedules so as it turns out on Friday June 26 I got in my 2002 Jeep Liberty and began the trek to California on my own (more on family travel later). At my age the drive to California is a two-day affair (younger folks can do the power dive things in a day but I’m well beyond that stage). So, I considered this an opportunity to explore wine regions that I have passed through on many occasions but never stopped to sample. In the paragraphs below I’ll tell you about my exploration of the Applegate River Valley (southern Oregon), Santa Rita Hills (near Santa Barbara, CA), and Paso Robles, CA. To see selected pictures from the trip click on the above gallery link.

Applegate River Valley, OR

There are actually several regions in southern Oregon where wines are produced. To be honest the Applegate River Valley was selected as my only Oregon destination because that is where I happened to be at the time wineries generally open for tasting. I was time limited so only made two stops.

Troon Vineyard. Picking wineries to go to in a place you have never been is challenging. I do go online and read reviews but generally find that reviews, which articulate a single person’s point of view, are poor predictors of how much I will enjoy a wineries wines. So basically you make selections and hope for the best. Troon did not disappoint. They poured a wide variety of wines that well represented what can be done with grapes grown in this region. In addition the young woman working the tasting room was knowledgeable, patient, and truly interested in seeing that I had a good experience. When I mentioned how much I enjoy viognier she opened a bottle for me to taste even though it was not on the tasting list for that day (she actually poured two wines not on the list). The hour I spent at Troon was a joy. Okay, so what about the wines? The highlight for me was the 2005 “Blossom Fire” Cabernet Sauvignon. By a wide margin this is the best northwest cabernet Sauvignon I have ever had. I tend to find northwest cabs to be on the lighter side making them less attractive to me, but this cab was big and readily comparable to many I have enjoyed from California wineries. If nothing else at $39 you will find nothing better for the price! I promised myself to only take home one case of wine during this trip and needless to say this wine got a spot (okay, I ended up taking home two cases but whose counting?). The other wine I bought was Troon’s red table wine called “Druid’s Fluid.” If you are looking for something to open in the middle of the week this is the ticket. In my view this wine was every bit as good as some red blends that are twice the price. I enjoyed every wine I tasted at Troon but will specifically mention one more since it was in my view so unique. The “Druid’s Fluid White” is a white wine blended from several red-wine grapes and was absolutely marvelous. If I had more room in the box I would have taken some home (clearly shows my red-wine preference). Fortunately for me Troon has opened a tasting room in Carlton, OR which is just a short distance from where I live. The tasting fee at Troon is only $5 and well worth it. The fee is refunded if you purchase three bottles. If I had a criticism it would be that after spending more than $50 I still paid the fee. However it was only $5 so no big deal. Troon has lovely facility and tasting room (click the gallery link above for pictures) and if you get a chance to stop at Troon I highly recommend it.

Wooldrige Creek Winery. Located about a half mile from Troon this was my second and last stop in the Applegate River Valley before heading south. Wooldrige is a little off the beaten path so it actually took me a few wrong turns to locate it. They are open primarily on weekends but they happened to be open this particular Friday so I got to taste. Their wines were generally good but overall I did not enjoy them as much as what I tasted at Troon. I don’t say this to discourage anyone from trying their wines as all pallets are different, but the wines had no quality that set them apart. The wine I probably enjoyed the most was their Warrick Red, a blend of several red grapes plus a little viognier. While I enjoyed this wine, and indeed bought a bottle, at $36 a bottle it was over priced. Tasting fee was $5 and was comped when I bought a bottle.

As I explored various wineries on the web trying to decide where to go one thing I noticed is that tasting fees are generally low with most being $5. So you can come to this region and explore wines on a budget. Wine prices are also not for the most part excessive.

Santa Rita Hills, CA

After a quick stop in the Applegate River Valley I pointed my nose towards Davis, CA to pick up my son Ryan who is doing a second BS degree in Viticulture & Enology (yes, winemaking) at UC Davis and to pick up my wife Theo who had to work that day and flew in to Sacramento Friday evening. After collecting son and wife we headed on Saturday June 27 for my sister’s house with a planned stop to taste in the Santa Rita Hills (near Santa Barbara). This is one of the regions in California where they grow pinot noir and I was really interested in comparing good California pinots to those we grow in the Willamette Valley here in Oregon. We visited four wineries during our time in the Santa Rita Hills area.

Fiddlehead Cellars. The first three wineries I visited were all located near one another in an industrial area in Lompoc, CA. My son Ryan really wanted to visit this winery because its owner and winemaker, Kathy Joseph, spoke in one of his classes at UC Davis. The tasting experience was more “business like” than what I experienced in the Applegate River Valley and frankly I felt a bit rushed. They poured three pinot noirs and several sauvignon blancs, the two wines that are the main staple for Fiddlehead. The best pinot that I tasted was a 2006 made from Willamette Valley grapes. It was a good wine but at $50 I could buy several back home for $30 that have a similar taste. The two California pinots I tasted were not overly interesting. This is the only winery we stopped at where I did not buy wine. Overall I thought the wines were over priced and you had to buy a lot to get the $10 tasting fee comped. In fairness my wife is not a big fan of sauvignon blanc and as I said above I’m primarily a red drinker. Even so the tasting experience was not overly relaxed which could also have impacted how I felt about the wine. Fiddlehead has opened a tasting room in Davis and I will make it a point to go there and give it a try next time I visit my son.

Nicolaysen Family Vineyards. Overall this was my favorite winery of the Santa Rita Hills stop. Bob Nicolaysen, the owner and winemaker, is the kind of guy you would want to buy wine from whether or not you liked it! He sat you down, offered you a bottle of water, and gave you 2 oz. pours of all five wines he produces. His tasting fee was only $5, the only sub $10 tasting fee I could find in the Santa Rita Hills (there may be more my search was far from exhaustive), and is happy to comp the fee if you buy a bottle. Clearly he believes that his wine will sell itself. Two of the wines poured were California pinot noirs. If you like bold pinots then these wines are for you. I never really got a feel for what a “typical” California pinot is like on this trip, but my son says these pinots were like many he had tasted. Another thing about Nicolaysen is that he ages his wines a long time. Both pinots were 2001 which in my experience is really old for a pinot. My favorite of the two was the 2001 Edna Valley Pinot Noir. These wines don’t have the general fruitiness I find in Oregon pinots but they have an earthy quality that I found enjoyable. Nicolaysen also poured two syrahs which I really looked forward to since I am a big syrah fan (thank Joe Dobbes of Dobbes Family Estate for that!). The two syrahs were very different with my favorite being the 2002 Alisos Vineyard Syrah. The other syrah was the Catherine’s Vineyard Syrah which I found to be too light for my taste. That’s the beauty of wine in that I’m sure there are many out there that prefer a lighter style syrah. If you are ever in the Santa Rita Hills area I highly recommend at Nicolaysen as it will be a fun time.

Palmina Wines. Palmina is a winery that specializes in Italian varietals. This was really a special treat in that I do not get to enjoy many of the wines made by Palmina very often. To top it off their wines were exceptional. I ended up spending more money here than at any other stop on the whole trip. I bought three reds and one white. The reds were the 2006 Zotovich Vineyard Barbara which could one of the best barbaras I’ve had, the 2007 Honea Vineyard Lagrein which is a really masculine, savory wine from a varietal I’ve not previously tried, and the 2005 TriTono Malbec. The Malbec is the only non-Italian varietal sold at Palmina and is not produced under the Palmina label. Rather it is a joint project with two other individuals and is bottled in Argentina where malbec thrives. The one white I purchased was the 2008 Honea Vineyard Moscato. While this varietal has been around for ages I honestly do now recall every having it before. It was a pretty bold and complex white (which is why I like it) that shares some of the characteristics that attract me to viognier.

As much as I enjoyed the wines at Palmina all was not paradise. The tasting fee was steep ($15 if you wanted to taste the range of what they had to offer) and even though I spent $150 they still tacked the tasting fees on top of the cost of the wine so my total bill was around $180 (my wife and I shared). I will spare you my soapbox speech regarding the use of tasting fees by wineries, but needless to say I left Palmina a bit bothered.

Melville Vineyard & Winery. This was our last stop of the day and the only winery we visited that wasn’t in the city. They had a beautiful building and a spacious tasting room with outdoor seating if you chose to enjoy your wine outside. After Palmina we were back to more standard fare for the Santa Rita Hills tasting pinot noir, syrah, and viognier. In all honesty none of the wines here knocked my socks off. I bought a bottle of 2007 Verna’s Estate Syrah which was decent for $24. In addition we bought a bottle of 2008 Verna’s Estate Viognier largely because my wife loves viognier and we had not bought a bottle yet. Melville was the only winery that required me to pay my tasting fee ($10) up front. I never felt that the woman pouring for us was interested in our experience as she seemed constantly distracted and in a hurry to get through our flight. It is entirely possible that the lack of a relaxed tasting atmosphere tainted how I viewed Melville’s wines.

Overall I was pretty disappointed in our visit to the Santa Rita Hills. I went with high hopes of discovering California pinot noir and came away with only a single bottle. With one exception tasting fees were high and rarely comped with a purchase. This was true not only of the wineries I visited but was implied by others I visited online. It reminded me a lot of the Willamette Valley where I live and where many wineries have the same sort of attitude. I must emphasize however that I only visited four wineries so it is possible that I was just unlucky in my choices.

Paso Robles, CA

The wedding was on Sunday and Monday June 29 we all had to head home. Dropped my wife off at the Onterio Airport to fly back to Portland since she had to work the next day. Ryan and I then headed north where I would drop him off in Davis. Our original plan was to go back to the Santa Barbara area and continue to sample California pinots but a number of people we ran into on our way down south raved about Paso Robles. So, we changed our plans and went to Paso Robles instead. It turned out to be a great decision as it was our best wine tasting day of the whole trip!

Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery. This was a fun stop with the winery promoting a railroad station theme. In fact when we left they gave as a parting gift a wooden railroad whistle! If you are looking for high-end wines this is probably not the place for you. However, if you are interested in everyday wines at a good price then Pomar is the ticket. The key to appreciating this winery is simply understanding who they are. All wines sold at Pomar are under $30 including all their estate wines. Their Canvas Series wines, with labels created from original artwork commissioned to match the character of the corresponding wine, are fun. I bought two bottles of the 2006 Brooster “Fighting Red” which is a tasty blend of cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. This wine is not listed on their web site for some reason but when I was there last week they didn’t talk as if it were in short supply. As I recall the Brooster sold for $15 a bottle. I also bought a bottle of their 2007 Estate Viognier. This wine was mild relative to other viogniers I have had so might perhaps appeal more to true white wine lovers over more typical viogniers. The only downside of this wine was its $25 price tag which is the only wine I found to be somewhat expensive at Pomar. Overall Pomar is worth a visit.

Edward Sellers Vineyards & Winery. This was without a doubt one of the best wineries I visited on our trip. Okay, I’m a bit biased since I love Rhone varietals and Edward was one of two wineries on this day that specialized in Rhone wines. The tasting list was extensive and you could taste any six wines off the list for $5. That being said Ryan and I had real difficulty selecting only six wines to taste and our gracious host did not make a big deal about our exceeding the six wine limit. When all was said and done we walked out of Edward with four bottles. That might not seem like a lot to those who routinely buy wine by the case but for us with limited space it speaks volumes about how we felt about the wine. I had more trouble deciding what to take home at Edward than at any other winery we visited on the trip. Everything was good. They had a wonderful grenache as well as several great syrahs. When all was said and done my number one choice was actually a blend called the 2006 Cognito. The Cognito is blended from Mourvedre, Syrah, Zinfandel, and Grenache. It has just enough fruitiness to make it enjoyable even on its own and a creamy finish that makes it easy to drink. I am actually drinking a glass as I type. We opened it with our 4th of July BBQ burgers and it paired really well. The best part is that it was only $26 yet performed well against other wines I’ve had at twice the price. I also bought a bottle of their 2006 Syrah. I tasted other syrahs but this syrah was favored by both Ryan and I. I actually cannot fine this particular wine on their web site but I assume it is their entry-level syrah as it does not have any sort of a vineyard designation. It also has a red screw cap. The last wine I purchased was the 2006 Blanc du Rhone. This is a white blend consisting of marsanne, viognier, roussanne, and grenache blanc. I almost bought the viognier until Ryan reminded me how many viogniers I already had and that it would be good to get something different. He was right of course and this wine fit the bill. This wine takes on many of the qualities of viognier so it is both flowery and complex. We opened this wine as an afternoon teaser for our BBQ and it didn’t last long. At $29 it is an expensive white but well worth it as this sort of wine is really hard to fine. If you ever make it to Paso Robles Edward Sellers is a must visit!

Anglim Winery. Two wineries in a row that focus on Rhone-style wines! What a treat. I know I just said that Edward Sellers was my trip highlight but Anglim made for a great double-header. Once again everything we tasted, and we got to taste many wines, was wonderful. What made the visit even more fun was that we got to talk extensively to the winemaker and his wife, who also are the owners, about their operation. Since my Ryan is a budding winemaker the conversation got quite technical. So, what to take home? While it was all good we decided on things that I don’t already have in the cellar (which is really just my closet under the staircase). I started with the 2006 Cerise which is a blend of mourvedre, grenache, syrah, and viognier. This is a fruity, easy-drinking blend that highlights the qualities of the individual grapes from which it is constructed. I think what I appreciate most about this wine is the hint of gaminess supplied by the syrah that rounds out flavors from the other grapes. Next I selected the 2006 Grenache. This wine reminds me a bit of a bold Willamette Valley pinot noir in that it starts with dark fruit and ends with a punch of spice. Finally I got a bottle of their 2006 French Camp Vineyard Petite Sirah. I couldn’t go home without a BIG red in my box and this wine is certainly that. I’ve really enjoyed the few petit sirahs I’ve had and this one might be the best. While I have only listed three wines here let again say that everything I tasted was excellent and if you visit Anglim, and I highly recommend you do, you will face the same dilemma I did in making choices as to what to take home. The other great thing is that Anglim is only a block from Edward Sellars so you could visit both in short order and feel like your day is complete.

Hug Cellars. I did not realize how many wines Hug produced until after I returned home and explored their web site as all I got to taste were syrahs and pinots. I’m disappointed in that I would have loved to have tried their zinfandel, mourvedre, and merlot. Even so the winemaker, owner was pouring in the tasting room and even invited my dog to come in and hang out resulting in a good time all around. The wines were good but expensive. I bought the 2007 El Grande Syrah ($36) and the 2007 Casa Torres Vineyard Pinot Noir ($40). I bought the syrah because it was really bold making it a bit different from other syrahs in my cellar (yes, I know it’s only a closet but it works). The pinot was again something different from what I normally get in the Willamette Valley having a more mineral, earthy taste compared to high fruit. If you visit Hug do enjoy the syrahs and pinots but also ask if they are willing to pour some of their other varietals to round off your visit.

Tobin James Winery. This was our last stop of the day. To be honest my pallet was pretty toasted by this time so I do know know if I can give a fair evaluation of what I tasted. I can tell you that this is a fun stop in that the tasting room is set up like an old western saloon that certainly adds flavor to the visit. My feeling is that we kind of ended the day in sort of the same way we started with a winery that caters to the everyday wine drinker who is not looking for high-end wine. All but a few of the wines they sell are under $20 and very drinkable for that price. We took home the 2006 “Ballistic” Zinfandel and the 2006 “Rock-and-Roll” Syrah. Both are very drinkable wines at $18/bottle.

If you ever want an inexpensive wine-tasting vacation Paso Robles is a great place to go. It reminds a lot of Walla Walla, WA which I have touted for years as a great place to go because it is cheap to stay there, tasting fees are low (rarely over $5), tasting fees are comped when you purchase (even a single bottle), and often you will find winemakers working the tasting rooms, and last but not least the wines are really good. I found Paso Robles to be much the same as Walla Walla. You will not that I really did not say much about tasting fees in Paso Robles. That is because I did not pay any. I bought wine everywhere I went and the wineries appreciated the business and the opportunity to increase their customer base. I enjoyed Paso Robles so much that I will likely plan a future vacation there to further explore their wine region.

Manitoba 2009

Wed, 20 May 2009 17:05:01 -0700

This year marked the second year of study of red-sided garter snakes by my lab. Last year we focused on the reproductive energetics of males. This year we tackled the energy costs of females. Energetic costs of females proved to be a bit challenging since some individuals go through periods of apnea (i.e. they don’t breath), but I suspect once we get the analysis done the data will be good. In any event we (which means Jessi) will be analyzing data for months.

Jessi-Ann was a hit. My OSU colleagues really liked her. In fact Dr. Deb Lutterschmidt (hopefully I spelled her name correctly) suggested that Jessi-Ann consider graduate school with her in a couple years when she begins her new position at Portland State University.

Overall this was a warmer year than last year when I think I got three good weather days. As you will see from the gallery pictures we had substantial snow the evening before we left but for the most part the weather was warm.

One exciting event was the discovery of a new den. The gallery pictures of Jessi collecting are in the new den. The new den seems to start earlier due to its orientation so will assure the Mason lab snakes when they first arrive in Manitoba. It is also substantially larger than the old Inwood den so snake numbers should not be an issue.

To see some of our pictures from the trip click on the photo gallery link above.

Malheur 2009

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:11:45 -0700

Tomorrow my ecology and ornithology classes return home from my 20th Spring field trip to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge (and surrounding areas). The wonderful weather has made the trip extra special. It amazes me how good weather amplifies everyone’s enjoyment of this unique area. Since I started teaching both ecology and ornithology at the same time I have not been able to directly run the field trip for both classes and have turned my ecology students over to Dwight Kimberly for several years. Dwight taught me pretty much everything I know about this area so my students are in good hands. During my many dinner conversations this evening with the students it was clear that they have had a great time.

The ornithology students have had an intense but successful trip. As we do every year we started the trip at Basket Slough (near Dallas, OR) to begin the first part of our year-end field test. The test continued for much of the day ending at the ranger station in Sister, OR. The field test are always fun as the students constantly squirm as they try to identify the many birds we see over the course of the day. They also quiver each time they have to spell either a bird order or family (e.g. Troglodytidae) since their crusty old professor has this odd notion that college students ought to be able to spell these things. When all is said and done everyone did generally well (they always do) and if history holds they will do even better on part 2 of the test tomorrow.

I think this class set the record for food consumed on a trip. Dinner the first night totaled nearly $600 for the group beating the old record by about $200. At least I know that they are all healthy!

I have learned several key things on this trip. Here are the top ten (not in any particular order):

1. Kevin Smith actually can make a mistake.
2. Kelsey Schmidt can sunburn.
3. Brendon Hart never needs to be told something more than five times.
4. Austin Callahan likes cars and guys who play guitar.
5. Heidi Nelson thinks she has big legs.
6. Caitlin Nichols eats (or is that smokes...can’t tell) pens.
7. Jessi-Ann Michaelson would exchange text messages with a tree if she knew its number.
8. Kyle Seymour must honk a van horn prior to watching any bird.
9. Kelsey and Heidi could find a coffee house in a Mormon temple.
10. Brendon will eat anything that can be chewed.

Note: Dezarae Hannan, Elizabeth Teach, Jonetta Blum, Annie Butz, and Sam Hyde are too smart to do or say anything that would land them on this list.

I cannot think of another group of students I have enjoyed more than this one. They consistently make me laugh which goes a long way towards relieving the stress of a long academic year. I even think they got me to “let my hair down” (what’s left of it) a bit. Overall a nice way to start a sabbatical!

Click on the gallery icon above to see some pictures.