Find LongSword Vineyard

LongSword Vineyard is located about 8 miles west of Jacksonville, OR on highway 238. Pretty easy to find really.

From I5 take exit 40 and follow the signs to Jacksonville. Once you are in Jacksonville, you continue on highway 238 west out of town. The vineyard is located about a mile west of Ruch on the south side of the road. Look for the yellow “WINE TASTING” signs.

Ruch is a quiet, not quite quaint hamlet in the Applegate Valley. Ruch consists of 2 restaurants, a grocery, a library and several other businesses. There isn’t any stop sign, so don’t blink.

LongSword Vineyard includes 10 acres of Chardonnay vines, an alfalfa field and of course, The Tasting Patio. The Tasting Patio sits on the northwest corner of the property. A barn red pump house is close to road (next to the cleanest Port-a-Potty in Oregon). Directly next to the pump house is the office, a charcoal grey hut where the wine is. Next to the office is the deck and fieldstone patio. A hand hewn fir arbor shades the deck and patio areas. Several round tables complete with tablecloths and ‘springy’ wrought iron chairs wait for visitors to take in the stunning view and taste our delicious wines.

Fred –vineyard dog

Fred, the brave and courageous, has called us his pack for nearly his entire life. As a pup, barely weaned, he found Melinda, my daughter in a near eastside park in Indianapolis. It was early fall in 1987. I was playing tackle football with a group of friends. I love sports and at that time was still quick enough to get around the really big girls.

Melinda was off playing with the other kids. She returned with a litter of puppies in tow. Now she was always bringing home animals especially baby animals. Melinda has an innate gentleness about her that is palatable. Hence, baby animals, especially those who are lost or injured, will approach her. So according to Melinda, Fred trotted up to her and told her that he was the greatest dog in the world and presumably that he, along with his brother and sisters, should go home with her. So that’s how Fred adopted us as his pack. At the time, the pack was me, my brother Tony, a roommate Debby, my children Bo and Melinda and two other dogs, Poo Bear and Max. I found homes for Fred’s siblings, but Fred remained.

Melinda wanted to name Fred- honey- although he was technically tri-colored- he had only a tiny white blaze on his chest and the beginnings of a black saddle- Fred was mostly a dark honey colored medium coated mutt. Bo on the other hand, wanted to call Fred- Freddy Kruger after a horror movie killer. Neither child would compromise, so I christened him ‘Freddy honey’.

Fred spent his early years in the backyard of our suburban home. He mostly stood on top of his doghouse and barked. He barked at things that moved and those that didn’t. My brother Tony nicknamed Fred, ‘barker of great annoyance’. Melinda and Fred spent much time together. She liked to dress him in doll clothes. Fred was comfortable with his sexuality so he didn’t mind too much. He liked to play tea party as long as cookies were involved.

Once Melinda asked Fred to watch her sandwich for her while she went into the house to fetch her juice. Melinda was concerned that her brother, Bo, would steal a bite of the sandwich. Worse yet, he might just lick it and not tell her till after she took a bite. Melinda was quite disappointed to find Fred swallowing the remnants of her sandwich as she stepped through the kitchen door. That day, she learned not to ask a dog to watch your food for you.

Some years later, Melinda was sunbathing in the backyard. She had just turned on the radio, smoothed on the suntan lotion and was preparing to take that first bite of her sandwich. Out of the blue, a honey colored blur flew in from the east, snatched the sandwich right from her unsuspecting hand and disappeared into the west! After that, Melinda was ever vigilant when Fred and food were in the same vicinity.

Maria in the Vineyard 

Good morning

I am starting this log to chat and talk about vines and wine.