Sunny skies to continue all week...

Sunday was the perfect end to the perfect weekend. I slept in, made a nice breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes, hashbrowns, and fresh strawberries, and took my time getting ready. Fantastic. I didn't have a lot planned for the day, so it was alright that I didn't get out the door until after 1pm.

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, there are several wineries/vineyards located just a short distance away from where I'm staying in Forest Grove. On this particular afternoon, I decided to check out the David Hill Winery. The drive to the vineyards (which was less than 10 minutes, by the way...and included me having to turn around twice because I had missed where I was supposed to turn) took me into the country and up a narrow gravel road. It was hidden, up in the hills, on David Hill, actually...creative name for the vineyards then, I guess. The view was incredibly beautiful, with the hills covered in vineyards and trees. The tasting room is inside an old farmhouse, and the farmhouse has pretty gardens planted all around it. Weddings are held there every Saturday in the summer, and they were cleaning up the tents and tables/chairs from a wedding the previous day (they can't just leave everything set up because they need to be able to water the grass!).

It was very quiet, with just myself, one other guy, and two couples. Made for a very relaxing, non-intimidating wine-tasting experience. I sampled a few wines (2007 Estate Pinot Gris, 2007 Estate Semillon, Farmhouse White, 2007 Estate Riesling, a red wine that I don't remember the name of but I didn't like, and Sweet Simplicity, their estate dessert wine). Apparently, I have a thing for the whites, and the uber sweet dessert wines :) I bought a bottle of the Farmhouse White for my new wine collection (I just started it...it includes wine from two vineyards...not much, but hey, it's a start!)

After I left David Hill, I headed southwest of Forest Grove about 7 miles to nearby Hagg Lake. This lake is gigantic, and I had found out about it by looking at the City of Forest Grove website earlier that morning. Soooo glad I decided to check it out! It was beautiful. And hot. I brought my beach blanket and book down to the shoreline and relaxed for a bit. People were swimming, boating, tubing, jetskiing...having a great time on the lake. On the shore, people were grilling, picnic-ing, tanning, walking their dogs...having a great time, too. There are also over 15 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails around the lake, but I didn't check those out. I just don't think I'd be a smart idea for me to go off hiking by myself. So I stayed by the water.

The afternoon flew by, and before I knew it, it was almost 6:30. I needed to go to the grocery store still and pick up a few essentials (bread, peanut butter, tea, cereal, shampoo, and vinegar to put on my mildly sunburned skin). Supper time, and soon it was time for bed. Great end to the perfect weekend.

Today, Monday, went by really fast. I was in the lab all day at the pharmacy, this time making creams. It was a bit challenging (they don't teach us everything we need to know in pharmacy school!), but it was my favorite day yet by far. I was so involved with my work that I didn't even notice when 4:30 came around and it was time for me to head home...I ended up staying until after 5pm! Oh well.

Quick stop at Trader Joe's for some apples, hummus, pita chips, and soymilk, and I was finally on my way home. Completely exhausted, tonight is going to be an early night. Tomorrow it's supposed to hit 80 degrees here, with clear sunny skies again. Yay!