Public Art Interpretation

What do you think?

Library or Colosseum?

The Vancouver Public library is awe inspiring. Bright and bold on the inside and ageless perfection on the outside. The is a building not to miss when you are in the city. The library is eight floors and the remainder of the building is retail space, offices and a pub. You find yourself lingering on the outside waiting for the perfect picture when you realize every picture of this building is amazing.

Keeping the local economy going...

Wow! I never knew a walk through the neighborhood could result in so much economic growth. It is beautiful in Portland this fine November weekend. The cow and I rode our bikes to Trader Joes and loaded up on staples. We then walked down to the local grocer and picked up a couple of items that TJ's does not carry. We hit the hardware store so we can finish the cool panels our neighbor gave us. We then strolled into the liquor store for scotch and tequilla as well as purchasing a great piece of art at Tilde. We rounded out our afternoon stroll at BOTH of the wine stores - we got a bit sauced and purchased several bottles. We then had to figure out how to get everything home without hurting ourselves or falling down. Great Day in the ole NorthWest. Right now I can smell garlic roasting for the pizza the cow will be making in less than an hour. I am so hungry right now I could it my arm.

Walk, Wine, Eat

The great outdoors. The cow and I got a late start but headed to Silver Falls for a walk in the woods on a beautiful afternoon. The hike through 10 lush waterfalls is about 7 miles and traverses up and down but really anyone with a good pair of tennis shoes could complete this beautiful walk. We stopped off in Silverton and had a glass of wines, flew home showered and changed and ended up in the NW at Basta for dinner. Great day and evening.

Oregon's Bounty

Everything we ate on Saturday night was from the Farmer's Market. It was a gorgeous autumn day so we rode our Bike's down to PSU and filled our bags with various local goodies. As you can see there was quite the variety: pears, potatoes, tomatoes (like candy), corn, tomatillos, fresh pasella chiles and a fire roasted "hot mix" of chiles.

The cow created what I think are the two best pizza's he has ever made: an oregon pear with blue cheese and a fresh corn, roasted peppers, goat cheese beauty.

The entire time he was creating these masterpieces he was slurping on a super hoppy beer that is only available when the hops are fresh from the vine- Whatever that beer had in it, I will be buying six pack after six pack to keep him making glorious tasting food.

Pretending to be on vacation

The cow and I roamed around on Saturday like a couple of tourists. I know the pictures are pitiful - these are the only once I remembered to take. I was having such a good time living in the moment I did not feel the need to photograph much.

We slept in, drank coffee and read the newspaper. We tried a pilates routine that works your core muscle (aka-stomach)...the cow hates this. We then showered and went downtown. We shopped at Anthropologie and Nau and went to an art opening of Matthew Picton New Works in the pearl - geography/cartography with a spin. The streetcar took us up to North 45 where we had Stout Mussels (stout, garlic, thyme and bitter cocoa), frites, beer and wine. We walked around NW23rd and then decided it was time to move to the eastside. We attempted to go to the new brewery- Green Dragon but it was packed so we walked across the street to the Morrison Hotel. The bartender whipped up a mean sidecar and they had an amazing list of beers.

Our last stop was a romantic evening at Navarre. We had not dined here before and was very satisfied with the Spanish style small plates and atmosphere of being in Madrid.

Sippping on a Sunny Sunday

Ahhhh....to be there again. One of our favorite pastimes on a lazy Sunday is to drink vino. The most recent being in and around Carlton - the best place to be. The last picture is of the new wine and cheese shop (Horseradish) which offers a wide variety of tasting options. I loved it and I am ready to return. It's like oz, I want to be able to click my heels and be transported.

Super Saturday in September

Where did the sunshine go? September was beautiful and dry in PDX. We had bright blue skies, the sun was bright and warm.and the cow and I ventured out every chance we got.
This day - we packed up our bike bags with leftovers from the kitchen rode down to the river and let the day float by (like the big white clouds). He fell asleep for awhile and I watched people roam around. Picnic days are over now we have had intermittent showers for the last few days. I will say the trees are looking pretty beautiful with red, yellow and purple being the dominant colors.

Home Improvement

The cow has had this list of home improvements that has been driving him crazy. I am notorious for getting us outside every chance I get; therefore, ignoring home improvement. Fortunately, Sunday was a rainy day and the cow powered through some of the chores that have been bugging him.

He hung curtains! No easy task I should point out. The living room has about 14 foot ceilings and 10 foot windows (maybe higher) but we only have a 6 or 8 foot ladder. Once up - the curtain make the room cozy. I like it.

A couple of weeks ago he also purchased a larger screen television. Now don't go crazy. It is not monster big - just a 27" so that his old eyes can actually see the screen.

I have entered.....

That is right folks, I am back at work. Updates to follow.

3rd Annual Great American Distillers

The cow and I rode our bikes to the Gerding theater for the distillers festival on Saturday evening. The building is the old armory that has been completely re-fabricated for the theater. It was a really great venue for this event because it allowed people to roam through different sections of the theater/armory.
There was every type of booze you could imagine - the cow and I were in hog heaven. I think my favorite is the pepper infused vodka's like "Hot Monkey" from Rogue and the cow always enjoys a good grappa. We then strolled around the block to this new bar named Teardrop. They are a couple of guys from San Francisco who are making their own mixers; such as, tonic, bitters, soda, etc. I had a fabulous Aviation Gin and homemade tonic.

Cool Wood Panels

I got a present and they are so very cool. Here is the story. My neighbor had these really cool panels hanging in her house. I asked, "hey neighbor where did you get those?" She said, "My dad tore apart a 1950's ranch house and these panels were part of the entryway." She took two of them and cleaned them up, painted them and hung them on her wall. They look great.

I went for a walk with her the other day and she said, "hey, I need to give you a key to our house, do you mind coming over to get it?" When she opened the garage she had the key to her place attached to my cool wood panels. She had a total of four panels so she gave me the two that have been in her garage. Love her!

Cannon Beach after a great hike

After we got off the mountain and our legs were feeling a bit noodlie, the cow and I drove about 10 miles to Cannon Beach for a snack. It turned out to be a great idea. We strolled along the water. Sat on a patio and shared some vino and hung around well after the sunset. We had a great day.

Saddle Mountain Hike

Rating: Difficult. Saddle Mountain was a relatively short hike of 2.5 miles to the top (5 roundtrip) but after counting 11 switchbacks we lost track and decided it probably wasn't a good idea to count. This hike did not mess around. Right at the trail head you started climbing. The beginning of the path was a steady elevation gain - not to steep; however, when we started hitting switchback after switchback the dirt gave way to rock and chainlink fencing which was hammered into the ground for traction. The elevation gain from the parking lot to the top of Saddle Mountain is 1600+feet. The last part of the climb was the most difficult as the trail fell into a deep valley and then straight up the side of the mountain. If you look closely at the last picture you will see the trail leading from one mountain to the other on the right hand side just above the rock outcropping. Take a look at this posting as the idea of the climb is a bit more clear. Roll over the camera on the map to get an idea of what it is like to ride the crazy hike of Saddle Mountain.