Wine Tasting

The Chardonnay has been "cold conditioning" in the garage at around 50 degrees. I topped up the liquid in the airlocks this week and couldn't resist stealing some wine. Not bad! Ian and I had conducted an impromptu taste test six weeks ago and I thought there was a bit of a metallic off-taste. That is now gone. The wine has a very nice finish already, though the body is a little thin. That may improve somewhat with age, but I think the grapes could have benefitted from another 10 days on the vine and another degree Brix. We'll be more patient this year.

But it is certainly going to be drinkable. I'm planning on bottling sometime in February and uncorking during harvest 2014.

Carbon Fiber, BMW & Moses Lake

Li'l old Moses Lake had a cameo in this morning's Wall Street Journal, in a column reviewing the new all-electric BMW i3 sports car. Here's an excerpt which provides a bit of insight into the world of carbon-fiber manufacture:

The i3's enveloping body shell emerges rather miraculously from a highly automated process in a matter of hours, not days, with minimal hand finishing. BMW has invested heavily in this technology, joining with the U.S. firm SGL Group for a thread manufacturing facility in Moses Lake, Wash. Thread cost, apparently, is a key driver and BMW researchers have been saying since the Frankfurt auto show in 2011 that carbon-fiber used for aerospace was over-engineered for automotive applications and needlessly expensive. 

The promise is—setting aside for the moment, the profitability—that one day many kinds of cars could be made with these fuel-saving composites, which would move all sorts of needles in the right direction. In fact, the LifeDrive architecture isn't a new idea. GM spit-balled a fuel-cell concept car with a skateboard chassis in 2000. The positives of such a layout probably occur to every automotive engineer at some point. But BMW got there first. I predict that in the timelines of technological history, the i3 will prove to be a significant event.

For the full article, click here.

SGL recently began construction on a $100 million expansion of its Moses Lake facility, adding two new production lines and doubling the plant's overall production capability.

Cayuse Sunsets

 

The sunsets have been blazing this week.

Holiday Lights

We wanted to run lights along the vines on the slope in front of the house, but 2,000 lineal feet of string lighting presents some electrical challenges. So we settled this year for just outlining the house. It would have been cool to have outlined the entire chimney but my ladder wouldn't quite reach and I'm not keen on scampering around a 9/12 (or whatever it is) roof on a frosty day. I'll figure something out by next year though.

The Hunt for Local Art

We've spent some time the last few weekends in search of original works of art by local and Eastern Washington artists. Spokane has several nice galleries, notably The Tinman Gallery in the Garland District http://tinmanartworks.com/ and the new Bozzi Collection in the old city hall building downtown http://www.bozzicollection.com/. Yesterday we found this whimsical original drypoint monoprint by veteran Spokane artist Mel McCuddin at the Tinman. Very affordable and looks great on our wall.

Today we took the 20-minute drive up to Soap Lake for the annual Winterfest Art Show, which draws artists from the Okanogan, Methow Valley and other artistic pockets around the area. Had a nice chat with Al Lundberg, a long-time art collector who co-founded the Soap Lake Art Guild when he and his wife retired to "The Land of Healing Waters" ten years ago. Al is tied into a network of dozens of artists throughout the region. His goal is to get their works out of their bedrooms and garages and into the public eye.

For our next art trip we are heading to the Confluence Gallery & Art Center in Twisp, recommended by Mr. Lundberg.