An Olympic Evening

We're enjoying watching the Olympics but I'll have to admit that we are missing some much needed sleep. Fortunately tomorrow we don't have to leave the condo so we can stay up late tonight and sleep late tomorrow morning. GO, USA !!!!

FIRST 2010 Barbecue !!!!

Yes,......... my friends and family in California are saying to each other "What's the big deal about a first barbecue in February?". Well, in Portland it is a gigantic event - weather warm enough to use the deck without winds and rain..........

Tonight we introduced the barbecue year with Filet Mignon and it was a fabulous dinner.

Last night I managed to spend some big bucks for a set of sterling so I'll have work to do in the next few weeks.

One more week and it's cruise time so in the next few days we'll have to get luggage from the storage unit and start thinking "summer".

Right now, our goal is to stay awake until midnight to watch the Olympics............

Three is a Charm !!**!!**!!

In about two hours I'll be back for the third night of auction. Tonight is the "big spender's" night when they auction the really high ticket items. Yes, I'm still hoping to get "lucky"......

I tried something new last week. After getting an advertisement from an auction house in Pennsylvania, I decided to place some bids. I was very lucky to get some beautiful sterling (some from Tiffany) and the prices were much lower than here. The shipment arrived this afternoon so unpacking it was as exciting as Christmas morning!

Now it's time to polish, inventory, research and sell.............

Indian Food and Misc...............

Today was a hodge-podge of activities starting with my dental appointment for teeth cleaning (a love-hate event). The East India Co Indian Restaurant is right next door and I decided that it was time to sample Indian food. It was an amazing experience as I ate things that I had never encountered. I ordered a three course lunch so I could sample more than than one thing but when the waitress learned that it was my first time eating Indian food, she served me two extra courses. I am eager to return with Roger.

Then it was time to take the streetcar to Powell's Book Store. I wanted some reading material for our upcoming cruise. The only problem with Powell's is that one can spend several hours wandering through all the rooms.

On my way back home I stopped for a couple of other errands so it was a full day. The good thing is that I could do it all by using the streetcar.

This week is the O'Gallerie Auction (held three nights on Mon/Tues/Wed). Last night I was certain that I would be the BIG winner of several items that I absolutely loved. To my chagrin I learned that others were also coveting them. One item that I was willing to bid $1,000 went for $2,500 and another that I wanted to bid $900 went for $1,900. (Who said that we were in a recession???). Well, I'm not a quitter so in a few minutes I'll go back to see how I do tonight.....................

Last night wasn't a total loss in that I managed to buy some very interesting items. Roger surprised me by having them polished when I returned late this afternoon.

Happy Hour At Lincoln Tower

Last night our Friday Happy Hour was a special celebration for Bill (at the left) and Nita (with the purple shirt) who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary plus both of their birthdays. February is a very special month for them both.

The lounge is next door to our condo so it's easy to just stop in for a snack and some conversation. That's where most of the gossip originates so there's always some news to digest..........

Today was an ordinary Saturday with a major shopping event at Costco and more work on eBay so the day went quickly. Tomorrow we'll spend the afternoon previewing the upcoming auction at O'Gallerie.

Girl's Day in Portland

Today was "girl's day" starting with an early lunch at VQ with Allison. It has been awhile since we got together so we had lots to catch up with. Allison is recovering from a hip replacement and she's doing really well - back to walking Alfie (her regal Doberman) three times, daily.

This evening I met Callie next door at the hotel bar for "happy hour". Yes, we managed to get very happy so it was 7:30 when I got back home to fix Roger's dinner. He was forewarned that he was getting leftovers and he didn't mind. Tomorrow night he's promised baked honey orange chicken with fresh rosemary.

We're not sure where the time goes but each week is filled with things to do and places to go.

We are staying up late each night to watch the Olympics but I'll admit that we often miss the events after 11 p.m.

I had a skin cancer removed yesterday so I'm still feeling some pain (happy hour helped relieve some of it) but that's the price I pay for those years in the sun.

So - that's about all for this week........................

Columbia Gorge Hotel Brunch

This morning I surprised Roger with a mystery trip so until we arrived he had no idea that we were going to the beautiful Columbia Gorge Hotel for brunch (near Hood River). It is an hour drive from Portland but the traffic was light and it didn't take that long to get there.

The photo of the two of us was taken in the lounge in front of a huge wood burning fireplace. Our table looked out on the lovely view of the Columbia River (Washington State is directly across the water) and the waterfall is on their property.

The hotel was closed for almost a year but it now has new owners who are working hard to restore it to its former beauty. The restaurant is huge and they served a buffet that was fabulous. There are too many choices to mention but I have to tell you that the crab cake Benedicts were unbelievable. We both ate a huge amount so now that we're home we only have energy to watch a movie or maybe take a short nap.

On the way back we took the old highway past our three favorite waterfalls; all beautiful in a different way. They were magnificent with so much water falling that we had to stay back so we wouldn't get soaking wet. It was a lovely way to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Five Course Dinner - All With CHOCOLATE !

Last night Allison and Gina invited us to join them at the Uptown Billiards Club for a five course "Happy Hour" early dinner. The theme this week is chocolate so each of the five courses had chocolate as an ingredient.

If I had to live life without chocolate, I'd have no problem doing so but I was still very impressed by the skill the Chef used in making this very interesting menu. We started with a Chocolate Fondue, then Vichyssoise with White Chocolate. This was followed by Cocoa Dusted Grilled Sturgeon, then Rack of Lamb with Black Truffle and Cocoa Butter. Dessert was a Flourless Chocolate Cake served with Cocoa Chantilly. All five courses were served with a small glass of wine that complemented each course; most from Italy and France.

They serve this dinner only for early diners (between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m.) but the cost for the food and wine is a reasonable price of $25 so we decided that eating early was a "good thing".

A Great Weekend

The girls are home safely and it was an enjoyable weekend with lots of good food and relaxation. The Super Bowl was great to watch and we were all happy to see the Saints win. Roger and I spent much of the time in the kitchen but we had all the TVs on and when we heard the girls scream, we made sure to get an update on the game score.

The weather continues to be sunny and "semi-warm" so we are all anticipating Spring.

Girl's Day in Portland

The girls arrived at the airport at 10:00 so we were back at the condo shortly after. At noon we headed for the streetcar to go to Kenny & Zukes (Pam's favorite downtown cafe). As usual we had to wait a half hour for a table but we had so much to talk about the time went quickly. The restaurant specializes in corned beef and pastrami dishes and the portions are huge so we generally share things.

After lunch I treated them to a pedicure and manicure at my favorite nail shop and then we headed back home to the good smell of lamb loin and cherry rice and Roger was preparing for dinner. Lori and Pam haven't been to Portland for awhile so we're enjoying the time together. Fortunately, the weather has been beautiful with sunny skies and no rain.

Chris Botti In Portland Tonight

We enjoyed a wonderful experience tonight when we attended a concert by Chris Botti at a downtown theater. He is a master on the trumpet and his band has exceptional talent. Chris is an Oregon native and his family still lives in the Corvallis area.

The weather was in the high 50s today so it was a perfect evening to walk and take the streetcar to the performance.

The music was amazingly beautiful and Roger and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. I purchased a DVD and CD of his Boston concert so we're still awake enjoying more of his beautiful music.

Tomorrow Lori and Pam arrive in the morning so it will be a big party the rest of the weekend !

Happy Birthday, Brian

Birthdays in Roger's family are always extra special because he bakes and decorates everyones birthday cake. This weekend is Brian's birthday so he gets the special treat. Last night Roger was in the kitchen until midnight preparing the cake and it turned out beautifully.

Now he's on his way to Corvallis where Brian's workshop is located to surprise him with the cake.

Happy Birthday with lots of love to you, Brian!

Portland Oasis Learning Center

There are two things that I love about the Oasis Learning Center; the first being a facility that offers classes to seniors over the age of 50 that cover:

• Health and Wellness
• Humanities
• Arts
• Computers & Technology
• Day Tours
• Travel

The second thing that I love is that the classrooms are located in the downtown Macy's building - so - today was a great day starting with lunch at a new downtown French restaurant and followed by some sale shopping at Macys. The purpose for the trip downtown was to meet with others who teach computer related classes for a roundtable discussion and brainstorming session so the remainder of the afternoon was spent in a meeting. It was exciting to hear everyone's input and I am certain there will be positive changes to the classes in the near future. Those of you in Portland who read this should check out their website at:

www.oasisnet.org/portland

You'll be amazed at the variety of classes that are being offered at an affordable price - and, if you call me I'll go with you and then we can fit in lunch, too!

I'm teaching a class in March "How to buy and sell on eBay" and another class in April about Learning to write a Blog.