St. Helen's or bust

WOW! We drove about 45 minutes on Saturday to the town of St. Helen's for their Arts & Eats Festival. It was a bust! The day was perfect - about 80 degrees but the festival was lacking something. We looked at ALL of the art on display in less than 5-minutes and made our way to the liquor tent next to the Columbia river. The cow had a beer and I had a glass of Syrian or Lebanese wine? Don't ask? I was there and can't explain why.
There was a trio playing music at the ampitheater and they were competing with the damn loud horn from the large river boat you see in the first picture. It got very annoying - I think they were allowing every Tom, Dick and Harry to pull the string for the loud BEEEEEEEEEEEEP.
Some of the boats that came into port for the festival were quite interesting though. We enjoyed the sunshine for awhile and drove to the Northwest to have a snack. It turned into a LONG evening on NW21 drinking at Brazen Bean and eating sushi because we knew we needed something in our stomach.

Chill, Pour, Sip, Chill

I went and got my hair cut yesterday and Jaime (the best stylist in the world) gave me a bottle of wine for my 40th birthday. She said she chose Evolution because she thought it fit the momentous event but she also liked the wineries philosophy of Chill, Pour, Sip, Chill.
I picked up a couple of Spanish cheeses (my favorite right now) - Cana de Cabra (goat) and Pena Azul (cow) along with quince paste, marcona almonds, jalapeno stuffed olives and a baguette and the cow and I did exactly as the bottle requested! The only bad thing that happened the whole evening was the bottle went dry.

Hike by St. Helen's

The cow and I went for the trifecta this weekend, we had kayaked and biked the two weekends prior so this weekend a hike was the outdoor recreation of choice. Our new hiking book led us to a place near the northwest edge of Mt. St. Helen's. We took I-5 north and turned off onto a scenic road leading to Cougar. Along this road we saw two or three lakes and reservoirs. After a long drive on a short non-paved road we made it to the Blue Lake trailhead parking area. We were astonished and pissed when we realized that we drove down a dirt road to find that the parking area was by permit only. NO - we did not have a permit and we did not go back to get one.
Our hike started in a very fine grain silt. It amazed me that even after 20years the St.Helens area still has massive signs of destruction. With the beautiful blue sky you get a really good look at the steam coming out of the mountain. The plume got bigger and bigger as the hike continued. I am going to digress here for a minute and talk about the attack flies that accosted us throughout the day. I can only say that you will never imagine the size and quantity of flies that were buzzing around our heads. I had ballistic shit-fits a couple of times to the point of almost falling off the side of the mountain. I was so pissed that I had turned around to go back to the car when I decided that NO F'N fly was going to ruin my trifecta.
As we went up the mountain, 1900 ft elevation gain and loss, gain and loss (because we crossed two valleys), the cow spotted a bobcat. Then we both spotted a park ranger doing a little walkabout- our hearts sank and we both thought: TICKET.
The views could be spectacular or barren. The view of the lake and the forested hillside across the deep gorge was green and lush. With a 180degree turn you could see wasteland - like the picture with all of the dead trees (I called them pick-up sticks). As we approached a bridge that led straight towards St. Helen's there was the warning sign you see above: Volcanic hazards and your safety - Number 1 rule: DON'T PANIC. I panic when a fly is buzzing my head, what do you think would happen to me if there was debris or ash coming at me?
After 7.8 miles of silt, flies and inspiring views we returned to the car to find that we had escaped without a ticket! Thank you park ranger man!

The Beast

I forgot to mention we had a friend waiting for us when we returned from our hike. It was great. Both of us walked to the front of the car to check for you know what....and YIKES a beast waiting on the windshield wiper.

Sidewalk to sushi

Out for 1st Thursday in the Pearl was more about being out and about than the art galleries. The cow told me to read the bricks. Huh? I looked down and along the sidewalk there were bricks with quotes. We walked along and I said, "there is one by Bukowski" and the cow said "I think I saw one from Miller." I turned around and started taking a few pictures. The cow believes that any town that would have quotes by Bukowski and Miller is a good town to call home. We wanted to have a drink and ended up in this kitchy sushi joint in the pearl. We sat upstairs in the bar and were told we COULD NOT eat up there. When we said we just wanted a drink the bartender calmed down a bit. Watching the frantic pace was fun. I love the size of that sushi roll the chef is working on. We walked around a bit until it got dark and went for the real sushi at Takahashi - it is an institution. We had a bit of saki and a few bites.

Where is Nowhere?

An art installation on the street. I forgot to mention the art trailer we ventured upon on 1st Thursday. It was called the Nowhere exhibit. It was a truck camper. It had tiny detailed images of various everyday scenes. It was well lit and artfully signed. I noticed that there was a website for more information. Go there and check it out. Nowhere.com

Entrepreneurs

These lovely young ladies were having a great time selling their goods to people walking down the street. They had chosen a very good spot to open there business - directly across the street from Fred Meyer near Hawthorne. Tehy cleaned off the shaded corner, brought in the structure from Ona's house (far left), slapped a sign on the front and opened for business.
They had fresh lemondade and Organic (vegan option) cookies for sale. Both items were priced at 75 cents each. They were boisterous salespeople. Explaining the process for the lemonade and the cookies. Asking if I mind eggs in my cookies. WOW! What planet are these children from. I purchased a cookie and was amazed at the flavor and texture. It was REALLY good. I decided to purchase one for the cow as a treat that evening. But about the time I finished paying for the cookie, taking pictures of the girls and wishing them good luck; a homeless gentleman approached and started chatting with the girls. I decided to buy him a lemonade and give him the cookie instead (sorry cow).
In about ten years - I can see these ladies giving Pix, ALMA or Saint cupcake a run for their money.

Berries - a built in defense

I realized there was no good reason that we were paying for berries as I gazed at the never ending berry bushes along the rail line behind our house. There were literally millions of them dangling from the vines. I pulled on pants and a long sleeve shirt and went on a mission to get enough berries for our salads for two nights.
Little did I know the reason there are so many berries on said bushes is because they have a defense mechanism built in called THORNS. The thorns on berry bushes are deceitful. Some of them are so small you can't see them with an untrained eye. I myself went in to pick berries without gloves. Foolish beginner! As my bowl was beginning to fill - I got a bit greedy. I went in for a few more of the plump, delicate little beings and all of a sudden - THORN. I drew my hands (notice that is plural) back so fast that I dropped all of the berries I had just picked.
Pissed and disgusted, I was not going to allow the berry bush to win. I walked home, grabbed some THICK ASS gardening gloves and went back to show that bush what I was made of.
After all my hard work and looking at the picture the reward was miniscule but worth every moment when I ate my salad that evening.

Fish in the road?

Your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a fish in the middle of the road. It is a pretty large fish too. I would say it is about 9 inches long or more.
As I was trotting out to pick some berries (see above post) I happened upon a fish in the road. I thought, what the hell is a fish doing in the middle of the road? Two blocks from my house and about four blocks from the river.
A couple of nights before, the cow and I were taking our evening stroll down to the riverfront. As we turned the corner we noticed a few of our neighbors chatting. I recall hearing one of them say, "did you see it?" Another replied, "Yes, he dropped it right there." NOt knowing what they were talking about we strolled on thinking nothing of it.
Now- I am trying to put two and two together. I think this is what happened. There is a resident bald eagle that has a huge nest down by the park where I walk and ride my bike. I think the eagle has babies up in that nest because when we have rode by I have heard loud chirping. Anyway - I think the eagle was out for a catch of the day at the river and for some reason lost his tallons (hee hee - that is suppose to be "lost his footing") and dropped dinner in the middle of the road two blocks from my house.

Bloggin sends me over the edge

Good Morning,
I have been trying to upload a picture for 20 minutes. ONE PICTURE! Not five pictures but ONE. I am so infuriated that I am going to put on my Puma's and go for a little walk. Maybe by the time I return, BLOGGER will be back in action and I can take care of serious business.
Check back later. I have some good stuff for you.

Glorious Food

On Sunday evenings the cow usually spends a couple of hours in the kitchen making a glorious meal. This Sunday was NO different. We dined alfresco on my new favorite salad with beautiful blackberries a pizza of pears and a blue cheese (that cheese KNOCKED our socks off) and lastly a fig cakes that was a recipe the cow made up after seeing figs in the market. Food - glorious - food.

Monday Evening Concerts

Every monday night in Sellwood park there is a free concert. On many nights in Portland, you can find a free concert in the wonderful parks. We took a picnic down to the riverfront and enjoyed the wonderful weather, great food and good music.
If your interested in the playlist here you go: Portland Online.

Exhausting Day

A wonderful ride was the plan for Saturday. We popped the road bikes on the car and away we went to Champoeg State Park. We decided on a 30-mile ride along a river road in an agricultural area south of Portland, we found the ride on Blueberry Rides.
The day was great. We started our ride at the Park and quickly realized that agriculture is vast in the area. There were these strange vines that were really tall - almost looked like ivy leaves. They were strapped to wires as high as telephone poles. We still don't know exactly what they were but they were everywhere. We also saw lettuce, flowers, berries, hay, alfalfa, apricots and so much we didn't have a clue of what it was.
The sky was a combination of puffy clouds, blue patches and bright sunshine. The temperature was perfect in the low 70's. We came across a church in St. Louis built in 1846 with the old cemetary directly behind. Once our legs had reached the 33 mile marker, we found our way to a winery about 2 miles from the park entrance and purchased a bottle of wine and sat outside enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon.

*Rest of the evening*
When we got home we both showered and sat around for an hour or so. Then we decided to take the town bikes out to dinner. We rode the trail down to Montage for a drink and made our way up Hawthorne to Aqui for Fish Tacos. We pedaled home along the river and realized we were both a bit tired after about 45 miles of riding.

What to READ?

I have had many great conversations with my hair stylist (Jamie) regarding books. I love the fact that she reads and is part of a book club. Her and I discussed creating a list of titles that we have read and passing them off to the other. Here is my list in NO particular order. Most of them have been read over the last year or so:

Teacher Man - McCourt
The Darling - Banks
FAKE: forgery, lies and ebay - Walton
Finding Manana - Ojito
Lipstick Jihad - Moaveni
Educating Alice - Steinbach
House on Mango Street - Cisneros
Running with Scissors - Burroughs
On Mexican time - Cohan
Caramelo - Cisneros
Dress you family in corduroy and denim - Sedaris
The other Boleyn Girl - Gregory
1000 Days in Venice -De Blasi
1000 Day in Tuscany -De Blasi
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Eggers
Kite Runner - Hosseini
Eats, Shoots and leaves - Truss
Reading Lolita in Tehran - Nafisi
Fahrenheit 451 - Bradbury
The Jungle - Sinclair
Fast Food Nation - Schlosser
Pride and Prejudice - Austen
Animal Farm - Orwell
Catcher in the Rye - Salinger
Spanish Lessons - Lambert
Bastard out of Carolina - Allison
Freakonomics - Levitt

*Richard Russo ALL - My favorite is Straight Man

Anniversary Love

The cow and I have been married for 7 years as of July 1, 2006! He gave me this plant that will bloom and say "love" on one side with a "heart" on the other. It actually worked. It is growing like crazy and soon it will be out the roof.

Summer Salad

The cow and I went to the Farm cafe for my birthday last week and we had the most delightful summer salad that he has started making it at home.

Romaine lettuce
Red onions
Slivered toasted almonds
Pecorino cheese (shaved, small amount)
Poppyseed dressing

but this is the best part! Are you ready!

Marionberries on top.

The berries with the onions and dressing are sooooo delicious.
I LOVE this Sweet Summer Salad.

Yee-Ha!

I am getting better at driving and snapping photos at the same time. Trust me I am very cautious while getting the shot.

This sticker made me laugh out loud. But then after much contemplation, I realized that Yee-Ha could be a foreign policy. Hell, Teddy Roosevelt gave the US the "speak softly and carry a big stick" foreign policy otherwise known as the Roosevelt Corollary. Nixon brought the US the great "Ping-Pong" diplomacy with China and Reaganites still banter and relish the idea of outspending the Soviets (that's Russia) with an arms race to end all arms races known as STAR WARS.
So, Why NOT - Yee HAW.

Party anyone?

While having a drink at Gino's we found ourselves being welcomed into a stragers home for live entertainment on Saturday evening. This gives a whole new meaning to the term: House PARTY!


P.S. If you can't read the details - the party is in an vacant/abondoned house.