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Oregon State Fair

September 8, 2010 in Exploring, Loving by Colleen | 1 comment

1955 Buick:

Chevrolet:

1957

1968 Camaro

I’m pretty sure the Walton’s drove this truck -

Ford:

1955

I can’t remember the year (1940-ish?), but how about the beautiful chrome?

1962 Falcon.  A friend of mine drove one in high school.  Complete with backfires and a muffler that occasionally dragged and threw up wild sparks, hers was much less glam.

Packard:

1932

Ostentatious

Yet, utterly and completely perfect.

1940 Pontiac

Tractors!

Sweet Bunny Love:

Baby Goat

Are you talking to me?

A wee family of mice made from potatoes, carrots, chives, cloves, and beans.

Mark with Segovia the Llama

Ahh, the State Fair.  I would love to kiss the person who invented the institution, for there are few activities that I enjoy more.  It’s a magical combination of earth, animals, food, and gaiety, all that is important and essential in life in one place.  My spirits cannot help but be buoyed and soothed, despite the crowds and lively organized chaos of it all.

Though Willie didn’t make an appearance this year, it was no less splendid for these two urbanites, as there was so much to occupy the hours.  First on the list, food, and more specifically deep fried.  For it isn’t a true fair experience without the hiss and splatter of hot oil, indeed.  We had corn dogs and a giant elephant ear, though it wasn’t THE giant.  How people manage that one, I cannot fathom.  Then there was a heavenly smoked barbecued sandwich, accompanied by sweet spicy beans and tangy slaw.  We topped it all off with cheesy kettle corn and the soothing quiet necessary from over stimulation.  People! Cars!  Rides! Food! People! Quilts! Crafts! Animals! People!

As usual, 4-H was the highlight for us.  There is something very special about these kids.  Fearless, patient, proud, and so down to earth, I could talk to them about living on a farm, raising animals, and life in general all day (though I know better – they have work to do!).  Which brings me to this last photo.  Mark and his sister Suzie (I wish I had a photo of her – she’s got lashes to rival any llama!) are the children of friends we’ve known since first moving to Oregon.  They epitomize everything I love about 4-H.  They are whip smart, highly interested and educated, and never seem to tire of ignorant city slickers like me asking all kinds of questions, smiling and laughing even, taking everything in stride.  Like when Segovia decided during the middle of the obstacle course that it was time to take care of business, number one and two, Mark patiently waited, never ruffling – calm, cool, collected until the job was done.  Gotta love that – and the fair!

More Reasons to Love This Town

July 28, 2010 in Eating, Exploring by Colleen | 3 comments

Singing the theme song.  And no, she is not being beamed away in the process – just an ill placed light pole.

Two great minds that go great together (like Reese’s!).

Spock and Uhura

Khan!

Those compression chambers get me every time.

A preview of next season…

Awesome Portlanders!

Dang it, Portland, you are awesome, really.  Filled with fine sights, lovely weather, a love for the environment, and that sometimes zany creative spirit, I can’t think of a finer place for this red roofed writer to call home.

Take, for instance, this past weekend.  The hubster and I had a fine outing to North Portland (NoPo if you are so inclined – I am not) for a play-like production of an episode of Star Trek, “Space Seed” to be precise.  First, I just love that a group of people would think to do this  -  a live production of an iconic television show, why not?  Second, to be supported by such masses of people, Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike (peace and harmony!), that there was scarcely a place to sit within earshot after we arrived (90 minutes before showtime, I might add).  Seriously, how cool is that?!

Anyhoo, it was a grand time, and though the set was rather simple, it was better than alright: the singing of the theme song, the sound effects, the witty repartee, and, of course, Captain Kirk battling with Khan(!).   Called Trek in the Park and put on by Atomic Arts, it is word for word, blow by blow, and laugh for laugh accurate.   I never thought it could be so fun!

We followed our adventure with a stop at one of our world famous food cart restaurants (Portland is ranked number ONE in the world for street food according to Budget Travel).  A place I’d been wanting to try for ages, it didn’t disappoint.  A perfect end to a terrific day, but I won’t spoil it with too many words.   I’ll let the pictures do the majority of the talking…

Grilled Cheese Gromit!

Get on the bus…

Sip some bubbly…

Eat a sammy – The Jalapeno Popper and The Jersey.

Be Happy!

The Oregon Garden

June 28, 2010 in Exploring, Friendship by Colleen | 2 comments

Hello friends -  Welcome to The Oregon Garden!  Located just outside the picture post card town of Silverton, it’s about an hour’s drive from our red roof, and a pleasant one, to boot.  My friend Rob and I journeyed there a few weeks back while he was in town.

With eighty acres and a myriad of different gardens, there is a whole lot to see.

This photo and the yellow flowers in the one above are part of the eco-roof, a great way to filter rain water and keep a structure cool.  I like the look of the plants, too.

This is the cottonwood forest.  These trees are crazy tall, something like a hundred feet, and grew over a very short period of time – most impressive Obi Wan.

Funny that I should type that, for Rob, my fellow traveler, is a huge Star Wars fan, probably the biggest I know.  He even has a super cool Jedi costume, complete with light saber.

These two pictures are from the conifer garden.  The needles on both were surprisingly soft.

There is a tram at the garden, and though I would generally pooh-pooh something of this ilk, I was glad we took it.  One, it is nice to get an overview of the garden before deciding on specific areas to explore.  Two, the driver was a cute and friendly retiree with many funny anecdotes.  He also highlighted the best places to get married, this series of pools being among them.  I have to admit that the light was awfully romantic.

I think these are the seed pods of a sweet gum tree, but please don’t hold me to it.  Whatever they are, I like the look of them.

Always stop to smell the roses.

This was my favorite part of the garden.  It is an oak grove that dates back more than four hundred years.  Can you imagine living that long?  What a testament to the power of nature – so beautiful and inspiring.

Daisies are such happy flowers.  Are you smiling yet?  Go ahead, it feels good.

Oh deer.  She tried to pretend she was a statue, but we knew better.

I love this whisper of a flower.  I almost expect it to turn into a sweet fairy.  May I have three wishes?

Pretty.

We’re almost at the end of our visit.

Calalilies are so beautiful.

And now, for a shout out to my traveling companion:   Thanks for always being up for adventure, for your kind and generous spirit, for your marvelous humor and taste in music (Wilco!), your creativity, but mostly your friendship.  You’re a keeper!

Biking for Pancakes and Sunshine

June 20, 2010 in Eating, Exploring by Colleen | No comments

Can’t you just hear the Jackson Five?  A-B-C, as simple as 1-2-3, do-re-mi, 1-2-3, baby you and me girl!

I’d like to start with a shout out to our fabulous neighborhood newspaper, The Southeast Examiner.  It’s a neat publication of, as you would imagine, all things local.  It’s always worthy of an afternoon.  One of my favorite sections has listings of fun activities in the area.  Without it, we would not be here today, or, for that matter, out at that fine square dance, for both were found there.    I also scored a 10% off coupon for one of our favorite wine shops Mt. Tabor Fine Wine, getting a delicious Toro Albala 1982 PX Sherry.  We had a glass at Genoa (a phenomenal meal in celebration of our 17th(!) wedding anniversary a few weeks back) and liked it so much that a bottle had to be procured.  Unlike any other sherry I’ve tried, it’s very dark, starts out tasting like a port but finishes like a sherry.  Delicious.

Anyhoo, to today’s topic.  Last Sunday, when the weather was utterly fine, unlike the steady drizzle of today (good for pulling weeds and spreading bark mulch, however), we got up early and rode our bicycles to the Viking Pancake Breakfast.  It’s been listed in the Examiner for ages but this was our first time giving it a try. It’s located in the basement of the Norse Hall (no surprise there, I hope), a fine building erected in the late 1920’s.

It’s kitschy and lovely and filled with sweet people of all ages noshing on crepe-like pancakes with berry compote, the breakfast links of my childhood, fresh strawberries and cantaloupe, orange juice, and a bottomless cup of coffee or tea, if you so choose, all for $6.  We loved every bite and moment.  One of the highlights was the cute gentleman serving coffee and telling joke after joke about a funny couple named Helga and Olaf.  We’ll definitely be back and maybe upstairs, too.  They also have dances!  Square dances sometimes.  Yippee!

After all of that eating and drinking, and because it was so lovely out, we took full advantage of the weather, riding south on the Esplanade and Springwater trail to Sellwood, then back north, and home.  It really could not have been a finer day.

Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Birthday Bridget!

Swinging the Praises

June 9, 2010 in Exploring, Learning by Colleen | 2 comments

I’m feeling pretty grateful Under a Red Roof today.  I received some super kind comments about yesterday’s post,  was treated to an awesome early birthday lunch at Stickers, one of my favorite places, by Petra, my friend, boss, and naturopath extraordinaire.  I received a super sweet card and gift subscription to Sunset Magazine from the best and most hardworking financial adviser we could ask for, Sean Stansfield (call him – he’s terrific!), and am loving our new fly through bird feeder with the help of my favorite Backyard Birdshop employee, Laura.  It is clearly a day for soaking up the love and caring of the generous people in my life.  Thanks everybody – your sweet ways go straight to my heart!

Add to that, the veritable cherry on the top, last night we went to our first square dance, or at least first square dance since being the age of single digits some thirty years ago, that is.  As you can see from all of the smiling, it was mighty fun, too.  A come, as you are affair, minutes from home, we twirled, stomped, did more than one do-si-do, held hands, laughed, whooped, and hollered more than I can ever recall.  We can’t wait to put on our Western wear duds and do it again.

Many thanks to the mighty talented Rabbit Foot String Band, Paul Silveria and his fine and instructive calling, and all the friendly, happy dancers, especially Etienne and the really tall guy who kept us all on track.  We’ll be seeing you!

A New Path

June 2, 2010 in Being, Exploring, Gardening and Nature, Learning by Colleen | 2 comments

Einstein famously said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.  This path and the surrounding area are a perfect example of his definition.  For the first eight years in our house, the hubster and I weeded and weeded it (I even spent a few weeks digging up ALL of the weeds, only to have the majority return the next year – heartbreaker), planted grass seed, watered, fertilized, and mowed, but got the same result.  More weeds, more ugly, more mowing, and a whole lotta cursing.

Then, only after being, ostensibly, whacked over the head by a giant imaginary hoe, we got sane and tried something new.  We planted a tree and two yellow flowering currants (friends of the birds and bees!), followed by a whopping sixty kinnikinnick plants.  Slowly but surely, the area and our feelings for it began to transform.  There was an increasing amount of green and shade.  We no longer had to fertilize, water, or mow, leaving more time for more fruitful projects.

This included moving some pieces of stone from another spot in the garden and watching a path emerge (though it is still a little wobbly).  Then there were more new ideas.  The placement of stumps, the moving of hostas, and the purchase and planting of more than a dozen native plants: strawberries, huckleberries, and bitter cherry trees.  No longer an eye sore, it is a pleasure to gaze upon it, as I often do now, from a perch in the bedroom.  I look at it and feel grateful for the shade, the clean, cool air wafting through the window, the sweet berries I’ll eat one day, and the blessed sanity of changing one’s path.

Aloha! Part III: Land

May 5, 2010 in Drinking, Eating, Exploring, Shopping, Traveling by Colleen | 3 comments

This final Hawaiian post is a long one.  Grab a beverage or a snack and sit for a spell, won’t you?  We’re starting out in Hale’iwa on the North Shore, the surfing capitol of the world.  There are lots of charming shops selling all kinds of goodness, and equally charming people.  We’ll definitely be back here.

Action shot!  The North Shore seems to be the shave ice capitol of the world, as well.  If I do say so myself, our combination of lemon, coconut, and vanilla was pretty darned awesome.  Soft, almost creamy, no ice crystals, and that touch of vanilla ice cream in the bottom of the cup was divine.

Anahulu stream bridge in Hale’iwa.  I love bridges.

A cute cottage for island living.

Smack-dab in the middle of the Dole Plantation.  I have never seen so many pineapples!

Highway 99 south to Honolulu.

Dining at the Kapiolani Farmer’s Market.  We indulged in an omelet with asparagus and island sheep cheese, super refreshing sparkling beverages, macadamia flower honey from Kaneohe, and abalone.  Despite being slightly worried that we were the only haolies in line for them, they did not disappoint: garlicky, buttery, slightly chewy, a bit like escargot.  What a pretty bit of “garbage,” as well.

The Kapiolani Community College (the location of the farmer’s market) has one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen.  There are a myriad variety of flowers…

And cacti…

And more flowers.  This was actually part of a hedge.  A hibiscus hedge.  It is paradise, after all!

This amazing banyan is the neighbor of the Iolani Palace.

The Hawaiian Crest, it reads:

Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono

The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness

The grand entrance to the Iolani Palace.

Still pretty grand is the back entrance, where our tour started.

The barracks – can you tell Hawaiian royalty was deeply influenced by Europe, and, in particular, Great Britain?

What a fine porch to take in a luau…

Or wait for a tour wearing our special shoe covers.  No photos allowed inside.  Trust me, it was worth it.

Twin Palm trees and a beautiful view.

The state capitol building is unlike any I have seen before.  I really liked the architecture.  It is open to the elements,  with offices around a courtyard.  The handsome mosaic, reminiscent of the ocean, is at the center.

Also on the grounds of the capitol is this quite fine and modern rendering of the gracious and giving Father Damien.  A sainted man who cared for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those with leprosy (Hansen’s disease).  He worked tirelessly for sixteen years before contracting and succumbing to the disease himself.  Mahalo.

Greetings from his Majesty King Kamehameha, responsible for uniting the Island Kingdom of Hawaii.  You can see the real cape he wore (made of thousands of red and yellow feathers) as well as other gorgeous finery on the tour of the Iolani Palace.

The grand mausoleum of King William Lunalilo, elected popularly and by the legislature.

Lunch time at the Hawaii State Art Museum.  The restaurant was highly recommended by our tour guide at the Iolani Palace.  The chef takes a “local first, organic whenever possible, and with aloha always” approach.  It is mighty fine.

A tribute to Hawaiian Firefighters.  Mahalo!

The Honolulu Brewing Company building, circa 1900.  It actually went under a $25 million dollar renovation, but, quite unfortunately, I guess they used some super stinky wood sealer, and the building remains unoccupied.  Talk about a bummer.  It was, however, used in LOST, in some scenes where Charlie was meant to be in England.  This also reminds me, we had one LOST sighting on our island adventure.  In the airport on our way home, we saw Jack’s father Christian.  He is more handsome and shorter than I expected.  Go figure.

The Royal Hawaiian Hotel grounds.  As we were walking by, we saw a couple readying for their wedding ceremony.  What a place to tie the knot!  For my Uncle Chris, and a shout out to Rick, too: we couldn’t find the place you guys had a cocktail, but no worries, we indulged in more than one delicious tropical drink requiring an umbrella and a maraschino cherry.  We also had stunning views from the Punchbowl (see below).

Pineapple County Store

An Oahu icon, we had really good burgers and the equally good company of a local who dines here every night.

Leonard’s makes Malasadas, the best doughnut-like baked good I have ever tasted.  Trust me, with a particular fondness for fried dough, I have A LOT of experience in this area.  We tried them plain, filled with chocolate (like a really good pudding), and a silky coconut cream, of course.  Is there a Hawaiian term for Ooh la la?

We’re at the Punchbowl National Cemetery.  Located in a crater above the city, the cemetery is a stunning memorial to the sacrifices of our service men and women.  Lady Columbia holds a laurel branch and represents the grieving of all mothers.  Inscribed beneath her are the words of Abraham Lincoln:

“The solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.”

Amen to that.

It is a somber place of gorgeous vistas, encompassing Diamond Head to Pearl Harbor.

The small chapel.

One of the marvelous maps detailing World War II battles.

A final view of the sea.

Mahalo much, dear Hawaii!

Aloha! Part II: Sea

April 28, 2010 in Exploring, Traveling by Colleen | 2 comments

Hello friends!  We’re back in Hawaii (at least virtually) and a tranquil day on Waimea Bay.  During the winter, this is literally the center of the Surfing Universe, with waves reaching up to forty feet!

White, very white.

I’m snorkeling in Shark’s Cove.  What a delight to have the undersea world opened up to me.  There were hundreds of beautiful fish!

Though new to the sport, the hubster is very serious about snorkeling.

Despite the simplistic nature of snorkeling, it made us super hungry.  Something about being tossed around by the sea, I suppose.  These shrimp shacks line the north coast along the Windward Shore, near where the shrimp is harvested.  This particular shack was run by three adorable local teens who were equally comfortable speaking Japanese or English, very cool.  We had finger licking good garlic butter and spicy garlic butter shrimp, served with rice, of course.  Double yum.

The view from La’ie point.  The large hole in the island was caused by a tsunami literally punching through it in 1946.  Thankfully we missed out on activity of this variety.

We still got to see some pretty serious waves and beautiful blue water.

Happy haolies.

Kahana Bay

Driving to Yokohama Bay on the Waianaie coast.

More snorkeling!

Yokohama Bay – the end of the road.  Oh what an end…

Aloha!

April 21, 2010 in Exploring, Loving, Traveling by Colleen | 5 comments

Here is the utterly divine reason for my absence from the blog.  Hawaii!  We went for just under a week and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.  We’d been meaning to go for quite some time, but didn’t actually decide on it until after my surgery.  I was at one of my check-ups when my sweet specialist Liz poked her head out the door and asked an assistant to grab her prescription pad.  My heart sank.  I thought I was doing so well and was already chock full of drugs, so I had no desire to add another to the list.  Much to my delight, she handed me a prescription that read:  Tropical Vacation.  You’ve earned it!

I got home, showed it to the hubster, and we cried a little thinking about how hard a life with endometriosis can be.  We also thought about the summer we missed post-surgery.  We didn’t get to ride bikes together, garden, play in the sun, go to the fair, or even feel normal until we were well into fall.  So began our plans.  We’d have our summer in spring!  Oh what a summer it was!

These are all pictures taken from where we stayed on Maili Point.  We rented a small cottage that was steps from the beach and firmly rooted in paradise.  From this spot we watched boats of all kinds, surfers, paddlers, snorkelers, spear fishermen, whales, and sea turtles (Oh my!).  I really don’t think it could have been better.  The funny bit about it is that when we told the woman who inspected our rental car where we were staying, she could not have been more worried.  Waianae (Why-Nigh), you’re going to Waianae?  Yes.  She frowned, shook her head, took out a map, circled the area, followed that with a giant X, and the word NO.  Well sheesh lady, it’s too late now.  We’re going.  And so we went.  Aside from the heart palpitations I had from her fear, we had absolutely no problems, though we did have warmer, drier weather than the rest of the island and all the aforementioned delights.  We did see some homeless camps, and a couple of them were really big and quite permanent, but mostly the area reminded us of Southeast Portland: a good mix of  people, some with money, some with none, but all living Aloha.

We were treated to glorious sunsets every single day.  As our friend Kelly would say, “That’s why it’s paradise!”  We had a brilliantly beautiful night sky, too, with Venus just above the horizon, and stars, so many stars!

The cute cottage.  The flowers are plumeria and smell like paradise.

Our sleeping quarters – I put a vase of plumeria flowers next to the bed for sweet slumber.

The living room.  We moved the coffee table and practiced yoga in the morning.  Nothing like stretching to the sound of crashing surf.

Eat here.

Staring at the Sea.  Also a great album by The Cure.

We made a concerted effort to buy everything from locals and look goofy while preparing them.  Aside from the milk, yogurt (Nancy’s from Oregon!), cereal, and peanuts, we ate Hawaiian.  I’m making Kalua pork (bought in a package – I didn’t have the time or inclination to roast an entire pig underground) with cabbage and pineapple.  It was yummy.  We also liked the Pipi Kaula.

A view from our hammock.  Hammocks are good.

Another view from the hammock.  Palm leaves blowing in the breeze sound like rain falling and home.

I saw so many ladies with flowers tucked behind their ears that I could not help but join the crowd and squint happily!

The handsome hubster.  My favorite haolie boy.

Keep Portland Weird

April 20, 2010 in Drinking, Exploring, Gardening and Nature by Colleen | 2 comments

This is the slogan on a much admired bumper sticker here in Stumptown.  Despite it’s lack of originality (copied from Austin, Texas), it certainly fits the bill.  Portland is an interesting place.  We are a pretty liberal city, except when it comes to taxing beer.  We have LOTS of strip clubs.  We make and drink a lot of beer and coffee.  We love sustainable everything, and reduce, reuse, recycle.  We like bicycles and ride them plenty.  We are  friendly, kooky, and somewhat unpredictable.

This past Saturday is a perfect example.  We joined a group of friends to watch the opening game of our football club, the Portland Timbers.  We met up at Kells, ate good food, drank some Guinness, and then loaded onto a double decker bus that would take us to the match.  This cheery green bit of Ireland had a bit of its magic, too, bringing out smiles in passengers and observers alike.  On said bus, I met a guy wearing a “Poop on Stoops” t-shirt.  I learned through a rather lively conversation that he was not, in fact, advocating delinquent behavior only slamming the name of the Texas Longhorn’s rival coach.  Alrighty.

At the game, I saw firsthand how football (soccer) fans, who are normally mild mannered adults, morph into wild and woolly supporters, flipping off referees, vigorously waving flags and scarves, chanting obscenity laden cheers, all while consuming copious amounts of beer (for more read Among the Thugs – slightly dated, still relevant, and very educational).  It was crazy and comical, and our team won!

Being who we are, the we decided to partake of a Whiffie Pie instead of drinking further.  One pint of Guinness is enough for this gal.  The hubster said it best – like drinking a loaf of bread – delicious, creamy Guinness bread!  So we walked from Kells and over the Hawthorne bridge.  In a particularly dim section of our walk we saw an inebriated trio coming toward us.  I held onto my wallet and hoped for the best.  I need not have worried, for all they wanted from us was a sincere opinion.  “Did you think David Bowie was hot in Labyrinth?”  Seriously.  Since I do not watch puppet movies and the hubster would never ever admit to another man’s hotness, they were sorely disappointed in us.  Sigh.

Upon reaching our final destination and while sharing the sweet goodness of a cherry Whiffie Pie, we were rather taken aback when we saw a bearded lady, also buying a pie.  She wore a long skirt, had long beautiful hair, and a full goatee.  Will wonders never cease.  The cherry on top of our evening was a man riding a bicycle that seemed to be an advertisement for a strip club.  Wild Party A Go Go!

I love you, Portland.  Stay Weird.

p.s. In contrast, I am showing you some pretty flowers from the garden – Belle de Nancy lilac, dogwood, and my favorite red tulip.  I love springtime, too.

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