Time to Bid Adieu To 2015

Monday Roger, Bella and I took a short trip to Lincoln City where we enjoyed a stay at Salishan.  Our room was upgraded so we had a small sitting room with a fireplace and a "killer" view of the golf course.  The chef at Salishan is great so we stayed there for dinner and breakfast the next morning.





Wednesday morning, Roger left to drive to Vancouver BC to visit his cousin, Ahmad, who just had open heart surgery.  Roger's plan is to visit and cook some Persian food to help with Ahmad's recovery.  He plans on returning to Portland late Saturday.

SO, that means that I have time to spend with my friends.  Today we enjoyed a special New Year's lunch at VQ, one of our favorite Portland restaurants.  It is always a joy to get together and we always have lots to talk about.  We spent several hours at the table starting with cocktails and ending with a fabulous dessert so tonight none of us plan to fuss much with dinner.  Pictured here is Allison, Gina, Ann, and Rae.

Tomorrow morning, I'm hosting breakfast for Allison and Rae so the party continues..............

Zoey's First Christmas

ZOEY ANNLOUISE FRIEDLI MUELLER




The pictures tell the story.............

• Joyful
• Sweet
• Charming
• Bubbly
• Cuddly
• Precious

Our family has truly been blessed with the arrival of this special little girl.   

Christmas Update....................

We just received a note from Roger's daughter, Helia, who is presently enjoying her Christmas Eve dinner in  Iguazu in Argentina.  Tomorrow she's going to see Iguazu Falls and then head to Punta Del Este.  How wonderful to be young, beautiful and energetic enough to explore the world on her own.  We wish you many more exciting travels, Helia.

 

 

On the 23rd, Roger and I went to an appointment with his oncologist and we learned that the CT scan came out completely clean with no sign of any new tumors.  All he needed was a blood test which the doctor said looked excellent so we are very happy about the good news.  We wanted to share this with you and also to wish everyone a very special Christmas and Happy New Year.  Our only regret is that we won't be able to see any of you but we hold you all close to our hearts and we send you our love.  Enjoy the holidays with friends and family and we send our wishes that you'll all have a wonderful, healthy and happy 2016.

Love to you all...........

Pizza Party Time With The "Girls"

 Our friend, Rae Curry and her daughter, who is visiting from Redwood City, hosted an elegant pizza party last evening.

It was a perfect way to relax and enjoy the holidays.  The carved wood statue, shown with the tree, is from an old Catholic Church in Todo Los Santos, Mexico where Rae and her husband had a vacation home.  She found it in a local antique shop.  It stands about four feet tall and the detail is beautiful. 

 We all decided that pizza makes a perfect holiday meal - - actually, it's perfect any time.

Merry Christmas !!

The Ultimate Indulgence - Lunch at the Benson Hotel in Downtown Portland

Cheryl and I just returned from an elegant lunch at the downtown Portland Benson Hotel.  The hotel is known for its lavish decorations at Christmas and they are also famous for their lobby display of a Victorian village, all made with 150 pounds of house made gingerbread, 15 pounds of white and dark chocolate, 35 pounds of marzipan and a huge amount of icing.  The pastry chef works on the village for about three months each year.

It was fun watching the joyful faces of little children who were visiting the village while we ate lunch.





Razor Clams are a food that I never ate until moving to Oregon.  They're in season now so we both decided to order razor clam tacos which turned out to be an excellent choice.  They're tough little critters so the chef has to work hard to slice them thin and pound the dickens out of them.  Crusting them and frying them in oil may be one of the reasons we love them!




The lobby has a huge fresh pine tree that is decorated with giant ornaments - bigger than I've ever seen.  Being at the Benson is a great way to savor the holidays !

It's FRIDAY ............... and Girl's Night

Tomorrow we're hosting a dinner for Brian and his family so Roger is in charge of cooking.  He prefers being in the kitchen alone, so - Allison and I decided it was a great time to visit Iorio for an early dinner followed by a production at Triangle Theater.  The play is "The Book of Merman" featuring songs made famous by Ethel Merman.  Needless to say, the music was great and the story was a spin-off of the play "The Book of Mormon".

No, I'm not going to desert Roger in the cooking department tomorrow so I'm in charge of appetizers, dessert and vegetables.  Tomorrow will be a busy day....................

When it RAINS - it POURS - at least now in Portland

A photo, tonight on TV, of Multnomah Falls shows that there are now TWO falls with water spreading all the way into the parking area.  The area has been closed because there is no way to access the road. 

Here, in downtown, some streets are so full, the water spreads over the entire surfaces so it's imperative to drive very slowly.  Some streets in the Pearl were so deep with water, the streetcar had to be shut down and cars had to detour.  Today when I went out, I wore rain boots that go almost to my knees (just in case).

Our storage unit is presently wet with about three inches of water so the management is busy trying to remove the water and dry things out.  I'm thinking this is a good time for me to empty the whole thing out, put some higher storage racks and get better organized. 

Yesterday was Roger's last classes for this term so now he can get some rest, relax and enjoy..............  He produced a huge amount of artwork so I'll get busy and take photographs to share with you.

He just hung this on the wall by my desk.  The only way to appreciate this piece is to see and feel it.  The pine cone is painted on a textured leather-like fabric which adds interesting detail.

Pazzo for lunch and Benson for dessert - Perfect !

Today was an elegant lunch experience with my friend, Rae Curry.  Pazzo is an Italian restaurant in the Vintage Hotel in downtown Portland.  Rae had pasta with fresh clams and I had a Dungeness crab, avocado and bacon sandwich (yes, really.....) and both were exceptional.  The Barbera went went well with both.

After lunch we walked across the street to the Benson Hotel, a magnificent place that is known for their lavish Christmas decorations.  We stopped off in the lobby bar to enjoy cappuccino and creme brulee.  Truly a memorable experience!

The Turkey Keeps on Giving.................

Yes, the turkey finally has met its end - using homemade turkey broth, we're enjoying potato, leek, lentil soup tonight.  Actually, we may be eating this for awhile longer.................

The tree is decorated, the mantle has its nativity scene, I've made a decorated fresh wreath and there are candles everywhere so the Christmas season has definitely arrived at the Hatefi household.

We're also enjoying music on an early gift of a fabulous speaker that works off of my IPhone and I'm learning how to use my new Wacom pad for my computer (that's going to take a lot more practice).

Lots to be thankful for............................

Portland Floral Design Institute and The Bent Brick

Allison and I just returned home from a great evening, decorating our personal fresh greenery wreath and enjoying wine and champagne, appetizers and an amazing dinner hosted by The Bent Brick Restaurant.

http://thebentbrick.com

This is an annual fundraiser for "Our House" an organization that provides healthcare, housing and vital services to low-income people living with HIV.

Tonight was a perfect way to start the Christmas season................

Symphony Holiday POPS, Ringside Fish House, Reflexology at Ashiyu Foot Spa

When I list our activities, I now realize why I'm feeling a bit tired tonight.  Of course, there had to be more grocery shopping, a stop at Salt and Straw for icecream, holiday pops at the Portland Symphony, dinner at Ringside Fish House and the final indulgence - a reflexology session at Ashiyu Foot Spa where Pam and I also enjoyed a back massage while Lori enjoyed an extra long foot treatment.

Now it's time to return to the "real world" -and prepare for Christmas. 

Tonight Allison and I are going to make our annual trek to the Floral Institute to decorate huge fresh Christmas wreaths and enjoy a dinner sponsored by "Our House', a local charity for treatment of Aids.

The party continues...........................

LINCOLN Restaurant on North Williams, Portland

Lori and Pam recently met Jenn Louis, the chef/co-owner of "Lincoln" in Sacramento so they were excited to go to the restaurant here in Portland.  We had reservations Saturday evening and it was a spectacular meal. Jenn is currently traveling to promote her new cookbook so the girls were delighted when they realized that she was in the restaurant that night.  Needless to say, we had really great food and service and it is a memorable evening.

http://lincolnpdx.com/bios/

Black Friday and Beyond................... SWITCH in Multnomah Village

When the girls visit, we cannot avoid going to Kenny and Zukes so that's where we headed Friday morning.

http://www.kennyandzukes.com/ 

The second most important place to visit is Powell's where we all find great books. 

Then it was time to visit Lori's favorite dress shop in Multnomah Village called "SWITCH".  Check it out on Facebook.

http://switch-shoes.com/

 Most of the clothes are imported from designers in Israel and they also sell boots and shoes that are colorful and unique.We went for Lori, but I'll have to confess that I came home with almost as many things as she.  Wait until you see my new leather and suede orange boots!

Turkey Day

We enjoyed a lovely and quiet Thanksgiving with our guest, Brenna, a student at Reed College.  Her mom is a friend of Lori and Pam and we loved having her join us for the day. 

Dinner was simple and delicious with no new recipes or "surprises" and we are extremely grateful for all of our blessings.




The ceramic turkey on the table belonged to my mother, Ann, and it always takes a special place on our Thanksgiving table.  It likely dates to the mid 1940s.

Time To TALK TURKEY..................

Yes, you likely noticed how quiet I've been since Thanksgiving.  It's because we were just having too much fun!  Lori and Pam arrived early afternoon on Thanksgiving day and we've been partying every minute until they left for home this morning.

The turkey was a great success and I want to share my technique.  This all started with me having too much time to watch TV the week before Thanksgiving so I turned on the food channel and watched dozens of ideas on how to roast the perfect turkey.  I finally settled on a combination of some of the ideas

First I made a bed of onion, lemon, celery and carrots for the turkey to rest on - the purpose being to flavor the gravy.  Then after washing and drying the bird, I finely chopped fresh rosemary and thyme and finely grated the zest of two oranges.  I mixed all together with 1/3 cup of seasalt and added enough good olive oil to make a paste - then rubbed it all over the outside of the bird and inside the cavity  

The final touch was to cut a piece of cheesecloth, large enough to cover the entire turkey.  I dipped it in water, rung it out and dipped in a cube of melted butter and placed it on the turkey.  The left over melted butter was used up when I basted the turkey.

As soon as the breasts reached 165 degrees, we removed the turkey from the oven and placed it on a cutting board.  Lori brought her sharp chef's knives so she cut off both legs and thighs and we returned them to the oven for another 15 minutes while the remainder of the turkey rested.  This way all the parts were perfectly cooked and tender and moist.  We have never - ever - enjoyed a turkey as much as this year. I'm going to start roasting my chicken the same way......................

Nelson Mandela - Roger's Latest Project

Roger had a busy weekend, working non-stop on his new painting of Nelson Mandela.  His next projects will be Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi.

Still Celebrating................

For a belated marriage celebration, our good friend, Ann Olsen, treated us to dinner last night at Le Bouchon, the tiny French restaurant where Roger and I had our first date.  We had to laugh when the waitress took us to the same table.  Roger and I have enjoyed many delightful lunches through the years, but last night was our first dinner there.  It was a lovely evening with good conversation and delicious food - including lamb shank for Ann, duck breast for Roger and quail for me.  Magnifique !

Fall in the Northwest...................

Fall, our favorite time of the year when life starts to slow down and the colors of nature remind us of the beauty of living.

Many of the leaves are already on the ground but some trees are still holding on.  We have freezing temps forecast this coming week so that, likely, will bare the rest of the trees.

A rain/snow mix is forecast for Wednesday night and Thanksgiving day so we'll see how that goes........

Lori and Pam are flying into Portland, Thursday afternoon, just in time to put the turkey in the oven so this weekend, I'll be doing food shopping to get ready for a festive week.

A visit from my niece Kim and her friend Greg

My niece, Kim and her companion, Greg stopped in Portland for a short visit yesterday.  Last night we had hoped to enjoy dinner at Tasty n Alder, but at 8 p.m. we were told there would be an hour and a half wait for a table so we changed our plans and dined at Paley's.  It turned out to be an excellent choice because the menu was fabulous.

This morning we met at Zell's for breakfast before they headed to Depoe Bay on the Oregon Coast.

Roger in now in the Oakland airport waiting for his second leg to San Diego to visit friends for a few days so Bella and I get to do some girl things.

I have a long list of "stuff to do" so we'll see how much I actually accomplish................

Catch-up Time....................

This past weekend was very special because I got to see Zoey for the first time.  She's a delightful little girl with a sweet disposition and a non-stop smile on her face.  Lori and Pam joined me for the visit so we had a great "girl's" weekend.  Jordan joined us for part of the time so we enjoyed his company, as well.

Happy Birthday, BELLA

Celebrating ten years with this adorable little girl who has been my best friend, confidant, crying towel, sleep mate, and huggy toy.

Zoey at 6 Months

In two weeks I'll get to see Zoey for the first time.  I'm looking forward to cuddles from her and kisses and hugs from her adorable mom, Ashley.  How fortunate I am to still be able to enjoy the beauty of new generations..............

Long Time Friends From Lodi...............

It has been awhile since we've enjoyed a visit by any of our friends from Lodi so it was a delight to receive a phone call and learn that Lenis and John Hagy were going to stop by for a visit tonight.  It was a great opportunity to visit and reminisce about the "good old days" and to catch up on current events in all of our families.  Tomorrow they head to Washington State to visit with John's daughter, Michelle and her husband. 

An Evening to Remember...................

Last night we were Allison's guests at Morton's Steak House, only a few blocks from our condo.  It's a restaurant that we've never visited and it turned out to be a very special treat with our names at the top of the menus and this photograph that was taken by their house photographer. 

Thursday, I enjoyed a matinee performance of "Our Town" by Thornton Wilder at the Gerding Theater and in the evening Roger and I enjoyed "1st Thursday" when the Pearl area art galleries are all open until about 9 p.m.  After a great dinner at Piattino we toured five or six galleries but we spent most of our time at Gallery 903, a fabulous gallery that highlights the "best of the best" artists.  To make the event even more special, they had live  music that featured some great rhythms and percussion and they also had an open bar.  Now............. that's first class ..................

Partial DNA Test Results............

I just received partial results from my recent DNA test.  A friend of Roger's who is a scientist in the genetics field has agreed to interpret my raw genotype data so I won't have that information until he has time to work on it.

Meanwhile, I do have my ancestry composition.  I have always assumed that I was "100% German" but it turns out that 49% of my makeup is a combination of German and French.  The remaining percentages include 10% British & Irish, some Scandinavian and Balkan with 24% in the category of "Broadly Northern European".

"23andMe" is the company that I chose to test my DNA and it has been an interesting experience learning how and why this testing has become available and what it actually means.

Wonderful News - Roger's Last Chemo..............

Yesterday, Roger endured his last chemo session.  He'll be a little "under the weather" for a couple of days and then he can get back to normal.  The past two years, he has only had a mini-chemo quarterly but it still has an effect on his well-being.

Now, he's in a "wait and see" mode with a CT scan scheduled for late December.  Further treatment won't be necessary until a new lump emerges and right now, there's no sign of that happening.

It's truly a time for celebration !

15 Minutes of FAME..............

Friday night we were surprised to be the special guests at a cocktail party hosted by Lynne & Gary Hartshorn, our neighbors who live in a garden unit.  It was perfect weather for an outdoor party and, of course, it's always fun to be the guests of honor.










We've learned that we're quite the sensation in the complex.  Getting married at our age is apparently unusual (funny - we never really thought of that - it just seemed like the right thing to do).


SO - the party continues...................