Thursday, August 29, 2019

IT'S BIRTHDAY DAY



Today is number 79 and I'm having a great birthday.  It started this morning with a beautiful breakfast cooked to order at an elegant B&B, ARCH CAPE INN & RETREAT near Cannon Beach.  

We stayed in their gorgeous Tower Room with ocean views through almost every window.  Check out their website at :

https://archcapeinn.com

The staff is efficient and personable and the wine and appetizers last night and breakfast this morning were exceptional.

We're back in Portland but the celebration continues.



DRAGONFIRE GALLERY in Cannon Beach

dragonfiregallery.com


If you are traveling to the Oregon Coast, you must visit this fabulous art gallery.  It's a sensory explosion !

Roger and I never miss it when we're in the area and yesterday we met two lovely women at the gallery who gave Roger a lot of encouragement and information regarding submission of his work.  The summer and fall months are so busy that the owners don't look at new artist submissions until December so he has three months to add to his current work.

Cannon Beach has several other galleries that are also interesting so we regularly do a "gallery walk" through downtown.  I guarantee that you'll love Cannon Beach and please leave time to go to the Ecola State Park next door to the town.  It's one of the most beautiful parks on the entire Oregon Coast.


Tuesday, August 27, 2019

TRAVELING THE WORLD ...................

I'm sharing this lovely note from Helia, Roger's daughter, who is taking a year off from her job and traveling. She started in India and then spent some time in Iran but this is the first time we heard about her travel details.  Helia is a Chemical Engineer who has decided to find the true meaning of life by enjoying personal experiences and learning about other cultures.


I am writing to you from Verona, Italy.  I hope you are doing well. I miss you very much.  I have been traveling in Europe for a month now. Have been to Switzerland, Austria, and Italy so far. I am currently staying with a childhood friend from Iran who lives in Verona. 

I spent the first two weeks if my Europe adventure in Switzerland. I met a Swiss girl named Jeanne while traveling in Nepal back in April and she invited me to spend my two weeks in Switzerland at her house in Zurich. She was an awesome host and we shared the love for the outdoors.  We went camping a couple of times in the Swiss Alps. We also visited Gruyere cheese factory and tasted amazing cheese. The lakes and water canals in Switzerland were all crystal clear and clean and the Swiss always carry their bathing suits with them at all times during the summer and use every opportunity to take a dip. Also the quality of drinking water was the best! Drinking fountains all over the city. It was one of my favorite things about Switzerland.  I would go running without worrying about where to get water.  The country is the closest I have seen to perfection. As far as natural beauty, quality of air and food and standard of living was the highest I have seen among western countries.  They also only pay 8% in taxes and take 4-6 weeks of vacation in the summer! One of the best health care and education systems in all of Europe. 

After Switzerland, I took a train to Vienna and met up with another friend and we spent two weeks in Austria together.  We visited Salzburg, where Mozart was born and also Sound of Music was filmed.  Also went wine tasting in Spit and had the best white wine I had ever tasted there! The wine country in Austria is in the region between two cities of Krems and Spit and is famous for Riesling. The German and Austrian Riesling is not sweet at all but very dry and refreshing.  Vienna was also a very nice city but super touristy.  I visited two museums in Vienna.  One was about the history of Vienna between 1900-1945 called the Leopold museum and another one was the Jewish museum.  I learned that the Austrians refused to take any responsibility for the way Austrian Jews were treated during WWII and in 1993, they were eventually forced by the Americans to pay restitution to Jewish families whose properties had been seized during the war and post war era in Austria.  

After my time in Austria, I took a train to Verona, Italy and that’s where I am now. Verona is a lovely small town in north eastern part of the country and is famous for two things: Romeo and Juliette was set in Verona, and Dante, the poet who is considered the father of the Italian language lived in Verona during his exile from Florence in the 1300s and composed his most important works here. My friend Maryam has a lovely apartment in Piazza dei Signori where there is a statue of Dante and we get to wave at tourists taking photos everyday from the window of her apartment. The entire city of Verona is considered a UNESCO world heritage.  Maryam is another friend who loves the outdoors. We went hiking in the Dolomite mountains last weekend and spent a night at a hut there. It was very beautiful and awe inspiring.  I have posted some photos of our trip on Instagram. 

I have been very lucky so far because I have not paid for accommodation while in Europe and just stay with old or new friends so it gives me more freedom to experience more and spend money on visiting smaller cities or eating amazing food! 
The food in Italy is absolutely incredible and cheap! You can get a really nice meal for $11 and a really nice glass of wine for $4. And that’s considered a fancy night out! A nice glass of wine during a day at a nice bar is about $3 and it comes with small snacks! Verona is a very small city so I am sure things are more expensive in bigger cities.

In 4 days, I will be flying to Palermo, Sicily and will stay there for 5 days.  Then I will join two of my friends who are flying from CA to Tunisia and will travel with them to Tunisia and Morocco.  


Monday, August 26, 2019

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AT MARRAKESH IN PORTLAND

It's birthday week for "yours truly" so tonight we started with a girl's dinner at Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant in Portland.  (https://marrakeshportland.com)

We indulged in a five course dinner that was outstanding and even better than the food was the "girl talk".  Rae drove in from Washington State where she lives part of the year and Ann did all the planning for a great food experience.

We all ordered lamb dishes; Ann with spicy lamb, Rae with apricot lamb and I with raisin and honey basted lamb.

One more year to the big 80 so tonight I'm still in the 70s and enjoying life and friendships.















Saturday, August 24, 2019

Homemade POTATO CHIPS . . . . . . . . . . .

Bon Appetit Magazine recently published a recipe for "sheet-pan potato hash with fixins".  I was mostly interested in the potatoes which have the appearance of potato chips so last night was an experiment.  They are so delicious and easy and fun to make that I want to share this with you.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and place the oven rack in the top third of the oven.

Use a freshly scrubbed russet potato and slice thinly.  Insert the slices into a small plastic bag and pour enough olive oil in the bag to coat the potatoes on both sides. 

Arrange the slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  For easy cleaning, line the pan with parchment paper.  Season to taste and roast until browned and crisp (about 30 to 40 minutes).


Tuesday, August 20, 2019

DESERT OASIS - Roger Hatefi's Latest Painting









Roger recently completed his largest painting, to date.  It reminds him of the unexpected refreshing and beautiful oasis that are often encountered in mid-eastern deserts.


The painting is acrylic on professionally stretched canvas and it measures 48 x 48 inches.  He has added an application of paint and clay to accentuate a high and bas-relief effect on the lower areas of the canvas.  

The two close photographs give you an idea of the relief, however, it's far more beautiful when you view the actual painting.

The price is $2,200.  No charge for shipping to U.S. destinations.





JUDEE MOONBEAM STUDIO - Fabric Art in Portland

Several years ago I had the good fortune to meet Judee at an art show and we have been friends ever since.  Her artistry is amazing. Judee uses fabric scraps, fabric samples, tapestry, velvets, silk, denim and unique trim and lace to make handbags and clothing. She also incorporates original screen prints to her designs.

Recently she and I discussed incorporating some of my needlepoint with her fabric designs. This handbag is the first project and I absolutely love it.  It's roomy, sturdy and I receive complements every day that I use it. I especially love the denim pocket in back where I can carry theater tickets, grocery lists or even my cell phone.






You can see more of her designs on:
judeemoonbeam.com

If you have favorite color or fabric combinations that you would like her to use, give her a call and she will work with you to make a "one of a kind"

.



BEST BREAKFAST IN PORTLAND - ZELLS on Morrison




Breakfast restaurants are popular in Portland and our favorite is Zells at 1300 SE Morrison.

The minute you sit down, you'll be served fluffy miniature scones with marionberry preserves.

It's a perfect way to start the day so Roger and I eat there weekly.  Lunch is equally fabulous so if you're in Portland, please check them out.

Today I had eggs Benedict with fresh fruit and Roger enjoyed an egg white scramble with roasted red peppers and avocado.  A great way to start a Tuesday in Portland!


https://www.zellscafe.com

Saturday, August 17, 2019

The Rally is over - time to visit OLD TOWN PIZZA

The extremists on both sides expressed their opinions at the rally today in Portland with no injuries or harmful actions.  Over a thousand police officers were on hand and they remained in control of the situation.


Allison and I were a little unsure about our plans to visit Old Town Pizza since it's located close to the rally site but streets were clear with easy parking and our favorite two seats at the bar were available.  The city is quiet - thankfully - (and the pizza is fabulous).  Portland is still on alert through tomorrow but we're hopeful that everyone will remain safe.


ANOTHER MEMORABLE SATURDAY FARMER'S MARKET



This is part of the bounty that I bought at this morning's market.  The artichokes are Italian artichokes so they have a purple tinge to the leaves.  The vendor had a few chokes that had been left on the plant until they "bloomed" so I learned that they can be dried and used as a decorative accent.

One advantage of shopping at the market is the "adult beverage" reward when I return home.  CHEERS ....................

Far Right / Far Left Nationalist Rally in Portland

The protests are here. 


A right-wing “End Domestic Terrorism” rally is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in Tom McCall Waterfront Park as counter-protesters vowed to flood downtown Portland in response. City officials, meanwhile, closed the Hawthorne Bridge and surrounding streets, called in law enforcement backup and pleaded for those bent on violence to stay home.


This is one of the headlines in today's Oregonian. We live within several blocks from the protest so, needless to say, we're safe and snug in our condo.When I shopped at the nearby Farmer's Market, I made a point to go early. It was an untypical experience - MAX was near empty, the market had about one tenth of the normal crowd and the streets were empty. I overheard conversations about freeway off ramps and streets barricaded and/or closed. Downtown merchants have closed their businesses and the Hawthorne Bridge has been closed. We're keeping the TV news on. I'm writing this at noon and so far the rally appears to be relatively peaceful. 



FRIDAY in Portland - Living Room Theater - Powells - Little Big Burger

WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE opened Friday at the downtown Portland Living Room Theater so I bought my ticket online and hopped on the Portland Streetcar which stops one block from the theater.

The movie wasn't what I expected - IT WAS MUCH BETTER!  The previews gave it a slapstick impression but it turned out to be a good story with exceptionally good acting.

The lovely thing about downtown is that there are so many entertainment opportunities within short walking distance.  Since it was lunch time, I walked two blocks to "Little Big Burger" - not quite like "IN and OUT" (no grilled onions) but close enough to be really delicious.  Penzey's Spice shop is next door so that was my next stop for Northwoods Seasoning, a mixture of salt, Hungarian paprika, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic and chipotle,  Trust me - it's all you need for cooking tasty food!

Powells was very close so visiting there was like having a luscious dessert.  I found a hard cover 'Gone So Long" by the author of the "House of Sand and Fog" so I'm looking forward to reading on the balcony this weekend.

As I walked into our complex, I found a rose bush that was filled with orange and red roses so I couldn't resist taking a photo.

Happy Weekend!