Home

Oven & Shaker

This afternoon we tried a restaurant that is new to us, "Oven & Shaker" on Everett in the Pearl District.  Their specialty is wood oven baked pizza so we tried the Margherita with a radicchio salad.  The air is "blue" in the condo from all of the fresh garlic....................

Not complaining - just happy we don't have plans to be around people tonight.

My First Photoshop Lesson

Remember the green cactus from yesterday?  This is the result of learning how to change depth, contrast, shadows, color, etc. etc. etc.  Yes, I only finished one project after a 1 1/2 hour lesson - but it's a start....................

This 'n That...............

Now that Roger is taking photography classes, he has been a positive influence for me to return to photography - No, not "point and shoot" but an SLR film camera - manual, not automatic.  The only detriment is that my phone camera takes such great photos (and it's easier).  This picture is a cactus that is planted in a small pot on my desk.  I used my I-Phone 4S for the shot.

My first goal is to learn at least the basics of Photoshop so I've hired a tutor and I'm hoping to be accepted into a class at PSU that starts a week from Monday.

Yesterday and today Roger had his 5th chemo session so.............. only ONE more session to go!  We have been encouraged in many ways; the first being that even though Roger has had some "bad" days, he has been able to keep up with a normal routine.  He sleeps well and he has maintained a healthy appetite and he's still getting top grades in his art classes.  After next month Roger will not have to undergo chemo again even if / when the cancer returns.  Two drugs are close to being approved by the FDA and Roger's Oncologist is really exciting about the testing results that have been published.  This means that Roger will be able to take a pill instead of enduring the chemical treatments.  We have much to be thankful for and we celebrate each and every minute of every day!

Saturday at Eidelweiss

Saturday is a special day at Eidelweiss.  Late Friday night they start smoking hams, turkey and whole chickens, along with baking a variety of fresh lunch meats to be ready for Saturday morning customers.  They do the smoking just one day a week so we love to pick up a freshly smoked chicken for Saturday night's dinner and sandwiches the next day.  They sell a huge variety of sausages and there's always a long line of people waiting to be served. The small shop also imports mustards, sauces, chocolate and everything "pickled" that you can imagine.  A cooler has over 50 brands of German beer.

German is the dominant language spoken in the shop, but of course, the staff all speak English, as well.

If you live in or near Portland, this is a fabulous shopping experience!

July 4th Weekend............

We had an enjoyable 4th of July starting with a huge potluck for the condo owners where they served the traditional holiday food of barbecued hotdogs and burgers.  Later in the evening we were invited to Ann's condo on the 17th floor where we enjoyed wine and more food before watching the firework display.  It's always interesting to look down on fireworks instead of looking up.

Roger is in school today and the weather is warm and sunny so Bella and I walked down to the river where I enjoyed lunch outside overlooking the marina.  After lunch I sat on a bench to listen to jazz music from the nearby Jazz Festival.  Suddenly a small flock of geese landed in front of me and starting grubbing through the grass so I couldn't resist taking a photo.  Bella and I walked both ways and it's uphill coming home so now she and I have an excuse to relax and take a little nap.........................

Happy Birthday, Ashley !!!!

Happy Birthday to my fabulous granddaughter, Ashley.  You help to put the "sizzle" into the fourth of July!