Busy Doing Nothing.............

The party continues.............

I had pleasant surprises when I got home Thursday night. While I was in California, Roger completely redecorated and planted the front patio so I was greeted with huge pots filled with greenery and flowers. The condo was clean and the laundry was done. I'm thinking that I should leave more often!

Chris flew in last evening from his teaching job in Georgia so we had Rachael, Carolyn and Brian for dinner before they went to the airport to pick him up.

We're enjoying lovely sunny weather and the Farmer's Market today was really great because fresh produce and fruit is starting to be available here in Oregon. The main things now are peas, strawberries and boysenberries, asparagus and a limited amount of cherries. In addition, we still have things left from the winter crops so I came home with a huge bag of goodies this morning. It's so different from California where many of these crops are already finished for this year. Tomorrow we're going to enjoy the outdoor pool and just be lazy.............. A perfect way to spend a weekend.

Tuesday, Wednesday with Ron & Rosanna and HOME..............

You may have noticed that food seems to be the theme of my visit so it continued Tuesday when I enjoyed being a guest of Lenis and John for lunch at a favorite Woodbridge restaurant. Then it was time to hit the road and head for San Francisco.

Weather in the valley on Tuesday was 103 degrees so it was a relief to see a fog bank hovering over San Francisco as I left the Berkeley Tunnel. Finally, I was able to enjoy "Portland weather" and I promise to never again complain about it not being sunny here. Given a choice of clouds and/or rain vs. 103 degree temperatures, I'll be happy with the cooler choice!

The last two nights I was a house guest at Ron and Rosanna's in San Francisco and we had a great time. Wednesday Rosanna and I enjoyed a Vietnamese lunch followed by the Balenciaga exhibit at the de Young Museum.

The angels in the photo were made by the combined efforts of Rosanna's daughter, Lori, son-in-law, Mark and herself. Mark does the wood working and hand carves the heads and face. Lori and Rosanna paint and decorate them (they even give them names).

It was a lovely trip "back home" to see family and friends and now........... it's very nice to be back to Portland.

Party time with Ed and Liz

Ed and Liz invited me to be their house guest for two nights so it was great to see them and relax.

Ed barbecued a delicious salmon steak for dinner Monday night and Liz served a gourmet dinner that was exceptional.

Weather tipped over 100 degrees so it was pleasant sitting around the pool (in the shade !)

Monday in California

Monday at noon I met with my aunts and uncle and cousins at a Lodi restaurant where we enjoyed delicious food and a lively conversation. Aunt Ruth is over 90 years old and she's still doing well. Many of you reading this blog will recognize Aunt Viola who is a marvelous lady. Uncle Al came with his wife, Sue so it was a very special group.

My cousins Bev, Sharon, Julie and Yvonne with her daughter-in--law and new grandson joined us, too.

Sunday in California

Sunday afternoon, after a stop at Berghold Winery to do a little tasting, I headed to Stockton to see Mike, Teresa and their family and also see their new house. The house and pool are gorgeous and we had a great visit while enjoying dinner at Stockton Joes, a long-time favorite restaurant in Lincoln Center.

Jessica and Ryan and Tony, with their cousin John, joined us and we had a great time, as well as honoring Mike on Father's Day.

Saturday in California

The weather in Sacramento was perfect when I arrived there on Saturday. It was warm and sunny so we walked with "Tator" (the dog that the girls were dog sitting for the weekend) to a nearby restaurant with a large outdoor lounge where we started the evening with cocktails. The girls and I love Waterboy so it was a temptation to return but, instead, we went to a pizza restaurant owned by the same Chef. It's called "One Speed" and the pizza is exceptional, plus they have lots of interesting appetizers and salads.

Sunday morning Pam fixed the BEST Huevos Rancheros that I've ever eaten so it was a wonderful start to the day.

California........

My visit to California is coming to a close. Tomorrow morning I'll leave S.F. and head back to the Sacramento Airport to return to Portland.

It's always a joy to see my family and long-time friends, but now I'm looking forward to my homeward journey.

I'll share photos and experiences when I return home.

GO GIANTS !!!!

Father's Day

For those who no longer have their father, a day of reflection and memories

For those who still have a dad, a time to show respect and love

For those who are a dad.............
Have a wonderful day with those that you love.............

Peonies from Oregon..............

I think of these as being a "miracle flower" because they start out the size of ping pong balls and turn into the most glorious of God's flower creations.

The Finished Product

Earlier I showed you photos of the glass blowing shop where I took a lesson. This is the bowl that I made at the class.

This 'n That............

The blown glass bowl came out beautiful but photos are delayed. I use two computer monitors and one of them stopped working. The problem is that some of my programs insist on loading on the non-working monitor (my photos, for example) so I'm not able to get to them. Fortunately, my e-mail and Firefox load on the working monitor. The weather is finally beautiful which is especially nice because this is Rose Festival week. The parade was yesterday and dragon boat races and other events are taking place down at the river today. After a nail appointment this morning, my plan is to take Bella down to enjoy some of the activities.

Roger had a really bad gout flare-up so he's pampering his foot and it's very painful for him to walk so I'll have to leave him at home.

I am very much enjoying using the Kindle to read with. The first book that I loaded is "The Help" about a group of black women who work for whites in Mississippi during the 1960s. It is an exceptional book so it's hard to put it down.

Only one week and I'll be in California. The schedule is already pretty full but my plan is to reconnect with as many family and friends as I possibly can.

Afran and Phillipe finally got their passports so they are scheduled to be here from July 28th until August 20th. An old-time friend of Rogers, who is a genetic scientist, is also going to be here in August for about five days so we'll have a full house.

Roger's grandson, Chris, returns from Georgia (the country) on the 20th, after teaching English there for the past six months. We're looking forward to hearing about his adventure.

LIVE LAUGH LOVE GLASS

Live Laugh Love Glass is a new business that recently opened in Tigard. Today I had a personal lesson to learn how to blow glass. I had the choice of making about ten different items so I decided to try a bowl. The finished colors will be bright yellow, green with touches of orange with some clear glass areas showing through.

This is Jeff, a very talented teacher of how to blow glass. It was a fascinating experience and, yes, I learned how to soften the glass in the HOT oven, shape and blow it.

Jeff did the final part, thank goodness, that turned a "blob" into a ruffled edge bowl.

The colors that you see on the finished product will all change when the glass cools from 2000 degrees to room temperature.

Tomorrow, I'll be able to show you the finished product.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSH

Enjoy the day !! Your grandpa and I hope your birthday is special - just like you..............

Kindle

Yes, I decided to continue to TRY to keep up with technology, so even though I still love the feel of a paper/hard cover book in my hands, I'm looking forward to learning to use my new Kindle. It came today so it's presently charging it. We'll see how successful I am in learning to use it.............

Happy Birthday, PAM !!

It's your day so we hope it's filled with wonderful things..................

We send our love from Portland.

AURORA - A darling historical town

Today Allison and I took a short drive to Aurora - about a 25 mile drive from Portland. The small town is mainly a 5 block long street with Victorian era houses on both sides, now used as antique shops and cafes. If you're an antique collector you'll have an opportunity to find anything and everything. If you just enjoy "walking down memory lane", it's equally as enjoyable. Neither of us purchased antiques but we managed to find a local bakery, a candy factory that specializes in hazelnuts and chocolate and a darling shop that sells soaps, candles, and personal accessories imported from France.

I'm not sure that I should mention lunch because we really indulged. We had a choice of two cute places that serve "girly food" but we opted for the pub that won awards for the best burgers. So..... after a bleu cheese bacon burger with batter dipped fries and a chili burger with home made slaw.... we pretty much waddled around the remainder of the afternoon.

IRS Audit................

Well, unlucky me. The IRS has conducted an audit of my 2009 tax return and they believe they have discovered unreported income so now I have a new tax bill with penalties. I thought that hiring an accountant to help me with my taxes would avoid this kind of issue. Apparently not........ sob.............