Project 365: May 21st through May 27th

May 21st: Dinner at Marrakesh with Jen Earp - and we were the only people there.

May 22nd: Sun garden and fence completion. I also added some new stone, plants and rearranged other stuff.

May 23rd: On our way home from Ikea my little Bernie broke a part which is on order. We got a tow from the nicest guy though - thanks for the lift Wil Kaplan! And, as always, thanks be to my car goddess for finding the problem fast and working to fix it. Ahhh the joys of owning a car two years older than me!

May 24th: Salty’s on the Columbia Willamette Valley Vineyards Winemaker’s Dinner Don Crank the winemaker for WVV, Chef Josh Gibler of Salty’s, Beverage Manager of Salty’s Megann Williams and Derek the sales manager for WVV in Oregon.

First course: variety of cheeses, fruits, breads and Prosciutto wrapped melon paired with WVV Dry Rose of Syrah/Tempranillo 2011. Second Course: Orange and Chili Rubbed Colossal Tigar Prawns with Pinot Gris poached pear, crispy Pancetta and Local Arugula paired with WVV Pinot Gris 2009. Entrée: Pan Seared Copper River King Salmon with Yukon Potato Gratin, Crispy Morels, Proscuitto wrapped baby artichoke and a Pinot Noir Reduction paired with South Block Pinot Noir 2008 (this wine is not available any longer and is VERY tough to find but amazing).

Desert: Ricotta Cheese, orange zest, pistachios and fruit compote paired with Quinta Reserva “Port Style” Pinot Noir 2008 (another wine you can not longer find).

May 25th: More work on the yard. Patrick covered the old chicken pen with lattice to hide the veggie garden and our compost. I moved the evergreen clematis and also rehung the purple clematis and honeysuckle from the new lattice work on the old fencing.

May 26th: New blooms - and here in the front gardens my black and purple iris have started blooming.

May 27th: The last of the Spring bulbs are almost done like this stunning red anemone. I still have a few purple ones left - definitely plant anemones since they provide a lot of bang for your buck!

Project 365: March 12th through March 18th

March 12th: Dinner at Richard Keck's and he made us tasty appetizers too!


March 13th: Flower delivery one from the first day at my new job thanks to Melissa and Mathias. Beautiful African violets.


March 14th: My poor car woke up with snow on it...


March 15th: The second round of flower deliveries to my desk to start my first work week off from Patrick.


March 16th: Jello shots with the girls for Beth's birthday thanks to Ms Amber - also joining in the shot round was Heather & Tracy.


March 17th: Two of my favorite Irishmen...my husband and my BFF from college who is one hell of a tattoo artist, bartender (this bar is Del's creation in their home btw - site of an evening filled with Irish carbombs), and is hysterical when plowed. We happily drove to Yacolt to visit some of our favorite people to celebrate Del and Patti's birthdays.


March 18th: I spent the day weeding even through a rain storm and three hail storms. I did get a large amount of the front yard finished though so if you look to the far right of the photo I was able to get the weeding done all the way past the little stone path to the faucet.

February 12, 2012

Me and Jen went to the Portland Audubon Society's open house.

Aristophanes - The Raven is a classic example of people trying to raise something wild before someone finally brings it to people who can at least give him a good life. Honestly I am not even a fan of keeping birds raised as pets. Birds have wings and are meant to fly. Even a gilded cage is still a cage and it encourages people to steal creatures from the wild which just makes me angry.


Finnegan - Peregrine Falcon...though everyone around kept calling him a hawk. His foot grew nearly upside down making it nearly impossible for him to hunt so he lives a good life at the Audubon Society.


Hazel - Northern Spotted Owl was such a beauty.


Jack Sparrowhawk is an American Kestrel with a messed up wing.


And Julio The Great Horned Owl giving Jen the evil eye.

Project 365: February 6th through February 12th

February 6th: The rescued rose bush from Kristin's house is growing very well.


February 7th: Having lunch at Hotel Oregon with Katy.


Dropping by Kason Vineyards to visit Matt and Christina and have a glass of Pinot Noir with Katy plus pick up spent wine bottles for my husband's mead batch.


Dropping by Kame Sushi in McMinnville with Katy before heading back home.


February 8th: Digging through the Pier One clearance section I discovered Big Bird's tragic fate...


February 9th: Backgammon and snacks with Cheryl L. White. — with Cheryl L. White.


February 10th: Izakaya Sushi dinner with Jen.



February 11th: Melissa and Mathias' wonderful tiki madness party was enhanced not just by the amazing food and company. The amazing collection tiki mugs was pretty inspiring. As seen here and accented with pink elephants and umbrellas.


February 12th: Olive Garden lunch with Jen Earp after getting our hair cuts together.


Yopop frozen soft serve yogurt which is tasty beyond description - especially their pineapple one topped with fresh pineapple!

December 28th, 2011

Patrick and I wandered to Peacock Lane and did two drivethroughs which is always a lovely sight which is the first photo. The rest of the pictures were from our annual visit to the Grotto in Portland which we definitely want to go to this year to wander through the gardens when everything is in bloom. As it is the walk to the chapel itself for the Festival of Lights is, as you can clearly see...beautiful. It was nice to do this after Christmas since everything was way less crowded and far more peaceful.