Foster & Dobbs..............

I didn't realize that there was artisan cheese that sold for $25 to $40 per pound. How did I learn? By going to a very special cheese shop here in Portland, Foster & Dobbs. For us, this will have to be a "special event" place for cheese but since we are entertaining our French guests who are knowledgeable and fanatic about cheese, we decided it was worth the price.

Tonight before dinner, we're enjoying Trailhead Rustic Tomme from Mt Townsend Creamery in Washington State and Sunset Bay, an Oregon River's Edge Chevre.

Are they worth the price? Definitely, yes.

River Cruise...........................

Friday afternoon we enjoyed a two hour river cruise and as you can see by the photo, we enjoyed a lot of laughs.

We took Max part way home and then transferred to the Streetcar so Afran and Philippe had a chance to see how our public transportation works. In Paris the train is mostly under ground.

The Party Begins..............

Last night Afran and Philippe arrived from Paris and they both managed to stay up until midnight enjoying a late dinner and lots of conversation.

The weather this entire week is in the high 70s and low 80s so we're enjoying time outdoors. We just returned from Foster & Dobbs, a fabulous cheese and wine shop so the 'fridge is full of exotic local cheese that Philippe chose.

In a short while we'll be boarding the Portland Spirit for a two hour cocktail cruise down the Willamette River.

Countdown to Thursday, July 28th

Trips are planned, hotel rooms reserved in S.F., air flight to Las Vegas, menus planned and the calendar is full of activities so that much is ready to go for our Paris visitors. This week I decided to deep clean one room each day and it has turned out to be quite a challenge. I'm sure some corners have not been touched for at least a year or two so it was surely time.

Roger offered to do windows (apparently not realizing how BIG and how many windows we have.) He's managed to get half way through so that's a good thing. We're getting lots of laughs out of the moans and groans that we're both making after each day of work.

We're enjoying mild temperatures and sunshine so it's nice to have windows open to enjoy the fresh air. One thing about Portland is that the air is genuinely fresh because the rain washes it regularly.

The Farmer's Market this morning was fabulous. The refrigerator is full of wonderful fruit and produce and Roger bought more plants for the front balcony so he's busy getting them planted.

Only three more rooms to clean and then we can relax and enjoy our visitors when they arrive Thursday.

Midnight In Paris and Other Stuff.....

After lunch at the new French restaurant in downtown, Cheryl and I went to the theater to see "Midnight in Paris", which turned out to be a delightful movie. Roger is a football (soccer) fan so after watching the first half of the U.S. Women's finals here at home, he went to a nearby cafe to see the rest of the match. We were disappointed that the U.S. lost but the game was very exciting and the winning point by Japan wasn't made until the very end.

Yesterday, I did another garage sale morning - going to the Lake Oswego area where most of the homes are in the million dollar range. It was a successful shopping experience so I was able to find some beautiful plants and pots to finish off decorating both balconies.

Last night we enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner at Iorio on Hawthorne.

It has been another relaxing and enjoyable weekend and now we're busy preparing for our house guests who will arrive in a little over one week.

Today's Mail..............

So, the mail comes and there's an envelope from the City of Portland and one from the IRS. My thought is to open the best news first so I open the City of Portland one. Oopssss, there's a picture of me driving my car with a statement that I was caught by radar driving 37 mph in a 25 mph zone. Who, me???? Well, apparently so.

Want to guess the fine??? No, go ahead................. $50 ? $100 ? $ 150? Nope - $190 bucks (ouch). I'm going to go to court and Roger thinks I can get the fine reduced so we'll see.............

OK, now it's time to open the IRS envelope. (Drum Roll...................). It turns out to be good news. After paying past taxes and penalties due to my accountant's error, they tell me that I owe zero ($0.00). So another day, another problem solved and life goes on.........................

A Condo Condemnation..................

I'm encouraged by my horoscope today that reads

"Thankfully, the intensity level of your life seems to be lower now, yet you're still not convinced that everything is really returning to normal. To the contrary, you might be wondering if anything in your life will ever be the same. Fortunately, you don't need to take major action today. Just recognize that although this is a stressful period, you can still have a positive outlook about current events."

Yes, I recognize that many or most of you think that horoscopes are a bunch of crap but I choose to find encouragement so - in a nutshell, today I notified Tri-Met that I'm refusing to sign an agreement that will award me $1,300 for the loss of 12 feet of property that is directly below my condo. This means that pedestrian and street traffic and two MAX train tracks will be outside my back balcony, directly under my unit. Other units in the complex will gain value but my place is right on the "firing line" so I believe that my unit will actually lose value even though we're all very happy about being on the MAX line which provides transportation throughout the city and outlying areas.

I'm told that I will receive condemnation papers sometime in mid August.

SO, the fight begins to obtain just compensation. It likely will take years to settle. I will be hiring an attorney in the coming weeks so I'll keep you informed of our progress.

Garage Sale Day

In Lodi, going to garage sales was easy because I knew where most of the streets were located. Here in Portland, it's a major event because, as we discovered today, it often takes 30 minutes of driving to get from one to another. It was still fun, though, because it took us into neighborhoods that we were unfamiliar with and it's giving us a better idea of what each area of the city is like.

After breakfast at Zells we hit the road and had a great time. We only spent $9 so it was an inexpensive way to enjoy the day.

Fireworks Fire at Mike and Teresa's House

While they were not home, fireworks last evening caused a fire at Mike and Teresa's house in Stockton. Most of the damage to the interior was caused by firefighters who thought the roof was on fire so doors were broken down and a hole cut on the ceiling inside the master bedroom. Instead, the fire affected the solar panel on the roof so, today, Mike is busy working with insurance adjusters and trying to clean up the mess.

Interesting.............

This was supposed to be a photo of fireworks. It appears that I moved the camera which created this unusual scene.

American Plaza Barbecue

The early evening started our July 4th celebration at our party building where Gary Hartshorn was Chief Barbecue Man fixing a huge number of hamburgers and hotdogs. The rest of us furnished salads and dessert and the tables were groaning with food.

My friends, Ann and Kenny were part of a quartet playing music for singing and dancing.

Weather cooperated with temperatures still in the high 70s so many people chose to eat outdoors on the patio.

Now we're resting to prepare for the next party at Ann's where we'll enjoy more music, wine and fireworks.

A Happy Bella.............

Bella is intently and patiently watching me eat a burger with the hopes there will be some for her.

Of course, she had a fair share so now that we're home from lunch and enjoying the Blues music at the river, she's tired, content and happy.

Happy Birthday, Ashley !!! *** !!! *** !!!

I'm remembering July 4th pancake breakfasts at Lodi Lake when your Grandpa, Gary, would make you special Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes with a birthday candle and all the Kiwanis men would sing Happy Birthday to you.

Now, you're making your own memories as a successful young woman who has worked hard for an education and continues to have exciting goals for your future.

Enjoy the day with the knowledge that you are treasured and greatly loved.

Interesting Presidential Insults..............

http://thedailywedgie.blogspot.com/2011/07/halperin-calling-president-obama-dick.html

One of our neighbors writes this blog and he comes up with some very funny (and most often, true) insight to politics.

Whether you agree or disagree, it's a good read...............

July 2nd

Yep............ it's Farmer's Market day, again. 80 degrees, sunshine, the Blue's Festival at the river (we can hear the music from our condo) and lots of tourists in town. It's a party everywhere we look............