Happy 74th Birthday, Roger............

A special day..................
A special man................

Happy Birthday from Janice and Bella

Happy Birthday, Mike

Happy Birthday, Mike. I send my love with the wish that your day is extra special, just like you..............

Good Luck, Rachel..............

Good luck with your upcoming surgery, Rachel. I hope that everything goes well and that you're back to a normal routine very soon.

Busy Weekend..............

After shopping at the Farmer's Market Bella and I had a great Saturday starting with lunch down on the River Front, going to an estate sale and doing a preview of the upcoming auctions at O'Gallerie. On the way home I found a parking place only one-half block from the Portland Saturday Market so, of course, we stopped and joined the crowd. It reminded me of the markets in Buenos Aires and Paris (since I'll likely never return to either place it was nice to recollect the wonderful experiences that I had last summer). There's a difference, though. Prices in Buenos are about one-fourth and about twice the price in Paris. I guess Portland isn't so bad of a place, after all.

This afternoon Cheryl joined me for a walk to the Keller Theater to see CATS. Yes, we've both seen it several times but it's always a good experience. The problem today, though, was that the production had been "modernized" to the point of losing its original appeal (at least to us old ladies). Another short walk to VQ for "happy hour" finished the day so now it's time to get back to work and take care of some eBay sales. I'm presently selling some technical and engineering items for a retired Portland resident so it has been an opportunity to learn something new.

Downtown Portland Garden............

By California standards, this won't be impressive but for us in Portland, this is a successful start to a summer garden (even though it's presently indoors for awhile longer). Roger is in charge so I've had to promise him that I won't water or touch anything! So far we have tomato seedlings, a tomato plant, two different mint and tarragon. Tomorrow at the Farmer's Market we'll shop for a few more plants - then it will be a matter of seeing if they get enough sun and TLC.

Lunch today was at Le Bouchon, a tiny French Cafe in the Pearl and tonight Roger is invited to a "Guy's Only" New Year's Party so Bella and I will enjoy watching a movie after dinner.

Spring Has Sprung..............

The weather earlier in the week was warm and sunny so, of course, we Portlanders thought that winter was over. No? Today cold and rainy weather returned so we're back to wearing warm clothes and complaining about the temps. One good thing is that the forecast for Saturday is sunshine so we'll enjoy revisiting the Farmer's Market.

Tomorrow Roger and I have a lunch date at Le Bouchon where we had our first date and this weekend we'll be spending time previewing the O'Gallerie auctions that will be held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Sunday we'll enjoy going to the Theater to see CATS, Tuesday is Mike's birthday and Rogers is on Wednesday so it will be a great week for celebrations.

www.goldturtle.com

I am presently selling some vintage engineering tools for a Portland resident. This is the most interesting, as it is a manual calculator that dates to the early 1960s. We anticipate a selling price over $1,000 but we'll have to wait and see how the auction goes. I've had inquiries from several European countries plus Japan so it's appealing to a global community.

Spring - New Years & Farmer's Market

70 degrees in Portland, Persian New Year, First Farmer's Market of 2010 and Brunch at the Heathman Hotel - what a wonderful start to a beautiful day................

Our friend, Ann, joined us for a walk to the market where we found fresh rhubarb, beets, carrots and every herb and small starter garden plant that you might want. We carried two bags full of fresh produce and herbs home.

After shopping at the market we walked to the Heathman Hotel in the center of downtown for a delicious brunch.

The new Max line now runs down 6th Avenue so we took the train back home.

Now it's time to take Bella for a walk in the sunshine.

Powell's Book Store And Other Things.......

I've written about Powell's Book Store in the past - but you'll have to get used to hearing more about it because it is an exceptional book store. After a manicure I took the streetcar to Powell's to get new reading material. I'm into novels that cover early European history so today I found "The Boleyn Inheritance" (1800s) and "The Aviary Gate" (1500s). I also couldn't resist another novel by Isabel Allende (one of my most favorite authors) so now I have lots of reading material. Do I read much at home??? No, actually only when I get away so I guess that it's time to think about a drive to the Coast or some place where I am without a computer.

I tried a popular downtown cafe for lunch - Clyde Commons - and then it was time to stop at Stumptown for some fresh ground coffee beans. The temps were in the high 60s today so everyone has a smile on their face.

While I was enjoying my day, Roger took my car to the Beaverton Toyoto to replace a hose on my RAV 4. It was the result of a "silent recall" - I received a letter telling me that the hose would be replaced for free. Roger used to work at the Toyota dealership so he had fun reconnecting with his old friends.

To finish a perfect day, Roger cooked dinner tonight - SO - life is good!!!!

Tomorrow we'll go to our first Farmer's Market for the season and that's always an exciting experience.

Ashley

So------ who is this beautiful girl? Well, I'm proud to tell you that it's Ashley, my only grandchild. Is she special? Oh, yes.................

She's a graduate of the University of Nevada and she is presently working and continuing school part-time this year before choosing a Medical School for her continued education.

Happy St Patrick's Day

Happy St Patrick's Day Everyone. It's another sunny and warm day in Portland so it will be a nice day to get outside.

Don't forget to wear green......................

Persian New Year

The Persian New Year begins the minute and second that Spring begins so this year it will be at 10:32 a.m., Saturday.

The celebration began tonight so Roger and I attended a party and dinner to celebrate the beginning of the festivities. The tradition is to light small fires that everyone jumps over to symbolize the end of winter and the hope for a new year of happiness and success. The little girl is wearing a traditional Iranian costume. She was too small to jump the fire so her mom and dad took her arms and swung her over the fire. She was so excited, they had to wait in line to do it a second time.

The Persian festival is called Nowruz and it continues for thirteen days.

Our Last Cruise Dinner - -

To complete a wonderful week we dined at Sabatini's Restaurant on our last night. It's a small restaurant on the ship that charges a surcharge but the food is somewhere near 5*****.

The cruise was a special experience and we had a wonderful time.

Chef's Table Dinner For Twelve

The Sapphire Princess features a special dinner hosted by the head Chef, Marcello. There's room for only twelve so reservations must be made as soon as you board the ship. I was already too late when I called so we were put on a stand-by list. Two days later the Maitre d, Jean Paul, called to tell us that one couple had canceled so we were invited to join the group.

After meeting in a lounge, we were taken into one of the largest kitchens (there are 7 on the ship) where we put on white coats and washed our hands. The women had to wear closed toe shoes because we were in a sterile environment.

The evening started with the Master Sommelier opening bottles of Piper-Heidsieck champagne with a lecture on how wine is purchased, stored and served. With the champagne we were served four elegant appetizers and Marcello answered questions about the kitchen operation and staff.

The table for twelve was in the regular dining room but it looked much nicer with linen napkins and beautiful fresh flowers. The dinner consisted of seven courses with wine. The photo of Marcello is when he was flaming the entree.

At the end of the dinner each woman was presented with a long stemmed red rose, a photo and a huge cookbook that features food served on the ship. The Chef also gave us a handwritten menu of the night's dinner.

It truly was a memorable experience.

Home...........

This photo was taken on Saturday, March 6th when we boarded the ship. Our room was in a perfect location towards the back of the ship. It was high up on the 11th floor so we had great views when we entered the three Ports. We had a balcony so it was nice just sitting outside with a book or drink.

Our flight yesterday was longer than normal because we had to first fly to Seattle, then take a shuttle back to Portland. The shuttle flight was only 22 minutes but we didn't get back home until about 7:30 pm. Clothes are unpacked and the laundry room is busy so we'll be back to a normal routine soon.

One Last Note From The Cruise

Well, I spent some more "big bucks" for more minutes so now I can communicate one more time before we leave the ship. Tomorrow morning we're able to walk off with our luggage so it was nice not having to put our things into the hallway this evening.

Roger is still having difficulties with being sea sick so I suspect that he'll be very happy to reach solid ground.

Almost Time To Return Home.........

The Chef's Dinner Wednesday night was an amazing experience but I'll have to wait until we return home to give details. Each minute on the Ship's Internet system costs 55 cents and I have so much to tell about our experience.

Yesterday we were in Cabo San Lucas for the morning and now we're headed back to Los Angeles. We'll be able to walk off the ship mid morning tomorrow but our flight isn't until the afternoon so we won't return home until about 8 p.m. Then........... it's time to get back to our normal routine (plus we'll be dieting for at least a week or more).

Adios from Janice and Roger

Puerto Vallerta

We're enjoying the cruise experience - you know the routine - - eat, sleep, eat, watch a movie, eat, sit on the balcony and read, eat...............

We've been on the ship since Saturday night so it was nice to dock this morning in Puerto Vallerta. The temp was 74 at 9 a.m. with a high forecast of 84 degrees so it's a perfect weather day.

Roger and I took a cab downtown and walked for a couple of hours along the Bay and checked out some of the shops. We stopped at an elegant Disco Cafe and had a light lunch. We're back at the ship for the afternoon so now we are back to being lazy. We have a balcony room so it's nice just lounging outside and enjoying the view.

There are some changes to the ship since my cruise last February. Shows are no longer big and spectacular - mostly comedy, piano, live music, etc. Food has improved 100% and the service is excellent so that's a good thing. The only negative is that they are trying to sell additional services such as a spa treatment for $450, a teeth whitening for $250, a tour of the inside workings of the ship for $150 and so forth. (I'm curious to know if anyone actually pays these prices !!).

Roger has been feeling the movement of the ship (we're thinking it may have something to do with his inner ear situation) so he has to sit with his back to the ocean in order to not be seasick. He's being a good sport about it and he's definitely enjoying his first cruise experience.

Tomorrow is Mazatlan - my favorite - where we will be checking out three of my favorite craft and art galleries. Tomorrow night is going to be very exciting with a special dinner with the head Chef, a tour of the kitchen while it's in operation and a five course dinner with French wine.

Sapphire Princess

Yesterday the flight was on time and we arrived in Los Angeles about 1:30 p.m. By the time we found our baggage and the shuttle service we still had two hours before the ship was scheduled to depart at 4 p.m.. As it turned out - we needed every minute - finally arriving at the Port about 3:15 p.m. They were already conducting the fire drill so we grabbed our life jackets and dashed to the muster station. From what we can determine, we were the last to board the ship. The good thing was that we didn't have to wait in any lines but we were getting a bit nervous when it took so long to come by the shuttle.

The ship had some engine problem so the Captain announced that we would be delayed in the departure so it was about 7 p.m. before we left the Port.

We have a cabin with a small balcony at the back of the ship on the Port side and it's roomy and comfortable. This morning we awoke to deep blue ocean waves with some puffy clouds on the horizon so it looks like it will be a sunny and warm day.

Today is going to be an ultra-lazy day with no plans other than a movie in the theater this afternoon. Tonight is a formal night and we'll be having dinner at the Steak House on the top deck. It's one of the ship's specialty restaurants (i.e. we have to pay a surcharge - but we'll hope that it's worth the extra $$).

Mexico

It's a bright and sunny day so it was easy to get up early in preparation for our 11 a.m. flight to Los Angeles.

By tomorrow, we'll be in Mexican waters and we're looking forward to a new adventure together. This is Roger's first cruise so I'm hoping that he'll love the experience.

Adios until tomorrow......................

Midsummer Night's Dream

The weather continues to be beautiful so it was a pleasant short walk with Allison to have an early dinner at Carafe, a nearby Country French Cafe. The Keller Theater is across the street from Carafe so after dinner we saw the Oregon Ballet Theatre production of Midsummer Night's Dream.

Our seats were center about 10 rows from the front and the ballet truly was a "dream" - amazing dancing and beautiful costumes and scenery. The children dressed as butterflies and insects were darling and they are already very good dancers.

To make a perfect evening, we were offered a tour of the back stage (it's great knowing the Ballet Director who also arranged the special seating - thanks Tyra!).

Work AND Play

This morning it was time to conduct another eBay class at Oasis so I had to make an early start on the streetcar to get to Macy's by 10 a.m.

Five were enrolled but only four showed up. Three were excited and enthusiastic (Guess which student didn't have a clue why she was in the class.......) and the three sound like they are serious about selling. One wants to sell vintage books and another has a bakelite jewelry collection. The third lady is interested in selling ethnic music Cd's so they should all do very well on eBay.

After having lunch downtown, I enjoyed a walk back home looking at the beautiful trees already in bloom.

Roger is taking care of "manly" things by having my car serviced, gassed and washed so he's out-and-about this afternoon.