Bella is a STAR !

Last night Roger completed a charcoal and ink drawing of Bella who is sharing the picture with a cute little chicken.

He spent a lot of time getting the light and shadows just right.

He's taking a three dimensional art class so it will be fun watching him create some high relief art.

Roger's Latest Painting

A celebration of Fall in Portland

After I did some house decorating for fall, Roger saw a leaf that inspired him to paint a solitary leaf with all the beautiful detail of nature.

Portland Triangle Productions

For those of you who live in or near Portland, please check out the Triangle season's entertainment.  The theater is intimate and comfortable and the quality of the scenery and talent of the actors is always exceptionally good.  Last night Allison and I went to the opening performance of "Avenue Q". The musical won the 2004 Tony Award, beating out "Wicked" and it was delightful with lots of energy and great music.

A Day Late - Happy Birthday, Sheila

Sending you wishes for many more years of good health and extreme happiness !

Allison's Salmon Dinner...........

Allison was guest of honor tonight because she caught the salmon that I prepared for tonight's dinner.  Ann was included in the invitation so we had a lively evening with lots of conversation and laughter.  The salmon was fabulous.  Now we know what truly fresh fish should taste like and we've decided that Allison needs to do more fishing !!!

After appetizers, dinner started with a fresh tomato and feta salad and then progressed to fresh sauteed salmon with pesto cream sauce and stuffed baked potatoes.  Dessert was lemon meringue pie which really made a hit.  It has been years since I made one so I was relieved to see that it turned out well.

School Days..............

Being a senior auditor in a college class needs permission from the professor so, until we get their signature we can't count on being enrolled.  I am very fortunate to be accepted in two classes; Monday and Wednesday - Greek Ancient Art History and Tuesday and Thursday - Palestine and Israel History (from about 1820 through today).  One class is only two blocks from home and the other is about seven blocks away so both are convenient and easy to walk to even during winter weather.

Most of the students are seniors so the class participation is full of energy and varied opinions. 

Roger also goes to school Monday through Thursday.  He's taking Modern Art History, Native American History, and Two Dimensional Basic Design. 

We both enjoy being busy and it's exciting to still be learning - even at our age.

New Experiences...................

Smiths at Farmer's Market Saturday

The weekend began with a visit to the market where we enjoyed breakfast from the food carts and then, shopped for fresh berries for Sunday's breakfast.

 Fall vegetables are beginning to appear so soon we'll be thinking of cooking more "comfort food".

Roger was in charge of Saturday night's dinner so Vicki and I spent some leisure time in the afternoon shopping at Washington Square while Steve visited Powell's Book Store.

Visiting the Church of Elvis

Today I introduced them to VooDoo Doughnuts (only a ten minute wait in line) and The Church of Elvis.  Now they understand why Portland is "Weird" and they both love bacon maple bars (yummy...............).

Another Visit to the Coast

Today we drove the Smiths to the coast, taking a new road to Nehalem Bay where we visited a winery for some wine tasting and Wheeler where we toured the Old Wheeler Historic Hotel. We've picked out our favorite rooms for a return visit this winter for an overnight stay.  The hotel has only eight rooms and it's charming.  Wheeler overlooks a river that empties into the ocean so there's a beautiful view from every room.

From Wheeler we drove along the coast to Seaside for a late lunch and a walk down to the beach.

After some window shopping and a long walk, it was time to return to Portland so now that we've finished dinner it's time to relax and renew our energy for tomorrow's activities.

Allison With Her First Fish

Allison and her brother-in-law went on a fishing expedition on the Columbia River today and she was the first to catch a perfect Coho Salmon.  It weighed about seven pounds and.............. the good news........... is that I get to cook this sweet baby.  The cleaned, deboned and trimmed pieces are in our freezer with the promise that when we cook it, Allison will be the guest of honor.

Good job, Allison !!

A Little This - A Little That

Another lovely lazy week with perfect temperatures.  Is there such a thing as "fall fever" or is that only for spring?  While Bella was at her "beauty appointment", I had time to run a few errands, visit the library for some new books to read and lunch at South Park.  Before picking up Bella I had some extra time so I visited a small Farmer's Market that is held downtown across the street from the restaurant.  It's a small and cozy event but they sell all the basics.  I couldn't resist giant dahlias and, of course, more tomatoes.

Now it's time to get things in order for a visit from Steve and Vicki who will arrive at the airport tomorrow about 2 p.m.  We have lots of things planned for the four days that they'll be here and we're looking forward to having a great time.

Roger's Summer Project

Since summer school finished, Roger has  enjoyed his leisure time painting.
 

This is a painting that he just finished as a gift for his sister Afran in France.

Happy Birthday, Ron !!!

You describe yourself as a curmudgeon but I believe that you're just a soft-hearted sweet and wonderful man who I've known for many years.  We send our birthday wishes with the hope that the coming year will be filled with wonderful surprises.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!

Meriwether's Restaurant Portland

Yes, this week we're back to lunching.  Yesterday Cheryl and I walked down to Riverfront for a lunch at the marina and today I was Rae's guest for lunch at a restaurant that I have never been to, Meriwether's.  The picture shows a small portion of the outdoor garden that has a beautiful fountain and surrounded by greenery and custom made giant birdhouses. 

www.meriwethersnw.com

The lunch menu is unique and, as we watched people being served, the food is beautifully prepared and presented.  I had a Nicoise sandwich and Rae had an interesting vegetarian lunch made with a variety of beans and kale.  The food was delicious and the service was exemplary.

A Day That We All Remember

A day of remembrance - a day of sorrow for all the innocent lives that were lost.

A Drive Up The Oregon Coast

 

It was so foggy last night in Newport that the pavement was wet like it had rained when we woke up this morning.  First on our agenda was breakfast and we were lucky to find "Fishtails" a nearby cafe that is known for delicious breakfasts.  After eating we started our drive up the coast, going through many small seaside towns; several that we haven't seen before.  The two that we found to be most charming were Wheeler and Nehalem Bay so we're planning a return trip to check them out in more depth.  

Roger hadn't been to the Tillamook Cheese Factory so we stopped to see the production line while it works.  Roger loves ice cream so before leaving we decided to indulge.

This is a "single one scoop" cone

After stopping at a Farmer's Market that sold produce from their farm, our last stop was Seaside where they were hosting an antique car show.  We went to our favorite cafe near the beach for a late lunch with the decision to tour the cars after we ate.  We didn't have to leave our seats because as we were eating they started a parade of cars and since we were at a window table, we just sat there and enjoyed the show.  Perfect timing - plus by then the sun was out and it was a beautiful ending to a great trip to the coast.

A Surprise

Roger surprised me with an invitation to drive to the coast and spend the night in Newport.  We enjoyed a leisurely drive, leaving Portland at 91 degrees and arriving in Lincoln City where is was 64 degrees.  We got to the Wildflower Grill about 3 p.m. for a late lunch where we sat at a table overlooking a creek where we saw an adult deer with two little ones feeding on grasses around the water.  It was an enjoyable way to relax and watch nature at its best.  We're in Newport now, all settled in our room and looking ahead do a dinner at a seaside restaurant, Georgie's Beachside Grill.

House Guest Fun

One of the enjoyable things about having a house guest is that it puts us back in a "vacation mode".  Yesterday, after an early food cart lunch Rachael and I went to the Living Room Theater to see "Premium Rush".  I went, thinking that it was a movie for young people and that Rachael would like it - but it turned out that we both loved it.  It had a young theme but the story was exceptional and exciting.  Rachael had never been to Powells so later we enjoyed a shopping trip for books.

Today the three of us had lunch at Shiraz in the Pearl - lots of fun and delicious food.  Now it's time to stay at home, put on our "comfies" and just be lazy.  I'm already engrossed in my new book and Rachael loves watching cable so that's our agenda for the rest of the day.  Rachael leaves for home tomorrow so then it will be time to get back to work (vacation over.........)

Art in the Park with Rachael

This afternoon we hopped on the streetcar and went to the Pearl where there is a street art fair in the park blocks.  The art fair takes up about three full blocks of tents with a variety of art works such as fabric art, pottery, glass, etchings, drawings and paintings and many different crafts.  It's a "high end" art show so the prices are high but the quality of the work is exceptional.  Roger especially enjoyed seeing other artist's work and techniques and we met and talked to many of the artisans.

Rachael is visiting for a few days from Springfield so she enjoyed going along.  She and I took full advantage of the food carts so we had munchies to keep us happy while we walked around.
We always enjoy stopping at the beautiful fountain on our way home.  You can see that grandpa and granddaughter have the same beautiful smiles!

I Can't Help It

I don't blame you for getting sick of my fruit and vegetable pictures but I just can't help enjoying the beauty of the bounty that farmers provide for our enjoyment.  The market was really crowded this morning with locals and a lot of tourists.  We're looking forward to another warm and beautiful week so we'll be taking lots of walks before the rain and cool weather returns.

Gasoline Prices in Oregon

Interesting that there is always an excuse to raise the price of gasoline on holiday weekends. Ouch...............