What is the Perfume Project?

This blog is a constantly evolving forum for thoughts on perfume, perfume-making, plants (especially orchids and flora of the Pacific Northwest) and life in general. It started out chronicling the adventures of Olympic Orchids Perfumes, established in July 2010, and has expanded in other directions. A big part of the blog is thinking about the ongoing process of learning and experimentation that leads to new perfumes, the exploration of perfumery materials, the theory and practice of perfume making, the challenges of marketing perfumes and other fragrance products, and random observations on philosophy and society. Spam comments will be marked as such and deleted; any comments that go beyond the boundaries of civil discourse will also be deleted. I am grateful to all of you, the readers, who contribute to the blog by commenting and making this a truly interactive perfume project.

Sunday, June 27, 2021

WINNERS OF THE LAST DRAWING, SCENTS OF A ROAD TRIP, GIVEAWAY CONTINUES



 First things first. The winners of the drawing are:

ANNE

MERMAID

MARY M

CRAFTILY

SNEK

To claim your prize, just send your complete, correct name and shipping address to olympicorchids at gmail dot com, or PM me on Facebook.  


We haven’t been on a road trip for at least a year and a half, so decided it was high time to go on one. Our destination was Bend Oregon, by way of Portland. We got out on the road kind of late in the day on 
Sunday  so driving through the countryside there was a strong coumarin smell from the hay fields, and maybe some  clover fields. I had noticed this before when driving on the same route, but was very conscious of it that afternoon. Once we were in Portland, walking around the neighborhood where we were staying, the scent of jasmine wafted in from a yard, and the rubbery-sweet smell of privet was everywhere. 


Monday morning we headed south and east on Highway 26, which goes via Mount Hood. It was warm to hot, so we had the windows open for the whole trip. Near the pass, I smelled damp, live mushrooms and saw lots of bear grass, which is a plant with tall white columns of tiny flowers. Growing along with the bear grass were wild rhododendrons, blooming with a profusion of pink flowers. As we made our way down the southeast side of Mt Hood, we encountered the smell of fir trees, with new asphalt in places where the road had just been repaired. At some point the firs and asphalt started to be mixed with smoke. I smelled the wildfire before I could see the smoke, which eventually formed a dense curtain across the road and turned the sky a light orange.  The wildfire smoke was no more than  a couple of miles from the road, which was closed shortly after we passed through and continued to be closed into the next day.  It was a relief to finally exit the worst of the smoke and smell the dry grass, sagebrush and stones of the high desert. 

 

Walking around downtown Bend we smelled a cloyingly sweet floral scent everywhere as we walked down the streets. It turned out that the city has lots of hanging baskets on the streetlights, and all of them are filled with some variety of mixed-color petunias with such a powerful scent that it diffuses over the whole block. It seems like the hot weather intensified every smell, including the pinot noir that we enjoyed in the outdoor café area of a small wine shop. 


There is another drawing for three boxes of miscellaneous samples, decants, mini bottles, etc. To enter, just leave a comment. 


[Photos are mine, from our trip]

20 comments:

  1. Ellen, you write about smell in such a lyrical, grounded way. It is a pleasure to read. I admire you. (This is my drawing entry.) John F

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    1. John, I'm glad you enjoyed reading about the many smells. You're entered in the drawing.

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  2. Looks like a beautiful trip! Thank you for doing this giveaway!

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    1. Becky, it was a beautiful trip, and good to get away for a little while. You're entered in the drawing.

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  3. Gorgeous pictures! One of my favorite parts of the world. Thanks for the opportunity to enter the giveaway!

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    1. Angie, this certainly is a beautiful part of the world. You're entered in the giveaway.

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  4. Beautiful Pictures and Writing. I'm visiting Bend and Portland in September. Can't wait.

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  5. Audrey, you will love visiting Bend and Portland. There is a lot to see and do in both places, and September should be an ideal time. You're entered in the drawing.

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  6. Beautiful description of your travels ☺️ I am excited for my own vacation, it's been years! Kayaking and pine forest are calling me.

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    1. Sevryne, kayaking on the Deschutes River would have been a great addition to our trip, but we travel light! I hope you can get out soon to the pine forests and water. You're entered in the drawing.

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  7. What a wonderful road trip! I think perfumistas are very fortunate when it comes to traveling. Even in parts of life not related to perfume, we get a richer experience when we notice and appreciate the local scents.

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  8. Parrot, traveling in hot weather accentuates all of the scents along the way, so in that way we were fortunate to travel when we did. You're entered in the drawing.

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  9. I visited Bend years ago when one of our friends was at OSU. It’s a beautiful area in a beautiful part of the country. I can imagine the ambient scents of the area being amplified by heat. I just hope the extreme summer temperatures are not a permanent fixture.

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    1. Triniti, Unfortunately I think the hot summer temperatures are here to stay unless something is done about climate change. You're entered in the drawing.

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  10. Well written. As if I had been there myself 💚

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  11. That sounds vivid and lovely!

    I've been hanging around inside during the heat Wave and reading a couple things set on the Oregon trail... More synthetic and floral today probably but overall probably smells a lot better now that folks traveling have access to laundry etc 😉
    It's a part of the world I would love to see someday...

    Yesterday there was a sun-thunderstorm with petrichor to the oomph degree-- that was the extent of my being outside on my balcony but it was so awesome.

    Hope all your travels are awesome and safe!

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  12. Mim, the whole Pacific Northwest is worth seeing. There's so much variety you can find just about anything you want! You're entered in the drawing.

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  13. This sounds absolutely gorgeous. The high desert smells of Bend always bring me back to my childhood.

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    1. Emma, I love the high desert! You are entered in the drawing

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  14. I wish i could take my nose there too! Love your scents' depictions.

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