More "STUFF" From Portland..............

Ah, yes, it's summer time "when the living is easy" - maybe I should say that for us it's more "when the living is lazy".  This is the first summer that Roger hasn't had classes so he's enjoying painting and organizing his studio.

Last weekend was lovely because it rained enough to wash off the trees and clear the air.  Now, that's all changed.  Right now it's 103 with a forecast for about five more days of close to 100 degrees.  This afternoon we're having "breaking news" with GreenPeace demonstrators who are hanging from one of our bridges to stop a Shell Ice Cutter from leaving the port to go to the Arctic to drill oil.  Meanwhile, the Willamette River is closed to traffic, the St John's Bridge is closed and now there's a man who has chained himself to a railroad bridge so it can't open to let the ship through.  Only in Portland........................

It has been fun watching the MAX drivers practicing the new run to Milwaukee.  On August 3rd we have reservations to ride the new train.  The line officially opens on Sep. 13th so we had to reserve seats for this preview.  Once it begins operations, our visitors can hop on the MAX at the airport and get off a half block from our condo.

Bella is doing much better since she got her new medication for her trachea.  She's like a puppy again with lots of energy and now she rarely coughs.

Roger is almost finished with his latest painting.  He says he should be done by about midnight tonight (we'll see................)

Now, we're working on a travel plan for a driving trip to California.  We'll be visiting friends and family in Sacramento, Calabasas, Malibu, San Ramon and San Francisco.  When we get back it will be time to get back on a normal routine.  School starts on September 28th.  Roger is taking three art classes and I'm going to enroll in another art history class.

www.persepolisartstudio.com

Check out the new website that I built for Roger.  He has named his business "Persepolis Art Studio".

I used a company named "SiteBuilder" that hosts the domain and provides templates that help to construct the site.  It will always be "a work in progress" as I learn more ways to enhance the graphics and content.

www.persepolisartstudio.com

SO - What's NEW ???

It has been awhile since I've "blogged" so it's time for an update.  July 4th is always an important date because my only grandchild was born on that day - Ashley is a grown woman now and a mother but I still remember every minute of the day that she was born.  Little Zoey is so adorable and Ashley is generous with sharing pictures as she rapidly grows.

Jessica also shares a July birthday (born on July 2nd) so we also celebrate her special day - but wishing that we lived closer to share the celebration with them both.

Roger has been busy organizing his studio and working on ideas for his new paintings. 

I've been busy building a website for him - still not quite finished, but looking pretty good - with his new business name "Persepolis Art Studio".  We're learning so much, as an example, how to have paintings professionally photographed and how to transfer the images to canvas that Roger stretches onto canvas bars.  It's amazing to see how close the images are to the actual paintings.

Along with Roger's art projects, I've decided to do some "life improvements" such as having the dings and dents repaired and painted on the RAV 4 (2008 model with only 45,000 miles on the odometer), selling some unnecessary furniture on Craig's List, having carpet and upholstery professionally cleaned and generally doing some simple redecorating. 

We've been enjoying beautiful weather - today is my favorite temp at low 80s so the sliding doors have been open all day so we can enjoy the fresh air.

After doing extensive tests on Bella (big $$) we've learned that she doesn't have congestive heart failure.  The best guess is that she has a problem with her trachea so we'll keep working on a solution.  She still coughs and chokes a lot but her appetite is good and she has lots of energy so we are encouraged about her future.

Roger had his quarterly chemo this week so he's still "dragging" a little but he continues to have an excellent attitude and we're hopeful that he'll be back to "normal" in another day or so.

This weekend I'm going to attend the local "O'Gallerie Auction House" with the hope that I can start selling sterling again.  The prices have leveled out so now I have to see what people are bidding. 

Tomorrow is my favorite day when I can visit the Farmer's Market.  This time of the year everything is fabulous so the refrigerator will be full when I get home.

Enjoy summer and the weekend !!

We're All Going To POT....................

It has been amusing to read the extensive information about Oregon's newly implemented "pot" law.  We've read a full newspaper page about pot questions and where and how to grow our own plants.

Today, we're getting a lesson on "How to handle marijuana etiquette in social settings".  I have a full complement of wine and cocktail glasses so it looks like I'll have to stock weed paraphernalia to become the perfect Oregonian hostess..................................

Just kidding................. of course