Made a detour to hang with family in the Portland area. I stayed with my uncle Felix who has a vineyard called Carlo and Julian. It just happened to be harvest time for the grapes — the ‘crush’ it’s called — so I lent a hand for a few days (ala the Pastures of Plenty lyrics: ‘cut the grapes from your vine, to set on your table your light sparkling wine’). Felix had a spot by the garden in mind for a no-till pollinator waystation in the spirit of Masanobu Fukuoka’s “natural farming” philosophy. We sowed seeds and did an impromptu musical setting of a poem by my cousin Madeline (Felix’s daughter).
Had a wonderful time visiting with James, Ashley, Katie, Mike, Diego, Steph, Mickey, Marie, Rose, and Annette. What a party. Also, got to see my awesome niece, Freedom. Gave her a monarch shirt from the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy. Great to see you all, familia!
