When the phone rang yesterday morning I expected a UPS delivery or something similar - then Ernie's voice said "We're here....". Yes, they were in the lobby so it was exciting to see they were in Portland.
After visiting for awhile we decided to meet again for dinner at Jake's Crawfish Restaurant since they were both longing for fresh fish. Here, in the photo, we're ready to walk out the door.
We took the streetcar down to Stark and after a two block walk we found Jake's absolutely packed. Fortunately I have a membership card that guarantees a table within 15 minutes and it really paid off. On top of getting a great table we had a free appetizer of crab cakes (a nice way to start dinner). All of our meals were excellent and it was a great opportunity to catch up on each other's lives.
I tried to get them to stay one more day but today they're on their way to Mt. Hood to have lunch at Timberline and then they're going to drive over to the Coast.
Meanwhile, the Lutzs are staying in touch so their first stop was Newport where they stayed at an Ocean Front Hotel. Last night they made it to Coos Bay so they are having a nice trip back to S.F.
Ron and Rosanna left this morning for a drive to the Oregon Coast on their way back home to San Francisco so we're already missing their company. It was great spending time with them and now we have to get back to the "old routine".
We're promised sunny weather for the rest of the week so I'm thinking a drive to Mt. Hood is in order before the snows start falling.
After 80 degrees and sunshine yesterday we were sorry to wake up to a gloomy and wet day.
SO, there was no choice except to eat a big breakfast, drink champagne and just stay indoors. Rosanna and I ventured out to a bakery but that's all for today.
We're enjoying a relaxing afternoon with candles lit and classical music on the stereo. It's great to spend time and visit with our special friends.
Life doesn't get much better than this.
After breakfast Rosanna, Bella and I ventured out to the Portland Saturday Market. No, this isn't the Farmer's Market - it is a craft, music and food festival that is held every Saturday and Sunday except for the winter months.
We were amazed at the high caliber of items for sale - all by talented artisans who specialize in metal work, ceramics, glass, fabric art, jewelry and everything else that you can imagine. We took the MAX train the entire way and it turned out to be a perfect day to be out - 80 degrees and sunshine. Bella got to go along so she had so much attention that she crashed the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Roger bought a whole Coho Salmon and he cut steaks and made his famous Iranian potato salad so dinner was extra special. Tomorrow we're looking forward to a Raclette breakfast and a tour of either the Chinese or Japanese Gardens.
This morning we've just finished breakfast and, after checking out of our rooms, we're heading for the tram to take a ride through the Oregon Gardens with Ron and Rosanna. The rain left during the night so we have sunshine and temps about 70 degrees so it will be a perfect Fall day.
It was a comfortable drive through farm land to Silverton to once again visit the Moonstone Resort. This time is special because we met our friends, Ron and Rosanna from S.F. Coincidentally, we both drove into the complex at the same time. We're in the "dog" building with Bella and they are down the street from us. (The complex has streets with buildings that each hold six rooms).
We met for snacks and champagne and now we're resting up for a big dinner in the restaurant.
As usual, the skies were drippy today but the good news is that sunshine is expected tomorrow for when we tour the Oregon Gardens together. The weather report just promised seven days of sunshine so the Lutzs brought us some California weather.
This is the hotel that is offering a room, dinner for two, one bottle of wine and a full breakfast for $79. The rooms are beautiful with a gas fireplace and patio. It's a great place to visit and relax.
Today is a special day and we wish you a fabulous birthday! Try to do something crazy..........................!
The birthday treats were extended to last night when Ann treated me to a front row seat to Sunset Boulevard at the Gerding Theater in the Pearl. It turned out to be a wonderful experience - Andrew Lloyd Webber music, an accomplished small orchestra and some of the best singing that I've heard on stage! The two hours went so quickly because the show was fully packed with action and music.
Before the show, Ann joined us for dinner so it was a great evening (even nicer when I got home to a clean kitchen and dining room that Roger took care of while we were away).
It is a special day for a very exceptional person so Roger and I are wishing you the very best birthday ever. We hope your day is as fabulous as you are !!
We're looking forward to celebrating it with you next week.
In the absence of anything interesting in our personal lives I decided to share a front page news story this morning about Moses, a camel who lives on a ranch outside of Portland. Poor Moses got caught in a muddy sinkhole and he was buried all the way to his neck when his owners tried to rescue him. They finally had to telephone 911 and 7 firefighters came to the rescue and got him out of the mud hole - taking over six hours of labor. He's OK with no broken bones or serious injury.
I'm excited to have found two businesses in Portland; one that repairs and polishes sterling and another that tests unmarked silver and also buys what we call "scrap". I'm going to keep them both busy from now on.
Today was an interesting eBay day with five items sold; three going to Amsterdam and two going to Russian Federation. Shipments outside the U.S. are becoming at least 1/3 of my sales so it's truly a Global experience.
Fall is definitely upon us so it's time to pack away the summer things (gosh - we must have worn them at least three or four times !).
Bella got a haircut today so she's clean and ready for an overnight drive to Silverton to meet up with Ron and Rosanna next Thursday at the Moonstone Resort. We're excited about their visit so it will be "party" time here next weekend.
Well, that's about all for now......................
I'm wishing you a special and very Happy Birthday, Sarah! It has been about a year since you visited Portland and I remember the fun we had. Perhaps it's time to return!!
Hugs from your Aunt Janice.............
You're looking at our one and only red tomato for the summer. We thought we were the only ones with green tomatoes because our front balcony doesn't get much sunshine but now we've learned that even people with legitimate gardens in Portland are experiencing the same problem. Evidence of that was two full pages in the Oregonian food section this morning filled with recipes for cooking with green tomatoes.
We've learned our lesson; no more attempts to "garden".
Well, let's see ......... none of you care that we did a Costco run (but, unlike California, there are NO lines here). At the most we've waited behind two people and today we just walked up to the counter. We barely had time to unload the basket.
OK - what else do you need to know? Hummm - I'm drawing a blank. I guess all that I can share with you is one of our favorite songs (maybe you'll be lucky to hear Roger sing his rendition....)
I see trees of green - red roses, too
I see them bloom - for me and for you
And I think to myself - what a wonderful world
Louis Armstrong "What a Wonderful World" Songwriters Thiele, Robert, Weiss, Geo David
We are truly grateful - it IS a wonderful world.............
Today is a sacred day; a day to reflect and to remember and to hope that our future will never see another event such as the day, nine years ago.
We all have our stories to tell - I'm sure that you remember where you were and what you were doing. I know that you remember the horrible shock and the sadness of all the lives that were lost.
On that day, Gary and I, with our friends Liz and Ed were on a Princess Cruise Ship entering the Istanbul Harbor. It was the last day of our ten day cruise through the Mediterranean and we were going to spend one day in Istanbul and then prepare to leave the ship the day after. It was a dream trip and still one that I'll not forget. We just reached our room a little after 4:30 p.m. when, shortly after, our neighbors yelled "turn on the TV to CNN" NOW .... which we did. The first plane had already hit but we were stunned to actually watch the second plane hit - like all of you - it seemed like a nightmare. As I reflect on that moment it was like time stood still - it was difficult to wrap our minds around an event that was unbelievable. Within an hour all TV communications except for BBC were off so for the next two days they were our only source of information.
We immediately picked up the telephone to call our family to find that the ship had no communication. Later we discovered that the communications between the ship and the U.S. were completely shut down.
To the credit of the ship's Captain, we were kept informed about the status of our safety concerns; scuba divers were under and around the ship 24 hours and we could see armed guards on the pier.
The ship's intercom kept us informed and "calm" while they explained that they were doing everything that they could to deal with our return to the U.S. Air flights were curtailed so we were only able to fly to countries other than the U.S. We were very fortunate to have booked our airline tickets through the cruise line because they took responsibility to get us home. Those that booked their flights privately, were asked to leave the ship on schedule and deal with their return flights at the Istanbul airport. We stayed in communication with our cabin neighbors and they ended up in London for two days until they could book a flight to the U.S. Another couple flew to Paris to find that the hotel they booked wouldn't let them stay because they were afraid that U.S. people might put them in danger (they ended up in a B&B about an hour outside of Paris).
We remained guests of the ship for two more days before they bused us to the Istanbul airport to board a charter plane. It held 500 passengers so we were the first plane to head back home. The pilot explained that we had no clearance to land in the U.S. so he was uncertain if we would stay the night in Shannon Ireland where we landed to refuel or if we would be cleared to land in the U.S. (I later learned that the the city didn't have enough lodging to accommodate us all so Shannon Ireland people had rallied to take us in their homes to spend the night).
As it turned out, while refueling in Shannon, the pilot was told that we had clearance to land at JFK. We were the first International flight to land at the airport after the tragedy. I remember when the airplane prepared for landing. There was only one runway lit and we were the first and only airplane in the entire airport - when we landed at about 11 p.m. we were taken through Customs, put on a bus and taken to a hotel near the airport.
Finally we had a room about 2 p.m. but communications by phone were still difficult. We finally we able to phone Lori and Pam and they passed on the information that we were OK. The next day at the airport was bedlam but we eventually arrived in California about midnight the following day.
I'll never forget the view when we took off in the airplane from JFK - seeing the huge plume of black smoke surrounding the site of the crash - I still cry when I think or talk about it and I believe that I always shall ..................
Happy Birthday to my web-footed niece in Washington State. We've both transplanted ourselves to the Northwest and I know that you love it as much as I do.
Have a terrific birthday! (Don't feel bad, my feet have webs, too - making it much easier to walk in water - smile)
Recently we found an interesting web site called GROUPON. They offer a "deal" every week day, generally for restaurants and spas but they also include an interesting variety of savings; sometimes with overnight hotels, tours and river cruises. The deal is always at least 50% off the regular price so when Chez Machin offered a $25 certificate for $12 I bought it. Today Cheryl and I went to the cafe and we found that they specialize in crepes The menu is fabulous with a huge amount of choices but we both decided to take advantage of the crepes. Cheryl had one with chicken and mine had prawns and spinach. Good? Oh, yes..............
It was a lovely day so we took time to go for a walk to shop in the eclectic stores on Hawthorne. For those of you who know Union Street in S.F., this is similar but maybe more like Haight & Ashbury - some really "interesting" places mostly suited to teens and people who like to dress very flamboyantly.
Happy Birthday, Kim. This picture, with you and Lori was taken at the last birthday party for Grandma Alma, probably about eight years ago? There are many happy memories - but, more important is the future! Live every day like it was the last - have fun and experience the best of life!
Love from your Aunt Janice
OK - it's recipe time again.This morning Roger's son, Brian and family (Caroline and Chris) came for brunch. I found some new recipes in an old B&B recipe book that I had never used and I found a strata recipe that turned out wonderfully and also this fruit dish which will be perfect to enjoy in cooler weather.
Start with one ripe banana per person. Peel and cut into discs and place in a small baking pan. For five bananas I sprinkled 1/4 cup of brown sugar mixed with a teaspoon of cinnamon over the bananas. This is followed with 1/4 cup melted butter. Then put about two cups of fresh blueberries in the pan (or any fresh berry would do well), place in a 350 degree oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. Spoon into a stemmed glass or small bowl and top with Greek yogurt (it's thicker than other yogurt and looks like whipped cream). If you don't mind the calories you can sprinkle a little granola or nuts on the top but it was delicious without any additions. For those of you visiting us this Fall, you can expect this at one of your breakfasts. Now I'm thinking the mixture would be perfect as a topping for waffles or French toast!We can't deny that Fall is here in the Northwest - sprinkling of leaves are already hitting the ground and the nights are chilly sweater weather. We have several huge tomato plants that are trying their best to produce some tomatoes but I'm going to have to look for green tomato recipes. Next year we've decided to stick with fresh herbs and forget about vegetables.
Even though it's much different from my previous life in California, I really enjoy the change of seasons. Tomorrow is the last day our outdoor pool will be heated but since we only went there once this "summer" we won't miss it. The house is decorated for Fall and since tomorrow is a holiday, I've decided to declare it a "do nothing at all" day.
Dinner was better than we anticipated and Bella was able to share my filet steak. Our bill came to zero but the waitress got a really great tip. It was an exceptional dinner with a gorgeous view.
The Oregon Gardens covers 80 acres of rolling hills - all planted in beautiful flowers and foliage. We're looking forward to exploring it tomorrow.
We had a leisurely drive to Silverton after having lunch in Woodburn. The trip started with rain and gloomy skies and it turned to sunshine and big white puffy clouds so it was a perfect day for a drive.
Our room has a private patio overlooking the back area of the Oregon Gardens, fireplace, flat screen TV and Internet service. Tonight we'll enjoy dinner in their dining room with a bottle of wine and the Fall special price for everything is $79. I know this sounds crazy particularly since the rooms are gorgeous. The complex has separate buildings, each with six rooms so there's landscaping between the buildings and room to park close to each room. Bella got to go along so she's busy exploring the outside areas.
Included in the rate are two tickets to tour the Oregon Gardens. They have a tram that takes us from here through the gardens so we're planning to do that after breakfast (also included in the room rate).
Now it's time for Happy Hour so............... more later..............
