Today is Roger's Birthday !!

Today we're celebrating Roger's birthday.  We each have a class at PSU this morning and then it will be time for a birthday lunch at Zells.

If it's true that "we're only as old as we feel", he's about 35 today...................

Happy Birthday, MIKE ************

Today I'm wishing that I was in Folsom to give this great guy a big hug.  

Roger and I wish you a very happy birthday, Mike.

Enjoy the day.........................................

Laguna Beach

Wednesday, we took a drive down the coast to Laguna Beach, a beautiful seaside resort and artist's colony.  The weather was a perfect 69 degrees and we enjoyed a long walk along the beach.  A perfect ending to Roger's and Garik's reunion.

 

A Reunion of Long Time Friends

Roger and Garik have been friends for more than fifty years.  They have stayed in communication throughout this time but this week was the first time they saw each other since about 1979.  Lulu is Garik's wife of 57 years and we had the pleasure of visiting with them in Laguna Hills where their daughter and husband, Rooben and Annette live. It was fun to hear about their old-time escapades from their time in Tehran where Garik and Roger worked together at a German owned company. 

 

It has been many years since I traveled and worked in Orange County so it was nice to revisit some of my favorite places.  Here, the boys are toasting to their friendship and reunion at a lovely Irvine restaurant, "Paul Martinis".

The Artist At Work

Roger has recovered from the chemo and he's anxious to finish a painting of his favorite subjects; an American Eagle and mountains.  This painting is 30 by 40 inches so it's one of his biggest.  It's still a work in progress but, in my opinion, it's already looking good!

 

Promise of Spring in Portland

Trees are blooming and we have sunny skies with (sort of) warm temps so we're starting to feel "spring fever".  It's spring break for Roger so Thursday we enjoyed an elegant lunch at Ringside Fish House and then walked to the art museum to see the Venetian art show that features famous artists from the 15th to 18th century.  It was my second time at the exhibit, but Roger's first and we both agree that we need to return again before it ends in early May.   Roger had his quarterly chemo yesterday morning and, right now, he's still moving a bit slowly but we're hoping he'll be better by tomorrow.

Last night Allison and I stopped by Iorio for a happy hour dinner and then went to the Triangle Theater to see their current production "Next Fall".  Triangle is a small theater but they feature "big" productions; all with a message, and we both enjoyed this one.

Now it's time to visit the nail salon down the street and enjoy reading a really great novel titled "The Ghost Writer".  This book grabbed my attention right from the beginning so it's one that I truly can't put down until I finish it.

Happy Nowruz

The Iranian New Year NOWRUZ occurs this year today at 9:57 a.m. PST.  This day is important because it welcomes the new year of growth and rebirth as we enter Spring and the Vernal Equinox.

The word Nowruz is a compound of two Persian words, "now" which has the same etymology as the English word "new" and the word "ruz" which means both "day" and "time".  Literally meaning the "new day", Nowruz is translated as "New Year".  The Nowruz celebration is neither religious or national in nature, nor is it an ethnic celebration.  People in the Mid East and Central Asia celebrate the Nowruz with the same enthusiasm and sense of beloning.

We wish you a Happy Nowruz as we welcome Spring and all the beauty of nature.  Portland, today, is sunny and warm so it already is a lovely start to a special day.

House of Coffee, San Francisco

Many years ago, my friends, the Hagys, introduced me to Henry's House of Coffee that is located in San Francisco.  They fresh roast coffee beans six days a week so when you buy their beans, you can be confident of their freshness.

Portland is known for delicious coffee and, I'll admit that I also love Stumptown beans, but sometimes the $$ makes a difference.  With Henry, I can buy a full pound for the price of 12 oz. of Stumptown.  I just made an order and I decided that I should share them with you.

www.coffeesf.com

S P O O K Y - Have you watched "Resurrection" ?

If you are like me and you enjoy a story that makes you shiver while watching the story, you'll love Resurrection, a new weekly TV series.  Last night was the second episode so you can still catch up by using your 'on demand" to see the first two.

First 2014 Farmer's Market

I just returned from my morning walk to the Park Blocks Farmer's Market.  It's a warm and sunny day and the trees are starting to bloom so it was a lovely way to start my Saturday. 

It has been a busy week.  My last art history class was Wednesday so two of my new student friends joined me for lunch at Marque.  Our water problems were finally solved after a plumber flushed out my water heater, replaced my garbage disposal and solved my water pressure problem.   Roger is busy cramming for his Mid Eastern history class final that is due on Monday so last night I joined Silky and Callie at a Milwaukee Wine Bar to listen to their music and then stopped by Iorio for some fresh made ravioli.


St. Patrick's Day is a big event in downtown Portland so we're going to stay close to home.  It's not unusual to hear about people fighting and shooting guns in the area of Kell's so we old folks plan on staying safe. Wear green and enjoy the celebration wherever you are!

 

Chase Credit Card Hacked...............

Kudos to Chase Visa.  Saturday night I received a phone text and an email to tell me that someone in California had just charged over $400 at a grocery store and attempted to charge another $700 purchase elsewhere.  Once I confirmed that I did not make the charges, they cancelled the charge card and promised to send a new one by UPS this Tuesday.  It just arrived so all is well.............. 

Interesting Mail............

I remember, shortly after I turned 50, when AARP sent me a letter welcoming me to the "senior discount" that I then qualified for.

Today is a new stepping stone...............  The only mail that I received was:

(1) Better Hearing Open House for the hard of hearing
(2) Aesthetic Medicine Clinic for LipoLift and LaserLift

I'm wondering what comes next.  Maybe a free sample of "Depends" ? (I hope that they send my correct size)

Meanwhile, Roger and I simply refuse to believe that we are "old".  The age of "old" gets higher and higher as the years go by.  Right now, we're thinking that maybe 90 is when we'll finally get there..................  If we survive to that age, we can always up-it to 100.

Afran and her new Grandson

Afran, Roger's youngest sister and youngest sibling, became a grandmother this past November.  She has been sharing pictures of this adorable little man and now it's time to share them with all of you.

Her daughter, Sani, is a beautiful and accomplished woman.  Sani's husband is a football player (soccer) for a French team but this little guy is the star attraction.............

Another Week of New Experiences..........

The week started with another "girl's day" when Ann and I went downtown to see the movie "Gloria" at the Living Room Theater followed by lunch at Ringside Fish Market.  Ann needed to get home in time to bake a quiche for an evening party so we hopped into a "Car2Go" and made it home in about 5 minutes.  It was Ann's first time in one of the little electric vehicles and now, she's a fan of them and their convenience.  There's always at least one on any block of downtown. 

We're having some water problems so Friday, we had a new dishwasher installed and now we have to deal with garbage disposal issues, a 6 year old water heater that is malfunctioning and low water pressure.  (I thought that living in a condo would be carefree but it looks like I was wrong).

Today was another new event for me.  My friend Rae treated me to an afternoon tea at a nearby Country Club where we enjoyed a silent auction, lunch and a fashion show.  It is a yearly fund raiser for Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO).  We had a table of eight and several people were new to me so it was a great opportunity to make new friends and enjoy a great afternoon.

My art history class ends in another week and Roger is preparing for his final exams so the next week or so will be busy.  Then it's Spring Break so we'll be heading to Laguna Hills to visit friends for a few days.

A Busy Day at McKay Photography Academy

Today I spent five hours at the Convention Center taking a beginning DSLR class.  Photography was one of my interests many years ago when we were using film cameras so many of the camera functions are still the same.  Digital photography, however, has made the "impossible" become possible.

The McKay Photography Academy is owned and run by a married couple who are both professional photographers.  They travel throughout the world giving classes and sponsoring photo "safaris" in many cities and countries.

Now I'm committed to taking my new camera outside and regaining my knowledge.  I used it on my trip to Mexico but it was set on "automatic".  From now on, I'm going to work on using it in its manual mode so I can achieve more artistic photos.

A Vagrant and a Pit Bull

Portland has many homeless and for those of us who are fortunate to have a warm place to live and food on the table, it's easy to judge.  You know the verbage - get a job, take care of yourself, etc...........

I couldn't help but feel compassion for this man and his canine companion who had found a warm place to sleep while riding the streetcar.