Kramer Vineyards

May 16, 2024

In summer I live in rural Oregon, in the Willamette Valley. My neighbors make fantastic wines. My personal favorites are the sparkling wines made by the Kramer family. The vineyard is beautiful and makes the perfect place to picnic while we watch the grape crop mature. I visited yesterday to pick up my sparkling wine club allotment.

The vineyard and tasting room are in a secluded spot near our home. A warm welcome and a glass of wine greet the visitors. I love to take a stroll around the vines in all seasons. These sprouting plants will provide grapes for the alchemy of harvest and winemaking. It’s a spirit filled place.

I’m an enthusiastic member of the sparkling wine club at Kramer because it’s always fun to share these wines with friends. They make any party an elevated experience. These bubbles enhance virtually any gastronomy. Our company looks forward to being poured a glass of excellence.

If you are planning a visit to Oregon wine country be sure to include Kramer Vineyards for a special treat. They produce a variety of delicious wines.

Looking Up

May 16, 2024

Iris is an optimist with the ability to focus

Exclusively on the heavens and stars

The earth under her feet is solidly supporting

A never ending cycle of higher aspirations

Attached

May 15, 2024

Seasonal images burn into memory

Places leave indelible impressions

The smell in the air, the sound of woodlands

Come into bloom and beat fruit

Beyond the obvious sense of balance

Luminous Enchantments

May 14, 2024

Light changes the way we perceive

Expansion, reflection, and repose

When shadows are cast we see the past

In ways that we had never supposed

Wind Messengers

May 13, 2024 — 2 Comments

Briskly traveling down ridges

Settling into ditches and ravines

Wind carries images from eternity

Leaving impressions on today

Let yourself be open to the truth

Energy Clearance

May 11, 2024

Change of place evokes new patterns

Now the only boundary is imaginary

Season opening into eternal meaning

Lasting much longer than the plan

We have destinies mortal and finite

That all conclude in similar endings

Natural Security

May 10, 2024

Sparkling nature surrounds me with surprises

Showing glorious enthusiasm for life

Transition requires attention

Each moment contains profound insights

Taqueria Las Palmas, Bishop California

May 6, 2024

I’m in Bishop, California on Cinco de Mayo where I can choose from several Mexican restaurants. Since I went to my favorite in Desert Hot Springs on my last stop (another Las Palmas), I decided to try the local Taqueria Las Palmas. It was an excellent decision.

Festive decor and a happy crowd welcomed me to celebrate. The waitress was astonishingly swift. I ordered a taco salad, vegan style, with a Cadillac margarita.

Both food and drink were delivered quickly by a friendly professional waitress. It was more than I could finish but I enjoyed every bite. The drink had a super generous float of Grand Marnier (which distinguishes the Cadillac from other margaritas.)

I never tire of Mexican food. I had leftover fajitas for breakfast today. It pleases me greatly to know that I can find good food along the route that I travel. I will certainly return to Taqueria Las Palmas next time I visit Bishop. They happily accommodate everyone, even vegans.

Desert Hot Springs Inn

May 4, 2024 — 2 Comments

I met friends in Desert Hot Springs Inn for a reunion spa down in the desert. I have been a fan of the water in this town for 50 years. In the 1940’s health spa facilities were developed and became extremely popular.

Hollywood stars and others frequently visited the European style water source to seek healing. Over time many small motels with the mineral water were established. The town thrived for decades. As the popularity of water spa experiences wained, destination spas ( a full regime of classes and services at a fixed package price) became the rage.

By the 1990’s the place had withered into a gang headquarters for meth. It was sad and dangerous. When California legalized weed the other towns in Coachella Valley decided not to accommodate the business. Desert Hot Springs made a bold move to become the smoke and soak capital of the world. The tax dollars poured in and the town has managed to pull itself out of the criminal past.

I stayed at a big hotel in the past but have found the perfect destination for me. Desert Hot Springs Inn is a mid century 8 room hotel with mineral water in two temperatures. It’s private, canine friendly and weed friendly. We have put it on our list to visit every 6 months. It’s everything I like, and nothing I don’t like.

I recommend a visit to this charming private slice of paradise.