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Spanish Wine Pilgrimage
Summer is in its peak. It is a time of harvest, growth and a bit of spiritual retreat. We give salutations to Spain with this pilgrimage through our Spanish selections in honor of our many friends that live in Spain and walked the El Camino de Santiago:
The El Camino de Santiago or the St. James Trail travels through the northern border Pyrenees mountain range between France and Spain. Travelers walk this path for personal and spiritual growth. Imagine if you were on that journey. You finish your day at St. James in Santiago in the most North Western coastal corner of Spain and begin your journey through the wine regions of Spain. The journey begins in the northwest coastal areas of Spain across the northeast coastal then down to the center of Spain in La Mancha.
From Santiago, you will travel to Rias Baixas. The calmest coastal area on the Atlantic coast, it is one of the exclusive areas to harvest sea life. It is also known for refreshing Albariño and with rich pine and eucalyptus landscapes. The lush maritime area of the North West Spain is where the sea rules cuisine and industry. Our producer, Bodegas as Laxas has been producing Albariño since 1975. A refreshing wine, with a glyceric finish, it lingers on the palate with exacting acidity. Pairing with this would be a hearty ceviche halibut salad tossed with fresh pimentos, oranges and crisp jicama.
Though as hard as it may be to extract oneself from the coastal winds and scents, we continue to move forward to dive deep into the heart of Spain to find red varietals. On to the plateaus of the Iberian Peninsula, we travel to Castilla y León. Nestled together and surrounded by Cantabrian mountains to the north, Zamora mountains to the south, and Sistma Iberico mountains to the south east, the Meseta plateau is at a higher elevation providing hotter days and cool evenings. These landscapes protect the vineyards from the coastal influences we just experienced in Rias Baixas. Here, the Duoro River begins and travels east through Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean.
Bodega Casto Pequeño cultivates its Tempranillo here in these dynamic conditions. With vineyards in Castilla y Leon, Rueda and Toro, Bodega Casto Pequeño produces complex wines, with suppleness and structure and rich cherry and strawberry driven wines. Classic regional pairings would be Judias del Barco con chorizo (sausage and bean soup), Morcilla de León (blood sausage) and Cangrejos de río con tomate (Crabs Rio in tomato).
Due east in the area of Spain in the in Ribera del Duero region, Bodegas Rauda produces Tempranillo in a more refined modern fashion with ample fruit and elegance. Pairings with these wines would be similar however preferred favorites are braised hen with saffron and tomato or Manchego cheese with roasted peppers and mushrooms!
Crossing over plateaus to the Ebro River, we will head due east to the Navarra and Rioja regions directly under the Cantabrian Mountains. The transition from the dry plateau climate with Atlantic coastal influence to the continental plateau climate with mountain winds highlights the varietals distinctness and shows how they thrive in different environments. It is here that a stronger prominence of other varietals are grown, such as Garnacha, as well as a stronger use of French varietals (including Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) in conjunction with the traditional Tempranillo.
Navarra is nestled north east of Rioja, and is part of the Way to St. James if one walks through the vineyards of Valdizarbe. It is a historic area, more noted for tradition than wine, and secretly one of my favorite regions in Spain. Marques de Montecierzo is rich in culture almost as much as the pilgrimage to St James. Limestone clay soils and tunnels underneath an ancient mill house, the family cultivates the vineyard in sustainable practices.
Rioja, southwest of Navarra, has grown dramatically in popularity. Driven primarily by Tempranillo and Garnacha, the French influence is still strong with notes of French oak rather than American oak. Our friends at Zuazo Gaston are located near the village of Oyón (pictured above), and they highly recommend the nearby town of Logroño for local cuisine. Alberto Anoz, our contact at Zuazo Gaston says that a typical local menu would be: "Menestra de Verduras" (vegetable stew) or "Patatas a la Riojana" (potatoes with Spanish sausage) with "Chuletillas al Sarmiento" (baby lamb chops grilled with vine branches, pictured below). He recommends the following local restaurants: En Ascuas (where they make very nice grilled meats, including Chuletillas al Sarmiento) & Cachetero.
He also suggests visiting the "Calle del Laurel", a local street in Logrono with plenty of small bars and excellent tapas.
Traveling to the north eastern part of Spain, sitting on the Mediterranean coast is the Catalonia region (pictured below). Here we enter Spain's most cultivated and modernized wine region, but even with growth and investment, they cherish their traditions and have stayed close to their roots.
Cava, Spain's sparkling wine, hails from this area and is produced with the varietals Macabeo, Parellada, Xarello, methode tradionale. The bubbles are sassy and vivacious with lush textures on the palette. Bodegas Maset has taken great care in executing an elegant and voluptuous Cava. They are also known for their production of exciting reds with varietals such as Cariñena and Garnache. Pairings for Catalan regions are influenced with Mediterranean coast (olive oils, vegetables, legume, pastas), lamb, cheese, anchovy, tuna and cod.
For a special local dish, our friends at Bodegas Maset recommend Pollo asado con chalotas, ciruelas y piñones (roast chicken with shallots, prunes and pine nuts). Their dear friends Sandra & Xavi (who live in Barcelona less than an hour due east of the winery) write a cooking blog, Els fogons de la Bordeta, where you can find this recipe!
Into the heat and depths of Spain, we find La Mancha. Low density and difficult living conditions due to the arid temperatures, however wind mills and agriculture thrive. This intensity produces some thrilling Tempranillo and Syrah. Bodegas y Vinedos Tavera blends their Cendal with a touch of Syrah which is able to withstand the hot days and chilly nights. In Valdepeñas and Tierra de Castillo, the Bodegas Juan Ramirez family stands firm with tradition and makes their wines with 100% Tempranillo (vineyards pictured below). Pairings in this region would be Cocido Madrileño (meats, sausage and garbanzo beans), garlic soup and pisto (vegetables of squash, tomato and peppers).
Time restricts our travels but journeys never have to end, Spain can be limitless. Hearty in its wine, food, tradition and culture, each region is represented through and noted through its specific nuances from its agriculture, culture and growth throughout the centuries. Spain is an exploration of the senses and a heartwarming reminder that tradition is a foundation not a decal. A pilgrimage for the spirit as is many times found through sharing with good friends at the table from a vineyard and the land.
Jaci Kajfas
Guest Wine Writer, Sommelier & Dining Room Manager at Volterra in the historic neighborhood of Ballard in Seattle, WA
Interested in taking a wine tour of Spain? All the wines mentioned above as excellent examples from their respective regions are available at Portalis Wine Shop:
Rias Baixas | As Laxas Outon
Castilla y León | Bodega Casto Pequeño
Ribera del Duero | Bodegas Rauda
Navarra | Marques de Montecierzo
Rioja | Zuazo Gaston
Catalonia | Bodegas Maset
La Mancha | Bodegas Tavera
Valdepeñas | Bodegas Juan Ramirez
A Walking Tour of Sicily
As we are surrounded by the cold, dark, rainy days of Seattle in winter, I thought it would be a good time to enjoy the photos of a trip to Sicily that my parents (ardent supporters of Portalis and lovers of food & wine) took with some couple friends of theirs last spring. It was a walking tour, so every day they'd take a 4-6 hours hike (primarily through the countryside) and then they'd return to their guesthouse for a wonderful meal of local foods & wines.
Here's the itinerary (which you can follow on the map) with photos from each day:
Day 1: Arrival in Syracuse with a walk through Syracuse Archaeological Park and a historical tour of Ortygia
Day 2: Noto & Oasi Naturale di Vendicari
Day 3: Mount Etna
This hike was moderate to challenging with an elevation gain/loss of 2200 ft.
Day 4: Necropolis of Pantalica
Day 5: Mount Ganzaria with a visit to Villa Romana del Casale, which is considered the most important Roman archeological site in Sicily.
Day 6: Parco Naturale Regionale delle Madonnie followed by a cooking class
Day 7: Walking tour of Cefalu, a beachside resort, followed by visits to the towns of Segesta and Erice, and the hilltop Castle of Venus.
Day 8: Riserva Naturale di Monte Cofano, plus a wonderful night of dinner and drinks at Planeta Estate and Vineyards
Day 9: Selinunte archaeological site; "La Dispensa" winery and vineyards
We carry several wines produced by a large Sicilian co-op. Interested in experiencing some of the wines from this beautiful land? Let us know and we'll hook you up:
Palazzo Malgara Inzolia
Palazzo Malgara Nerello Mascalese
Palazzo Malgara Shiraz
Palazzo Malgara Nero d'Avola
Julie, Co-owner
Portalis Wines & J. Strecker Selections
New Tasting Series: Grape Varietals A-Z
Kicking off a new year, we thought it would be fun to do a comprehensive tasting series featuring as many single grape varietals as we carry in the shop. We counted them up. (There are 60+!) We put them in alphabetical order. And we're ready to go! Here's the schedule. If you make a good chunk of these tastings, you will have tasted the vast majority of single grape varietals grown around the world today. We'll offer a little educational overview on each grape including tasting notes & where it's grown. The rest is up to you. Ready, set, go:
Tastings run every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from bar open (4pm) to 8pm:
Tue, 14-Jan – Albariño ~ pictured above in the Outon vineyards in Rias Baixas, Spain
Wed, 15-Jan – Aligoté
Thu, 16-Jan – Arneis
Tue, 21-Jan – Barbera
Wed, 22-Jan – Blaufraenkisch
Thu, 23-Jan – Brachetto
Tue, 28-Jan – Cabernet Franc
Wed, 29-Jan – Cabernet Sauvignon
Thu, 30-Jan – Cannonau
Tue, 4-Feb – Carmenère
Wed, 5-Feb – Chardonnay (France) ~ pictured above in Claude Nouveau's vineyards
Thu, 6-Feb – Chardonnay (California)
Tue, 11-Feb – Chenin Blanc
Wed, 12-Feb – Cortese
Thu, 13-Feb – Dolcetto
Tue, 18-Feb – Garganega
Wed, 19-Feb – Garnacha Grenache
Thu, 20-Feb – Grauvernatsch (Schiava Grigio)
Tue, 25-Feb – Grüner Veltliner
Wed, 26-Feb – Inzolia
Thu, 27-Feb – Kerner
Tue, 4-Mar – Lagrein
Wed, 5-Mar – Malbec
Thu, 6-Mar – Melon de Bourgogne
Tue, 11-Mar – Merlot
Wed, 12-Mar – Montepulciano
Thu, 13-Mar – Moscato
Tue, 18-Mar – Muscat
Wed, 19-Mar – Nebbiolo ~ pictured above in the Pelassa vineyards of Piedmont, Italy
Thu, 20-Mar – Nerelo Mascalese
Tue, 25-Mar – Nero d'Avola
Wed, 26-Mar – Pedro Ximenez
Thu, 27-Mar – Petit Verdot
Tue, 1-Apr – Petite Syrah
Wed, 2-Apr – Pineau d'Aunis
Thu, 3-Apr – Pinot Bianco
Tue, 8-Apr – Pinot Blanc
Wed, 9-Apr – Pinot Grigio
Thu, 10-Apr – Pinot Grigio
Tue, 15-Apr – Pinot Noir (France)
Wed, 16-Apr – Pinot Noir (Oregon)
Thu, 17-Apr – Pinotage
Tue, 22-Apr – Primitivo
Wed, 23-Apr – Prosecco
Thu, 24-Apr – Riesling
Tue, 29-Apr – Sangiovese
Wed, 30-Apr – Sauvignon Blanc (France)
Thu, 1-May – Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)
Tue, 6-May – Semillon
Wed, 7-May – Shiraz ~ pictured above from Jens' trip to Victoria, Australia
Thu, 8-May – Syrah (Old World)
Tue, 13-May – Syrah (New World)
Wed, 14-May – Tempranillo
Thu, 15-May – Torrontes
Tue, 20-May – Verdejo
Wed, 21-May – Vernaccia
Thu, 22-May – Viognier
Tue, 27-May – Welschriesling
Wed, 28-May – Zinfandel
Thu, 29-May – Zweigelt
This should be a lot of fun! Look forward to seeing you there!
Julie, Jens & the Portalis team
Portalis Staff Dreams Big for the Holidays
It's a tradition! Every December we ask your lovely Portalis staff what they would like to drink for the holidays. Here's what they said:
Jens: Ahhh, this year it's Burgundy! I'd pick the Claude Nouveau Premier Cru or the Paul Reitz Vosne-Romanée, either one. Festive, beautifully-made wines. Cherry, dark fruit. They pair with everything. Always a class act!
RhiAnnon: You've corrupted me. My go-to was always my high-end Washington wines (which I love), but I'm going Old World this time: Burgum Novum Lagrein Riserva. When you take a sip of this wine, it will make you stop mid-sentence and think about what you are enjoying. Lesser-known varietal. It will knock your socks off!
Travis: Stevenson – Barrie 2009 Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley! Great structure and acidity with lingering black cherry & cedar finish.
Matt: This past year saw me get married in my personal life as well as learn to serve wine to the public in my professional life. In both cases, I've learned that patience is, in fact, a virtue. In this same vein, I would love to have Pelassa's 2007 Barolo, a wine beautiful now, and even more so in the years to come.
Evann: I'd choose the Bodegas Maset 2011 Mas Viló Priorat. The first time I tasted it I fell in love! It reminded me of cold weather and the holidays! A wonderful Christmas Dinner wine!
Daniel: My pick for wine is Achaval 2007 Quimera. Because once opened up, it has lovely texture & complexity with a hint of plum, cinnamon & chocolate. This makes it an excellent winter wine!
Tracey: Same song, different year! Champagne! This year I'd go with the Jean Veselle Reserve if I had my choice. Cheers!
Julie: Probably because I want to go there, I'd choose a deep, dark, well-aged Spanish Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero. Since I lived in Germany in the early 1990's I've dreamt of a trip through northern Spain. Now 20+ years later, it would be a wine trip through northern Spain. Sounds good, huh? My friend Catherine Reynolds (you can find her at the Spanish Table) once described wines from this part of Spain as 'hedonistic pleasure bombs'. I can't wait to try mine: Bodegas Rauda 2009 Musai de Tinto Roa. Cheers!
From our house to yours, happy holidays!
Jens, Julie + the Portalis team
Remembering Holidays Past
Three years ago, Chef Tracy got the idea to create a Little Book of Recipes. We got Jens to do the wine pairings, did a little research on how to create a beautiful, handmade book, and we were off with a lovely little book of Portalis recipes for the holidays. It flew off the shelves! It was such a hit that we have decided to post some of our favorite recipes from that wonderful little book, along with updated wine pairings. We hope you enjoy these delicious yet totally doable holiday home recipes. Cheers!
Gougères with Gorgonzola Mousse,
Red Grapes & Walnuts
~ paired with ~
Cave de Bissey Crémant de Bourgogne
Mâche Salad with Roasted Butternut
Squash & Cranberries
~ paired with ~
Castelfeder 2011 "Lahn" Kerner
Roasted Duck with Pomegranate Molasses Sauce,
Maple Sweet Potato Gratin &
Brussels Sprout Gratin with Hazelnut Crust
~ paired with ~
Domaine de Nalys
2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réserve
Sticky Toffee Pudding
~ paired with ~
Porto Kopke 20-Year Old Tawny Port
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Gougères with Gorgonzola Mousse, Red Grapes & Walnuts
1 cup water
3 oz butter
1 tsp salt
pinch white pepper
pinch nutmeg
1 cup flour, 4 eggs, 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put water, butter, salt, pepper & nutmeg in a saucepan on medium heat and bring to simmer. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the paste is pulling off the sides of the pan. Take off the stove & stir in the parmesan cheese. Put mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment & mix on low until the steam stops coming out of the dough. Then add eggs (one at a time) scraping the bowl in between to incorporate eggs evenly into the dough. Then I put the dough in a piping bag and pipe onto a sheet pan, making them about the size of a quarter and placing them about 1½ inches apart. Bake for 20 minutes until golden in color & puffy. Note: if you don't want to use a piping bag you can use a teaspoon to drop onto the sheet pan.
These gougeres can be served warm by themselves as simple little cheese puffs or you can cool them, cut off the top & fill them with anything you like. I like to fill them with a gorgonzola mousse:
Gorgonzola Mousse
8 oz crumbled gorgonzola (room temp)
4 oz cream cheese (room temp)
1 Tbs butter (room temp)
red pear or red grapes & toasted walnut halves to garnish
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whip attachment, whip cream cheese on high speed until light & fluffy. Then slowly add the gorgonzola & whip until light & fluffy. Add butter & mix to incorporate.
Then cut the top off of the gougères and fill with the mousse.
(Again, I use a piping bag but you can use a spoon.) Garnish with red grapes cut in half or a slice of red pear and a piece of toasted walnut.
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Mâche Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash & Cranberries
2 medium butternut squash
1 cup dried cranberries
1 5-oz container of organic mache (usually with the bagged salad mixes in gourmet grocery stores; substitute spinach if you like)
pinch of nutmeg
1 oz olive oil
Peel butternut squash, scrape out seeds & medium dice. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the diced squash, olive oil, salt, pepper & a pinch of nutmeg in a bowl and put on a sheet pan. Roast for 7 to 10 minutes until squash is tender. Cool. Then, in a salad bowl, toss the squash, mache & cranberries with the maple vinaigrette (recipe to follow), adding enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the salad.
I make candied walnuts as a garnish but to save time you can buy candied walnuts or pecans, which you can usually find in the bulk food sections of most grocery stores.
Maple Vinaigrette
¼ cup best quality maple syrup
1/8 cup sherry vinegar
1 tsp minced shallot
¼ tsp Dijon mustard
pinch of salt & pepper
½ cup olive oil
Place maple syrup, vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt & pepper in a bowl and slowly whisk in olive oil. You can also use a hand blender and drizzle in the olive oil to make a thicker, emulsified vinaigrette. Toss with salad immediately before serving.
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Roasted Duck with Pomegranate Molasses Sauce
I recommend a pomegranate molasses sauce for its sweet & tart components as the perfect complement to the richness of the duck.
1 whole duck
½ cup kosher salt
2 Tbs sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
This is a 2-day process, so you'll need to plan ahead. First thing you want to do is wash the duck inside & out with cold water and pat dry with a towel. Then combine all other ingredients to make your salt rub. Rub inside of cavity with the salt rub & thoroughly rub the outside as well. Put on a sheet pan place in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day wash the duck again in cold water to get the salt rub off & pat dry with a towel. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put the duck on a roasting rack (breast side up) and roast for 10 to 15 minutes to crisp up the skin and render out some of the fat. Then turn the oven down to 250 degrees & roast for 3 to 4 hours, basting the duck every 30 minutes with the fat from the bottom of the pan. The duck is done when the leg moves easy at the joint.
8 cups pomegranate juice
1 sprig of sage
1 star anise pod
1 shallot (sliced)
1 tsp black peppercorn
Put pomegranate juice in a sauce pan on medium high heat. Bring juice up to a simmer & reduce by half. Then add sage, star anise, shallot & peppercorn and reduce on low until juice is thick like molasses. Strain sauce & serve warm with the duck.
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Maple Sweet Potato Gratin
1 lb Red Garnet sweet potatoes
1 lb yellow sweet potatoes
1 lb butter
2 cups Grade A maple syrup
1 cup pecans (chopped)
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
½ cup cold butter (diced)
Melt 1 lb butter & maple syrup on medium heat until it begins to simmer, then take off the heat & set aside. Peel & slice potatoes into ¼ inch slices. Put into a bowl and toss with the maple butter mixture and salt & pepper. Put the potato mixture in a 10 inch round gratin dish, patting down to compress the potatoes. Put foil over the gratin & bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are baking, make the pecan streusel topping. Put the pecans, brown sugar & flour in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cold (½ cup) butter & pulse a few times until mixture resembles course bread crumbs. Then take the foil off the potato gratin, add the pecan topping & bake for 15 more minutes uncovered.
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Brussels Sprout Gratin with Hazelnut Crust
1 lb Brussels sprouts
1 cup bechamel sauce (recipe to follow)
1 cup cave-aged gruyère (shredded)
½ cup skinned hazelnuts
½ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup butter (melted)
Bechamel Sauce
1 cup half & half
½ yellow onion
1 bay leaf
1 whole clove
1 sprig thyme
1 garlic clove
pinch nutmeg
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
To make the bechamel, put the half & half in a sauce pan and add bay leaf, clove, sprig of thyme, garlic clove & nutmeg and simmer for 15 minutes to infuse flavors. Strain and cool to room temp. Then in a sauce pan melt butter, add flour and stir with a whisk until a paste forms. Then slowly pour in the half & half while whisking over medium heat and continue to whisk until sauce thickens. Cool to room temp.
Wash Brussels sprouts in cold water & pull off the outside leaves. Cut the bottom off & then slice Brussels sprouts in a ¼ inch slice. Melt 2 Tbs butter in a sauté pan & add the Brussels sprouts. Cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the sprouts are tender. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside in a mixing bowl.
Add the cooled bechamel & gruyere to your Brussels sprouts and fold together. Pour the mixture into a gratin dish. Put the hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse a couple times. Add the bread crumbs & butter and pulse again to combine. Crumble over top of the gratin & bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes until the edges are bubbling.
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Sticky Toffee Pudding
2 cups diced dates
2¼ cups water
1½ tsp baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
6 Tbs unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 inch square baking pan (2 inches deep), knocking out excess flour. In a 2 quart saucepan, simmer dates in water (uncovered) for 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Let mixture stand at room temp for 20 minutes. In a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, ginger & salt. In a stand mixer beat together butter & sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Add date mixture with a spatula and stir batter until combined. Pour batter into baking pan. Set pan into a larger baking pan and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the smaller pan. (This water bath insulates the cake so that it doesn't heat up too quickly, causing the center to rise & crack.) Bake in middle of the oven until tester comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove pan from water bath & set on a rack to cool.
¾ cup plus 2 Tbs unsalted butter
1½ cups dark brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
½ tsp vanilla
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a 2 quart saucepan over moderate heat. Add the brown sugar and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream & vanilla. Simmer sauce until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Then serve warm pudding with warm sauce over it. I like to garnish with brandy whipped cream or the ice cream of your choice.
Hope you enjoy these recipes! Happy Holidays to you & yours!
Rosé & Thanksgiving, a Perfect Pair!
Rosé has built up a lovely following of fair-weathered friends, and who's to argue? What could be more refreshing than a crisp yet still fruity, cool refreshing glass of coral colored wine (with the sun shining through!)? What has gotten overlooked in this weather-based attachment is that rosé ranks as perhaps the quintessential food wine. It, literally, can pair with everything, even a big fat juicy steak. Now we're not suggesting that it's superior to a big tannic red, but it's decent with the steak & it's delightful with the side salad (unlike that massive Cab).
What is rosé? Rosé is made from red grapes, although there are other methods of rosé wine production that combine red &white wines (this is an illegal process in France and generally looked down upon as a way of producing this kind of wine). The most common way of producing rosé is due to skin contact with the juice. The skins are allowed to ferment with the rest of the juice for a certain period of time (usually one to three days). The longer the skins are left in contact with the juice, the darker and more vibrant the color in the final rosé wine. To extract the skins for the juice, the mash is pressed. (In red wine making, the skins are left in during the entire fermentation process, leading to tannic wines).
Why is it such a good food wine? Rosé wine is slightly more robust than most white wines, and its acidity is a little softer than most whites, making it rounder and more flexible with respect to food. That said, Thanksgiving can be a tricky meal for wine & a beautifully made, well-balanced rosé would make a wonderful pair to the demands of a gamey-salty-sweet traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Here are some of our favorites, including several rosé sparkling wines:
Chateau Barbanau 2011 L'Instant Rosé
Reg $22.99 | INSIDER $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59
From the classic rosé region, Provence, Château Barbanau has been family owned for over a hundred years with Sophie & Didier Simonini-Cerciello currently at the helm. Made from 90% Grenache & 10% Syrah, this rosé has a bright clear blush color with a nose of red fruits with white floral notes & peach flesh. Fresh, with great finesse, full & fleshy. Has never met a food it doesn't pair perfectly with. We're down to our last bottles, so make your move quickly if interested.
Domaine de La Croix Bouquie 2010 Rosé
Reg $15.99 | INSIDER $14.99 | Mixed Case $11.99
This young domaine is owned by Alpha Loire, a trio of friends who combine their passion for wine with sustainable farming. Pineau d'Aunis, also known as Chenin Noir, is often used to make sparkling wines or in this case a very unique rosé. Pale pink with flavors of strawberry & rhubarb, this has a round soft finish. Pair with spicy ethnic foods, seafood, BBQ …or roasted turkey! One of our best selling rosé.
Tenuta Montecchiesi 2011 Selverello Sangiovese Rosato
Reg $15.99 | INSIDER $13.99 | Mixed Case $11.19
The Dal Cero family based in the Veneto also own and operate this small estate in Tuscany. Tenuta Montecchiesi vineyards are located near Cortona. Made from 100% Sangiovese this rosé has brief skin contact resulting in its vivid pink hue. Fruity and rich with notes of ripe mixed berries, it is great with all meals. A few highlights are cold meats and delicate fish dishes & fowl dishes, either stewed or grilled.
Tenuta di Corte Giacobbe 2011 Pinot Grigio Ramato (Blush)
Reg $17.99 | INSIDER $15.99 | Mixed Case $12.79
Okay, so this wine is not technically a rosé as it's 100% Pinot Grigio, but it sure looks & acts like one! Produced by the Dal Cero family, it's created according to the ancient tradition of the Republic of Venice, leaving the wine in contact with skins for 12 hours, creating this beautiful copper colored wine. Aromas of exotic fruits with sweet white flowers. Lush & velvety on the palate. People love this wine & it would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving table!
La Farra Rosé Cuvée
Reg $17.99 | INSIDER $14.99 | Mixed Case $11.99
The Nardi family, specializing in high quality Prosecco, has their winery in the village of Farra di Soligo. This exceptional sparkling rosé is made from mostly glera grapes with a touch of Raboso (red grapes) for color. Dry and superbly soft, it's full of structure and is a perfect aperitif or Thanksgiving dinner wine. Saluté!
Weingut Prechtl Pinot Noir Sparkling
Reg $19.99 | INSIDER $18.99 | Mixed Case $15.19
Petra & Franz Prechtl own & run this 15 hectare estate (established 1839). This dry sparkling Pinot Noir is a lip-smacking opportunity to impress at your next occasion. Pale copper/pink hues, vibrant with notes of strawberries & cherries followed by a soft creamy finish! A perfect match with rich fish, roasted game or poultry or to quench a spicy dish. Prost!
The Portalis team would love to hook you up with these wines or any other wines that would be of interest to you for your upcoming Thanksgiving feast, so please stop by!
Julie & Jens
A Day with the Giovanett's & Castelfeder Winery
We arrived in the Cortina village square at dusk after driving over the Brenner Pass in Austria and then down through the Alps, over Bozen (Bolzano). There was an old castle ruin on top of a mountain peak every turn of the way. We were in the northern Italian region of Alto Adige, but the look and feel of the landscape and the architecture was Germanic.
The next morning we met Ines Giovanett, daughter of Günther & Sandra Giovanett, the proprietors of the estate and sister of Ivan Giovanett, winemaker. She took us on a tour of their vineyards on the eastern side of the valley:
The tour included such Castelfeder label landmarks as the stone on the "Rieder" Lagrein label and the bridge on the "Glener" Pinot Nero label (on our next shipment):
After our morning tour, we met Ines' (very fit 90+ year old) grandparents who live in a house on the property, and then we settled down to lunch on the terrace.
After melon & parma ham, garden tomatoes with mozzarrela & basil, vitello tonnato (thinly sliced veal with a tuna & anchovy sauce, spaghetti with tomato sauce, pasta with homemade garden pesto, and ice cream for dessert (and tasting through the wines in their lineup!!), we headed out through the apple orchards on the valley floor to their winery, just off the main village square in Cortina.
Ines gave us a great tour, finishing in the Castelfeder cellar:
After saying good-bye & many thanks to Ines, we returned to our hotel for dinner…
…and took some silly photos to remember the day:
And then we ended our wonderful tour, full-circle, admiring the beautiful village square at dusk:
We direct import (close to) the full Castelfeder line as well as their premium Burgum Novum line. All of the following wines are available at Portalis. As well, lovely Ines Giovanett will be in Seattle next week, so join us for a tasting next Thursday, October 24 (RSVP>) to hear the details of this extraordinary land & the wonderful wines it produces!
Castelfeder Pinot Biance "Vom Stein"
Castelfeder Pinot Grigio "15"
Castelfeder Kerner "Lahn"
Castelfeder Grauvernatsch/Schiava "Kegl"
Castelfeder Lagrein "Rieder"
Burgum Novum Pinot Nero Riserva
Burgum Novum Cabernet Riserva
Burgum Novum Lagrein Riserva
Julie, Co-Owner
Portalis Wines & J. Strecker Selections


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Asked in downtown Chico on Friday
Josh Swartzendruber, Sacramento, student
No, I don't think there should be a ban people just need to be more responsible. Make sure you're careful because there's always a danger with drinking anywhere.
Brenda Vargas, San Diego, student
Yes, I do believe there should be a ban because you're not in your five senses when drinking on the river. Something will happen and it increases chances (of bad outcomes) to go down.
Amber Fisher, Vacaville, student
No. Maybe they should increase police force like they do on other holidays in town or try to decrease the amount of out-of-towners who aren't familiar with the area. They've turned people away before like on Halloween.
Karen Heatherington, Paradise, social worker
There probably should be a ban. It seems to be getting worse every year. You can still go to the float, just not drink. You can have fun without alcohol.
David Booth, Chico, retired
No, there shouldn't be a ban. It would be hard to control and you'd make a lot of people criminals. Education is the best answer.
Greg Wood, Chico, foreclosure officer
No, a ban would be unenforceable. They wouldn't be able to stop people and they'll do it on a different day.


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BAE 146 Airliners To Meet Airlift Shortfall, Budget Crunch?
With the delay to the A400M in mind, as well as tight defense budgets, BAE Systems Regional Aircraft is marketing surplus BAe 146 airliners to military customers as low-cost tactical transports. BAE owns 47 of the four-engine, high-wing jets, many of which are now coming off lease as carriers replace them with new regional airliners. Although the 146 does not have a rear-loading ramp, "it could be a complementary utility aircraft to hard-pressed tactical airlift assets," according to Andy Wheelon, BAE sales director. BAE will soon have two 146s available with side cargo doors, which the company converted speculatively but failed to find takers in the airfreight or express business. They can carry 22,050 to 26,460 pounds of payload. The 146 is already certified for steep (meaning tactical) approaches into small airfields and can operate from unpaved runways with minimal modifications. Other mods could include additional fuel tanks, and quick-change or combi configurations. Five air forces already operate 146s or the newer RJ version as VIP or staff transports. Another 25 are in service as business jets. BAE gives an "indicative" price of $2.5 million for a passenger 146 and $5 million for a freighter, and says that "innovative commercial terms" are available to governments and Ministries of Defence.
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"Senator Elizabeth Dole, Republican of North Carolina, wrote in 2008 on behalf of this company, which wanted to sell fluff pulp, a product that can be used in products like diapers, to Sarve Caspian Hygienic Paper Industry in Tehran. In a letter to Mrs. Dole, Alpha's vice president complained that he had been advised six weeks earlier that the State Department had approved the license and that it would be issued pending some paperwork completion. 'We have now been advised by the OFAC that there is a hold on the issuance of licenses to do business into Iran from the United States due to "governmental policy matters." We realize that foreign diplomacy and policy making are complicated. We are simply a business making an effort to export a qualified U.S. product to an overseas market.' He added, 'Our potential customers will have to go to other supply options if we cannot supply U.S. product.' The license was issued the following month." (New York Times, "Licenses Granted to U.S. Companies Run the Gamut," 12/24/10)


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(WJLA) - The elimination of funds from the 2009 economic stimulus will result in a decrease in the amount of food stamp benefits that people and families receive in Virginia.
Continue reading
Virginia's Department of Social Services says that most households that receive SNAP benefits will see a 5.4 percent decrease in their allotments starting in November. That means that a family of four, for example, will likely see $36 less per month in food stamps.
"For many households, this cut will be significant," said Thomas Steinhauser, the department's director of benefit programs.
The level of decrease depends on such things as household income, the number of people in the home and how much a family spends on monthly expenses.
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urd89 were they IP-CO or FTTN HSIA only?
It is IP-DSLAM from the CO, they don't have Uverse TV here. I had used the modem for Uverse Elite 6.0 up till May from the same CO fine but all I got was flashing DSL light and "seaching for DSL signal" from the modem.


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Recent Reviews
we love this cart it has made a huge difference in our banquets operations also its a Great value!!
The first sink arrived damaged, no fault of FSW, customer service made sure I got the replacement in a "very timely" manner
The proofing oven digital temperature setting is not true to the internal oven temperature. Soldering on the outside of the door looks very sloppy and unprofessional. The oven works, but must set temperature about 10 degrees lower than we need it.
This shelf worked out great for a drying rack over the three compartment sink.


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Academy Award-winning "Precious" actress Mo'Nique is suing her landlords in Georgia -- demanding she be let out of her $22,000-a-month rental contract ...because her house smells like dog feces.
Mo'Nique filed the papers in Fulton County in response to her landlords' lawsuit -- which claims the actress bailed on her two-year lease agreement, signed in March, and owes $370,000 in unpaid rent and other charges.
But Mo says it's all crap ... literally ... insisting there's a damn good reason she's walking out on the rental contract -- the house stinks of dog feces, wet dog, and urine (of unknown origin) ... not to mention an overflowing septic tank.
But it doesn't end there -- according to Mo'Nique, the house also had a bad mold problem and the security gate was busted.
Mo'Nique claims she struck a verbal agreement with the landlords, allowing her to renege on her contract with 60 days notice because of all the problems -- but Mo' claims her landlords aren't living up to their word.
It's unclear if Mo'Nique has since moved out. Calls to both sides have not been returned.
In other words, the sista can't come up with $22,000 a month rent. If she had any cre******he coulda bought her own crib.
Mo, you need to get the hell out of there and come back to So Cal, immediately.
When Mpnique sweats, she is probably smelling the pores of her skin secrete lard.
Your house wouldn't smell Mo'nique if you used more summer's eve and do less squats causing your ass to open up. It ain't your world big girl!
22k a month in rent is just stupid and a complete waste. Keep it up girlfriend you'll be broke before you know it.
Maybe she needs to flush more, or invest in a $10 plunger.
Whenever she perspires, Monique, the fat illiterate slob, is probably smelling the pores of her black skin secreting lard
What planet are you on. As someone who is Black, I've never heard the term "wetdog" as a slur against White people. Frankly, we as a culture are pretty clear name calling.
TNB. Get something for free any way possible. Seems this additude exists no matter how wealthy they get.
UHHH! If this was the case why would you even rent the 22k a month house anyway? I mean did it smell like dog **** when you moved in? OR did you just simply just have a dog you never were there to take care of and it **** everywhere? LOL #NOTWINNING
well well well don"t forget were u came from you are not Oprah let go of that attitude you give people because you will end up back in Baltimore u got fired and that"s why you tried to get out of the lease humble yourself before u be washed up just some friendly advise mo
That is one mug that could terr orize a bucket of kfc!!!
I had a family living in the apt under me with ***15*** cats and my apt smelled like a cat litter box. I sued the family and the landlord and won $3,000 and I moved a week later...
It smells like wet dog? Whites must have lived there before she moved in.
Seems like she is still really Ghetto. That is the oldest trick in the book to get out of your lease or to try to get money out of the landlord.


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The Atlanta Hawks fell in their last home game of the season to the Charlotte Bobcats on a last-second floater by Chris Douglas-Roberts.
With the Bobcats fighting to avoid the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA playoffs, and Atlanta resting three of their starters for the entire game the final score was fairly predictable. Given the closeness of the match-up however, it's a shame that the Hawks had to lose on a shot like Douglas-Roberts put up with just 2.6 seconds to work with.
On the previous possession, with the Hawks down 93-91, Lou Williams came around a screen from Mike Muscala to hit a mid-range jumper and tie the game up 93-93. For all intents and purposes, the game was headed to overtime. But, the Cats weren't having any of it. Douglas-Roberts came off of a screen of his own and caught the inbounds pass–getting some good space from Williams in the process–took a few steps forward and threw up a prayer with three Hawks players closing in.
Of course, the shot went in and ended Atlanta's regular season home schedule on a bit of a low note. But, again, this game didn't really matter and the #1 goal was to rest the starters. They did that. Paul Millsap, DeMarre Carroll and Kyle Korver all didn't play, and Jeff Teague and Pero Antic each played 23 and 19 minutes respectively.
Mike Scott led the way amongst the back ups, scoring a team-high 20 points and adding six rebounds.
Tags: Atlanta Hawks


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After discovering that people who assume "expansive" by postures are more likely to steal and cheat, a team of researchers led by Andy J. Yap of MIT's Sloan School of Management suggests that office layout and furniture might induce negative behavior. When bodily postures are incidentally expanded by the structure of physical spaces, people "could be lured into behaving dishonestly," the researchers say. The team found that vehicles with larger driver's seats were more likely to be double-parked in New York City; at 1 standard deviation above the mean in driver's seat size, the probability that the vehicle would be double-parked increased from 51% to 71%.SOURCE: The Ergonomics of Dishonesty: The Effect of Incidental Posture on Stealing, Cheating, and Traffic Violations
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Bill Harley
Presented by Stone Soup Coffeehouse
March 23, 2013
A two-time Grammy award-winning artist, recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the RI Council for the Humanities and an NPR commentator, Bill's songs and stories paint a vibrant and hilarious picture of growing up, schooling and family life. Singer, storyteller, author, playwright, educator, performing artist and a founding member of Stone Soup Coffeehouse! Bill's recording, High Dive is currently nominated for a Grammy.
St. Paul's Church
50 Park Place
Pawtucket, RI 02860
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$18 advance | $20 door
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Phone: 401-921-5115
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Korea has two major religions-Buddhism and Christianity. You might have guessed that they would be Buddhist, but you probably didn't know that South Korea is the most Christian country in Asia after the Philippines.
In South Korea, Christianity is broken down into two main sections-Catholics and Protestants. Even though they are two sects in the same religion, in Korea they are completely different groups. In fact, Korea has a pretty interesting religious breakdown.
The first, and oldest, group is the Buddhists. Sometimes it's almost as if Buddhism is no longer truly a religion but an integral part of cultural life. Temples are everywhere, representing a few different Buddhist sects. Seollal, the Lunar New Year, is a major holiday. Children and grandchildren bow to their elders on certain special occasions or after not seeing them for a long time. On the anniversary of an ancestor's death the family prepares a special shrine in remembrance.
The second group, and the newest, is Protestants. There are Presbyterians and other more evangelical groups. Sometimes you might be walking down the street and run into a bevy of little old ladies handing out flyers. They'll stop you and invite you to their church, and try to convince you to come, even if you don't speak Korean and they don't speak English. Most Protestants have made a clean break with Korea's Buddhist roots. Their religious culture is a lot like that in the US. It seems that a large percentage of the Koreans who have moved to America are part of this religious group.
The third group is the Catholics. Although they are Christians they sometimes have tensions with the Protestants. Why? Catholics sort of bridge the gap between the other two religious groups. Although they believe in God and Jesus, they also maintain Buddhist traditions. They celebrate Lunar New Year, bow to their elders, and prepare shrines for their ancestors. Something about the Pope decreeing that their traditions were not contrary to Catholicism.
So, Catholics and Buddhists actually form a more cohesive group. They have different views on spirituality, but maintain the same basic set of traditions. These two groups sometimes get annoyed at the Protestants for forsaking tradition and trying so hard to convert them. Meanwhile, many Protestants worry about their Buddhist and Catholic friends and family because they maintain forms of idolatry.
Of course, during a normal day everyone gets along and none of these divisions arise. Still, though, it's an interesting mix.
Korean word of the post: 종교 (jong-gyo) religion
I guess one place that I almost never think to visit is a church. I might go to my church on Sunday with my family and certainly on the holidays, but it usually doesn't occur to me to visit a strange church for no reason.
In Pittsburgh I passed some beautiful churches. And so, I went inside. The doors were open, the lights were on, so why not?
I discovered an unexpected beauty. Every church, cathedral, temple, shrine, and synogogue is built with love and reverance. After all, these places not only honor one's creator(s) but they also act as a community center, a place of safety, and therefore they deserve to have a bit of beauty. No matter how simple, a place of worship is made with a certain care and respect.
So, I went inside these churches in Pittsburgh. They had high ceilings with gorgeous lights, alcoves and nooks for silent prayer and contemplation. Candles and wreaths. Statues and icons. Next time I travel, I think I'll keep my mind open to the possibilities.
Seneca word of the post: Hawëníyu' God


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Taking a rare break from making Are We There Yet? sequels and TV episodes, family actor Ice Cube has returned to his first love: gangsta rap. After all so many years of having other careers in tandem with hip-hop, he has always comes back swinging. His last album, 2010's middling I Am the West, showed a lot of promise, though, mostly thanks to production from Sir Jinx--the man partly responsible for the sound on Cube's early '90s solo albums. "Life in California" in which he takes potshots at Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' ubiquitous "Empire State of Mind." Once a fighter, always a fighter.
Tue., March 8, 8 p.m., 2011


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Tender, earthy, and gilled.
These are efforts to find my aesthetic.
All photographs by Eunice Choi, unless stated otherwise.
Tender, earthy, and gilled.
Sauté, simmer, purée.
Cremini, shiitake, oyster, and hen of the woods.
Fungi with names just as beautiful as their form.
The first of many Greenmarket hauls..
Eggs, onions, and garlic covers the basics; a $4 bag of mixed root vegetables (a steal!); a gorgeous stalk of brussel sprouts begging to be roasted; a head of cauliflower that awaits a caramelized and cheesy future; and rosemary and cremini mushrooms, just for fun.
I found mushrooms growing in central Seoul.
How odd.


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Fuck! I'm in My Twenties: A Guided Journal comes out so soon! May 1st!
Here's a page filled out by the delightful Rachel Etheredge!
RACHEL ETHEREDGE is a songwriter, but not for money. She makes deviled eggs for every occasion. She's a friend, sister, daughter and sane/pragmatic aunt to dozens of unborn nieces and nephews. She squats in LA and currently works at BuzzFeed, for money. LA is growing on her.


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"I do most of my work sitting down that's where I shine.
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Discuss this Robert Charles Benchley quote with the community:
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text: KIERON GILLEN and GABRIEL ANDRADE have brought an incredible visceral bloody misery to the pages of "Uber Year II." The Russians have a monster. Katyusha has activated and appears to be Battleship class. But she was already a wild card, uncontrollable and unstable. How can they hope to base their military survival upon the shoulders of a psychotic soldier? The German Ubers continue to push their advantage in the world theatre and the ground quakes from their titanic powers. Casualties continue to mount in a conflict that is quickly sending the world to the brink of utter destruction.


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Twitter Testing Facebook-Like Profile Wall
samzenpus posted more than 3 years ago | from the imitation-is-the-highest-form-of-flattery dept.23
Mightee writes "Twitter is experimenting with a Facebook-Like message wall to its users' profile pages, that will allow twitter users to send '@ replies or mentions' directly from their profile. The change is apparently coming in order to enhance conversation between tweeters. According to Official Twitter Spokeswoman: 'Twitter is testing the feature with a small percentage of users. It was designed to "make it easier for users to engage with each other" on the microblogging service.'"


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Biography: Honey Dew Is My 1 Year Old Sibreian Husky! I Love Her Very Much And She Loves KIDS!! Her Favorite Treats Are Plato Smart Dog Treats!!! Her Favorite Toy Is A Plush Slice Of Honey Dew Melon!! WE LOVE HONEY DEW!!!!
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We took a 7 day cruise to the Mexican Riviera. This was a quick way to highlight the three stops. I used postcards (better that the photos we took)
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Posts tagged Craft
Posts tagged Craft
Tunisian Crochet Instructions (with color change)
This Pattern on Etsy for $5.99
The afghan pictured was completed with Bernat Mosaic in Calypso. 4 skeins and a standard K hook makes a 32"x32" size baby afghan.
I finished this quilt about a week ago and just now snapped a photo for tumblr! I can't think of a good name for it, but I broke all of my normal rules the second I decided that this quilt was going to be mine!!
I loosely followed this tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew!
cute :)
I love the spell book and jar of skulls. How creative!
Paisley Floral - $6.00 Pattern


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"Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.
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text: High School: A four-star recruit by Scout.com ... rated as the No. 9 wide receiver in Texas and No. 54 nationally by Scout.com ... the No. 45 player in the Scout.com Texas Top 100 ... totaled 40 receptions for 651 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior ... named first-team All-District 12-4A ... did not play football until his junior year ... selected TCU over Texas and LSU.


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More than two-thirds of the recent rapid melting of the world's glaciers can be blamed on humans, a new study finds. Scientists looking at glacier ...
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Integrity Moments - June 28, 2013
Defending Immigrants
By: Rick Boxx
June 28, 2013
Broejte Orchards in Prescott, Washington is an apple orchard that covers more than 5,000 acres. In the 1980's, young Latinos began coming to this apple orchard looking for work.
The Broejte family made a trip to Mexico to better understand the needs of these Hispanic immigrants. It changed their approach to business.
The Broejte's determined to help the families who came to work for them. They invested $5 million in developing affordable housing for them. In addition, they developed a Christian school to educate their children. They also provide a generous profit sharing plan.
Deuteronomy 10:18-19 teaches, "God shows no partiality…he defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing."
The Broejte's business plan has become a model of loving today's "aliens."
Contact Rick Boxx at www.integritymoments.org, and to learn more about Integrity Resource Center go to integrityresource.org.
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Wetland Delineation Workshops
Professional Development Training
Basic Plant ID for Wetland Delineation
June 1-3, 2015 | 2.5 days
UW-Waukesha Field Station, Waukesha, Wis.
$500, includes continental breakfast, lunch and
instructional materials
1.8 CEUs/18 Contact Hours
Limited to 16 participants
A limited block of rooms are available at:
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Delafield
3030 Golf Rd
Delafield, WI 53704
Room block expires:
Please reserve your overnight accommodations early as there are a limited number of special rates available. Once a room block has filled and/or after room block expiration date, reservations received are subject to space availability and at prevailing room rates.
Refer to: Wetlands when making reservations.
Room rates, per night: (best rate available for this time period)
· $XX single
· $XX double
Rates do not include sales or room tax. Please refer to the hotels website or contact them directly for Check-in and Check-out times, Services and Amenities, Directions, Parking/Shuttle Service and other hotel information.
This workshop introduces participants to the basics of plant identification. No previous
experience with plant identification is required. Lectures on taxonomy, plant structure
and use of plant keys for identification are provided with appropriate field work. It is
preferable but not required to take this workshop prior to the Basic Wetland Delineation
Training Workshop.
Participants are introduced to the process of identifying wetland and aquatic plants using technical keys. No prior use of keys or previous identification experience is assumed, making this truly a "basic" course. Workshop activities include:
- An introduction to plant keys and plant key structure
- Basic plant structure and morphology
- Woody (trees and shrubs) plant identification
- Herbaceous plant identification (with emphasis on rushes, sedges and grasses)
- A survey will conclude the planned activities
The workshop runs 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday and Tuesday; 8 a.m.-noon, Wednesday.


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- Cooking Time:
- Servings:
- Preparation Time:
- 2 cups pecan pieces
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Line baking sheet with foil or wax paper. Set aside
- In a medium skillet combine all ingredients over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally.
- Once sugar has started to melt reduce to low heat and continue cooking until sugar is bubbly, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat. Pour mixture onto lined baking sheet. Let cool and break apart clusters.
- *Note: This recipe would also be great with a bit of cinnamon added.
NotesAs a southern girl I grew up with a huge Pecan tree in the backyard, so from a young age I grew to love pecans. I find they are best roasted in a bit of oil and salted. This recipe for candied pecans is a close second. As soon as these were done I could hardly stop eating them.
If you prefer you could use a mixed variety, whichever you choose make sure the nuts are unsalted. This recipe is a great holiday gift giving idea.
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Curried Eggplant with Coconut Milk
Cube Steaks Paprika
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Mutua Madrid Open 2012-Blue clay what?Serena who? Bring on the real clay!
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May 1st, 2012, 05:41 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: united states
Posts: 20,735
Re: Mutua Madrid Open 2012
It will be interesting to see how she does here. Does the pressure build now that she's a clay favorite? Or does she relax and play just as well, knowing she's already gotten good preparation and snatched some wigs along the way?
This tournament is absolutely abysmal compared to Roma. I hope she gets a cakewalk in Madrid and stays fresh for RG and Roma. A loss here wouldn't disappoint me much.
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Capital Saratoga Apartment Rentals(14)
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Capital Saratoga
Recent Capital Saratoga Reviews
Great Getaway!
This lovely carriage house in Saratoga Springs made our recent trip perfect! The location was excellent, with downtown, the Farmer's Market, and the Racetrack being very near by . The house itself was well maintained, and was charmingly decorated. The house was stocked with some basic supplies, which were very much appreciated after our car ride to the area. I can't say enough good things about this property and the hospitality that the owner gave. I have already recommended this property to friends, and hope that I will be able to rent this property again. Thank you!
Charming and comfortable
We had a very enjoyable stay over the New Year's weekend. The reservation process was easy and the apartment is as described. The rental was immaculate and very comfortable.The property of Union Gables was so nice I would like to return in nice weather to be able to enjoy it! Jane was delightful, and made sure we were well taken care of. I would make two points, however: the bedrooms and bathrooms are up a steep, winding staircase, so the property would not be suitable for anyone with impaired mobility; also, there is seating for only 4 people in both the living and dining areas, so more than 4 would not be easily accomodated.
Saratoga Springs Rental
These accommodations were just what we were looking for. The rental is just a short walk from downtown where there is plenty of dining, shopping, etc. The property was clean with new linens when we arrived and there was a fully stocked kitchen at our disposal. I highly recommend this rental.


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Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Predicting the score… you make us look good!
Are you a flip-flopper? A U-turner? A volte-facer? Are you the Brett Favre of football fans? If so, you're in good company, though it's not doing you much good in our predictions league.
Liverpool lost at Spurs and suddenly there were doubts about the strength of the squad, derision at the decision to sell Xabi Alonso and a general feeling the Reds were in decline. They then beat Stoke 4-0 and it was "madness to write them off". Last night, they lost again, 3-1 at home to Aston Villa, and Sky Sports News have been asking if their title challenge is over... And it's still only August 25! Phew!
So it's been with Manchester United (still blessed with the knack of getting a result from a bad performance, then desperately short of firepower in the post-Ronaldo era, and now happily enjoying the resurgence of a world class striker).
What must it be like to be a fan of Spurs? Or Burnley (with a three-point advantage over Liverpool)? Or Manchester City? Are you secretly convinced that the bubble will burst? Or are Spurs and City fans with Wenger in his view that the era of the Big Four is over?
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Premier League season needs a grand finale
The English Premier League has always reminded me of eating out at McDonalds. I always hope for something new but then end up getting the same as last time.
The new season hasn't even kicked off yet, but if the experts are right, it's already as good as over for nearly all the teams.
from FaithWorld:
Muslims angry at German soccer club over song
German Muslims have inundated one of the country's top soccer teams, Schalke 04, with complaints about a verse in the club's anthem which, they say, is disparaging towards the Prophet Mohammad.
The club has its home in Gelsenkirchen in Germany's industrial heartland and immigrants make up about a third of the town's population. Most of them have a Turkish background. Germany's biggest mosque was opened in nearby Duisburg last year and many Schalke supporters are Muslims, as chat rooms like this one point out.
from Changing China:
China's infertile ground for (some) Western sports
Soccer is in a tight spot in China -- literally. Huge crowds roar for Manchester United but the national team is a laughing stock at 108th in FIFA world rankings. Poor coaching, lack of grassroots development, even corruption and violence are variously cited as reasons for the sport's demise. But the real reason may be more basic: the fact of physical space, or the lack thereof, in China.
If geography is a determinant of economic development, then it is fair to extrapolate that urban geography underpins the development of sports. And here's the rub for soccer, not to mention American football and baseball. With few parks, small concrete schoolyards and a dearth of quiet streets, urban China offers little of the space needed for the sprawling play that defines those sports. Soccer has deep roots in China, but playing space has been squeezed as cities sprawl and swallow land in big gulps.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
In defence of Giuseppe Rossi
American soccer fans aren't noted for their nastiness but the reaction to Giuseppe Rossi, New Jersey native, scoring twice for Italy against the U.S in their 3-1 Confederations Cup defeat on Monday has been surprisingly vitriolic.
What has upset U.S fans is that Rossi was born and bred in the U.S. but chose to play for another country and then -- to add insult to injury -- celebrated when he scored twice against his country of birth.
Super Bowl in London? Bring your brollies…
Having been based in China for the last few years, I am no stranger to the giddy ambitions of visionary sports administrators trying to "grow" their "brands" outside their heartlands.
We've had them all here. NBA, Major League Baseball, NFL, the Asian Cricket Council, Leicester Tigers rugby club, a string of Europe's top soccer clubs, world snooker, both professional tennis tours and various professional golf tours – all aiming to stake a claim to a share of China's 1.3 billion-strong market.
Winners and losers of the 2009 NFL draft
Most football experts will tell you that it takes three full years to evaluate an NFL draft class, but don't tell that to the media, who are only too happy to provide the instant gratification of a thumbs up or down analysis after less than 72 hours.
Draft guru Mel Kiper of ESPN gave the Green Bay Packers his highest grade, an A, based primarily on their top two picks of defensive tackle B.J. Raji and outside linebacker Clay Matthews. While the Oakland Raiders, who selected the speedy, but unpolished wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bay with the seventh overall pick and the Dallas Cowboys, who didn't have a pick until the third round after trading away earlier selections, both received the lowest mark of D.
A high altitude idea from China
Bolivia's 6-1 thrashing of Argentina in a World Cup qualifier provided a flash of inspiration for one Chinese sports columnist.
The Bolivians, ranked 56th in the world, would probably not argue that playing the match at 3,600 metres above sea level had helped them in their humiliation of the Argentines, world number six in FIFA's rankings and one of the most attractive sides around.


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You may have noticed that this website has been changing in appearance recently. That is because we are updating it to reflect our new direction! As such, there will probably be some things which look/act a little oddly in the next few weeks. Some pages that currently exist will stop existing, and some new ones will be added. If there are any problems, please feel free to comment on this post to let us know.
Under Construction
Back in Business
After a nice, relaxing summer, our team has reconvened with new members and a new purpose. We have decided that we are no longer affiliated with the Sailbot Competition, and instead are pursuing the idea of a trans-Atlantic robotic sailboat more thoroughly. If you are interested in learning more we will be attending the MIT Mini Maker Faire this coming Saturday October 4th, and we invite anyone in the area to come and see our new boat Damn Yankee!, and talk with members of our team.
More updates will come as progress continues.
Final Announcement: Spring '14
Over the past two semesters, Olin Robotic Sailing has worked to build our latest boat, Damn Yankee! Due to the support of our wonderful sponsors, we were able to make this boat a reality!
Our boat this year was designed for robustness, simplicity, and repeatability. Damn Yankee! is a meter long boat modeled off of Frank Russell's Gothic 10R design. Our hull has a carbon fiber outer shell and a core of CNC machined foam and hard wood. The keel has a maple spine and a bulb filled with lead shot and pourable polymer, all covered in carbon fiber. Our fabrication process allows for repeatability, allowing faster design iterations, leading to a better end design.
This is the first year that we've made our own sails. The design we choose is a Marconi Rig, with the large mainsail and the small jib sail independently actuated for greater control and maneuverability.
Our electrical system has been redesigned to easily integrate any future additions to the sensor network. We are using the National Instruments' new myRio as our processor and Dynamixel motors to actuate the boat. Our sensor system includes a Hemisphere GNS V102 GPS system, and an encoded wind vane to give us wind direction.
This year, the software system was completely rewritten. It has more modular architecture that can be easily modified for future changes in overall system design. This will also allow for future implementation of programming languages that are better for specific tasks.
All of these subsystem innovations have allowed us to design and build a robotic sailboat that will serve as a robust testing platform for robotic sailing research moving forward.
Given all of the progress that we've made this year, we are very proud to announce Damn Yankee! as the newest member to our fleet. However, we are not going to compete in the International Robotic Sailing Competition this year. Our team came to the conclusion that we wanted to focus on producing a quality product rather than rushing to finish something adequate. We are very proud of all of the hard work we put into developing this boat, and we will continue to develop and test it over the course of next year. Keep an eye out for an announcement from us about Damn Yankee! testing! She'll be beautiful on the water.
Thank you for your interest and support.
Posted in Admin, Competition, Electrical, Fabrication, Mechanical, Software
The Existence of a Boat
As you may have noticed, this blog has not been updated in some time. The reason for this is Finals and the general conundrum that comes with the end of the year. However, there is some very good news on the Robotic Sailing front. Namely: we have a boat!
The first unveiling of this boat took place at Olin College's Expo presentation on May 12.
As you can see, the sails and keel are attached. The hull has not yet been fully polished, but is expected to be finished by the end of the year, and the rudder is currently in production. The electronics package is finished, however we have to widen the cavity in the hull in order to finish installation. The transmission has been installed, and the code has been extensively run on our testing rig to determine any problems with it. So far, it seems to be working well.
We are hoping to take Damn Yankee! out to Lake Waban at least once before the end of the year, to test on the water and make sure that all of our systems integrate in the way we expect them to, but otherwise we have completed our goal for the year. We have a new boat, and isn't she a beauty?
There will be one more announcement regarding the team before the end of the year, so stay tuned!
Posted in Admin, Electrical, Mechanical, Software
The Big Crunch
As everyone recently realized, we are rapidly approaching the end of the semester–which means that we need to have a fully functioning boat VERY soon.
Fortunately, we are well on our way to that point. In the last couple weeks, we have obtained a functional transmission, completed code that is being tested on a small retro-fitted RC boat, and a finished set of prototype sails. The keel and rudder are both also almost finished, and, barring a machining error, will be completed within the week.
So, we should have a lovely prototype of Damn Yankee that we can take out to Lake Waban and test by April 13th.
Airmar Testing
To determine what sensors we want to use next year, we decided that we needed to test the sensors we currently have – namely, the Airmar. We wanted to know two major data points: the precision (or lack thereof) of the GPS and how quickly it responded to changes in the wind.
To achieve the first, we took the testing package outside, and stood in place for 10 minutes, allowing the Airmar to gather data. The results looked like this:
(PB200 – the older sensor)
(200WX – the newer version)
Both of these show a spread of approximately 8 meters in the east/west direction and 3 meters in the north/south direction. For context, the robot must be able to go between two buoys 3 meters apart during the competition. This shows that by relying only on the Airmar GPS, we do not have the resolution we need to complete the mission.
The major reason we purchased the new version of the Airmar was because it reduced the wind measurement delay. However, we wanted to see if the change was actually significant.
The setup for this test was as follows:
The fan is on the right, and the Airmar is propped up on the left so that it feels the wind from the fan.
For each sensor, we did 30 second trials, cycling the fan off and on. Representative graphs are as follows:
(PB200 – old sensor)
(200WX – new sensor)
The new sensor shows a significantly faster response to the change in the wind, as can be seen by the much steeper slope at both the start and end of the wind exposure.
The conclusion we reached, therefore, is that we will definitely use the new sensor over the old sensor, and that it is certainly worth looking into a different GPS.
Simulation of the Boat
We had an old simulation of the boat, but it was difficult to understand and had some physics flaws. One of our freshman, Mike Bocamazo, took the leap into the old simulator and found a bunch of math that appeared to be first based on forces, but further in devolved into a series of messy ratio approximations for physics equations. He then essentially independently formulated a new series of equations to model the boat behavior, presented his methodology to the team, and will be soon implementing his model as our new simulator.
A cool part of the simulator setup is that the simulator takes in sail and rudder settings, and outputs GPS position, boat speed, compass heading, and angular velocity. This fits well into our architecture – we simply grab the commanded setpoints and port the return data in as sensor data. The GPS points get displayed on the same OCU (Operator Control Unit) as they would on the actual boat, so we can get very close to testing the entire body of code on the simulator.
Sail tester
When writing code that controls our sails and rudder to maximize the speed of the boat, a lot of it feels like guesswork, even after talking to members on the team who are experienced sailors. Translating what a sailor does into code is difficult, partially because of the intuition required and partially because a human's "sensors" are very different from those on the boat.
To that end, we are in the middle of making a sail test apparatus that we can mount our rig on and test in front of fans. What we want is to drastically increase the amount of time we can spend testing our code in realistic conditions, while at the same time giving us the ability to control certain variables that we can't control on the water.
Alex Crease and Eric Schneider are working on the first round of the sail tester, which will be a vertical pole held in bearings. A plywood deck with our sails on it will be mounted on top of the pole. The pole and deck can spin as if the boat were turning.
We hope to estimate the center of lateral resistance for our boat and place the pole there. Simply put, the center of lateral resistance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_of_lateral_resistance) is the vertical axis about which the boat spins. Putting a pole there has the really cool effect of making the test rig spin about the same point as the actual boat, which means we can test out algorithms for balancing the forces on the sails so that they create no moment. Very exciting stuff!
The second round, very much in the future for now, would be mounting a planar force sensor in between the pole and the plywood deck and doing all sorts of cool tests to determine which sail settings result in the strongest forces and in which directions those forces are applied, for variable wind angles. If we can do it right, this will be an excellent chance to characterize our boats more than we ever have before, which is awesome.
MidBrain Think Structure
In the first two years of Olin Robotic Sailing, we used a "goodness function" based software architecture. In essence, the boat would constantly be looking in every direction asking "which direction would be best for me right now?" This was a pretty interesting approach, and it even led to emergent tacking behavior. We wrote a fairly in-depth report of that architecture here: http://olinroboticsailing.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/sailbot-code-summary-2011-12.pdf
There were a couple problems with the code that became blindingly obvious to us over the two year span. First, the boat had no conception of time or path planning, which made implementing simple logic like "look ahead for rocks and avoid them ahead of time" impossible to do. Second, the complex nature of the intermeshing goodness functions (explained more in the linked pdf) made them very difficult to debug.
This year we are moving to a new code format (detailed here: http://olinsailbot.com/2013/10/28/new-code-format/), which uses is a MidBrain state machine. The MidBrain is the section of code that takes in a commanded compass heading from the ForeBrain (the upper level planner) and decides how to set the sails and rudder to most speedily sail on that heading.
The purpose of the MidBrain state machine is to cleanly divide the control logic of the boat. Eric Schneider and Bonnie Ishiguro have been working on a design that will let the boat will follow different logic in the 'Tacking' state as opposed to the 'Running' state. This will let us do interesting things that we were unable to do before, like set the sails according to different sensors in varying states. This might be important if wind shadowing or other effects were felt in some states, but not others. We can also somewhat hard-code in a few maneuvers, such as tacking.
An exciting point about the structure is that we can swap in different control laws for various states and evaluate their performance. The code should be clean enough that different ways to control the boat for maximum speed can be cleanly swapped in and tested.
Posted in Software
Mold-able Materials and Making Hatches
As you know from the two previous posts, it is really difficult to make the bow of a boat out of carbon fiber, because the carbon fiber is really thick and doesn't bend over the point. Due to this, we have decided to cut off the first 2 inches of the hull and replace it with solid polyurethane.
So far, we have tested this idea in a 3D printed ABS world and it works really well—we were actually quite surprised, since we thought we would have to do multiple repetitions to get good results. However, the test worked the first time round on small scale boat. Thus, it is reasonable to expect that it will have similar functionality on a larger scale.
Originally, we were planning on using very hard polyurethane for the bow, but due to a mistake we ended up using a softer version and discovered that it not only worked well for our intended purpose, but is also a decent consistency for bouncing off of things if we happen to hit them with our boat.
The next step is working on a polyurethane keel, which will be made of a very non-viscous polyurethane mixed with lead shot. This will be molded into a keel bulb, which means that we don't have to spend time machining it and can just create the shape. The polyurethane actually just arrived today: it is extremely non-viscous and cures in about 10 minutes. For reference, the polyurethane used in the bow cured in 24-48 hours.
We are also working on figuring out how hatches and cavities are going to work. Mostly this just involves talking to all the individual subteams to learn how large the objects they want on the boat are, and where they want them to be. Then it's simply a matter of creating pockets for them in the boat.
The hatches are also currently in development. Right now, the front hatch for the whaleback is expected to be very large—possibly up to ¼ of the boat. It may be set back a little from the bow, but will probably still take up a large portion of the deck. This hatch will most likely be magnetically attached, with a polyurethane gasket around the edge. We were originally going to mold it with a vacuum formed carbon fiber shell, but currently think that pink foam with a carbon fiber shell will be easier.
The back hatch will probably be made up of the ridiculously large Hemisphere sensor. We are still looking into how to waterproof this hatch, and other aspects of how it will function. This is the hatch which will host the electronics package as well.
Posted in Fabrication, Mechanical
Olin Sailbot Design Review
Recently, Sailbot had our mid-semester Design Review in order to present our current activities and get feedback from outside students and staff.
There are two ultimate goals for Sailbot as a whole: the first is competing at the International Sailbot competition, which is being hosted this year in San Francisco by the University of British Columbia. The second is a more long-term goal: sail a robotic sailboat across the Atlantic Ocean, which has never been done before.
To achieve these, we have a series of smaller goals for individual subteams to achieve this year. The software subteam was concentrating on making the boat sail like a human and less like a robot. This means that the boat can sense what it should do by taking data from more than simply a GPS and wind direction sensor. This, of course, means that we need more sensors for software to take data from, which is why the sensor subteam has been concentrating on identifying what data we need, and what the best sensors for that data are. The electrical subteam is working on developing packages that could be used on different sized boats in order to conduct more testing, and, finally, the mechanical subteam is concentrating on an iterative manufacturing method. Overall, the projects of the individual teams will come together to give us a design paradigm for long-term research into our ultimate goals.
One other important note before I delve into what each team is working on more deeply, is that we are concentrating on testing this year. We have plywood testing rigs for sails, actuation, and electronics, and are using both small-scale boats, and a retrofitted RC boat to test code. Once the lake finally thaws out, we should be able to begin testing on a bigger scale.
To begin with, another update on the manufacturing of the hull. We are currently using a Gothic 10R model, that will eventually be 2 meters long. This model is designed to slice through waves as opposed to go over them. The strategy to make this boat is using isolation foam construction, as mentioned in the previous post. However, something that has developed further since the last post is how we are manufacturing the keel box and other hard parts of the boat. These parts must be strong, especially the keel block, since it is the supporting structure for both the keel and the mast, and keeps these two pieces aligned properly. These have been manufactured in two ways: either machined out of maple and sealed with a thin layer of epoxy or lacquer, or machined out of structural closed cell foam and then sealed with epoxy.
Also residing under the topic of mechanical subsystems is the sail subteam. For the first time, we are actually attempting to create our own sails, which involves a lot more work than simply ordering. Currently, we are creating and testing prototypes of Gothic 10r sails, and attempting to integrate previous knowledge of sail design in order to determine their material and exact components. We expect that they will be made of Mylar, since it is very lightweight and reduces stretching.
We are also delving into new ideas about sail actuation, with the ultimate goal being more refined control. Last year, both the mainsail and the jib were controlled by a single mechanism, and this year we hope to control them individually.
One other mechanical problem we ran into last year was having the rudder reverse itself, and then be unable to direct the boat properly. This year, we are implementing a rudder position check so that we can compare the perceived and actual rudder position. Currently, we are waiting on a strain gauge, and then we will be conducting Instron tests on it.
On to the electrical subsystem: the goals for this year were to make the system modular, more reliable, more efficient, and cleaner. For the modular area, we have been working on a miniature system, whose details will hopefully be explored on a later blog post. We are also looking into using Dynamixel actuators because they are smart—they have servo position control AND continuous rotation, along with easy feedback on torque, temperature, and speed—and because you can daisy chain them relatively easily.
On a larger scale, we have started using a National Instruments myRIO, which so far has proved to be relatively useful. It allows for quick iterations using protoboards and enables us to easily separate power and signal.
In the future, we are continuing to work on miniaturizing the system, by using custom circuit boards and gradually integrating a microcontroller into the boards. We also learned from last year that waterproofing is a pain: working with epoxy is difficult, so we are looking into other possibilities like Plasti-Dip or Aquarium sealant. Finally, we are figuring out the power requirements of the batteries so that we can figure out which ones we want to use for this year.
On to our final subsystem: the software team. First, a little history: last year we used goodness functions and weighted the headings of the boat. That means that the boat reacted to events in the moment without any sort of planning—which led to interesting and unpredictable behaviour. This year, we have changed it to follow the architecture outlined below:
This means that the boat will have more planning ability, and hopefully overall be able to react better. We are also looking at optimization:
The implementation of the code has changed as well. The old implementation used global variables, which allowed for the possibility of simultaneous access and edit, and was thus unreliable overall. The new code uses queues and notifiers. Queues feed data when requested, and notifiers broadcast new data. Both are thread-safe and access controlled, which gives more reliable data.
In terms of testing, we have started with a basic simulation to check the algorithms. Moving on to the small-scale boats, we can test basic wind reactions, platform modularity, state switching behaviour, and waypoint behaviour. However, it is not until we are able to test on the large boat that we will be able to accurately test sensor behaviour, sail tuning, and long distance behaviour.
Overall, the design review was very useful as an overview of what the team was up to and of our progress this semester.
Posted in Admin, Electrical, Fabrication, Mechanical, Power, Sails, Sensors, Software, Testing


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Dear (new'ish) Photographer,
My name is Model. I would love it if when you shoot me you take these things into consideration to achieve the greatest effect for us both:
- Male or female, give some playful banter. It makes me so happy when I am in the company of someone who knows how to laugh. If you can laugh at yourself then it'll make me laugh too and we'll both feel more relaxed.
- Don't laugh at me. Don't give me negative vibes by pulling funny faces, giggling at an awkward angle or allowing me to think I am anything other than the sensational creature my confidence needs to believe I am.
BTS banter with Donna Graham and Jo Rutherford:
- If you have never shot a model before, perhaps consider paying an experienced one so you can relax and enjoy the day without the pressure of getting those shots for the team working TF. Get the shots for you, nobody else needs to see them. Let the model do the work.
- If you have a MUA present, she will be worth her weight in gold. Not only will she transform the ugly caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly (physically but most of all mentally), but she will also provide friendly advise on things you might miss - a sneaky bra strap and stray hairs that you'll have to edit out later. Plus she'll give you more than the one look I was born with, because lets face it, I can't do my make up to a perfect standard, if I could, I'd be an MUA. I mean, dayum…it could be the difference between this:
(BTS taken on phone, make up to the right by Donna Graham) Transform me:
- Tell me what you like to shoot. Tell me what you like in styling and show me examples. I'll try my very best to accommodate your needs this way. I'll feel like a disappointment if I arrive and you ask me to put on a plain black dress when in fact, it's still lying on my bedroom floor after a night on the cosmos at The Velvet Room the week before…doh.
- Talk to me during the shoot, it is nice to hear feedback and building a rapport is essential in getting the best from me. Learn a rhythm of buzz words (whether you mean them or not); "Fab" "Good" "Amazing"…after all, I am woman, I thrive off this.
- If I model for my job then do direct me, but let me do my own thing too. I know my body and I have spent hours in front of a mirror perfecting how to make it look its very best. But saying this, you can see what I can't, so we have to work as a team to make it look right. Try directing after every third buzz word: "fab, great, brilliant, lift your chin a little, excellent, amazing…." it really works.
- Don't break my flow. This is the main one for an experienced model. I am just as nervous about shooting with you as you are. I want you to get the shots too. Let me start with my basic 'hand on hip' whilst we test the lighting/make up and then when it is right, let me know so I can start modelling for you. If you break after every shot to check the back of your camera then I will go back to 'pose one'…you won't get that movement and each shot will be rigid. Take 5-10 shots then pause to review them. Some will work, others won't. But you're more likely to get some variety.
Photographer: Silverlight:
- Put some music on to suit the mood e.g. up beat fast paced fashion or soft floaty boudoir. It fills the silence so you don't need to 'buzz word me' as much.
- If I model frequently consider asking me which way I naturally gravitate to the light before setting one up if it's going to be important to your shot, especially if I have a side fringe to prevent it casting a shadow across my face. This may not be the case every time, I appreciate that, it depends on the look you wish to achieve.
- Don't be a perv. Some girls thrive off it, but you have to be absolutely sure I am one of those if you're going to do it. If you give the slightest hint of creeping, then I will be uncomfortable for the rest of the day. Finding that balance in buzz words is difficult, perfect it in advance. High five to those who have mastered it!
- If I am a client and I don't know how to pose, then show me. I won't feel half as silly if you do the pose first and I can mirror you with ease.
Gary Hill 'demonstrating' his 'S' pose, image supplied by Alison Bailey:
- If I am a client, only show me a picture on the back of your camera if you are 100% sure I will love it. If I see something I might not like, a double chin, a chubby knee, a nipple awkwardly peeping…then it might not make me feel that hot. In fact in might just knock my confidence for the rest of the shoot - that confidence that you have spent so long building up. If I am an experienced full time model, please do show me, I will know if I can improve what I see.
- For headshots, can we leave the 35mm lens in the bag? I don't mean that in a patronising tone, it's just my cheeks are chubby enough without distorting them into a 'chubby bunnies' tribute. A fat face makes for a sad face :(
- For full length shots, shoot me low. Get down (like you're sat on a chair) and aim the camera at my front bum…I will look so much taller and thinner and I will love you forever. I won't even look out of proportion and no-one will ever know you were down there.
Photographer: Noel Shelley, MUA: Donna Graham, Stylist: Helen Waugh:
- Tell me when you are going for a 3/4 length shot, I can angle my feet to give me support and twist my body into an unusual shape leading into the frame.
Photographer: Noel Shelley, MUA: Donna Graham, Stylist: Helen Waugh:
- I like different lighting techniques. I really really do. In fact I do so much that I am very sad when I am lit with a giant octobox at the same level as my knees with the power turned up so high that I see purple octagons every time I blink…I want to look up and have carved cheekbones and stretch my neck out like a beautiful….giraffe(?!) If we raise it up a little and point it back down at a nice 45 degree angle, I'll feel much more natural looking up like I would to the sun in a shower of light. I'm no expert, but it feels more 'right' to me.
- If I am receiving images as payment, please tell me when I will be given the pictures. If I have to wait longer than 8 weeks without warning then I might start to think you have forgotten all about me and our exciting day together and it all gets a little bit awkward.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to me Mr and Ms Photographer, I really appreciate you making that extra effort and thank you mostly, for not taking this in the patronising tone it may come across as, especially as some of the points will not always apply and I am only human, just like you.
I just want what you want, the best possible shot. It costs you nothing to know this but could save you a lot in the future.
Kindest regards,
x x x
***Please like my page: www.facebook.com/jenbrookmodelling and follow me on Twitter @Jen_Brook_Model or www.jenbrook.com **
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This is beautiful.
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Some excellent advice in here!
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This is a great perspective. Some may find it quite helpful.
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Couldn't have said it better myself.
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Perfect text. Must-read for everyone who works with models!
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