Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Five Course Dinner - All With CHOCOLATE !

Last night Allison and Gina invited us to join them at the Uptown Billiards Club for a five course "Happy Hour" early dinner. The theme this week is chocolate so each of the five courses had chocolate as an ingredient.

If I had to live life without chocolate, I'd have no problem doing so but I was still very impressed by the skill the Chef used in making this very interesting menu. We started with a Chocolate Fondue, then Vichyssoise with White Chocolate. This was followed by Cocoa Dusted Grilled Sturgeon, then Rack of Lamb with Black Truffle and Cocoa Butter. Dessert was a Flourless Chocolate Cake served with Cocoa Chantilly. All five courses were served with a small glass of wine that complemented each course; most from Italy and France.

They serve this dinner only for early diners (between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m.) but the cost for the food and wine is a reasonable price of $25 so we decided that eating early was a "good thing".

A Great Weekend

The girls are home safely and it was an enjoyable weekend with lots of good food and relaxation. The Super Bowl was great to watch and we were all happy to see the Saints win. Roger and I spent much of the time in the kitchen but we had all the TVs on and when we heard the girls scream, we made sure to get an update on the game score.

The weather continues to be sunny and "semi-warm" so we are all anticipating Spring.

Girl's Day in Portland

The girls arrived at the airport at 10:00 so we were back at the condo shortly after. At noon we headed for the streetcar to go to Kenny & Zukes (Pam's favorite downtown cafe). As usual we had to wait a half hour for a table but we had so much to talk about the time went quickly. The restaurant specializes in corned beef and pastrami dishes and the portions are huge so we generally share things.

After lunch I treated them to a pedicure and manicure at my favorite nail shop and then we headed back home to the good smell of lamb loin and cherry rice and Roger was preparing for dinner. Lori and Pam haven't been to Portland for awhile so we're enjoying the time together. Fortunately, the weather has been beautiful with sunny skies and no rain.

Chris Botti In Portland Tonight

We enjoyed a wonderful experience tonight when we attended a concert by Chris Botti at a downtown theater. He is a master on the trumpet and his band has exceptional talent. Chris is an Oregon native and his family still lives in the Corvallis area.

The weather was in the high 50s today so it was a perfect evening to walk and take the streetcar to the performance.

The music was amazingly beautiful and Roger and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. I purchased a DVD and CD of his Boston concert so we're still awake enjoying more of his beautiful music.

Tomorrow Lori and Pam arrive in the morning so it will be a big party the rest of the weekend !

Happy Birthday, Brian

Birthdays in Roger's family are always extra special because he bakes and decorates everyones birthday cake. This weekend is Brian's birthday so he gets the special treat. Last night Roger was in the kitchen until midnight preparing the cake and it turned out beautifully.

Now he's on his way to Corvallis where Brian's workshop is located to surprise him with the cake.

Happy Birthday with lots of love to you, Brian!

Portland Oasis Learning Center

There are two things that I love about the Oasis Learning Center; the first being a facility that offers classes to seniors over the age of 50 that cover:

• Health and Wellness
• Humanities
• Arts
• Computers & Technology
• Day Tours
• Travel

The second thing that I love is that the classrooms are located in the downtown Macy's building - so - today was a great day starting with lunch at a new downtown French restaurant and followed by some sale shopping at Macys. The purpose for the trip downtown was to meet with others who teach computer related classes for a roundtable discussion and brainstorming session so the remainder of the afternoon was spent in a meeting. It was exciting to hear everyone's input and I am certain there will be positive changes to the classes in the near future. Those of you in Portland who read this should check out their website at:

www.oasisnet.org/portland

You'll be amazed at the variety of classes that are being offered at an affordable price - and, if you call me I'll go with you and then we can fit in lunch, too!

I'm teaching a class in March "How to buy and sell on eBay" and another class in April about Learning to write a Blog.