We drove to Oregon last week to spend the weekend with my dad.

Along the way we visited Cooper Mountain Winery. They had a great Pinot Gris for $13, but what really captured our attention was a Malbec produced under their strict organic and bio-dynamic specifications, $30 was a real value. We have set it aside for our 25th anniversary.

Two people recommended Jory as a restaurant to try. It is located in The Allison Resort and Spa. With this location Oregon wine country is really entering the class of Sonoma and Napa. The Oregon Pinots already win world wide awards over California wines, now they are building the amenities for tourists that will make this a true wine destination.

We sat in the lounge area overlooking the valley. Ordered off of the appetizer menu. Without hesitation I had the best steamed mussels ever! They were steamed with Italian sausage, chunks of the sausage mixed in with the shells and a broth that made you beg for more bread.

Greg Mortenson, the author of the wonderful Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time has a new book out, saw it in the window of the Edmonds Bookstore. If the new book, Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan is as good as the first it will be a must read. Adding it to my list, if you have read it let us know what you think.