The Girls Celebrate New Year's Eve a little early................

From the right is Rae, Gina, Allison in the center, me and Ann at the left side.  We enjoyed a L O N G lunch at VQ (Veritable Quandry) this afternoon and we had an opportunity to toast the old year and to look ahead to an even better new year.  It was also an opportunity to celebrate our friendship and good fortune to know one another.........................

Of course we had to start with cocktails and wine, followed by two having Duck Confit and three of us having the Fish Stew.  Then, it only seemed proper that we top it off with a couple of peanut brittle, chocolate covered banana tarts.

This is one of our favorite restaurants and it's only about ten blocks from our condo.  In warmer weather we walk but today with temps at around 34 degrees we wisely took a car.

Even Grandmas love new toys for Christmas...............

Ahhhhh, it's over - Christmas decorations are almost all packed away and we have time to reflect on a year well lived.

My children are attempting to keep me up to date with technology so now I'm listening to French cafe music and Pink Martini with my phone docked on a stereo speaker and I'm now making an amazing choice of coffee and coffee drinks on my new Keurig.

The only problem may be my attempt to overload on coffee pods.  There are SO many choices - all kinds of fancy things like caramel, hazelnut, vanilla, hot chocolate, coconut, pumpkin and more................. Then there's "real" coffee and for Roger, decaf tea and coffee.  Anyway, I have a couple of hundred pods so I'm set for a long while.

Today I received a neat tray that fits under the pot to hold about 36 pods so it's loaded and ready to go tomorrow morning.

AND, I have a couple of pods that I can load some ground Stumptown blends for a really special cup.

Winter has come with a vengeance - today it was 32 degrees high temp and about 23 last night.  Bella is back in her warm coat and we're using a wool comforter on the bed.

New Years is close.  We hope that all of you reading this are warm and snuggy, too ..........

A Little More Christmas...........

These two beautiful people are our next generation; Aaron, Roger's grandson, who is in his mid 20s and already an accomplished artist who produces beautiful paintings, and Helia, Roger's only daughter, who works for Dow Chemical.  We had a wonderful time with them this Christmas season and we're looking forward to watching them as they continue to
live successful lives.


This picture below is self explanatory - clearly it is two people who love each other very much and also are grateful to have blended both families into their lives.

We look forward to 2015 and all the exciting events that the year will bring.

Little Bella is getting OLD....................

Bella celebrated her ninth birthday on October 3rd.  For some time she has been coughing and sneezing and the past several months it increased to a point where I realized that she needed to see a doctor.

Last week she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.  She also has arthritis which makes it difficult for her to jump up onto the couch.

She's now taking medication for her heart and she's on a diet with the goal of her losing about two pounds.

We're already noticing an improvement on the coughing but she's having a hard time understanding why her food dish is only about half as full as before.

It's hard being OLD...................................

HO.........HO..........HO

OK.  Christmas week is finished in Portland.  We started on Tuesday with a visit from Helia who arrived at PDX at noon and ended tonight a short time ago.

Tuesday, we hosted Brian, Carolyn, Rachael and Chris plus Helia for a Christmas dinner.  Roger and I spent most of the day in the kitchen but it was worth the effort just being with family and enjoying good food. 

We were alone for Christmas while the rest of the clan went to Mt Hood to do some skiing and everyone returned this morning for a buffet brunch and exchange of presents.

Are we tired?  Oh, yes...........

Helia is at the airport and she is flying back to S.F. in a few minutes and we have finally cleared all the dishes and glassware so they are back in their places. 

Now............ time to relax and share the happy memories of the holidays.

Roger's favorite cologne is Armani Code so that's why he has a big smile on his face.

The second picture is Aaron (Roger's grandson who is also an accomplished artist), Carolyn (Brian's wife) and Chris, also Roger's grandson.

Bella had a great time unwrapping her two presents and last night she slept with the toy that she opened yesterday when Roger and I exchanged gifts.

Now it's time to think about the coming year and also to ponder our many blessings during 2014.

A Crazy Evening With Allison......................

Tonight Allison and I started out the evening with pizza at Old Town Pizza.  While driving there we noticed that almost everyone on the street was wearing some version of a Santa suit.

It turns out that tonight was an event called "Santacon", a pub crawl that starts at 2 in the afternoon on the Saturday before Christmas.  We saw quite a variety of get-ups and everyone looked really cute.  Allison and I are thinking that we need to get some friends together and start gathering costumes for next year's event.

The same group sponsors the "Brides of March", sometime late in the month of March, when hundreds of people (men and women) dress like brides.  Roger and I happened upon a group last year and it was hilarious.  Some of the gowns were pretty bizarre.


After pizza, we went to the Triangle Theater to see "5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche", a very funny play about ............... well, you can guess by the title.

Since it still was early, we figured that we should check out the Santas again so we ventured over to Voodoo where things were really jumping with Santas everywhere.  Fortunately, the donut line wasn't too long so I illegally parked and stayed with the car while Allison got the donuts.  Allison and I always manage to have fun when we're together and next year you'll get to see us in our Santa garb..................

155 pounds of LOVE..................

This big buy is "INKY" who is a 155 pound therapy dog.  He visited us in the chemo lab today, along with three other St Bernards.  The purpose of their visits is to distract people and provide comfort while patients are undergoing treatment.

The bib is for a purpose.  He slobbers, big time, but it also serves another purpose.  It reads "No, you cannot ride me".  I asked the owner why and he explained that children want to sit on his back which would be very harmful for him.

The dogs brought a lot of laughter and fun to the room but we still have no idea how anyone can live with four of these big guys.

Not Bella's Best Day...............

"What do you mean, there's no chicken?"

Yes, that is what Bella is thinking.  Whenever we entertain there's a protein (usually chicken) so when she learned that we were having a party today, she got ready for table treats.  This girl was seriously disappointed so I'm going to have to find some chicken for her supper tonight..........

The Joy Of Having Women Friends..............

Today I hosted a brunch for my friends, Gina, Ann, Rae, Allison and Cheryl.  It was fun setting a nice table and getting up early to prepare the food.  It felt like a holiday and we all had an enjoyable time.  You wouldn't believe the myriad topics of conversation.  My one regret was that I didn't take time to take a group photo but Allison took a few that I'll share.

Roger wasn't invited to eat with us but he was a gracious host in charge of pouring champagne and wine.

Before the brunch started, Allison surprised me with a gorgeous table centerpiece from the florist down the street from our condo.  It's elegant and beautiful so I'm hoping that I can keep it fresh until Christmas day.  Thanks Allison!!

We have a shortage of snow on Mt Hood but tonight I'm hearing that we have a lot of rain on the way for the weekend so we're also hoping for lots of snow at the higher elevations.  Helia and Brian are planning a ski trip to Mt Hood at Christmas and then they'll be here for dinner with the rest of the Hatefi family.  Ho........... ho............ ho...........

Home Again............

My trip to California went very quickly with Saturday spent with Mike, Teresa, Tony, Ryan and Jessica in Folsom.  We enjoyed a great lunch and had time to visit.  Lori and Pam stopped over for awhile before taking me back to Sacramento for a quiet dinner and lots of talk and laughs.  Sunday was the ultimate lazy day ending with dinner at Waterboy (my favorite restaurant in Sacramento).  Yesterday I made an early start to the airport and returned home to a home cooked dinner that Roger made using walnuts and pomegranate molasses and juice.  SO, the short vacation is over and now it's time to get busy again.

Merry Christmas to all.....................

'Tis The Season...............

The week is flying by.  Roger just finished his finals so he is finally able to relax and I've been busy shopping for Christmas gifts.  Then there's hair / nails / pedicure and gift wrapping in preparation of my quick trip to Sacramento to visit Mike and family and Lori and Pam.  It's a quick "in and out" but we've planned every minute to make sure that we all enjoy our time together.

Christmas is always a special time for us so we're enjoying the music and the "hustle and bustle".  Saturday I'll miss a visit from Brian and family from Eugene but Roger is really looking forward to seeing them.  The following week I'm hosting a "girl's" brunch and then Christmas will be here with a visit from Helia and dinner with Brian, Carolyn, Chris and Rachael.

Roger will have another chemo on the 19th and we continue to be grateful for his ability to stay strong.

Life is good.....................................

Reflections..............

So many things happen in a lifetime.  When we're young we can get fired up about the tiniest things - sometimes losing relationships with those close to us.  When we age, we have a different perspective.  Little things no longer matter.......... and, actually even big problems don't matter, either.  What matters is having people to love.



The eldest cousin in the Wall family is Beverly.  She is an accomplished woman who retired from a career in education.  Her life wasn't always easy but she has loving children and she met a wonderful man many years ago who became her husband and partner.  He was Ted Lacy and he died yesterday.  He and Bev had a very close and special relationship.  I know the impact of losing a husband.  It's not easy but we eventually recover and start a new life so this post is dedicated to Bev. 

Time will heal the pain...............

First Oregon CRAB of the season.............

This is the time of the year that I most look forward to - to enjoy fresh caught crab from the Oregon coast.

I found a great funky fish market that is adjacent to the produce tent where I buy fruit and veggies.  They are a "hole in the wall" with only fresh caught fish - mostly from Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii, plus they smoke fish and sell farm fresh eggs.

Roger doesn't eat crab so this little beauty is for me only.  About 1 1/2 pounds I think that I can do justice to it.  I picked up a skinny French style baguette at Ken's Bakery so I'm set to go.............

www.flyingfishcompany.com
kensartisan.com

Deck The Halls....................

Allison and I had a great evening making our annual Christmas wreaths at the Portland Floral Institute.  She is hanging hers in her entry so in this picture, she was almost finished with the decorations.  We started with a traditional fresh made wreath, then added lots more greens, pods, berries, ornaments, pine cones and......... then we attached a small bird's nest.

To make the evening more special we started at the Vintners Cellar where we enjoyed wine and snacks to celebrate Allison's birthday, which is today.

Instead of hanging my wreath, I'm using it on my round glass table in the living room.

Zells for a weekend breakfast...................

After learning that the wait for a table would be 1.5 hours at "Gravy", we got back into the car and hurried over to "Zells" where it was only a 20 minute wait.  As it turned out we were happy how things worked out because the service and food at Zells was excellent!  It was a crazy morning, weather wise, with short bouts of snow flakes, then freezing rain, then bright blue sky and sunshine.

The party ends tonight with dinner at "Clyde Commons" - then the girls head home early tomorrow morning and I start decorating for Christmas.  Another lovely Thanksgiving......

It's all about food..............

The party continues.  Tonight we made turkey pot pie from all the leftovers from yesterday.  This is what we call a "once in a lifetime experience" because there will never be this combination of ingredients in a pot pie again.................

Black Friday with the girls.............

No, we didn't get up at 5 a.m. to hit the stores - too old and too smart for that....................

Instead, we started the day with coffee and tea and then headed out on the streetcar to Pam's favorite place, "Kenny and Zukes", a New York style deli that specializes in corned beef and pastrami dishes.  After an early lunch, we made our favorite stops at a couple of small boutiques, Pearl Bakery, Powell's Books, Sur la Table and Whole Foods.

It's a cool, windy and rainy day so we decided that was enough shopping and now it's time to read, enjoy the fireplace and get ready for some appetizers.  Another hard day in Portland................

Another look at Black Friday...........

Yes, Bella has done all of this, too, except her favorite treat is burrowing into the bottom of a garbage bag and eating "pot luck".  My fault for putting it within her reach...................

Thanksgiving Wishes to Everyone...........

The ULTIMATE Thankfulness..............

Today I want to share my joy and love for my granddaughter, Ashley, who is a beautiful and accomplished woman.  In this photo, she is about four months old.

Many paths have been traveled and explored through our life's journey and now I have the pleasure of soon becoming a Great Grammie.  Ashley is pregnant and will give birth to a girl sometime late in March 2015 so our family has much to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving Fresh Flower Centerpiece

I just returned home with a custom designed centerpiece for our Thanksgiving table.  I joined five other women at the Floral Design Institute where we spent two hours putting our arrangements together.

I learned how to use something called "sticky" which anchors candles into their candle holders (love it!) and floral tape and oasis, soaked in water that is laced with floral preservative.  I've made fresh flower arrangements for most of my life, but tonight I finally learned how to do it using the right components.

Lots of fun........................... and it will look great on the dinner table!

Roger's Lighthouse Painting...........

Roger is taking a computer graphic arts class that features four very difficult programs; Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and one that makes movies. 

The young man sitting next to him has been very patient and helpful to Roger who can't always follow the fast pace of the class so Roger offered to make him a painting as a thank-you.  He said that he's always wanted a picture of a lighthouse at the ocean so today Roger finished the painting.   I suspect that he will be thrilled because it is spectacular!

.

Another Roger Finished Product..............

Roger spends many hours a week in front of his painting easel along with painting in his class at PSU.  This term he has an instructor who is also a mentor and she's taken Roger "under her wing" so she's making it possible for him to study with her during the full school year.  She has taught painting for 35 years and she has trained many students who are renowned artists in the Portland area.  This is her last year before retirement so Roger is extremely fortunate to have met her.

Roger loves eagles because they symbolize freedom to him.  This love has transferred itself to the intricate beauty of his painting of this magnificent bird.  The painting is 30 by 40 inches and he used acrylic paint.

One other assignment in class was to paint water and make it look realistic with shadows and depth.  This is his interpretation of a scene at the Oregon coast near Seaside.

Bella's Winter Look.............

Bella is getting ready for the holidays so yesterday, after going to the beauty parlor, she put on her new red fuzzy coat.  I ordered this from a Canadian company and it's very soft and very warm.

For my dog loving friends, take a look at their catalog at:
TECKELKLUB.COM

Freezing Rain and Snow................

Portland is experiencing very unusual weather.  Here on the valley floor, we're getting freezing rain but anywhere there is elevation, the snow is falling.  The good thing is that Mt Hood will get several feet of snow so skiers will be excited for an early winter ski season.

The weather forecasters are telling us that we may also get snow in the inner city later this afternoon.  Bella has her fleece coat on but she found some warm blankets to sleep on so it's going to be a lazy day...............................

Another Week....................

The wine bottles are labeled and I was the recipient of one of the first.  It was a fun project and now I'm finishing up by making hang tags for the bottles.

It has been another good week -lovely weather - leaves turning color - cool enough for the fireplace in the evenings with the promise of soon enjoying family and friends during the upcoming holidays.

I'm revisiting the Old Testament of the Bible by discovering that it is a marvelous reference to pre-Christ history.  We're now studying the era of 1200 BCE and there are lots of references to happenings during this time in the book of
Exodus.  Joshua is the next chapter that I need to read for this week's classes.

The Arctic Blast will hit us soon but it won't have a great impact on our daily routine except for wearing much warmer clothes.  Rain is forecast for Thursday so the weather people are talking about freezing rain and snow.  Fortunately, I have no plans for that day and Roger has only one two hour class.

We enjoyed an evening with Aaron Hatefi, Roger's grandson, who stayed with us Friday night so he could participate in the Saturday Market down by RiverFront.  He's a talented artist so he and grandpa love to talk about art.  After lunch with Allison and Duffy Saturday, Bella and I walked down to the market to see Aaron's booth.  I should have taken pictures but I'll do it when he comes again in a week or two.

An Interesting Week - So far...............

Ann made a decision about her wine label - It's the first shown in a previous blog entry.  She had a hard time deciding between black and color but the black/white won out.  Tomorrow I'll design a hang tag for the bottles.

Monday I enjoyed lunch at South Park and I watched the new movie "Before I Go To Sleep".  - Good if you like the Hitchcock style of stories.

Both Roger and I continue to enjoy classes at PSU and we're already looking ahead to the winter term.  My current history class is especially interesting to me because the Bible is one of our textbooks.  The upcoming chapters are:

• Exodus, 1-25: Joshua, 1-12; Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Kings, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther

It will be good to revisit these chapters since my early education centered around the New Testament.

Today I had the challenge of choosing the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.  This isn't easy, friends, and it's mostly price driven.  In the "old days" we got a free turkey if we bought $25 worth of groceries.  It was a turkey raised on a farm, eating bugs, grasses and grains and there were no additives to their diets.  Now, it's a scientific issue - no GMOs?, free range?  Organic?  Brined?  Precooked?  Oh.......... I forgot to mention that the prices range from $2.50 to $5.00 a pound.  Is this a problem?  NO, actually any price will be fine in order to perpetuate the yearly tradition of family, food and love (and a free range, non GMO, organic, turkey on the table).  The Mrs. Pam and Lori are joining us for a long Thanksgiving weekend so the menus are being planned along with the shopping trips and visits to their favorite Portland restaurants.

The best thing is that Portland weather continues to be really great with temps in the 60s and sunshine this weekend.

My First Photoshop Design Project

I've had some fun this month working with Aurora and Ann to design a wine label for Ann's newly bottled Pinot Noir.  The wine isn't for sale so we didn't have to abide with laws and regulations in regard to designing the label because it's for private use.  Ann provided the picture of the grapes and I took her portrait.  I now have a greater appreciation for the magnificent graphics that we view in magazines and advertisements - with a new appreciation for the many hours of work that goes into their design.  This concept is simple.  The hard part for Ann is deciding which version to use.....................

Staying in Touch...............

Ooops, it looks like I have neglected by blog for awhile.  I could tell you that it's because I've been SO busy but the word "busy"isn't in my vocabulary any more.  The truth is that we continue to do our daily routine which includes classes at PSU, enjoying lunches at our favorite restaurants, cooking, reading, cooking............. and cooking - and Roger is painting and studying.  I've stocked the freezer with pasta sauce and yesterday I cooked a huge pot of chicken stock.  The cooler weather just gives me that push to start stocking up on things that will make holiday meals easier.

The past few weeks I've been spending a lot of hours designing a label for my friend Ann's wine bottles.  Last week she bottled 14 cases of Pinot Noir and it's for personal use, not for sale, so I've had a good time designing the label for the bottles.  Today we came (almost) to a final decision but I want her to "sleep" over them for a few days before we do the final/final.

Weather has now returned to "traditional Portland weather" meaning there is a forecast of at least a little rain each and every day.  I see this as an excuse to spend more time in my easy chair in front of the fireplace with Bella on my lap and reading a good book.

McMinnville Street Art................

On my way home from Lincoln City I stopped in a charming wine country town, McMinnville, for lunch at a Spanish restaurant, La Rambla.  At the corner I saw an interesting fall decor.  At first I thought the man sleeping was part of the decor, but, no............ he's just a street person who finished his "Bud" and is taking a snooze.

Beautiful Lincoln City

This is part of the beautiful scenery at Lincoln City.  The waves in the distance are between 20 and 30 feet high because of a weather phenomenon known as "sneaker waves". 

Below is a serene photo of the pond behind my hotel.  It was taken at dawn.