(non) Hiatus

It's been a stellar summer. Wow. It's just been non-stop.

Since we returned from our European odyssey, we have had different folks staying with us almost every day. I bet we've had a combined 20 days of time "to ourselves" since we've been back...and we got back more than 4 months ago! It's been wonderful, having people from all over the world and all across the nation staying with us. We love sharing our life, our space, and our experiences with those we are connected to.

But we're tired. And we're generally ready for summer to wrap up and send us into the calm of autumn, where kids are back to school (and Pax will most likely start pre-school about 3 blocks from here) and lives are "back to normal." Of course, what is normal?

There are weeds to be weeded, fruit to be picked, neighbors to reconnect with, wine to be made, and a baby to be birthed.

But before we enter this next season, perhaps some reflection on what our summer was like...

We (Brittian, Holly and I) hosted 3 HOMESPUN house shows. Each one was amazing and wonderful. We had between 50-80 people at each show. And everyone seemed to have a good time, squeezed into our downstairs and listening to great music while drinking my homebrew. The Cobalt Season even played some songs for the second show. It was great to play music with Holly and Daniel again. And yes, Daniel Dixon relocated to Portland and got a house with Amos.

Dan and Bethany moved up here and are now renting our basement apartment. That has been so wonderful. They are dear friends and love Pax so much. It's great having them around.

I took a part-time job at a winery (thanks to a Craigslist forward from Joel Brady) near Salem (about 1 hour from here). I help them out, pouring and selling wine 2 days a week at local farmer's markets...and by spending a day a week at the winery, assisting however I can...washing barrels, transferring wine, tasting, blending, making chemical solutions, etc. It's been a great fit. Arcane Cellars is a small-batch family-owned winery and each of us there (only about 4) kinda do everything. It's been great to be in the mix.

We re-launched SharpSeven and continue to try to get the word out about our services.

Holly continues to be more and more pregnant. The baby should be here any day...well, he should be here in another 2 months. Don't tell her that's a long time! We're expecting Remy (the name we've settled on) in early November or perhaps even late October.

Dan, Adam and I are making a batch of wine this fall. I secured a 1/2 ton of grapes from eastern WA, piggybacking on the order of a winery. Grapes should arrive later this month and fermentation will begin. I'm geeking out on different yeast strains (we'll use 4 in total) and oak barrels (I got one from our winery that was neutral and took it to a cooper to have it shaved out and re-toasted). Gonna be epic!

The garden did well and we had a great summertime harvest. Several tomatoes still ripening. Soon our figs will be ready, and the pears continue to ripen and drop. I have loved all the green, but now I look forward to a blank slate in the back. Time to lay some compost and add some wood chips around the house to suppress the weeds.

I have been writing some music and doing a few interviews here and there. Perhaps we'll work on a new album in 2010. Not sure what to call it...perhaps Space Odyssey? Or would that be The Year We Make Contact?

Life here is more complex and rich than I could have expected. We're only about 2 weeks away from our 1-year anniversary of moving in. We feel very connected, loved, and busy as hell.

On the point of busy-ness or business, SharpSeven has had a fairly slow year. That has been both good and bad. Not making money is seldom good, but luckily the winery job has helped supplement some income. Our regular clients have been our lifeblood this year. I am grateful for that. So grateful. (And, of course, friends renting space from us is sort of a double-bonus.) But seriously, if you're in need of some design work, please visit our website or email us or give us a call.

I think Holly and I are both looking forward to the cooling of the temperatures and the shortening of the days, the falling of the leaves and the changing of the smells. Autumn is our advent. The earth prepares for the long sleep of winter. I need some hibernation myself, some reflection, some lonely-time.