It has been a quiet, but nice week, busy with friends, yoga, Spring cleaning, watching "the" wedding and my favorite, the Farmer's Market. This weekend is also the O'Gallerie auction so I'll be there Monday night trying to buy more sterling (not so easy these days because many people are buying the sterling to melt it and they are willing to pay more than collectors.)
I now have what I call "Oprah Closets". I remember one of her shows where she was showing how her shoes were in individual boxes with a photo of the shoe in the front of the box and I'm thinking "that will never happen in my house". Well, miracles can happen.............. so my closet looks absolutely fabulous and I even cleaned the storage closet in the guest room in preparation for Aphran and Phillipe's visit in June.
Last night was a special dinner celebration at one of our favorite restaurants marking two years from our first date when we had lunch at Le Bouchon.
Today, for the first time, the market had fresh lilacs and fresh strawberries plus a huge amount of garden bedding plants and herbs. I learned my lesson well from last year so, even though the weather is warn and sunny this coming week, I'm waiting until the end of May to plant herbs on the balcony.
There are many happy memories of Easter past when Mike and Lori were small and later, when Ashley, Pam and Cindie joined us for our Easter egg hunts. They continued into adulthood so things got pretty competitive especially when they knew there was a $20 bill in one of them. The yard on Rivergate Place saw lots of activity and I remember that they always managed to find every one of the eggs.
I wish we lived closer so we could continue the egg hunts - perhaps next year..............
Roger and I are spending a quiet relaxing day that started out with light rain but now has ended with a blue sky.
We hope that everyone reading this had a lovely day.
Yes, the little girl finally had a chance to go outdoors, play, roll in the dirt and get really dirty. Today was the second day of warm and dry weather so besides the tulip farm trip she had a chance to go outside this afternoon - play on the lawn and go for a long walk. We're in euphoria right now with the first warm days in months.
Easter is different when family is not nearby but we're going to enjoy a leisurely day with good food and relaxation. (Oh.......... I should have said that I will be having a leisurely day, etc. Roger has a humongous amount of homework so he's going to be chained to his desk most of the day).
We wish all of our friends and family a very happy Easter with the hopes that your day will be special and filled with love.
Yes, we "oldsters" don't like to admit our age and we generally believe that we're really "young" but the past couple of days I felt more like 90. Neck and back pains disabled me for two days and I had no choice but to rest with a heating pad attached to my back side. What a bummer.......... Now, I'm back to feeling young again, relatively so, and it's good to have that behind me. The sun is bright and warm so today will be a great one............... Enjoy your Sunday, everyone.
Ann invited me to join her tonight for a "Blindside Tasting" at a local wine shop and it was an enjoyable experience. We tasted nine wines; all the same varietal. We had to rate each wine and at the end, determine the grape. They turned out to all be Merlot and they originated from Washington, California, Italy, and Greece. Prices ranged from $12 to $60 a bottle and the group of twelve did a good job finding the three best (and most expensive) wines. We chose one from Washington, one from Italy and one from California.
It was a fun way to spend a rainy evening and a chance to meet interesting people who all enjoy learning about wine.
Yesterday afternoon I opened my front door to find a bag hanging outside filled with beautiful orange tulips. Later a phone call verified that my friend, Cheryl, just decided that I would love them............. and, I do...............
We old folks keep trying new things and last night we had a terrific time attending a comedy show at the Aladdin Theater (for those of you who have visited Portland, the theater is a short block from Eidelweiss). It was our first time at the theater and the place is really cute - definitely with a 1940s feel to it. The theater holds 500 people and the evening show was sold out.
Maz Jobrani is Iranian and we laughed for two hours straight. To see some of his YouTube videos, go to this web site. You won't be sorry - this guy is REALLY funny..............
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYlaIxNX01Q
Last night Allison and I decided to use our Groupon for Patanegra, a local Spanish restaurant in the Alphabet District. With parking right in front of the restaurant, the evening started out great and when we were given a cute little corner table, it was even better.
The service was excellent and the tapas were well prepared. The only bad thing was that we ordered too many (and of course, felt obligated to eat them all - smile).
Dishes included salt cod stuffed red peppers, duck with arborio rice, deep fried calamari, grilled paprika prawns and chicken croquettes. Yep........... we ate them all. Allison and I enjoy trying new restaurants and we both share an adventuresome attitude so we always have a great time dining out.
After Yoga class, Cheryl and I went to lunch at Chez Machin on Hawthorne. It is a small French cafe very much like those in Paris. Their specialty is crepes so we both enjoyed a luncheon crepe filled with seafood, mushrooms and spinach.
Hawthorne is a street filled with small boutiques of every kind of merchandise imaginable so we stopped to browse in several while on our way to Pasta Works, a small shop that features a meat counter, some fresh produce and fresh made pasta that is cut to order. They also sell imported gourmet foods and wine so there's a lot of temptations.
All that shopping worked up an appetite for dessert so we headed over to Division Street to Petite Provence, a small French bakery that sells bread and some of the most delicious and beautiful pastries we've seen. Roger will be pleased that I brought home a fresh baked baguette and two pastries for dessert tonight plus a 4 pound beef shank that I'll cook tomorrow afternoon.
SO, you're wondering about the photos? This is an advertisement board outside a hair salon on Hawthorne Ave.
Sunday was the 13th day of Nowruz and the tradition is to go outside for a picnic. This is not easily done here in Portland because we have been having cold rainy weather for what seems like forever..............
Amazingly, though, Sunday was in the low 60s and there was no rain the entire day. The picnic was held at Oaks Park near Sellwood and it's a perfect place because much of the area is covered by a roof - plus it's on the river so it's also beautiful.
Later in the afternoon we went to hear the Oregon Symphony Pops that featured four young men who specialize in singing Beatles songs with appropriate hair styles and costumes. The symphony did a great job - the "Beatles" boys unfortunately did not.
The weather has reverted to nasty but I have a new recipe that asks for Sweet Hungarian paprika so I trudged out to pick it up at Penseys and took a short walk to Whole Foods. I don't shop there often because the prices are high - but, oh, the fish, meat and produce is so fabulous !
Fortunately, the streetcar line is nearby so I only had to walk a few blocks in the heavy rain.
Ron and Rosanna should be settled in their apartment in Barcelona after a very long trip starting Friday midnight when they left from SFO. We're looking forward to hearing about their adventures in a fascinating city with so much history.
Click on the URL below to see a video of two dogs who are caught with an empty bag of kitty treats.
Trending: Guilty dog's YouTube video
Congratulations, Dean, on your retirement today !
No, he's a long way from age 62 but after 27 years, he's ready to find a new venture. GOOD for you, Dean...............
Now you'll have time to visit Portland !!
It has been a quiet, but nice week, busy with friends, yoga, Spring cleaning, watching "the" wedding and my favorite, the Farmer's Market. This weekend is also the O'Gallerie auction so I'll be there Monday night trying to buy more sterling (not so easy these days because many people are buying the sterling to melt it and they are willing to pay more than collectors.)
