Johnny's Dock Tacoma WA

Our drive from Vancouver BC back to home went quickly with only a 20 minute wait to cross the border.  We were very pleased since it's the beginning of a long holiday weekend.  We waited to eat until we got to Tacoma where we found a really great restaurant.  They started serving dinner at 4 p.m. so we only had to wait about 15 minutes (in the bar, of course) for them to seat us.  (footnote - - a friend wrote to suggest that we are getting old by eating dinner at 4 p.m............... actually this was "lunch" - smile - old is not a word that we recognize............)

The restaurant is Johnny's Dock and it overlooks the Marina.  Food and service are excellent so we highly recommend it.  

We're home now so I'm looking forward to the Farmer's Market in the morning and Roger is all set to start a new painting.

Happy Holiday to everyone!

A Big Thanks to Ahmad, Aryana and Dena

This is Ahmad, Aryana and Dena who have been our hosts while we're in Vancouver.  We're enjoying our visit with perfect weather and lots of activities to keep us busy with lots of delicious food.

Thanks !!

Vancouver Steam Clock

After a drive through Stanley Park we went downtown to the Gaslight District and took a short walk to check out all the tourist shops and cafes.  Even though we've seen the steam clock many times, we never tire of watching it. 

After a light lunch we ended up at our favorite nut shop that imports pistachios and many other nuts and dry fruit directly from Iran.  This time we loaded up on our two favorites; one with a lemon salt wash and the other with just salt.

 

Everett Washington

Yesterday we left Portland and headed for Everett Washington where we spent the night and Roger treated me to a fabulous birthday dinner at Anthony's Homeport, overlooking a marina loaded with huge sailboats.  This morning we had a great breakfast at Totem.  For those of you who drive I-5 through Everett, we highly recommend both places for delicious and well prepared food.  The drive to Vancouver was especially nice because we had NO wait at the border.  We did some duty free shopping and then just drove up to the gate and went on our way.  Unfortunately, Friday, when we head back to Portland, it won't be so easy - considering that it's the start of a holiday weekend.

Lunch, this afternoon, in Vancouver, was a glimpse of Iran when we went to a tea house that has a menu only in Persian.  Roger says that it is exactly like cafes in Tehran with sofas where people can sit cross legged when they eat.  We opted for a table with chairs, leaving the couches for younger people. 

Thanks to all of you who wished me a "happy birthday" on Facebook and personal e-mails.  What a wonderful treasure to have loving family and friends !

Champagne and Early Birthday Celebration

Monday afternoon "the girls" (Ann, Cheryl, Rae and Allison) celebrated my upcoming birthday.  We started at Ann's condo with a glass of champagne flavored with hyacinth flowers and syrup that gave the wine a beautiful color.  The best part was eating the sugary flower when the glasses emptied.  In the first photo I'm being serenaded with "Happy Birthday" and in the second photo Allison is reading a "mushy" birthday card.

After champagne, we walked to Nel Centro, an elegant restaurant attached to the Hotel Modera.  They have a huge outdoor patio with umbrellas for the sun and fire pits for the cold so we enjoyed an outdoor happy hour.

It was a great way to start my birthday week celebration.

VooDoo Donuts on a Sunday Morning

Planning on going to Voodoo Donuts on a weekend?  If so, plan for at least an hour wait time.  Sunday we drove to Springfield to bid farewell to Chris who is going into the Peace Corps for two years.  His favorite doughnut is Voodoo maple bars with crispy fried bacon on top............ (mine, too).  As disgusting as it may sound, these are the best donuts that you'll ever eat !  I got a box of ten for Chris and snuck one into a bag for myself.  The only bad thing was the hour wait in line.  Next time I'll take the newspaper with me..............

Fall's Bounty

Fall is in the air here in Portland.  The sun has lowered, bringing long shadows as I walked to the Farmer's Market early this morning.  Weather has stabilized from the mid 60s to mid 70s with no rain for over two months so we're very much enjoying the gift of each beautiful day.  Even though we're taking a driving trip early next week, I still filled the cart with a huge amount of produce so we'll be eating lots of fruit and veggies before we leave for Vancouver.

Tomorrow we're looking forward to a drive to Springfield to attend a party in Chris's honor.  He's Roger's grandson who has joined the Peace Corps and is leaving soon for a two year commitment in the Ukraine.

Brasserie Montmartre Community Table

For those of you who live in or near Portland, please check out the once a month "Community Table" dinner at Brasserie Montmartre.  It's generally the last Thursday night of each month and they present a five course dinner, with wine, for only $39.00.

Last night Allison and I enjoyed the August Tomato Feast; all five courses were prepared with fresh tomatoes - including an heirloom tomato salad, tomato soup, King salmon, romato braised pork cheeks and tomato sorbet for dessert.

Guests sit at large tables so it's an opportunity to meet new people and have interesting conversation.  We're already looking forward to September's menu !

Art in the Park / Portland Art Museum

Today was another "Plein Air Paint Out" in the park blocks and we were able to view finished paintings that were for sale by the participating artists at the nearby Art Museum courtyard.   It was an opportunity to talk to the artists while they work and since Allison volunteers at the nearby art sales gallery, she already knows many of them.

 

 

This artist sketched a modernistic representation of a popular old church downtown in the theater district.

Salt and Straw

Allison and I had another new food cart experience when we visited "Salt and Straw".  They make ice cream using local fresh ingredients and the ice cream is made similar to the old fashioned way when it was put into metal cylinders, packed in ice and salt and churned into ice cream.  I didn't realize that the ice cream was then packed into straw to keep cold - thus the name Salt and Straw.  We enjoyed talking to the owner who told us more about their several Portland locations.  Allison and I both had a one scoop cone of Rocky Road with Oregon Hazelnuts and loaded with squishy marshmallows.  Delicious...................

Movie "Hope Springs"

Yesterday was another "me" day, starting with a visit to Macys, then lunch at South Park Grill, a quick visit to the library to get another Noah Gordon novel (If you can find it, get "Physician", a story of a physician in the tenth century). and finally, to the Fox Theater to see "Hope Springs".  I love Meryl Streep and her co-stars, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell are also excellent actors.  It was a cute (but predictable) story about two people who were married for 31 years and had lost their desire for each other.  The theater was filled mostly with people over age 60 and there were lost of laughs.  While this movie likely has more interest to older people, I still recommend it for those younger, to show you how a partnership can grow predictable and stale if couples forget how to reinforce their love for each other - each and every day..................

Portland Heat Wave and "This and That"

Roger took his collage of the London Olympic Torch to class today with his essay and he had an interesting input.  Only three students knew what it was.  The others thought it was some kind of creative cupcake or birthday cake or they didn't have a clue.  When Roger explained the art and the meaning behind it, the teacher went onto the Internet and displayed the actual Olympic torch on a screen in the classroom so they would have the ability to critique the art work.  (She didn't know what it was, either).  Roger was shocked to hear that only three out of 25 students had watched any of the competition and many of the students didn't even know that the Olympics had taken place. 

Summer has legitimately come to Portland with temps today at about 90 and slowly crawling up to about 105 degrees by the weekend. 

Today I headed back to the library to pick up research material for Roger's next essay.  The subject is Late Medieval Pilgrimage Architecture, Ancient Nomadic Culture of Western and Northern Europe and Nomadic Cultures of Western Europe and Burgeoning Islamic Tradition.  I'm surely glad that I don't have to write this essay.  I don't even understand the subject..............  The exciting thing is that the library provides research analysts in each section who help find the appropriate references. 

Final Summer Term Art Class Project

Roger's last class project for the summer term is a multimedia art project that has a personal meaning to the artist.  Roger chose the London Olympic Torch.  It's painted in acrylics and constructed from dowels and molded with clay for a three dimensional look.

His essay begins "To me, the Olympic Torch is representative of my life.  It symbolizes life's struggles and challenges and represents hope for the future.  Unlike most students in my class, I have already lived through most of life's challenges.  I have been successful in many endeavors and I have experienced defeat and hopelessness.  My home countrymen are no longer free as I was in my youth.  My good fortune in being able to come to the United States, gain an education and becoming a citizen of the U.S.A. makes me grateful for freedom and acceptance.  The symbol of the Olympic torch warms my heart with its symbolism of unity, strength, hope and beauty."

Another Perfect Portland Weekend / McCormick & Schmick's

Today was a perfect day to go for a walk down at the river to enjoy the warm sunshine and cool breeze.  Tourists are everywhere right now and it's fun to see them bending into their maps trying to figure out where they are and how to get to where they're going.  Roger's sweating over his finals for next week; an art project, one essay for the art class and three essays for his Art History class so I'm doing my best to stay out of his way so he can get it all done.  I decided to take my Kindle and take Bella for a walk down to the River Front for lunch at McCormick & Schmick's.  I used to call it McCormick & Schmuck's because, even though the outside dining and view were fantastic, the food was just "so - so".  That's no longer true.  They are now owned by a firm from Texas and, even though they are part of a restaurant chain, the food at Harborside has greatly improved.  I used to go for the ambiance and view.  Now, I truly go for the food. 

We've been enjoying watching the Olympics whenever there's time, but I think most of you will agree that once Sunday comes and goes, it will be nice to see something else on T.V.  We surely can be proud of the accomplishments of our U.S. participants, however.  Now, it's time to enjoy the weekend........................... 

Another ART Success

 Roger's latest class assignment was to create a collage.  He had no idea what that meant, but once he knew that you take or create objects with a three dimension characteristic, he came up with a wonderful idea.  The figures of the children were cut from a thick black pressed board, the path is tiny pebbles with sand and the tree and grasses are made from plastic greenery.  To enhance the art, he painted around the figures.  Our friend, Allison, happened to see Roger while he was working on it and, because she loved it, Roger told her that she could have it so today, after receiving an "A" for the project, it now belongs to her.  Thanks, Allison, for giving him encouragement !

Click on the picture of the collage to see the amazing detail.

A Delightful Surprise.............

Yesterday afternoon the phone rang and Roger's granddaughter, Rachael, said that she was in Portland and would like to spend the night.  Roger had a class in the evening so Rachael and I had some time for "girl talk" and we enjoyed a relaxing evening.  This morning she and I went to Zells for breakfast while Roger had his morning class.  There are several shops on 23rd that I knew Rachael would love so we came back to the condo, picked up Bella and headed for the streetcar.  It's another lovely summer day so riding the streetcar is always an interesting opportunity to "people watch".  We enjoyed the shopping because the area is mostly small boutiques that each have a specialty - most especially suited for younger shoppers.

She's on her way back to Springfield but she has promised another visit sometime in early September.

Helvetia Vineyards and Alpaca Farm

This afternoon Ann and I enjoyed another new experience.  I had a Living Social coupon for a free winery tour, wine tasting and smoked salmon tasting so we drove to the Hillsboro area (about 20 miles from downtown) to check out the Helvetia Vineyards.  Pictured here is the C1909 farmhouse where we did the tasting.  The winery is down the road where we had an opportunity to do a barrel tasting of juice from 2009 and 2010.

We learned that there was a Gem and Mineral show at the Rice Museum close by so we drove over to check it out.  It was an interesting experience seeing how rocks can hide beautiful colors and designs inside their shell.  Outside the museum there were rock and jewelry vendors with things for sale and the museum had an interesting gift shop.

We had forgotten that Hillsboro was hosting an air show so while we were browsing at the rock show, we suddenly were entertained with precision jets flying overhead.

Ann and I both agree, however, that the most enjoyable part of the afternoon was driving by an Alpaca Farm with about 150 animals and many babies.  The little white guy in the photo is only two days old.  We talked to a worker at the farm who told us that Alpacas sell to people all over the world with prices that start at about $35,000 each.  A few years ago the owner sold a stud for over $200,000.

On the way home we stopped at a local dive called the Helvetia Tavern - probably NOT a good idea because we're both being careful about calories and the giant burger and onion rings were way too much even though we shared.

All in all.................. a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon !

Farmers Market - Plein Air Paint Out - Iranian Festival - A GREAT day !

Summer in Portland brings numerous events each weekend so we have to plan carefully to make sure we don't miss anything.  Today we started with a visit to the Farmer's Market to get a few "essentials".  The fresh strawberries have already been dipped into chocolate and the fresh farm tomatoes will turn into a pasta sauce tomorrow morning.  After shopping we set up our chairs at the Iranian Festival where we met several Persian friends to enjoy dancing, music and great food.  It was hot today (97 degrees) but the shade from the huge trees really helped.

Several blocks away artists were participating in an outdoor painting event named "Plein Air Paint Out 2012" where about 35 artists set up their easels in the park to paint their favorite view.  We found a few that were painting some of the churches but the most popular was the huge statue of Theo Roosevelt sitting on a horse in the center of the park.

Tomorrow the artists will return to exhibit and sell their paintings at the Museum's outdoor courtyard.  They'll have live music and food so it should be a fun event.

Happy Birthday, Eddie...............

Some people get better with age and you're one of them.  Enjoy the day, Ed.  We wish you a very happy birthday !

Old Bitch? Who ME?

Yesterday I had some errands to take care of downtown and Bella got to go along.  Tri-Met will start charging for all MAX and streetcar rides in September (now we can ride free in the downtown area) so one stop was at Pioneer Square to buy a couple books of tickets.  For seniors it's only $1 a trip so we're lucky for the price break.  Leaving the square, we walked past two street women when I heard one say "look at that old bitch".  I was very offended - imagine being called "OLD"........................


Macys is having a dynamite sale this weekend.  To make myself feel better, I went to the "junior" department and I found three really great t-shirts on sale.  Two of them were only $5 each so if you need any cute summer things, check out Macys.  Go right away, though, because other than the sale racks, everything on display now is for fall and winter.

Another New Restaurant in Portland - JAMISON

Today Cheryl and I took the streetcar to the Pearl to check out another new Portland restaurant, "Jamison".  It's right across from Jamison Square that is a park for children where they can play in shallow pools and tiny waterfalls.

Since the weather is warm we enjoyed a table outdoors.  This restaurant is definitely classed as "ritzy" - of course, meaning that the prices are very bold.  Menu items need to be ordered separately so if you want a steak (as we did) you should also order either a salad, starch or vegetable to go with it.  Otherwise, you get a small plate with - a steak - .  Service and food are first class so we had an enjoyable lunch experience.

On our way back to the streetcar stop we walked by Cool Moon, a specialty ice cream shop, so we finished off lunch with a scoop of ice cream.  A perfect way to spend an afternoon.......