Another Birthday Today................

Happy Birthday, Roger !!

Happy Birthday, Mike...............

When I spoke to Mike today, I asked him how old he was and he said "36". I was 23 years old when he was born, so I got very excited because that makes me 59. We agreed to stick with our story.

Happy Birthday, Mike.

Bend to Hood River..............

The drive from Bend started out in a desert type of landscape but soon turned into a delightful scenic drive through mountains, eventually covered with snow. We stopped at Government Camp, a snow "play" area at the foot of Mount Hood and then headed for Hood River. The highway between the two places had lots of snow but the roads were only wet. Once in Hood River, we spent some time walking the downtown streets where there are dozens of galleries and shops. Dinner was at "Celilo", a beautiful restaurant with a great menu and delicious food. Driving home we could see that Multnomah Falls is HUGE and it was nice to see lots of temporary waterfalls as we drove the highway. The weather continued to cooperate with no rain or snow and fairly mild temperatures so it turned out to be a perfect get-a-way.

Sisters - Bend - Hood River.............

Yesterday we started a driving trip to Salem for breakfast, then we headed to Sisters where we enjoyed being tourists and doing a little sightseeing and shopping. The drive to Sisters was gorgeous since we drove across the Western Cascades where there's still a lot of snow. The road, almost the entire way, follows several rivers and lakes so the scenery was beautiful. We arrived in Bend in time to check into a hotel and then head for dinner. We were looking for "Tart" but they are closed so we found "Zydeco"in downtown. It is a wonderful place so we enjoyed a great dining experience. It's cold here, but sunny so it's actually comfortable even without wearing a heavy coat.

We took a short drive to Sunriver this morning. I didn't realize that it isn't an actual city - just lots of rentals for vacationers. It was a quick trip because there's absolutely nothing there of interest (at least to us).

Tomorrow morning, we're heading for The Dalles and Hood River where we'll stay the night. The forecast here is for snow - but the sun is still shining with no clouds in the sky so we'll see............

Market Day with Ann................

Ann and I walked to the Farmer's Market this morning and we had an enjoyable time shopping for a variety of "goodies". Ann is very health conscious and she learned that Yak was a healthy alternative to beef so she decided to start with Yak bones to use as a soup base. It will be interesting to hear how that turns out. I guess there's a "first time for everything".

Spring in Portland.............

The week started with a symphony performance followed by dinner at Jake's Crawfish. Razor Clams are still in season and they were delicious. Monday night we celebrated New Years (first day of Spring) and Tuesday Roger had his final test in his writing class. Now he must wait several more days for his grade to be posted. Last night we went to another New Year's party at Kolbeh Restaurant where they had live music, singing and dancing and it was fun watching the children participating in the celebration.

In a few minutes, Ann and I are walking over to the Farmer's Market. The day is already beautiful with bright sunshine and warm (for here) temperatures so it's a nice opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.

Nowruz - the first day of Spring..............

Persians celebrate New Year at the moment that Spring arrives. In Portland, the time will be 10:14 p.m. tonight. This custom goes back at least 3,000 years and there are rituals that accompany the new year. Many symbols are used to celebrate rebirth, fertility, sweetness of life, health and beauty, love, good health, patience and age. We wish you all a Happy Nowruz and we welcome the beauty of Spring.............

Saturday in Portland............

Rainbow chard, organic baby celery, fresh baked artisan bread, carrots with dirt on them, artisan cheese, fresh picked daffodils, fresh caught fish from the Oregon coast, homemade preserves.............. and more ............ Yes, the Farmer's Market opened for the season, today. Ann and I walked over, and returned with a cart full of wonderful things. This afternoon I'm fixing chicken vegetable soup using all of the fresh produce so the house is smelling really good right now.

No More School...............

Today was my last class for the winter term. Finals are Tuesday we "oldsters" aren't required to take tests. I'm truly going to miss the class. I learned so much about the Mid East from the period of WWI to the current events and now world news will have a much richer meaning to me. Now it's time to decide what class I'll take for spring term. Right now, I'm looking towards "French Revolution & Napoleon". I've read several books about Josephine but I still don't know much about Napoleon.

Roger has finals in his writing class next Tuesday so he still has a lot of studying and preparation to do this weekend. Then we can both sleep late and be lazier than usual for two weeks before classes start again.

Cheryl is back from two months in Palm Springs so we met at Le Bouchon for lunch today to catch up with each others activities. Another great day in Portland.............

Chahar Shanbe Suri

Iranian New Year will be at 10:14 p.m. on Monday, March 19th, but today is the first day of celebration called "Chahar Shanbe Suri". We attended a dinner party tonight, met some interesting people and had a great time. Included in the evening is "jumping over fire" (three small wood fires are lit outside) which symbolize giving up winter cold, sickness and problems and turning to warmth and energy. It was fun watching the excited laughing children running and jumping over the fire tonight.

More Food Carts...................

Today it is ultra cold because it snowed almost everywhere in Portland except for downtown. Now the sun is shining but the cold hasn't gone away. Class today was extremely informative as we are now studying in the 1990s. Thursday, our last class will feature current events.

Last week I visited "Fernando's", the first cart I've encountered with really nasty food. (I should have gotten a hint that a Mexican restaurant that features burgers may not be very authentic). The odds are still good so I continued down the street by going to the "Phat Cart" that features Japanese, Hawaiian and Thai food. I ordered a Thai Bento with rice, vegetables and chicken with tomato and onion gravy. Nicely prepared and delicious.

The next cart will be "Krua Bangkok" and I've already checked out the menu. I think that I'm leaning towards a chicken, cashew stir fry but everything on the menu looks good.

Belmont District.......... Another Portland Experience

Yesterday afternoon Gina and I went over to the Belmont Area (narrow streets with quaint shops and small cafes), first for brunch at "Circa 33" and then to Profile Theatre (a small theater with the stage in the center of the room) to see Romulus Linney's "A Lesson Before Dying". Sitting in the theater around the stage brings you right into the drama so you feel like you're a part of the story. The play was excellent so it was an enjoyable way to spend a cloudy Sunday afternoon.

Weekend Update................

It was a lovely week in Portland with two very warm and sunny days and the rest at comfortable temps. We're "thinking Spring" with the hour change in time tonight and Nouruz coming soon on March 19th (Persian New Year). The tradition is to get the house organized, cleaned, repaired, etc. so this week we took care of several little things that needed attention and we're looking ahead to making other improvements in the coming week.

Class ends for me on Tuesday and Roger's classes end on March 15th so we're like little kids, looking forward to Spring break when we can take a driving trip somewhere in Oregon.

Only For Readers...................

For my friends who love to read............. you know that "delicious" feeling when you open a new book and you read the first few paragraphs............... and you KNOW that you're going to love the novel? That is my impression of "The Lantern" by Deborah Lawrenson. I'm only on page 30 but I couldn't wait to recommend it.

Mucca Osteria

My heart and my stomach took a short trip to Italy this afternoon when I visited a new downtown restaurant, Mucca Osteria. The menu and food reminded me of the wonderful lunches that Gary and I enjoyed while spending several days in Rome. This restaurant has only been in business about six months and I didn't know they existed until we walked past their window the other night while going to a nearby Indian Restaurant. It looked interesting so, after dropping Bella off at her "beauty parlour" and after my dentist appointment, I decided to give them a try. I was disappointed to see they were empty but I was greeted with huge smiles and attentive service. It was somewhat like having a personal chef, since he was cooking just for me. I decided to order a two course lunch, starting with Tagliere della casa (five different sliced cured meats with olives, pickles and other condiments served with their home baked bread). The entree was Cavatelli con salsiccia, fresh made pasta shells with Italian pork sausage, parmesan and cream. I felt there was no choice but to finish off with Tiramisu for dessert. The servings were small (thankfully) and it was a great dining experience. This is what I define as an "upper scale" restaurant (ie expensive) so I won't be able to eat there often but I look forward to finding a special occasion so I can justify going back.

Chopollos - Food Cart #9

We are having crazy weather with snow last night and bright sunshine this morning. It's still cold but we're told that it will get up to 60 degrees by Thursday.

After today's class, the next food cart in line was "Chopollos", featuring Mexican food - but also serving Mexican style burgers. For $10 Roger had a chicken buritto and I enjoyed a Mexican style burger - both delicious. I think that I'm turning into a "food cart junkie......"