Codi and I went to the lavender fields today with the GvL family. We picked an entire basket full of various types of fresh lavender, dodging hundreds of bees who were equally interested in the flowers. We’ll dry the lavender and hang it around the house.

A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.
Will Durant

It is with a word as with an arrow – once let loose it does not return.
Unknown

Never argue with a fool. Listeners can’t tell which is which.
Unknown

In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.
Franklin D Roosevelt

Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.
William Butler Yeats

Keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final.
Roger Babson

The most important things in life aren’t things.
Anthony J. D’Angelo

Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.
Abraham Lincoln

It is better to rise from life as from a banquet – neither thristy nor drunken.
Aristotle

I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.
Thomas Jefferson

Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.
Theodore Roosevelt

Honesty is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty.
Plato

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much.
Elbert Hubbard

He who considers his work beneath him will be above doing it well.
Alexander Chase

A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines.
Benjamin Franklin

Silence is not always tact and it is tact that is golden not silence.
Samuel Butler

Behavior is a mirror in which every one displays his own image.
Goethe

The faults of the burglar are the qualities of the financier.
George Bernard Shaw

Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.
Jaques Maritain

The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously.
Henry Kissinger

Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk.
Joaquin Setanti

Character is power.
Booker T Washington

The greater wealth, the thicker the dirt.
John Kenneth Galbraith

There are no ugly loves nor handsome prisons.
Benjamin Franklin

Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it.
Benjamin Franklin

Losers visualize the penalties of failure; winners visualize the rewards of success.
William S. Gilbert

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Of course I’m ambitious. What’s wrong with that? Otherwise you sleep all day.
Ringo Starr

Codi and I received a surprise package from some local friends (thanks D&L!), and inside the FedEx box was quite a treat! Two Maine lobsters, a huge set of king crab legs and a dozen crab claws. OMG! I’d never cooked seafood like this before, so I was a bit nervous that I’d mess it up. It turned out to be surprisingly easy. I made a dozen boiled red potatoes with garlic & butter, then boiled the lobster and crab – about 4lbs of food altogether. Codi and I feasted till our bellies ached! We even had a little Argyle sparkling wine. It’s hard to describe just how good the dinner was – one of the best meals ever! Wowoweewa!

I started reading one of my favorite books again – I think this is the 4th time. The book is Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I have an incredibly high quality, gold-leafed edition that is, in my opinion, the best Russian-to-English translation to date. Once I’m finished reading it, it’ll be placed in a sealed container for another read around 2010. =)

I recently started experimenting with black & white photography. I haven’t done any real B&W since the late 80′s. So far, I’m having a good time, getting some interesting shots. I’ve been using the Rebel XTi which has a great set of B&W options.

Self portrait…

Old man, downtown Portland…

Codi and I went to a fun birthday party for our good friend, PM. Her husband, NM, threw a very good party with lots of local friends. Of course, the massive selection of 60+ gourmet cupcakes was a smart touch. My favorite was the carrot cake version with homemade frosting. Good lawd, I could have had a dozen of those! (I was good – I only had one!)

I’m on the phone with Dell tech support right now. It’s someone from India – her accent is pretty thick, but I think she said her name is Sally. Yeah, right. Anyway, I called up to get a replacement motherboard for a Dell Optiplex. The call has been going like this:

(Sally) – What seems to be the problem, sir?
(Me) – I need a replacement motherboard. This one is leaking acid.
(Sally) – Are you getting any error messages?
(Me) – No, just orange acid.
(Sally) – Did you try rebooting?
(Me) – Do you understand what I mean by ACID leaking from the motherboard?!
(Sally) – Can you tell me what color light is on the motherboard?
(Me) – No light, no power, just acid. It won’t turn on.
(Sally) – Do you know how to open the case?
(Me) – (Muffled swearing)… It’s already open.
(Sally) – Ah… Umm, well… How long have you been experiencing this problem?
(Me) – You’ve got to be kidding me. I noticed it yesterday.
(Sally) – I see. May I place you on hold?

After another 10 minutes of haggling, Sally finally let loose with a replacement motherboard. Apparently, acid leaking from the motherboard “could” be a software issue, or maybe something that can be fixed by a reboot. Oy vey.

I went out to Argyle Winery again, just in time for a wine tour and harvest lunch! As usual, the tour was very educational and fun, and the harvest lunch was amazing – totally gourmet. The weather was very pleasant, lots of people showed up and we all had a nice time.

Friday was an 18-hour work day for me. In addition to my regular work, I took about 200 photos for an upcoming magazine article. Pretty fun stuff, but very taxing after such a long day.

Random photo #1 – my flash went wizzy and I wound up with this nonsensical light display.

Random photo #2 – at the last shoot location, I got to enjoy a superb glass of port.

Today I found a little Russian shop with some things that are pretty hard to find in the US. One of those things is kvass – a Russian/Ukrainian drink made from fermented black (or rye) bread. Sounds gross, but it’s not too bad. It’s not fantastic, but it is certainly unique and worth a few sips. So I bought a bottle of kvass and a bottle of pinapple soda.

I’m not very used to taking days off, but I’ll have to get used to it this week.

Day one – went to the beach. Had alligator for lunch.

Day two – went to a driving range and hit a lot of golf balls. Averaged between 150 and 200 yards with the driver. Donated a full bucket of golf balls to an old guy with orangy-brown teeth.

It’s hot. I’m hoping for a rain and/or lightning storm so I can take cool time-lapse photos.

After a morning of pressing chardonnay grapes at Argyle Winery, I went to the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge to take some photos. From about 70 shots, I got 15 really useful pictures. Here’s one of them.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think the cloud formation above the trees looks just like a phoenix. I see the resemblance. Do you?