March 29, 2011

Grapevines

We've picked up our grapevine roots.  The bare roots are waiting in the bag for a chance to get planted, which should be very shortly now.

March 25, 2011

Coffee Rant - McCafe Premium Roast Coffee

McDonald's conquest of the known world is something of legend.  Beyond Napoleon or Alexander the Great, it has invaded all reaches of the planet.  The only place left for McDonalds to expand is to other planets, or perhaps to the bottom of the ocean.

While sea life hasn't been quick to adopt the fast food trend yet; we're confident with the proper marketing that this untapped market will turn into the gold mine that we all know it to be.  Except for the McFish, we'll probably need to rename that...


Characteristics: Rich depths, beautiful, soothing sounds, susceptible to the gravitational pull of celestial bodies, covers ~71% of the surface of the globe.


Coffee Rant - 40th Anniversary Tribute Blend

Forty is a great number.  Forty years wandering in the wilderness.  Forty days in the desert.  Forty days of rain...  Forty winks...  Forty shakes of a lambs tail...  Forty and twenty blackbirds... Forty-forty vision... Snow White and the Forty Dwarves...  Forty hour work week... Forty four magnum... Mozart's fortieth symphony. There are alot of great things about the number forty.



Characteristics:
Rico Suave, speeding ticket, and failure to use turn signal.

March 24, 2011

Trellis Wire

Galvanized trellis wire and tension strainers.  Another great purchase off of craigslist.  This should help keep those posts in line!

March 18, 2011

Solar Power

In order to power any timers, solenoids, or other electrical shenanigans, I bought a Solar Panel.  This was probably the first major purchase that wasn't off of craigslist that is related to the island project (apart from the vines, I suppose).  It will be neat to see how the solar power does, and hopefully I won't find any stray electrons!

Water Tower

I have a large container; another craigslist purchase.  This tote should hold somewhere around 330 gallons.   Which should be enough to store all the rainwater... and anything else we find that might need to be stored.

March 12, 2011

Final Rototill Tour




We re-roto-tilled the whole field today.  After finishing the tilling, the rain was just about to start.

Sky Platform






I am thinking the "Sky Platform" will be a good place to let gravity help us water our vines in their first few months.

March 10, 2011

Reading Books 3-9-2011

I recently picked up Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy from the library.  So far, it's a little like a novelization of Unforgiven, if it had been written by James Joyce.
I also finished reading Decision Points by former U.S. President George W. Bush.  An interesting read, which was very enlightening to see the motivations and convictions of the former president.  It was an interesting read, though it seemed strongly apologetic (defensive).  That probably was his point of writing the book.

March 6, 2011

Vineyard Hardware Continued

I haven't shared the varieties that we are planning on planting.  We settled on three varieties.  We chose muscat, chenin blanc, and merlot.
After finding that we are planting more vines than originally anticipated, we picked up 26 more poles and trellis brackets.  Some of the brackets have never been used.

March 1, 2011

Coffee Rant - Yukon

Yukon Gold.  The Yukon gold rush was one of the last great North American gold rushes.  Fifty years after the gold rushes of the California, Oregon, Nevada, etc.  The thick rows of miners ready to explore and prospect for gold in the frozen northland thinned out across the wide expanse of the Yukon.  The great frozen northland took much more planning and preparation to conquer than the relatively temperate climes of the south.  Prospectors heading north in Canada were required to bring a years provisions, and often stripped of firearms.  The Canadian Mounties waited at the tops of passes to make sure the prospectors were in compliance.
Some prospectors found gold, some found silver, and some found very large bears.

Characteristics
Very woody, earthy, with a light dusting of charcoal and soot; like the depths of a gold mine etched into the frozen permafrost.