Tiny Travels: Southwest McMinnville is a day date sweet spot Date nights are overrated. The dinner prep for the kids, the meticulous primping, the guilt of staying out somewhere even though it’s 8:37 p.m. and I am begging to go home already. You know what’s better? Day dates. Actually doing something with long-term partners that doesn’t involve sitting. Working alongside each other. Being out together,… Read Article
Tiny Travels: The best travel guide in Oregon wine country has four legs Most horses can sense your relative ease or total incompetence and will carry you accordingly, but Gracie isn’t one of those horses. A chestnut-colored, flat-shod Tennessee walking horse who has been carrying visitors into the Dundee Hills AVA for over a decade, she’s got the breed’s trademark calm, its sure-footed legs and smooth stride. In other… Read Article
The McMinnville AVA: A detective mystery It just so happens I’m in the travel detective business. It’s bad business to have an American Viticulture Area (AVA) right in your backyard that you don’t know. It’s like a clue hiding in plain sight. From what I’m hearing on the streets it’s the stuff dreams are made of: Sloping hills ripe for trodding,… Read Article
Planning a Dreamy Wine Country Wedding in McMinnville Oregon If you’re looking for a romantic setting for a wedding, then one in wine country makes perfect sense. I’m planning my wedding abroad in the fall but being so far away from where all your wedding vendors are can sometimes lead to missing out on learning about the little details. I spent the day with… Read Article
McMinnville featured in Sunset Magazine “Even serious enophiles describe Oregon wines with one word: Willamette. And one grape: Pinot Noir. It’s understandable. The Pinots produced in places like McMinnville and Dundee are among the very best in the world. The beauty of the Willamette Valley is that you can get lost on the backcountry roads but always find a good… Read Article
Family Winemakers Tasting Loop: Tasting for a Cause Special tasting experiences where the fees are donated 100% to a local charity Willamette Valley, Oregon: Who are we and what is this tasting loop? We are a small group of wineries where the family are both the owners and the winemakers, who have joined together to offer special ‘in the loop’ tasting experiences to benefit… Read Article
Recipe for a Family Spring Breakation in Oregon Wine Country This recipe has been in my family since my kids started going to school. I tend to whip it out a few days before the fortuitous calamity of Spring Break takes hold: one week of no-school, with its free-form days, lingering cabin fever and dreary, unpredictable Oregon weather. I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit over… Read Article
Travel and Art: Connecting to the Larger Whole Art is often thought of as stationary – paintings, sculptures, statues. But of course, it is often much more experiential (think literary readings, dance, or live theater), and can be more of a direct interaction between the artist and the individual experiencing the art. Travel and art share a lot in common. Traveling to a… Read Article
McMinnville Tiny Travels For a Galentine’s Day retreat in Oregon wine country, these places shine The first rule of Galentine’s Day is you have to talk about Galentine’s Day. As in, what the heck is it, why should I participate in this made-up holiday, and what’s the real reason it’s worth conflating your best friends with what could… Read Article
McMinnville Tiny Travels Wine country detox: If health is your goal and travel your game, try these places Health and travel. Could there be any more mutually exclusive pursuits? It’s like saying you want to pray to Bachhus and Panacea at the same time, you want to live in the moment and plan for the life to come,… Read Article