Stand in your own space and know you are there.
Anson Heigel
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Golly, yesterday was a banner day! Not only was it a holiday (thank you Presidents), but a sunny and dry, perfect for being outdoors kind of day. Greg and I took full advantage and walked to our favorite Asian restaurant, Stickers, where we enjoyed our usual Scallion Pancake, Kung Pao Chicken, and Satay Sampler, before heading north to New Seasons for a slice of cake and coffee, and home again, collecting four varieties of pine cone, assorted plant life, groceries, and left-overs along the way .
For fun, Greg made a map of our journey – almost nine miles of beautiful Portland splendor!
Here is what we saw while we were out and about:
The lovely and rather idiosyncratic Reed College – a study in contrasts, yes indeed.
A fitting display of President’s Day patriotism on Milwaukie Avenue. I love America and this town.
This sight is always worth a chuckle while noshing at Stickers. I admire the owner’s fantastic sense of humor, but not nearly as much as the handsome man. I’m no fool.
The lovely old clock for William R. Johnson jewelers.
We don’t tend to enjoy walking on very busy streets, preferring the sound of birds and our own voices over the din of automobiles, but I was pleased as punch that Milwaukie was our only option after we stumbled upon this beauty. Oh my goodness! It is the finest example of a 1958 Thunderbird I have EVER seen. I was so excited that I got misty eyed. Silly girl.
Why yes, I am a tourist attraction – at least that’s what my hubby says!
Above my head was this perfect sky. Hello beautiful.
Heavens to mergatroid – a 1940’s Studebaker Champion with suicide doors!
But wait, there’s more! A gorgeous 1960 Corvette and a 1942 Chief Plymouth. Will you look at that hood ornament? How amazing is that? I thank my lucky stars for all the wonderful automobile sightings, and this isn’t even all of them. I gave the dear hubster a break and skipped snapping a photo of a rather fine example of a 1964 Ford pick-up. You’ll just have to take my word for it on that one.
After all the excitement of the cars, it was nice to come across this stand of bamboo. We stood for a few moments and enjoyed the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. Ahh, bliss.
I think this is the cutest chicken coop I’ve ever seen.
Here are the occupants, happily pecking away…
We cast a long shadow.
I don’t know how I missed this movie for so long – having been released in 1987, but I did. I only learned about it from a story on NPR last week. Apparently, the country house to which the gentlemen (I use this term very loosely) get away is on the market. So, if you happen to be a fan, live in England, or would like to relocate, and have 145,000 pounds (not dollars), the place could be yours. The aerial shot looks quite nice, but everything looks better from a distance, doesn’t it?
Anyway, this post is about the movie Withnail and I, which is really quite good. Withnail and Marwood are two best friends and out of work actors. They live on the dole in absolute filth, dying things in the sink, messes everywhere, especially in their heads. And this is why – though they scarcely have two pennies to rub together for food, Marwood actually eating coffee out of a bowl to pretend it is soup, they’ve always got a pound or two to spend on liquor. If there isn’t any of that available, Withnail is quite content to try other means, no matter how unorthodox.
Marwood, in a fit, decides that the pair needs to get away from the cold and damp of London, so they convince Withnail’s Uncle Monty to lend them his cottage for the weekend. They drive out in the outrageously dilapidated Jaguar and start their adventure with assorted country folk, both hostile and friendly, and randy creatures of the four and two legged variety.
The film is a creative, funny and sad romp to the English countryside. There’s depravity, humor, and just plain kookiness. It is filled with awesome one liners and other bits that kept me laughing or in a general state of disbelief throughout the film. Watch it and see for yourself.
Tags: Movies
Though we never actually call it supper, the alliteration is rather nice. Here are two recipes that are grin worthy and very delicious together, the sweetness and crunch of the bread a perfect match for the spicy soup:
Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup
1 cup white beans (navy, cannelini, or great northern), soaked overnight in 3 cups water
1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 medium onion, diced fine
2 cloves garlic, diced fine
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (don’t use regular – the flavor isn’t the same)
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 piece dried kombu seaweed
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
Drain beans and set aside. Heat a medium size soup pot (mine is a 4 quart), adding a teaspoon of oil or some of the fat rendered from cooking the sausage. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the salt, and cook on very low heat for three hours or until beans are soft. Remove the kombu, add salt, and serve.
No Knead Sage, Raisin, and Pine Nut Toaster Bread
3 cups flour (you might not use all of it)
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup milk
1/8 cup water
1 package yeast
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
I used the sweetened condensed milk because I had some left over from another recipe. If you don’t happen to have any, no worries. Use 1 cup milk and 1-2 tablespoons sugar. Grease an 8×4 loaf pan, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups flour, yeast, and baking soda. Place the milk, water, sugar (if using), and salt in a small saucepan and heat until warm, about 120 degrees. Do not allow to boil. Pour into the flour and mix until incorporated. Add raisins, nuts, and sage, mix well. Add remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time until well incorporated. You want the dough to be slightly sticky, so don’t add all the flour unless you need it.
Place in the loaf pan, cover loosely with a towel, and place somewhere warm for about 40 minutes. It should be about double in size. Twenty minutes before the dough is finished rising, turn the oven on to 400 and place an empty roasting pan on the lowest rack. Once preheated, place the bread on the rack above the roasting pan. Quickly add a cup of hot water to the roasting pan and close the door pronto! We’re using the steam to make it extra hot and get a crispier crust. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool for about five minutes before removing from pan.
This bread has the texture of an English muffin, so it really is better toasted, hence the name. Before serving your soup, toast up a slice or two of the bread, and serve together. We didn’t use any butter, but it would taste mighty fine with it.
This probably makes enough for six big bowls of soup paired with six thick slices of bread. Happy eating.
Tags: Recipes
On this eighteenth anniversary of our very first date, these words seem most appropriate:
Unto us, all our days are love’s anniversaries, each one
In turn hath ripened something of our happiness.
Robert Bridges
