tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46794015325627675692024-03-08T02:01:59.001-08:00field notes a journal sharing the good life wherever it happens
Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-88860256189913676472013-11-18T19:45:00.000-08:002018-02-20T11:39:02.017-08:00Warm Springs Valley - A Pictorial<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It was at the end of the most incredibly dazzlingly Fall when I last visited the Warm Springs Valley in Western Virginia. Here this rural mountain
valley is exceptional with it’s sweeping panoramic views of the
Allegheny Mountains, meandering streams and rivers, clean fresh mountain air
and, of course, the spectacular Fall colors. </span><span style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This valley, nestled in the Allegheny’s
near the Appalachian Trail, is steeped in history which reaches far back to
before Colonial times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Described
as remote, wild and romantic, for over 2 centuries the region as long been prized for it’s beauty and the healing
waters that bubble up in natural pools. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 19px;">The Virginia Tourism Office’s has adopted the slogan, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 19px;">“Virginia is for lovers”, but Virginia is also for photography, wine, art, music and history. Yes, Virginia is all of that, but in the Warm Springs Valley you'll find a fascinating blend between the unique Appalachian mountain culture and the lowlander who has come to the valley for the waters and the recreation.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 19px;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 19px;">I found it a treasure.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #512700; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 19px;">d11a1438afe2c7ae93251689ca1c5a6cf61d78248a7738122a</span></span></span>Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-29003181398170535242013-11-03T10:27:00.000-08:002018-02-20T11:44:30.645-08:00Fallingwater<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b>This month while visiting Pennsylvania, I had the chance to
visit <i>Fallingwater,</i></b> the part-time residence of department store mogul Edgar
Kaufman, and designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. I was thrilled at the
opportunity because not only was the setting spectacular, but I had the chance to learned about
the concept of “<b>organic architecture</b>”.<br />
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Basically the organic architectural philosophy “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_architecture" target="_blank">promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world through design approaches so sympathetic and well integrated with its site, that buildings, furnishings, and surroundings become part of a unified, interrelated composition.</a>” </div>
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This concept has always been appealing whether marveling
at the design of moss growing on stone or the blending of textures – leaves,
branches, stones, sky, water, etc.</div>
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But let's get back to Fallingwater - the house, located in a remote
corner of the southwestern mountains of Pennsylvania called the Laurel
Highlands, is truly impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
property on which the residence was built was owned by the Kaufman family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wanted a weekend retreat where
they could get away from the bustle and pollution of 1930s Pittsburgh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they handed Wright this dramatically
beautiful natural landscape upon which he designed and built his most iconic example of organic architectural.</div>
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Stretching out over the top of a waterfall on a stream called
Bear Run, the residence is skillfully integrated into it’s surroundings,
incorporating both the sights and the sounds of it’s natural setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an engineering and architectural
marvel - beautiful, inspiring, pure genius. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CCiqYuxBJ04/UnaNvarpO2I/AAAAAAAACf4/tRqOv3pfnX0/s1600/IMG_4937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CCiqYuxBJ04/UnaNvarpO2I/AAAAAAAACf4/tRqOv3pfnX0/s400/IMG_4937.JPG" width="400" /></a>My photos do not do it justice! At the time of it’s completion in 1937, Time
magazine praised it as “Wright’s most beautiful job”. <br />
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The American Institute of
Architects called it "The best all-time work of American
architecture" and it was named one of "50 places of a lifetime"
by National Geographic, besides appearing on <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/lifelists/lifelist.html" target="_blank">Smithsonian’s list of 28 places to go “before you die”</a>.<br />
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So I guess I can check this one off my bucket list.<br />
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As I said before, my photos or description do not do this place justice so I found a short You Tube video produced by CBS which really gives you a more detailed look at the house and the background of the participants in the construction of this marvel.<br />
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If you're ever in southwest Pennsylvania, spend a morning or afternoon at Fallingwater You will be dazzled!<br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-33980696621817136742013-10-11T11:45:00.002-07:002013-10-17T07:36:35.731-07:00Fall Festival Fenomenon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>In the last couple of decades a new</b> festival phenomenon has evolved during the Autumn of the year. I don't recall this happening during my childhood nor during my children's childhood, but each year bigger and more extravagant Fall festivals, pumpkin patches and corn mazes spring up - some free and some for a fee. It has become part of our culture, sort of like the 4th of July.<br />
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These days what child doesn't make a trip to the pumpkin patch to select their favorite pumpkin, visit the petting zoo, go on a hayride or a train ride, or get lost in a corn maze? And speaking of pumpkins - we're not talking about your regular, garden variety pumpkins anymore - no - most patches offer unbelievable variety in shape, color, and texture.<br />
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<b>Last year I wrote a post </b>called "Autumn, the Changing of the Guard" and I told you about a harvest festival which took place at Heiser Farms on Grand Island north of Salem, Oregon. I was particularly fascinated by this fall celebration because of their pumpkin cannons. These are huge cannons which shoot out pumpkins propelling them in the air maybe 100 yards and then the pumpkins hit either a barricade (maybe an old car) or the ground and then just go splat. It's surprisingly exhilarating to watch. And I'm not the only one who finds this entertaining. The place is packed. Wonder if this says much about the state of the American mind..... <br />
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Nevertheless I thought I'd attach a little video just to show you how absurd it is. <br />
<i>So here goes.........</i><br />
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<b>Aside from pumpkin cannons</b> (and there are many such machines working overtime in October) there is also the corn maze. Now the corn maze has become a really big deal all over the country.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RYO5XdieSk8/UlbCcRkS4AI/AAAAAAAACcA/12SXLZLrR40/s1600/Map2013-Fullsize.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RYO5XdieSk8/UlbCcRkS4AI/AAAAAAAACcA/12SXLZLrR40/s320/Map2013-Fullsize.gif" width="224" /></a><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1SNMCyib0xI/Ulg8f09zSGI/AAAAAAAACd4/xSHvAFyc3mw/s1600/zorb-rolling-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1SNMCyib0xI/Ulg8f09zSGI/AAAAAAAACd4/xSHvAFyc3mw/s200/zorb-rolling-sm.jpg" width="200" /></a>Located in Spring Grove, Illinois, the <a href="http://www.richardsonadventurefarm.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Richardson Farm</a> boasts the world's largest corn maze and an experience your family won't find anywhere else. This experience has something for everyone with slides, a corn bin cabin, pedal trikes and a goat walk for the little kids, and 4 separate corn mazes winding through <i><b>33 acres</b></i> of living corn, a 700' sip line, ORBting (rolling around inside an huge 11foot ball), for everyone else.<br />
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East year the Richardson family designs their ginormous corn maze in intricate detail recognizing a special or significant event. This year the design is a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Beatle's first album.<br />
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Although the Richardson Farm claims to have the world's largest corn maze, sadly they have been trumped by a West Coast maze at the <a href="http://coolpatchpumpkins.com/" target="_blank">Cool Pumpkin Patch</a> in Dixon, California. Coming in at <b><i>53 acres</i></b> (13 acres larger than 2007's Guinness Book of World Records layout) this year's design is bigger and more challenging than ever before.<br />
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<b>Now the</b> <a href="http://coolpatchpumpkins.com/" target="_blank">Cool Pumpkins Patch</a> promises that this year's maze will have new twists and turns to confuse, confound and delight. There is even a Starbucks station in the middle of the maze. Wow! Along with the World's largest corn maze, they also have endless varieties of pumpkins, a scarecrow exhibit and last year's pumpkin-pulverized VW bug. That's really cool!<br />
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As you can see the corn maze craze is becoming an integral part of the fall festival phenomenon. So much so that there is a corn maze website called <a href="http://www.cornmazesamerica.com/index.html" target="_blank">Corn Mazes America</a>. This site includes a directory and a Google Earth app for checking out all the corn mazes in America on GE. They also provide services to corn maze owners such as corn maze smartphone GPS app, smartphone games for the customers, design services and, of course, the how-to book - <u>Corn Mazes: Is there a Pot of Gold in Your Cornfield?</u> Phenomenal!<br />
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If you happen to live in the upper Willamette Valley there are many places to visit. I'm just listing a few locations, so <b>if you live in another part of Oregon go to the link listed at the bottom of the page for many more listings. </b>And if you live in another part of the country, check out Corn Mazes America or use your browser to find a local event.<br />
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<a href="http://www.wvpie.com/harvest-festival/hours-rates/" target="_blank">Willamette Valley Pie Company</a> Harvest Festival open from 10/3 to 10/31 includes Pumpkin Patch, Corn Maze (some wind damage), Hayrides, Hay Mountain (with hay tube and slide) and much more. Salem area, admission fee.</div>
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<a href="http://www.heiserfarms.com/pricing.html" target="_blank">Heiser Farms</a> open the month of October<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #372f01;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> with pumpkin patch, hayrides, petting zoo, hay pyramid and slide, pumpkin cannon viewing, etc. Grand Island near Dayton, no admission fee</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #372f01;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><a href="http://www.portlandmaze.com/" target="_blank">The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island</a> open form Labor Day to the end of October. Corn maze, pumpkin patch, haunted corn maze, hayrides and more. Admission fee.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #372f01;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><a href="http://www.faziofarms.com/" target="_blank">Fazio Farms</a> open all of October for their Halloween Festival. Corn maze, tractor hayrides, monster school bus, pumpkin patch, and much more. Portland area, admission fee</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jxIXuNwUZsQ/UlazvuvqkAI/AAAAAAAACbw/9I8atLCWI-Q/s1600/head-festivals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="65" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jxIXuNwUZsQ/UlazvuvqkAI/AAAAAAAACbw/9I8atLCWI-Q/s400/head-festivals.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #372f01;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Go to <a href="http://www.guidetooregon.com/html/events-halloween.html" target="_blank">Oregon Harvest and Halloween Festivals and Events</a> to see many more Oregon listings. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #372f01;">There are dozens of harvest festivals going on from the Oregon coast on over to Central Oregon, and from Portland on down to Southern Oregon. Check out what's happening in your neighborhood.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #372f01;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>Ok Jimmy, where'd you put those croissants!</i></span></span></div>
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Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-77052536102587699552013-10-02T21:36:00.002-07:002013-10-06T06:34:42.473-07:00Apple Cider - Happy Juice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The other day I ran into some old friends</b> that I hadn't seen in quite a while. Once co-workers from a past life, I know how busy they are with demanding full-time careers, plus running a small farmstead outside of Corvallis, Oregon. They've chosen this lifestyle because not only do they enjoy their work, but they also have a passion and joy for the science of turning raw food into preserved delicacies through experimentation and discovery.<br />
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<b>All year long </b>they're trying their hand at some new version of a vegetable pate, fruit preserve, or spicy chutney - everything from soft-fruit jams and jellies in the early summer to quince and pear pastes or butters in autumn.<br />
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I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have lovely plum wine bubbling away in the cellar right now, clarifying to a rich beautiful rosé.<br />
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Knowing this about my friends, I was intrigued and surprised
when I heard that they had gone and planted a small orchard full of apple
trees for the soul purpose of making apple cider (in it's various forms).<br />
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And these apples are not your run-of-the-mill commercial varieties, but true heirlooms
with wonderful old world names like <i>Liberty, Enterprise, Ashmeads Kernel,
Golden Russet, Hewe's crab apple, Wickson's crab apple, Florina, Dabbinet, and
Porter's Perfection</i>.<br />
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<b>This diversity is important,</b> because the best ciders are blended
using juice from several apple cultivars - apples not grown for eating, but for
cider making. A truly complex and well balanced cider is a blending of four
main types of heirloom apples which include sweets (high sugar), sharps (high
acid), biittersweets (high sugar and tannin), and bittersharps (high tannins
and acids).</div>
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<b>So I think</b> they have this covered pretty well with their initial planting
and their plans to expand even further into the future by using these trees for
grafting on to new rootstock and expanding the orchard into a high density trellis
system.<br />
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Their orchard management is well thought out and the first vintage of cider (Autumn 2013) is underway with enough apples to be pressed yielding close to 50 gallons of cider (mostly the hard stuff with a little fresh juice to enjoy right now).</div>
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Now hard cider is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the
world today, and was one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the USA from Colonial times until the start of Prohibition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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For some unknown reason hard cider didn’t make
the same come back that beer, wine and distilled beverages did after the repeal of Prohibition, until this last decade
where it apparently is getting some attention. One reason could be that unlike beer and grain- based alcohol, apple cider is just that, fermented juice pressed from apples and gluten free.</div>
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So, realizing that cider's time has finally come, a lot of experimentation is taking place among cider makers who are integrating hops (hoppy cider), barrel-aging (whiskey and gin), and producing dessert
ciders akin to ice wines.<br />
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In the last decade several ciderworks have popped up around the Willamette Valley, as well as throughout the Pacific Northwest, and there are some long established cider houses along the East Coast and in the Heartland of the US. <br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">But if your in the Valley this weekend be sure to stop by <a href="http://2townsciderhouse.com/" target="_blank">Two Town's Ciderworks</a> in Corvallis. They'll be celebrating their 3 year anniversary this <b><u>Saturday, October 4</u>,</b> serving their flagship, seasonal and limited release ciders, along with live music and local food. It'd be a great way to introduce yourself into the cider world, if you haven't already, and have a little fun too.</span><br />
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Also, the city of Portland boasts it’s own <a href="http://bushwhackercider.com/" target="_blank">Bushwacker Cider Bar</a>, with 7 varieties of cider on tab and a 100+ available in the bottle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> They have everything from run-of-the-mill cider for $2 a bottle to house made cider, artisan cider made with ginger, and ciders from England and beyond at $4-15 a bottle. Best to try the sampler to find the one you really like first.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--8CzBJiPBJc/UkyR5BLEUdI/AAAAAAAACaQ/4491iptdufU/s1600/IMG_4825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--8CzBJiPBJc/UkyR5BLEUdI/AAAAAAAACaQ/4491iptdufU/s640/IMG_4825.JPG" width="307" /></a>Given what's going on in the cider world today, I think my friends are really on to something with this artisanal craft cider making endeavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And I'm looking forward to them going prime time!</span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Lastly, for those really interest in the history of cider, check out<a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Cider-Book-Americas-Beverage/dp/0865474842/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256230084&sr=8-1&tag=vglnkc8086-20" target="_blank"> The American Cider Book</a> by Vrest Orton and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cider-Hard-Sweet-History-Traditions/dp/0881508195/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256226578&sr=8-1&tag=vglnkc8086-20" target="_blank">Cider: Hard and Sweet</a> by Ben Watson.</span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Stay thirsty my friends! Evelyn</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small; mso-spacerun: yes;">OK Jimmy, where'd you put those croissants............</span><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-8882193152607016942013-09-27T12:01:00.001-07:002013-09-28T08:49:47.251-07:00Love, Love, Love Oysters!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b>Love, love, love oysters</b> and if you're an oyster lover you understand the pleasure
of slurping down a sweet, briny, fresh, raw oyster. The taste of the ocean in
one slurp! I eat them with a little horseradish and a squirt of lemon, other
times a little cocktail sauce, or maybe just a dash of hot sauce. </div>
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True a raw
oyster might be a bit much for some (especially an oyster newby), but baked, grilled or fried - they’re always
delicious. A favorite of mine is to dredge them through a mixture of Panko and Italian bread crumbs - a quick sauté in melted butter mixed with
olive oil, then a little lemon,
tarter or cocktail sauce - but go easy on the extras, you don't want to ruin the purity of the flavor.<br />
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<b>Now if you’ve never tried oysters</b>, I recommend that you go out and enjoy some fresh oysters somewhere and if you don't like them, never eat them again. But don't worry about it for there are tons of people who consider them to be one of the most delicious foods on the face of the earth and they’ll be happy to enjoy your portion. <br />
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For the truth with oysters is – <i>you either love them or you hate them.</i><br />
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<b>So if you love them </b>and want to be an oyster aficionado here are a few things you need to know.<br />
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* Never say "oyster juice", say "liquor". This is the natural liquid inside the oyster - it is precious and should taste amazing when consumed with the oyster when eating them raw. It's part of the oyster slurping experience.<br />
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* Never say "salty", say "briny". They mean the same thing except briny eludes to salty like sea water salty and it just sounds better.<br />
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* Never say "water", say "terrior". Terrior is a set of charactistics of a certain place, like climate, geology, and geography which impacts the flavor of what is produced there. Just like wine or cheese, oysters reflect the characteristics of the area they are grown in - the terrior.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vuNKx6a4z8o/UkXJ9XiRNcI/AAAAAAAACX0/iEtpjKhgtGQ/s1600/Oregon+Oyster+Co+Yaquina+Bay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vuNKx6a4z8o/UkXJ9XiRNcI/AAAAAAAACX0/iEtpjKhgtGQ/s640/Oregon+Oyster+Co+Yaquina+Bay.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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* <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29150b;">Nothing pairs better with oysters than a nice dry sparkling wine. Whether it's Champagne, Cava, or Proscecco - oysters and bubbly enjoyed together are one of life's most decadent pleasures. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29150b;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29150b;">* Oysters are aphrodisiacs and scientists agree! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29150b;">Read this article from <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1486054/Raw-oysters-really-are-aphrodisiacs-say-scientists-and-now-is-the-time-to-eat-them.html" target="_blank">The Telegraph </a>and you'll see what I mean.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29150b;"><br /></span>
* Remember the r-month rule - especially with raw oysters. It's true that now a days oysters are perfectly safe to eat anytime and if you're cooking them you probably won't notice the difference, but raw oysters really do taste best coming out of the cold waters of the r-months.</div>
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Aside from the market or in a restaurant, there’s no better
place to enjoy these fabulous bivalves than directly from the farmers along the Oregon and Washington
Coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yaquina Bay on the Central
Coast of Oregon is the most convenient for me, so when I take a trip to the
coast I try to make a stop at the Oregon Oyster Company located on the
bay in Newport, but you could find them farmed at many bays and inlets up and down the coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want the
freshest (and when it comes to oysters, that’s what you want), the brackish
waters in the back bays are where you’ll find them.<br />
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<b><i><u>A Little Bit of History</u> </i></b><br />
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<i>Along time ago the West Coast was populated by the small, but
succulent Olympia oyster – a species harvested to the brink of extinction more
than a century ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The decline
originally started with the 1949 gold rush in California. San Francisco was in
it’s hay day and the Forty-niners devoured the delicious mollusks by the
bushel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that time they were abundant
and the only oyster species that populated the West Coast from San Francisco up
through the Puget Sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>It is
estimated to take about 1,500 Olympia oysters to fill a gallon jug so as San
Francisco Bay’s supply ran out, the industry soon move northward to harvest
hundreds of thousands of “Olys”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>for shipment back on down the coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><br />
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<i>It only took a few decades to wipe out these natives in along the West Coast and the industry foundered until the early 1900's with the importation of
the Pacific oyster from northern Japan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This and the delightfully delicious Kumanoto (also from Japan) are the
two main species grown commercially on the West Coast today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
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<i>The Pacific grows faster and larger
than any other species, and has a sweet, mild taste (some say salty cucumber
taste) while the Kumanoto’s grow agonizingly slow, but are praised for their
sweet, clean taste with a hint of honeydew. YUM…</i></div>
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<i>As far as the little Olympia oyster is concerned there has
been recent interest and some success in re-establishing the species in several
California and Oregon bays as well as in Washington's Puget Sound.</i><br />
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<i>You can learn more about this amazing bivalve
and it’s place in the history of the Pacific Northwest by visiting the <a href="http://www.opb.org/television/programs/oregonexperience/segment/the-oystermen/" target="_blank">Oregon Public Broadcasting</a> website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
did a great piece called <a href="http://www.opb.org/television/programs/oregonexperience/segment/the-oystermen/" target="_blank">“The Oysterman” </a>as part of series of programs for the Oregon Experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a great story with wonderful vintage film footage and photos.</i></div>
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*** <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Curtesy of The Island Grill & Raw Bar</span><br />
****<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Photo Curtesy of The Food Network, <i>Cooking for Real</i></span><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-13226063002158040342013-09-21T09:09:00.001-07:002013-09-22T14:07:43.892-07:00Falling Slowly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Last Spring I</b> <b>attended</b> a music recital at an academy for musically gifted young students in Denver. <br />
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The program offered everything from opera to jazz and culminated with a poignant rendition of a song called "Falling Slowly"<i>. </i><br />
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The piece was beautifully preformed as a duet by two of the academy's faculty members and was accompanied by the sweet sound of a tenor ukulele.</div>
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<b>I was so impressed</b> by the sound the came out of that ukulele that I promised myself I'd learn to play that music or die trying. Well, it's been 5 months now and I'm dying trying. Being a novice ukuleleist, this project has proven to be challenging to say the least.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pgh6bEnxbrw/Uj21R2wZQiI/AAAAAAAACUE/pxSekmvrwkg/s1600/ukulele.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pgh6bEnxbrw/Uj21R2wZQiI/AAAAAAAACUE/pxSekmvrwkg/s400/ukulele.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>But isn't it strangely unexplainable</b> how there are certain songs which come along every so often and just blow your mind with their perfect combination of lyrics and melody? Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is one of those songs, along with several of Adele's creations, and I can't leave Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe" of my list.<br />
<br />
So now I've included "Falling Slowly" to my list, for it is a song that has compelled me to joyfully work far beyond my abilities.<br />
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Of course - you may already know all this - but after I first heard the music in Denver, I did some research and found that the song came out of a low budget, foreign indie film called <i>Once - </i>a movie that took around 3 weeks to film on a $100,000 budget about an street musician working in Dublin, Ireland. Along the way the movie and the song have won myriad awards on the international scene and in particular, the song won the 2008 Academy Award for<b style="font-style: italic;"> Best Achievement in Music Written for a Motion Picture, Original Song</b>. <br />
<br />
Wow, "Falling Slowly" came out of nowhere and won an Oscar!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zdVpFr4HQWQ/Uj246Sn2hKI/AAAAAAAACUk/mGMkLF6g1Xs/s1600/Once-Musical-Tickets-Broadway-176-121312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zdVpFr4HQWQ/Uj246Sn2hKI/AAAAAAAACUk/mGMkLF6g1Xs/s320/Once-Musical-Tickets-Broadway-176-121312.jpg" width="320" /></a>Now recall this was a really low budget, small time, foreign, independent film. Basically one of hundreds produced and distributed every year. <br />
<br />
But there was evidently something very special about this story for in 2012 it was transformed into a musical production on Broadway (yes-Broadway) and was nominated for 11 Tony Awards, winning 8 of those nominations including <b>Best Musical</b>.<br />
<br />
Now that's an amazing rags to riches story. Should I say "only in America"? (Although it was written and produced in Ireland)<br />
<br />
<b>Check out the video below</b> of the song "Falling Slowly" written and preformed in harmonious collaboration by Glen Hasard and Marketa Irglova. After hearing it you too may want to include it in your musical repertoire if you haven't already!<br />
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But for now - enjoy. . . . .<br />
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Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-19697995765887967952013-09-15T14:32:00.000-07:002013-09-15T14:41:57.236-07:00Tomatoes and Other Stuff (UPDATE!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>What again! Not more tomato stuff! </b><br />
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After washing, blanching, chopping, freezing and saucing what seemed like a bushel of tomatoes the other day, I still had a bunch of plum tomatoes sitting on the counter looking like they wouldn't last through the weekend. I decided to oven roast (or dry) the few that remained - so, if you happen to have some Roma or Marzano (any plum variety) tomatoes sitting around, and you've made enough sauce or paste to last a millennium here's a way to use them up. <br />
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I'm really happy with the way these turned out - call them roasted or dried, they're worth fixing up this way. I recommend you try at least one batch. While it's true that there are many recipes on the internet to follow, I simply sliced my tomatoes length wise (3 slices per tomato making 4 pieces), and put them on a rack after I brushed them with olive oil and pressed garlic (a little salt and pepper helps too). I prefer to finish them off with a slight drizzle of balsamic vinegar - although you can season them with many other herbs or spices depending on your taste. Again you will find many renditions of this process on the internet, and they all seem worth trying<br />
<br />
Once they've been appropriately seasoned, put them in a 200 degree oven for about 4 hours (check every so often). I like them fairly dry but a little gooey - slightly caramelized. You can freeze them (will last for 3 months) or simply pop them in the frig (2-3 weeks). Some cover them with olive oil put I don't know if that's necessary.<br />
<br />
They are a delicious addition in sandwiches, any kind of pasta, dressings, pizza, scrambled eggs, etc., etc., etc. They're fantastic to have around when you need a little extra something.<br />
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<br />Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-55584355710201797742013-09-12T12:11:00.002-07:002013-09-14T08:35:25.985-07:00My Cup Runneth Over - Tomatoes and Other Stuff<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>I woke up this morning and couldn’t even make it</b> through the second half of that incredible <a href="http://goodlifewv.blogspot.com/2013_08_01_archive.html" target="_blank">designer granola </a>I’ve been touting.</div>
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My stomach was so stuffed from yesterday - when I devoured
homegrown tomatoes, stuffed with fresh tuna salad, and accompanied by a
warm baguette of French bread. <i>I had to eat it all when it was still warm and fresh,
right? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><br />
<br />
Then a little later that day there
was the caprese salad with, again, fresh homegrown tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was, of course, the first course to a very delicious
brined rosemary smoked chicken and then followed by blackberry pie <i>ala mode</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the operative word to use here is “epic”! And it was. <br />
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<b>You may have notice a theme.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fresh, fresh, and fresh – without a doubt September is the month when
we are so overwhelmed with homegrown produce that we live in guilt ridden fear
of watching it rot, knowing that we will never, never ever again,
until next summer, eat homegrown tomatoes that taste this good or enjoy a warm fresh blackberry pie topped liberally with vanilla ice cream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>Which is true.</i><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MyyS5OfekyU/UjH_o4iPg8I/AAAAAAAACRw/oIcXdFtI3bs/s1600/cherry-tomatoes-vine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MyyS5OfekyU/UjH_o4iPg8I/AAAAAAAACRw/oIcXdFtI3bs/s640/cherry-tomatoes-vine.jpg" width="401" /></a><br />
But there are other things to do with this stuff besides coming
up with a new way to eat it <i>now</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially the tomatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can be canned whole, made into sauce, paste, ketchup,
conserve, salsa, pickled, dried, or frozen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did I overlook anything here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Having received a bounty of assorted tomatoes this week, I
thought the easiest way to deal with my windfall was to blanch them, remove the
skins, then dice and stuff them into plastic quart bags before popping them into
the freezer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
All of this, of
course, took up much more time than I had thought when I started and requires
many more bowls, pots, pans, and counter space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Nevertheless - </span>it’s all worth it – I put in a good days work, pacified
my guilt and my glutinous tendencies, didn’t let them rot, and I have a freezer full of
fresh tomatoes to use this Winter.</div>
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<b>I still have some Roma's that I'll slice and dry</b> in the oven, drizzled with garlic, olive oil and balsamic. These guys are perfectly wonderful inside a panini or plan old grilled cheese sandwich, or incorporated in a salad, pasta and the list goes on and on. <br />
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But for tonight - it's pretty hot outside - the perfect evening for
a salad with fresh flavorful tomatoes, a cool cucumber, colorful pungent red onion, kalamata olives and a little goat cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Better
enjoy them while their here!<br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-873017124035305632013-09-03T14:51:00.002-07:002018-02-20T11:51:33.442-08:00Valley of Kings - Waipi´o (Y-P-O)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cd7IJdaCiqs/UiYXYZ6xEDI/AAAAAAAACPU/6X-iZCkYbf0/s1600/Waipio_Valley_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cd7IJdaCiqs/UiYXYZ6xEDI/AAAAAAAACPU/6X-iZCkYbf0/s640/Waipio_Valley_4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>It’s been several months</b> since I visited the big island of
Hawaii. But I often think about my last day there trekking through the Waipió
Valley.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A sacred, and mystical
place, steeped in Hawaiian history and culture, it was a fascinating time spent
in a very special corner of the world.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The valley is located on the Hamakau Coast, at the base of an ancient volcano in the Kohala Mountain Range, surrounded by two thousand
foot cliffs and waterfalls up to 1,300 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the valley floor taro and other crops are grown by the
locals. A black-sand beach about a mile in length fronts the valley, with Hi'ilawe
Stream (aka, Waipió River) flowing from the back of the valley into the ocean midway down the
beach.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Known as the Valley of Kings, it truly is a sacred place. For it was the
home and burial grounds of Hawaiian royalty for generations, and was inhabited
by thousands of Hawaiians at the time Captain Cook arrived at the islands. In the
1800s Chinese immigrants moved in along with White missionaries and traders who
established schools, churches, restaurants, a hotel, post office and jail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today there is little left of this
settlement or the structures that housed the population, as all were washed away
by the powerful tsunami of 1946.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Since that time, it is sparsely inhabited by a small
community of people who appreciate the simple life, the isolation of the area, and
generally avoid tourists as much as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will see several no trespassing signs throughout the
valley, so it is important to remember that we are hiking in someone
else’s backyard<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- a place that is
still sacred in the Hawaiian culture. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the day of my visit, I’m not sure what concerned me more;
the strenuous hike down and back out of the valley, or the terrifying drive
down and back out of the valley. For the only way into the valley is a narrow,
steep road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a 25% average grade
and sometimes steeper, it is considered the steepest road of its length in the
US, allowing for only 4 wheel drive vehicles to make the trek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 3-mile hike, from the overlook to
the center of the beach, would be considered an easy jaunt, if not for this
knee-buckling, lung-busting grade. Opting for exhaustion over terror we took
the hike. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Once in the valley you succumb to a subtle timelessness and
serenity. The power of the place settles upon you as you walk down the shaded
path to the beach. Then at the end of the path, the beach opens to a captivating view of the black-sand beach and the rushing tide. You're not alone on
the beach for there are many surfers and campers nearby, also enjoying the beach and
the waves - nevertheless it was still enchanting to walk along the shore in the hollow of
the valley.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">By the end of the day we began our accent back up the road,
sometimes passing up others struggling to reach the overlook and sometimes being
passed up ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
finally reached the top we were weary, but sufficiently fit enough to hoist ourselves up into the truck and head for home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The next mornng I took off for the airport and back to Oregon so grateful that
I was able (literally able) to take the hike to Waipió Valley before I left.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">For more information about the valley, check out the 3 minute video below. As a professional production it's pretty slick and glossy and tells the story above and then some. More importantly it is a beautifully done visual portrait which only enhances the story. Enjoy!</span></div>
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Other posts of my trip to the Big Island of Hawaii include :<a href="http://goodlifewv.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-dog-has-fleas-gcea.html" target="_blank"> My Dog Has Fleas</a>,<a href="http://goodlifewv.blogspot.com/2012/11/kona-town.html" target="_blank"> Kona Town</a>, <a href="http://goodlifewv.blogspot.com/2012/11/aloha-kakou-greetings-to-all.html" target="_blank">Aloha Kakou! (Greetings to All)</a><br />
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Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-27613952568247464022013-08-30T07:27:00.000-07:002013-09-05T09:32:12.857-07:00Granola for Grown-Ups<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pecan Pie Granola with Yogurt and Fresh Peaches - YUM!</td></tr>
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<b>In the last 50 years (or so) granola </b>has become a stable breakfast food in most homes. You can make it at home, you can buy it at the market or on the internet, and you can order it in a restaurant. There's millions (well literally hundreds) of recipes available. Doing a browser search I came up with more than 30 pages of recipes.<br />
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We all know granola is generally made up of things like rolled oats, nuts, dried fruits and some sort of sweetner (honey, agave nectar, sugar, molassas, fruit jam, etc.), but after checking what's available on line, OMG, this stuff has come a long way! Now you'd think what could they do to granola? Well let me tell you, I found exotic flavors and ingredients like gingersnap, sweet and salty caramel, cafe mocha, chai spice, and extra deep, dark chocolate ---- a whole <i>next</i> generation of granola. <br />
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Unlike the original mundane breakfast cereal, this stuff will rock your morning and really is "ice cream worthy". The descriptive explanations for these mixtures sound more like tasting notes for a fine wine; "<i>with just the right note of salt, a depth of flavor from olive oil, cardamom and maple syrup, and sweet nibbles of dried fruit"</i>. I'd call it a granola renaissance. As with coffee, chocolate, beer, and food in general, we have taken granola up to a new level, a level where we love to indulge all our senses, as well as verbal decadence.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pecan Pie Granola</td></tr>
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Which brings me to the real reason for my new found interest in the crunchy mix. A couple of weeks ago I received a package from my daughter-in-law. The label said, "Pecan Pie Granola" which was a special concoction invented in her kitchen. I love pecan pie - I was intriqued. The next morning I got out my low fat yogurt and milk and commence to partake. It was divine with fresh peaches. <i><b>It was divine!</b></i> After a call to my daughter-in-law, I found out the secret ingredients, or should I say ingredient. For all you needed to do is look at the stuff and figure out what is in the mix, but she added something else, something that really put it over the top. Something I cannot devulge for fear of excommunication. <br />
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Regardless, it got me to thinking and being a creative, brainstorming kind of person, I came up with my own special granola. <b>Granola for grown-ups.</b> As you can see I've included Kahlua coffee liqueur as a key ingredient. A hint of coffee elixir to break the morning fast, hey, why not? <br />
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So I proceeded to assemble the ingredients that would go with such a concoction. Thinking a tropical theme was in order (and using what I could find in the kitchen), I included banana chips, shredded coconut, sesame seeds, almonds, and a handful of pistachios, along with the rolled oats. Add a portion of brown sugar, salt, and of course the Kahlua and <i>voila - </i>granola for grown-ups. <br />
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Although I'm sure, the alcohol evaporated in the baking, I thought it was a great - wild and crazy idea. Kind of like living in the fast lane on the speedway of life, and a definite ice cream topper.<br />
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I must admit that although tasty (very tasty), my daughter-in-law's pecan pie granola is way better - truly a granola that has a Southern influence with a mix of natural and candied pecans, chopped dates, and other secret ingredients. And as I said, combined with fresh peaches, it is divine. Not difficult at all to envision on top of caramel toffee ice cream either.<br />
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For a basic granola recipe, check out a former post on <i>field notes</i>, <a href="http://goodlifewv.blogspot.com/2012/10/granola-sticks-and-twigs.html" target="_blank">Granola - Sticks and Twigs</a>. You can use this recipe as a template and tweak it to please your every granola desire.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granola for Grown-ups</td></tr>
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Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-49546427406045348602013-08-25T15:46:00.001-07:002013-08-29T07:32:23.168-07:00Kitchen Entertainment - Cooking with Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: white;">(risotto, risotto carbonara, gluten free)</span><br />
<b>Kitchen entertainment - adventurous, enjoyable,</b> and a way to get to know about those endearing little idiosyncrasies you'd otherwise never know your friend possessed. Kind of like taking a road trip without the complications.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpUj-uf7Ch8/Uhp2skG5xTI/AAAAAAAACNg/zt4oGGBJvFo/s1600/Risotto+Wine+table.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpUj-uf7Ch8/Uhp2skG5xTI/AAAAAAAACNg/zt4oGGBJvFo/s400/Risotto+Wine+table.JPG" width="202" /></a>Truly - some of the best times I've had were cooking fabulous food with a friend. I talking about cooking together - participating in the creative process and in the end result. Working together in the kitchen, sharing a cup of coffee or a glass of wine sure works for me.<br />
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With this in mind, the other evening I got a spur of the moment call from an old friend. Seems he wasn't doing anything and wondered if I was free too. Would I like to come over, have dinner and catch up on the last 6 months. Yes - I was open and yes - I'd be there at 5. Since this was spur of the moment he hadn't any idea what to prepare, so we hashed back and forth the virtues of various entrees, then settled on an experimental Risotto Carbonara (I love pasta carbonara, he loves risotto). We decided to make this a joint culinary effort, he as the executive chef would come up with a recipe, gather the ingredients, and orchestrate the process - I would function as the sous chef - second in command.<br />
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When I arrived, he had the kitchen ready for action. All the ingredients and cooking utensils had been assembled - the stock prepared. We commenced with the process. He read the recipe - I chopped the onions. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Di4m7648u0k/Uhp5rf9ZjSI/AAAAAAAACNo/D9HLjOEBF20/s1600/Onion+Chopped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Di4m7648u0k/Uhp5rf9ZjSI/AAAAAAAACNo/D9HLjOEBF20/s320/Onion+Chopped.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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He read the recipe again - I chopped the pepper bacon. (He couldn't locate panchetta and the pepper bacon turned out to be a terrific substitution.) <br />
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He sauteed the onions and bacon. I pressed the garlic.<br />
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Then came the crucial stirring of the rice, and simutaneausly blending in the stock. He poured, I stirred.<br />
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After that he grated the pecorino romano cheese and incorporated it into the risotto. <br />
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It was going well - we congratulated each other for what looked to be a fine risotto. Oh yes, it called for another glass of wine.<br />
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At a certain point the risotto was ready for a short stint in the oven (20 minutes). We then lightly scrambled the eggs and added the creme fraiche to the mixture. (Again, he couldn't locate creme fraiche, so we ended up using the best sour cream I've ever tasted - <i><a href="http://www.organicvalley.coop/about-us/overview/our-history/" target="_blank">Organic Valley Organic Sour Cream</a> - </i>and it turned out fantastic!)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LpyTnXG8lAM/Uhp6OJFmUYI/AAAAAAAACNw/-KTatxiRhc0/s1600/Parsley+chopped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LpyTnXG8lAM/Uhp6OJFmUYI/AAAAAAAACNw/-KTatxiRhc0/s320/Parsley+chopped.JPG" width="256" /></a>Then we took the risotto out of the oven and with the precision of a master chef gently folded in the egg mixture. It was look'n good!<br />
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In fact it looked good enough to have come out the pages of <i><a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/" target="_blank">Food and Wine</a></i>. Even better - it tasted like it came out of <i>Food and Wine</i>. And even better than that was the crazy fun we had putting it all together, together.<br />
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<b>So here we were with a pretty darn good </b>Risotto Carbonara - the <i>gluten free version </i>of the classic pasta dish. Never would have thought of it without my friend and visa versa. </div>
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<br />Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-41202200849042016902013-08-20T08:09:00.001-07:002013-08-27T12:57:18.614-07:00Travels with Charley<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">(labradoodle, Travels with Charley, Steinbeck)</span></span><br />
<b>At the age of 58, John Steinbeck </b>bought a new GMC
pickup truck and had it fitted with a custom camper-shell for his personal journey across America. For companionship he took along Charley, a
middle-aged French poodle, with whom he has many conversations as they travel together.<br />
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trip leads them from NewYork to Maine to Seattle to California to New Orleans and back to New York - from small towns to large cities to tremendous wilderness where they
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It took 75 days for Steinbeck to make his 10,000-mile
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They say that Charley was a literary device, but as you become fond of him, it's difficult to think of him as just a "device". Steinbeck portrays Charley as a wise and precocious companion, protector and a means to connect with the people he encounters. Charley is described as:<br />
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“…an old French gentleman poodle… Actually his name is Charles
le Chien. He was born in Bercy on the outskirts of Paris… and while he knows a
little poodle-English, he responds quickly only to commands in French. Charley…
prefers negotiation to fighting, and properly so, since he is very bad at
fighting... But he is a good watch dog—has a roar like a lion, designed to conceal from night-wandering strangers the fact that he couldn’t bite his way out of a <i>cornet de papier</i>.”</div>
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Still much loved after fifty years, <i>Travels with Charley in
Search of America</i> provides an intimate look at America as we stumbled into a
dramatic decade of upheaval and enormous change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book was published as a non-fiction memoir, which lately
has come under much scrutiny for being "heavily fictionalized".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truth or fiction (does it matter?) this is a gem of a book and an enlightened portrait of 1960 America (or reflective portrait, depending on your age).</div>
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Now you're wondering how I've come to enjoy a book written 50 years ago about a aged writer and his aged dog wandering around America. Truth is, I've come into possession of a semi-French poodle myself. Admittedly he's a <i>French-Canadian</i>, with a distinct French appearance (he could easily pass as a Parisian). <br />
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Forgive me as I blather on about how sweet, charming, sensitive, handsome, etc., etc., he is. I am trying, with difficulty, not to go on like an obsessing grandmother showing pictures of her all too perfect grandchildren while going on about how they "really are the most good looking, well-behaved, above-average children ever born". But here goes.<br />
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I acquired Buddy, the Labradoodle, as a young pup, about 6 months ago. He was the one (of three young male doodles) that held back and didn't overwhelm me with kisses. He was the smallest, shyest, and he had the curliest tail. When we got home he never left my side and he pretty much still doesn't. I wont say he's timid, but he is cautious. For example, I think he encountered the raccoon that lives up in my second growth Doug Fir. I think this because he has refused to go into the backyard for two days and he keeps looking out the window wild eyed. He once got caught unawares as the automatic sprinkler turned on - it took two weeks for him to venture out onto the lawn again. If another dog looks at him sternly, he immediately<i> </i>positions himself behind me. I am his protector. It took a long, long time to housebreak him. He rarely barks and I've never heard him whim or whimper so I don't know what kind of watch dog he'll turn into.<br />
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He doesn't much like getting into the car, but he jumps onto my bed every morning to wake me up. He's a funny (happy and peculiar) dog and as Steinbeck would say, "...couldn’t bite his way out of a <i>cornet de papier." </i><br />
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And he really is the most good looking, well-behaved, above average (in many ways, but I don't think he inherited the poodle intelligence) dog ever born.<br />
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There I've written it - so, accept in passing, you'll never read another rant about Buddy. He'll stay in the background, but I have to admit I've enjoyed sharing him with you for he truly is a "good thing", and the Charley book is a real winner too.<br />
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Here's Buddy with Lucy the Bassett, his true BFF.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Portland, kayak, Next Adventures, Sellwood Riverfront Park</span><br />
<b>The respite between Seattle and San Francisco</b> - Portland is the quintessential city of the Pacific Northwest, left coast culture. It is the city of neighborhoods, coffee shops, brew pubs, restaurants, food carts, artesian bakeries, pinot noir, small batch roasted coffee, home smoked salmon and <i>a river runs through it.</i><br />
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The rivers have a huge influence on the Portland vibe with the Willamette dividing the city, and the Columbia just north of town. Fact is they both add enormously to the city's ambience, creating and enhancing both commerce and recreation. The town is a bustling port especially in the summer - and yesterday was no exception. </div>
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There were tons of people on and in the water and at Sellwood Riverfront Park there were tons of dogs on and in the water too! What a great place to people watch - and the dogs took first prize, joyously frolicing along the banks of the Willamette.<br />
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So how excited was I when I got to enjoy my first kayak trip on the Willamette with my hosts <a href="http://nextadventure.net/kayak-school-portland/">Next Adventures</a>. Amazingly it was a Groupon that got me out there and I'm glad it did. Although a bit hazy (the weather that is) it was a perfect day to glide along and enjoy the hazy, crazy, lazy days of summer on the river. Thank you Groupon and <a href="http://nextadventure.net/kayak-school-portland/" target="_blank">Next Adventures</a> for providing good equipment and a great guide/teacher named appropriately, Wren.</div>
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We all got a beginner's lesson from our very welcoming, fun-loving and competent guide (Wren). First she told us about all the parts of the kayak, then how to properly and efficiently use the paddle. After that we learned the technical terms and procedures, secured our life vests, and hit the water (or should I say carefully slid into our kayaks on the dock) along side the Sellwood Bridge where we took a paddle down the Willamette and around Ross Island. </div>
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As I said, the day was perfect (again a bit hazy) and the water was perfect too. I have no great adventure or mishap to report on this trip (thankfully), just enjoyed a very mellow paddle on a perfect day with fellow Groupon clippers.</div>
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This little gal was following us all the way. <br />
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Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-81535675721938167652013-08-14T07:51:00.002-07:002013-08-15T12:31:32.068-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">It's been a long, long time. . . . . .</span></h2>
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Hello there! You do realize that there hasn't been a word written in this blog for the last 8 months. Truth is I've been traveling around the country experiencing the great USA and discovering good things wherever I go. This last year I had been blogging about the unique and special qualities of life in the Willamette Valley in Oregon - now I think I should broaden my viewpoint and write about experiencing the good life everywhere - no boundary's. New beginnings - who knows where it will take us!<br />
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<i>Welcome to "field notes" a journal sharing the good life wherever it happens.</i><br />
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Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-1887896951438999142012-11-09T21:52:00.001-08:002013-09-05T09:30:08.382-07:00My Dog Has Fleas (GCEA)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">ukulele, kona, Hulihue'e Palace, Kona Town, Kahaluu Beach Park, Kona Trolley</span></b><br />
<b>You've never truly had the Hawaiian experience</b> until you take a ukulele lesson from Kumu Lale on the grounds of the <a href="http://www.huliheepalace.net/about-hulihee/palace">Hulihue'e Palace</a> on Kona Bay. This happens every Friday morning from 10 - 12 and all you have to do is just "show up". Some call her "Kumu" (teacher) and some call her "Auntie", whatever you call her, she is a gracious, patient teacher who enjoys introducing Hawaiian music to anyone willing to learn. <br />
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So this is how I've been passing some of my time during the last two weeks - improving my uke skills and basking at the playgrounds of Hawaiian Royalty.</div>
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Actually as far as palaces go, Hulihue'e is not terribly grand. But it is a lovely Hawaiian style building fronted by a wrought iron gate decorated with the royal crest. The palace is now a museum showcasing Victorian artifacts from the era of King Kalakaua and Queen Kapi'olani.<br />
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It was considered the summer vacation home to the royals. I don't know why - every place is a vacation palace in the islands. But there could be some historical significance to the location with Makuaikaua Church (Hawaii's earliest Christian Church built in 1820) directly across the street and Ahuena Heiau (the last royal residence of the great King Kamehameha l) within view. <br />
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<b>And <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamehameha_I">King Kamehameha l </a>is a big deal here. </b> Highly regarded as a warrior, diplomat, and leader, he holds a place of great esteem in every Hawaiian heart, almost to a spiritual level. Legend has it that he was born in 1736, the year Haley's Comet passed over the islands. He is credited with uniting the islands and was the first ruler of this island nation. Ironically he spent his later years at his compound in Kailua-Kona, now the site of the King Kamehameha Beach Hotel, the starting and finishing points for the Ironman World Coampionship Triathlon. <br />
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<b>I've spent my entire time here in Kona without a car.</b> This has been a valuable experience for me as I've had to be organized and follow a schedule if I wanted be at my destinations on time. I have done a lot of walking and I have found that the public transportation, that is, the city bus, is a bit confusing and actually spent several hours on it one afternoon because I missed my stop (actually I got confused). I hate thinking this, but at times I felt like I was in a third world country riding on that rickety bus. This could be because I usually don't ride city buses (although this bus was different from the ones I've seen in the WV). <br />
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<b>Lucky for me, </b>I found another form of transportation which is very reliable, and fun, and stops by my condo complex every two hours, and the driver is always nice to you. It's a delightful green open-air trolley which is contracted by the Sheraton Resort at the far south end of the Kona coastline and is used to shuttle their guests and anyone else with $2 into and around Kona Town. One afternoon, when the trolley didn't have a lot of passengers, the driver (who was an Hawaiian) actually gave me the grand tour from one end of the line to the other (from the Sheraton Resort to the Kona Brewing Company) and explained all about how and where the Hawaiians lived on the coastline before the Westerners arrived. It was quite a story - amazingly the islands are loaded with existing old historic and sacred sites - and being a haole, I was a little uncomfortable at times about how the story ended.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gulnydrg7CU/UJ29CkaSHPI/AAAAAAAACBI/uiZBNmmfpfY/s1600/IMG_3243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="534" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gulnydrg7CU/UJ29CkaSHPI/AAAAAAAACBI/uiZBNmmfpfY/s640/IMG_3243.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.marinelifephotography.com/fishes/surgeonfishes/zanclus-cornutus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://www.marinelifephotography.com/fishes/surgeonfishes/zanclus-cornutus.jpg" width="400" /></a><b>So today I'm going to catch the trolley</b> and go to a really great snorkel beach called <a href="http://www.hawaiisnorkelingguide.com/kahaluu_beach_park_snorkeling.html">Kahaluu Beach Park.</a> Some say it's the best snorkel beach on the island. It has quite a bit of historical significance and is considered by many Hawaiians to be a sacred place. <br />
<br />
All I know is there a tons of wonderful reef fish (all colors of the rainbow) to be seen, and abundant sightings of the Green Sea Turtle swimming throughout the bay. It's a calm and safe place to snorkel - there's a life guard, and it's beautiful. It was here that I saw my first Yellow Tang that was not in an aquarium and they were huge. So you see quite large fish (all the fish you see in a marine aquarium and some you haven't), and if you carefully look around you can find little nursery sites in the Brain Coral with tiny little fish that look exactly like the big ones. <br />
<br />
It's so compelling out in the bay that it's difficult to pull yourself away from looking down into the water at the sea life. But you need to be watchful, for even though it's a safe place to snorkel, there are currents that can take you out or down the coast farther than you'd like to go. <br />
<br />
Well it's time to get my snorkel gear read and get out of here - before I miss the trolley again!<br />
<a href="http://www.marinelifephotography.com/fishes/surgeonfishes/Acanthurus-triostegus-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://www.marinelifephotography.com/fishes/surgeonfishes/Acanthurus-triostegus-2.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>I couldn't resist putting in another picture of a sunset.</b> The sunsets on the Kona side of the Big Island are so spectacular - you cannot take a bad picture. The one below is totally untouched or enhanced. I will be leaving Kona in a day, going on to visit Hilo - the other side of the island - the side with no sunsets! So a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">loha</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">a hui hou kakoui Kona.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><b><i>REMEMBER: Buy Local When You Can!</i></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Arial Narrow';"></span>Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-12740278313679969222012-11-05T11:02:00.001-08:002013-09-05T09:29:28.122-07:00Kona Town<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">At this time I'm sitting on the deck at
Bongo Bens, on the bay in Kona Town – eating a quesadilla, sipping a Margarita,
watching the cloudless sky over the blue Pacific, and writing these thoughts
down for my next blog post.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">I wonder if
this is how Earnest Hemingway felt</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">as he sat in a Paris café writing the greatest literature in the world –
I suppose not.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JjpnrMqbZHI/UJc6IxloIsI/AAAAAAAAB9I/O7dBxiWcu1s/s1600/IMG_3339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JjpnrMqbZHI/UJc6IxloIsI/AAAAAAAAB9I/O7dBxiWcu1s/s320/IMG_3339.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As you’ve seen in the previous
post, sunsets are beautiful along the Kona coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to wonder how the Hawaiians felt as they saw the sun
setting on the horizon all those hundreds of years ago at this very spot. Of
course they weren’t watching the cruise ships anchored in the bay, or sipping a
Margarita and listening to the gentle, melodic</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> music of the islands. So they probably felt
somewhat different, but nevertheless saw something in those sunsets that contributed to the understanding of their world.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFsQ_MvgJ3E/UJa2hqXzz8I/AAAAAAAAB9E/9E9fy4ORVlc/s1600/IMG_3119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="614" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFsQ_MvgJ3E/UJa2hqXzz8I/AAAAAAAAB9E/9E9fy4ORVlc/s640/IMG_3119.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Today, as I was walking into Kona Town, I was called
“Auntie”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You remember - that term
of endearment and respect the young use to address the old here in the
islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I was a bit taken
back by it, as I hadn’t thought of myself in that way, and the guy was a surfer
dude with long kind of blonde and graying hair, somewhat younger than me (but no youth),
so I was amused and tried to act gracefully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m still amused (chuckle).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A new label for my aging self - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I better eat some more papayas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">What they call Kailua Kona or
the Kailua Village is the historic part of Kona on the bay. Although a charming village where the weather and water are considered the best, and the cruise ships dock once or twice a week,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> it does seem a bit worn </span>so to say, evidently the big money is moving to the expensive resorts along the coast to the
north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’ve rented a really nice place along the coast to the south so that should tell you something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>North or South it doesn’t matter - the
weather here is really unbelievable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You are NEVER (never ever) cold or chilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The gardens are impeccable, bananas are growing at my door (this is amazing to me).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The parasailors float in the sky </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">overhead </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">every 5 minutes all day and the dolphins are playing just off shore.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> Hey - it's paradise! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’ve taken to feeding the birds on the lanai with
bread crumbs (which is completely against the rules in the condominium complex) but it is fun to watch
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLRog_PkBxQ/UJa2oOndLOI/AAAAAAAAB8c/Xf-2-_oaelU/s1600/IMG_3192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uLRog_PkBxQ/UJa2oOndLOI/AAAAAAAAB8c/Xf-2-_oaelU/s320/IMG_3192.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The main visitor is the
Yellow Billed Cardinal, an introduced species from South America and member of
the Tanager family that is mainly found along the Kona Coast.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Another species, also introduced from the South America, and also a
member of the Tanager family, is the Saffron Finch – a pretty little bird, and quite
abundant all over the islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_LPDiBW_whQ/UJa2rO_cHCI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/7Dz5BzBYEzY/s1600/IMG_3214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_LPDiBW_whQ/UJa2rO_cHCI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/7Dz5BzBYEzY/s200/IMG_3214.JPG" width="200" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">My
last visitor is the Zebra Dove, native of Thailand, were they are considered
good luck and kept as pets for their sweet “coo”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> These opportunistic rascals enjoy life everwhere from the luxurious gardens in the resorts to the street-side cafes in Kona Town.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; clear: left; float: left; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="3" height="360" src="http://www.diamonddove.info/10_00_zebra_dove_female.jpg" width="400" /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Apparently the island is full of charming little birds that
have no business being here and are unfortunately rapidly replacing the native Hawaiian
species.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Aloha a hui hou kakoui</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">(Farewell until we meet again!)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
Evelyn</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-72810476576569795452012-10-24T17:09:00.000-07:002013-08-27T12:56:00.232-07:00My Asian Garden<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;">Portland Japanese Garden, Portland Chinese Garden, Asian Garden</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Three years ago I had this
little patch of ground hidden away in the back of the property and decided to
turn it into my own Asian garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With few financial resources to use on this project and even less skill
or knowledge about landscaping the stylized Asian look, I was on a real mission
and a real challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Fortunately I was physically
able to do the hard work like dig out what remaining grass was growing, build a
couple of berms, and slope the area to achieve a pleasing vertical and
horizontal perspective. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I searched
through the used book store and found many books on Japanese garden design and
did a lot of research on the web.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I kept my eye out at nurseries and garden centers for plant materials (on
sale) that would fit into my design,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>lugged them into the backyard, dug, amended soil, and re-dug and
amended soil until I placed them were I thought they should be to achieve the Asian look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Although I was pleased with
the initial results, I quickly realized that it would take several years of a
dedicated maintenance regime for the garden to look like a beautiful Asian
garden. Since that time I have worked and watched the garden mature, from the
moss floor spreading out into a full green carpet, to the ferns, azaleas, pines,
and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bamboo filling out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The garden isn't truly emblematic of the basic structure and philosophy that a traditional
Asian garden requires, but I think I did accomplish the desired result which
imparts a sense of peace, harmony, and tranquility and the
feeling of being a part of nature.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">And although the garden, as with all gardens, will continue to grow and
be amended again and again, I’m happy with it as it is now. Most importantly, the garden
reminds me that it’s the journey not the destination that teaches and inspires.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><b>If you are interested</b> in
learning more about the Asian style of garden design or just visiting an
authentic Asian garden, there are two internationally acclaimed gardens in
Portland.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Both of these gardens have informed, inspired and delighted me, and they</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> are well worth
the trip and the admission fee.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The <a href="http://japanesegarden.com/">Portland Japanese Garden </a>is thought to be the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and is
truly a haven of tranquil beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <b> </b></span></span><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qMkAqqKDKMU/UIhs1HYSBpI/AAAAAAAABzM/bpSPXf8SHdM/s1600/P1010218%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qMkAqqKDKMU/UIhs1HYSBpI/AAAAAAAABzM/bpSPXf8SHdM/s200/P1010218%25281%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>On
Monday, November 12</b>, you can visit the garden free of admission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For more information follow link above to
their website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><b>This Saturday, October 27, </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm the Friends of
the Garden will have their annual Maple Plant Sale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More information about this event is also on their website.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JFHzDwmvwqc/UIhstsdAPBI/AAAAAAAABzA/XHrDGwUKHUY/s1600/P1010166%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JFHzDwmvwqc/UIhstsdAPBI/AAAAAAAABzA/XHrDGwUKHUY/s320/P1010166%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>Also, offering a glimpse of Chinese</b> culture, beauty, and harmony is the
<a href="http://www.lansugarden.org/home">Lan Su Chinese Garden</a> located near Chinatown in downtown Portland. Inside the garden is an authentic
teahouse such as can be found during the Ming Dynasty. Light meals and snacks
are offered along with numerous varieties of tea to suit every mood and season. Live performances range from Chinese er-hu music to song and poetry.</span><!--EndFragment-->
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Life is good - bye for now. Evelyn</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-74578651011417830362012-10-18T09:54:00.001-07:002012-10-19T09:34:14.958-07:00Saturday Afternoon in Portland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Spend an afternoon in Portland sometime. </b>Meander around one of those unique districts that Portland has to offer with quaint cafes and even quainter shops. It puts the pizzaz back into your thinking and gets the creative juices flowing.<br />
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This Saturday I was in the Pearl, but there are other districts in the city which give off their own unique vibe as well. The original purpose for the trip was to check out an urban garden shop for some new garden design ideas. But as soon as I parked the car I couldn't resist the lure of the street.<br />
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The Pearl District is made up of old warehouses converted into new swanky condos, and busy hip shops with an amazing diversity of people, and things to do and see. I wondered into the cool <a href="http://proguitarshop.com/">Pro Guitar</a> Shop (a brave new world in that place for sure) - the largest guitar shop in the Portland Metro area with an amazing wall display of any guitar you'd ever want to see or play. Then there was the <a href="http://www.frenchcuthairpdx.com/">French Cut Hair Salon</a> - effortlessly seductive and charming! I couldn't resist popping in for a peek at their very chic salon and they were graciously welcoming - like meeting an old friend.<br />
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Made another stop at the<a href="http://www.teazone.com/"> Tea Zone and Camilla Lounge</a> - tea, coffee, jazz, blues, cocktails, food - who would think about putting all those things together and yet it worked so well. Then on down the street you'll find the exquisite <a href="http://www.frenchquarterlinens.com/">French Quarter Linens</a> - luxurious, stylish, sophisticated, elegant and expensive, but worth a look for some fresh ideas.<br />
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<b>Now there's no shortage of incredible places to eat in Portland</b>. In fact it's pretty overwhelming unless you have something specific in mind before you make the trip. It was Lebanese food that was on my mind and I was determined to get it. And there's no better place in town then <a href="http://nicholasrestaurant.com/">Nicholas Lebanese Restaurant </a>on Grand Avenue just across the river. <br />
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Outside it looks a little like a bit of a hole in the wall, but inside awaits the most delicious middle eastern food you'll likely get in Oregon. They are open all day and serve a variety of meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes, in fact, the menu is daunting. So watch out - your eyes can be bigger than you stomach in this place. To get you started you'll be served a mouth watering giant, fluffy, steaming pita along with a herb olive oil dip. The main courses are huge, in fact they could easily serve two. Nicholas's is a bustling energetic place with a touch of middle eastern ambience. Great eats too!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family: inherit;">As I said in the beginning - spend an afternoon in Portland sometime - it stimulates the mind and soul.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family: inherit;">Life is good - bye for now. Evelyn</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-size: 12px;"><b><i>REMEMBER: Buy Local When You Can!</i></b></span></span></div>
Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-37497272530900037232012-10-14T23:56:00.000-07:002012-10-16T12:23:52.140-07:00Autumn - The Changing of the Guard<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Now that we’re in the crossover
season</b>, I’ve been spending a lot of time cleaning up the garden - putting it to
bed for the winter. It seems to take you by surprise,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> this time of year, because just when you think things are winding down, there’s still so much left in the vegetable
garden to pick and process.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">If
fact it can be the busiest time of the gardening season.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">It took the tomatoes so long to ripen -
we didn’t really have a good crop until September - and now we’ve got to
quickly salvage what’s still on the vines (and there’s plenty) before the first
frost.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Last week instead of
canning them, I decided to blanch, peel, chop and then put them in quart
freezer bags for the freezer.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">This
way I can do what I want with them later when I have so much more time (during
those dreary nothing to do Winter months).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>I took a drive out into the
country</b> and realized that October has become a boon for
pumpkin and squash farmers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kind
of like what u-cut Christmas trees are to Christmas tree farmers. Out at <a href="http://www.heiserfarms.com/index.html">Heiser Farms on Grand Island</a>,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it’s almost an amusement park with hayrides, a corn maze, a hay maze, little
railroad station, fantastic pumpkin slide, pick your own pumpkins, <b>and my
favorite – pumpkin smashing</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes
pumpkins smashing - the most mindless activity that is so astonishingly
laughable (joyously funny!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This is
the way it works – the pumpkins are shot out of cannons only to swoosh through
the air (like cannon balls) and splat hundreds of yards away in the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then you laugh and they do it again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heiser’s is open every weekend through
October so you better get out there, pick you pumpkin, and watch the pumpkins
splat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>Lastly,</b> I can’t write about Autumn (Fall) without mentioning the
stunning (dare I say kick-a--?) beauty of the trees and fall flowers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know the drill - patches of
crimson, butterscotch,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>creamy
yellow, and burgundy leaves bursting forth in the last show of glory before the
inevitable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the same routine
every year, yet it never fails to thrill and inspire. </span>
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<!--EndFragment-->Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-90761250356109271052012-10-11T10:51:00.003-07:002012-10-11T10:51:42.348-07:00Granola - Sticks and Twigs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Most people know that apple jelly is good spread on toast or as a kitchen gift, also very nice alongside Brie. But generally it ranks more as a kitchen staple to be used as an ingredient in making something else - not held in the same high regard as it's gourmet fruit cousins in the berry or tropical fruit category.<br />
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One thing I have found though is that it's become an absolutely necessary ingredient in the granola recipe I make and love.<br />
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I've gotten serious about granola this year. I've always liked it and thought all those sticks and twigs were good for something - gave you the ruffage your body needed to keep you in balance as well as a whole host of other essential nutrients. Buying it already prepared in the box is expensive and if you read the ingredient list on the box you soon realize that there's a lot more in there than just sticks and twigs - sugar being in the top of the list. Now I'm not against sugar, but I am trying to eat less of it in proportion to the other ingredients. And there's a lot of it in most prepared food products.<br />
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That's one reason for making your own - you know what's in there and in what proportions. The other reason is that it's the best tasting stuff around. <br />
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<b>My favorite recipe</b> comes from <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000173.html">101 Cookbooks, named, <i>Honey Toasted Fruit Muesli</i></a>. It is very good, but one day when I was short on honey, I substituted apple jelly and it turned out great! I prefer to make it using half honey and half apple jelly, but it can be adjusted either way or not at all. I also discovered that when making the recipe you can make adjustments to the other ingredients to suit your taste, so I have altered the original recipe somewhat, either because of my personal preference or because I didn't have a particular ingredient on hand at the time. The dried cherries and plums I made this Summer have gone into my recent batches and of course I also <b>add a teaspoon (at least) of cinnamon.</b><br />
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My all time favorite way to eat it is with some plain homemade yogurt (or prepared fruit yogurt), a little sweet 2% milk, and fresh fruit on top. Yummy and very healthy - you might say I've turned into a real granola.<br />
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So if you have an abundance of apples this Fall and have decided to make some apple jelly, you can add this recipe to you apple jelly repertoire and be very pleased with the outcome. Bon appetite!<br />
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Live is good - bye for now! Evelyn<br />
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<b>REMEMBER: Buy Local When You Can!</b></div>
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Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-42453308141379663712012-10-08T06:50:00.001-07:002012-10-24T23:07:12.955-07:00Apples - It's Been A Very Good Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>ABUNDANCE --- It is Fall in Oregon</b> and I'm getting wary of friends that have an apple tree in their backyard. The apple surplus seems bigger than usual this year, so as with zucchini, I feel like I need to lock my car for fear an over supplied neighbor will sneak in a bag or two.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I have one friend that has a whole orchard. Since the apples have ripened, every visit includes a walk down to the orchard with a couple of gigantic bags
in tow, which are so quickly filled and so heavy you can hardly lug them back up
the hill. And you keep saying to your friend, "oh thank you, I think
I have enough now" and they keep piling the apples in with a pleading,
desperate look in their eyes, "here - just a few more, we haven't even
begun to touch the tree". So you take them home.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And then what? I've now spent the entire week trying
to figure out what to do with all these apples. What applelicious treat can I
concoct? I have to confess, I've not been successful in coming up with
any truly <i>blog-worthy</i> recipes for all my kitchen testing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I made an apple cake, that I thought was going to knock the socks off of my guests, but it turned out to be pretty ordinary (boring). I tried apple slaw - eatable, but no pizzaze. And to my disappointment I've put on 5 pounds just testing (althought I can't entirely blame the apples for that).<br />
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Now, as we all know apples are wonderful, there are as many fabulous apple delicacies to be found, and made, and eaten, and fondly remembered, as there are apples. With this in mind, I settled down, took a look at my most dependable blog sites, and found some true apple winners that I'm now going to focus on this week.<br />
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Here are my top winners!<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/10/apple-jelly-jam-recipe/">Apple Jelly - David Lebovitz, Living the Sweet Life in Paris</a> - What was I thinking when I attempted my own version of AJ? This is the way it should be done.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/membrillo_quince_paste/">Membrillo - Simply Recipes</a> - Made this last year with quince (ancient relative to the apple). Follow the instructions and you've got success. This is a classic Spanish treat served along side Manchego cheese.</li>
<li><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/04/apple-tarte-tatin-anew/">Apple Tarte Tatin - Smitten Kitchen</a> If you in the mood for a challenge these are the best instructions for this complicated French classic. I confess that I have always wanted to, but never attempted this intimadating dessert. Maybe I'll give it a try this week.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/french-apple-tart-recipe/index.html">French Apple Tarte - Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network</a> - This one has become a favorite in the family. Actually it's my daughter's easy go to recipe that she knows like the back of her hand. Check out the video on the page too!</li>
<li><a href="http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2009/11/classic-american-apple-pie-warning-this.html">Classic American Apple Pie - Food Wishes</a> - This is a video blog by Chef John at Food Wishes. The recipe is almost all filler, but you will notice a recipe for a traditional pie crust at the bottom of the blog. He actually has several apple pie recipes on his blog including a caramel apple pie which is his favorite. I can do this one, it pretty basic and it is always a hit. Enjoy the video!</li>
</ul>
As they say we're just looking at the tip of the ice berg here. You can make juice, cider, crisp, cake, turnover, you can dry or you can stew (oh my!) and on and on. <br />
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But there was one recipe I almost passed up - my granddaughter's all time favorite - <a href="http://goodfoodwf.blogspot.com/2012/07/german-apple-pancake-this-pancake-is.html">German Apple Pancakes</a> - <b>truly blog-worthy! </b><br />
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Life is good! Bye for now. Evelyn <span id="goog_1003674256"></span><span id="goog_1003674257"></span><br />
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<b>REMEMBER - Bye Local When you Can!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #6633cc; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/upcycled-chicken-coop-clever-chicks.html">This was shared with Clever Chicks Blog Hop</a>, and <a href="http://itsablogparty.com/">It's a Blog Party</a></span></b></div>
</div>
Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-51299833849369732452012-10-04T13:21:00.002-07:002012-10-07T12:30:01.984-07:00Boule<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting by Margaret Loxton from the book <i>Provence </i>by Peter Mayle, McMillan Publishing Co.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><b>I'll bet a lot of you have never</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">heard of a yard game named boule. The game of boule, aka "petanque", is just another contribution to my life from my dear friend - the one who has the family ties in Southern France and taught us about</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://goodlifewv.blogspot.com/2012/09/french-salad.html">French Salad</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Extremely simple, the game is
similar to bocce ball or horseshoes. There's a target, and you have to
get as close to it as possible. Simple to play yet highly competitive -
very inclusive (<b><u>anyone</u></b> can play) yet, as with all things, it can get intense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The object of the game is to
throw your balls (literally balls of steel) so that they land closer to a much
smaller ball called a cochonnet<i> (that's French for "little pig"), </i>than
those of your opponents. Or to strike and drive the cochonnet toward your other
balls and away from your opponent's.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">It's clearly a French game, played in every Provencal village, usually on a dusty patch of ground, but you'll also see it played in the grand
public gardens in Paris. Especially popular among,<i> I would say</i>, older men in France (I have rarely seen a women play), they play in the gardens in the quiet summer afternoon during the week
and appear to take it more to heart then we do with our summer game in the back
yard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The game has been on my mind
lately because now that it's the start of October, there'll only be a few more
times to play outside in the evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the Spring, as soon as the weather gets good, out come the rakes and
brooms sweeping away to get the boule court in shape and ready for the "boule
season" which starts when the evenings and the rains lighten up. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MVR5RFiVZ9I/UG3olszJsrI/AAAAAAAABec/bvFjYBVKQb0/s1600/IMG_2425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MVR5RFiVZ9I/UG3olszJsrI/AAAAAAAABec/bvFjYBVKQb0/s640/IMG_2425.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">My
friends have gone to the trouble to actually construct a boule court in their
backyard just for the simple pleasure of passing summer evenings playing a boules match along with a glass of wine or pastis (another Provencal contribution and
another story). </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XCNtqRhEftI/UG3oy7JMQYI/AAAAAAAABew/OFRrLTbbmeY/s1600/IMG_2433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XCNtqRhEftI/UG3oy7JMQYI/AAAAAAAABew/OFRrLTbbmeY/s640/IMG_2433.JPG" width="624" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0VxyLoALVs/UG3pl3QOlfI/AAAAAAAABfY/SfhbOlLDU0k/s1600/IMG_2460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="504" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0VxyLoALVs/UG3pl3QOlfI/AAAAAAAABfY/SfhbOlLDU0k/s640/IMG_2460.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">At first we thought we had the First Official
International Boule Court of North America but after doing my research I've
actually found that we don't have an exclusive on the game here in Oregon (or
North America). In fact there are several boule clubs in the WV that are
happy to help you learn the game and play with them. This is a
really good thing because the game is delightfully entertaining and a great way to
pass time with friends and your entire family on a warm summer day. Meanwhile, I guess I'll have
to wait until the sun comes out in the Spring for another game with friends in
the backyard.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iKfY1ZKYfZQ/UG3ovfZzJ9I/AAAAAAAABeo/z7LYYxqT4Yk/s1600/IMG_2432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="484" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iKfY1ZKYfZQ/UG3ovfZzJ9I/AAAAAAAABeo/z7LYYxqT4Yk/s640/IMG_2432.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RESIDENT BOULE DOG</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yhc45LutKn0/UG3pg6to-3I/AAAAAAAABfQ/Bes_bCa-xBo/s1600/IMG_2457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="590" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yhc45LutKn0/UG3pg6to-3I/AAAAAAAABfQ/Bes_bCa-xBo/s640/IMG_2457.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Here is a list with web links of the boule clubs in the WV. Check them out - they'd love to hear from you.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bfNaIAaAKyA/UG3oSeQlnWI/AAAAAAAABeU/IotZQk-fWYU/s1600/IMG_2832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bfNaIAaAKyA/UG3oSeQlnWI/AAAAAAAABeU/IotZQk-fWYU/s400/IMG_2832.JPG" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting by Margaret Loxton from the book <i>Provence </i>by Peter Mayle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/eugenepetanqueiclub/home">Eugene Petanque International Club -</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="http://www.lakeoswegopetanque.com/">Lake Oswego Petanque</a> -</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="http://www.pdxpetanque.org/">Portland Petanque Club - </a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="http://www.portlandbouligans.com/">Portland Boulegans -</a> </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
Life is good - Bye for now! Evelyn</div>
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<br /></div>
Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-72842047950093825252012-09-30T18:31:00.000-07:002012-10-01T20:48:16.108-07:00September - Favorite Things<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Here it is the end of September and time for some favorites
of the month. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">Included are links, when available, for additional information about the items. I hope you find some things in the list that you too enjoyed in September. Let me know what you think.</span></div>
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<b>~ <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/2012/09/luce-hot-ten"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Bon Appetite
Magazine</span></span></a> ~</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Years and years and years ago this magazine first inspired me to appreciate really
good food. Always interesting with imaginative recipes, now the
September issue has announced that<b> <a href="http://luceevents.blogspot.com/"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Luce Italian Restaurant</span></span></a>
</b>in Portland (pronounced LOO-chay), is one of the 10 Best New
Restaurants in the country for their brilliant Italian cooking. Congrats to Luce
and Portland.</div>
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<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Pink+Martini/A+Retrospective/+images" style="clear: left; color: #0187c5; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: underline;"><img class="album-cover" height="200" itemprop="image" src="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/70322012/A+Retrospective+PNG.png" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border-top-width: 0px; max-width: 380px; min-width: 240px;" width="200" /></a><span style="text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://pinkmartini.com/"><b>Pink Martini’s A Retrospective</b></a></span>
is the first compilation album by the American group, released in 2011 the
album contains twenty-one tracks from six studio albums. What can I say, I love
Pink Martini and their funky international style. They are just another example
of Portland's really cool, but ever so slightly off-beat vibe.</div>
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<a href="http://www.oregonalbacore.org/oregon-albacore-the-fleet-is-in.htm" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Albacore Tuna
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albacore tuna fresh from the Oregon Coast now. It's the best September
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<a href="http://goodlifewv.blogspot.com/2012/09/dahlias.html" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Dahlias</span></span></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;">- </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;">Real dazzlers in September!</span></div>
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<a href="http://goodlifewv.blogspot.com/2012/09/goat-cheese-salad.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Cucumbers,
Tomatoes and Goat Feta Cheese Salad</span></b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;"> - Some kind of wonderful!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.leftcoastcellars.com/"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Left Coast
Cellars</span></b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;"> 2006 Heritage Pinot Noir. An exceptional wine fermented by
native yeast in French oak and aged for 34 months, this wine has every
component to age for a future generation. Elegant and structured; decant to
serve now or age upwards of 15 years. (only 30 cases remain). My favorite
for very special occasions and the <b>very best company (dear old friends and family).</b></span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;">~ </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><a href="http://www.komenoregon.org/Race_for_the_Cure/portland/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Portland Race
for the Cure</span></a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;">~ </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The Race which took place September 16th raises significant
funds and awareness for the breast cancer movement. It was a time to celebrate
survivors and their families while working toward the promise of ending breast
cancer forever.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;">~ </span><a href="http://vimeo.com/41011190"><span style="background-color: white; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Finding
Portland</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;"> ~ </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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You really should take a look at this time lapse video which
is beautifully composed. It captures the City of Roses in a most
creative style. If you like Portland, you’ll love this video - created by Uncage the Soul Productions.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="color: #2b2b2b;">Pumpkin Vase</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;"> - Flowers, shrubs, and fruits can be arranged
in a hollowed out pumpkin vase. Perfect for October or November (you can use other members of
the squash family also, depending on space and color scheme). This and
other stylish centerpiece ideas (and great pumpkin recipes) come from </span><b style="color: #2b2b2b;"><i>Holiday
Pumpkins</i></b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Georgeanne-Brennan/e/B000APJDZS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">by Georgeanne
Brennan</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0);">,</span></b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;"> Jennifer Barry Design.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;">Here we come October ! Evelyn</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2b2b2b;"><b><i>Remember: Buy local when you can!</i></b></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-69482288381686810532012-09-29T11:04:00.001-07:002012-09-30T18:17:35.105-07:00Pennsylvania Pictorial<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This month it was time for a
long overdue trip to visit friends who had moved from the West Coast to
Pennsylvania. This was my first trip to the Quaker State. The first thing I noticed was how much <a href="http://www.downtownpittsburgh.com/">Downtown Pittsburg </a>looks like Portland, and then (just like
Portland) in no time your out in a countryside which is strikingly similar
Oregon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was one of those trips
spent visiting the smaller cities and towns around the <a href="http://www.padutchcountry.com/towns-and-heritage/amish-country/index.asp">Amish country</a>, the battlefields
of <a href="http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm">Gettysburg</a>, historic <a href="http://www.cityofjohnstownpa.net/">Johnstown</a>, and the somber, yet serene <a href="http://www.nps.gov/flni/index.htm">Flight 93 Memorial</a>.
We were on a pretty tight schedule taking in all the history that has formed
the framework of what our country is today. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">With all this sightseeing we
were fortunate enough to find a wonderfully secluded rural bed and breakfast appropriately
named the <a href="http://www.swisswoods.com/">Swiss Woods Inn</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>located in the
town of Lititz the heart of Lancaster County (Amish territory). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It truly was idyllic, where you could
reconnect with nature, discover history, and experience Pennsylvania Dutch
culture, lulling you back to a slower, gentler time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus if you were not careful you could put on a bit of
weight devouring their sumptuous breakfasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> First morning there we woke up to enjoy </span>their featured recipe of the month,
<a href="http://www.swisswoods.com/breakfast.html">Pumpkin Pancakes with Lemon Apples</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The owner of this charming inn
has teamed up with several other bed and breakfast owners around the country and
started a blog about their recipes, kitchen wisdom, and anything that is foodie
related.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">It is appropriately
named, "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.eightbroads.com/">Eight Broads in the Kitchen</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">." </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">I warn you the recipes are not for the
weight watcher crowd, but they involve good, fresh ingredients avoiding the
fast food approach to cooking or eating.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">That’s what I call “kitchen wisdom”.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battlefields of Gettysburg</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pennsylvania Countryside</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">It was a wonderful trip, but as Dorothy put it, "there's no place like home".</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Bye for now - Evelyn</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>REMEMBER: Buy Local When you Can!</i></b></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4679401532562767569.post-80018395356721549582012-09-20T07:30:00.000-07:002012-09-29T12:11:56.364-07:00McMinnville and More<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The planning commission got it right in historic McMinnville with the development and renewal of the downtown district which over the years has been transformed into a vibrant business area for merchants, artists, and visitors. It's always worth the drive up Highway 99 to visit their charming historic downtown and have breakfast at the Crescent Cafe.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--_89UToyjyg/UFsYLTElRdI/AAAAAAAABTk/eQVGE9VGAmY/s1600/IMG_2337_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--_89UToyjyg/UFsYLTElRdI/AAAAAAAABTk/eQVGE9VGAmY/s400/IMG_2337_2.JPG" width="358" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Although the Crescent is one of those unique eateries where
you march to the tune of their drum it's worth every bit.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">First of all they only serve breakfast, they are only open
from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, (but luckily every day to the week),</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> t</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">he menu is somewhat limited, they
will not split a check, and they will not except American Express.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">And you have somewhat of a wait for
your breakfast to be served after you’ve ordered it, but that’s because everything
is made from scratch (as I said it's worth every bit).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Aside from the good food, there’s just something about the place that makes
you want to come back for more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">To start with there is the
host, a particularly fastidious gentleman, who manages to keep all the patrons
served in an orderly manner and gets you started off in the right direction
with the menu and the specials of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place is small, but charming, very well maintained with
lots of wood, pleasing light fixtures and beautiful fresh cut flowers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Breakfast is always worth the wait, but
the outstanding (and I mean outstanding) feature is the bread which is made
every morning in their kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although you do have a long wait for your meal, you are allowed to linger
long with no pressure to leave before you are ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And beware the place is usually packed.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Of course the Crescent is right smack in downtown McMinnville </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">(</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">probably my favorite small town in the Willamette
Valley).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Known to be in the heart
of the wine country, the downtown is overwhelming endowed with wine bars and really
fine restaurants, plus the Mcmenamin’s Oregon Hotel (half a block from the
Crescent).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Needless to tell you, last
Saturday I got one of those uncontrollable urges to visit the Crescent (with my
gardening mate) and after having gorged ourselves on breakfast, had a
delightful walk around downtown, peeking in all the shop windows and
doors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a pretty friendly
place where you stop and talk about dogs or hair styles or the weather with shop keepers and other McMinnvillites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Going on down Highway 99, the countryside is quite literally covered with small wineries
and tasting rooms where you can just stop in, enjoy the scenery, taste a little
wine, and have a nice chat with the staff .</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I can tell you</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> Oregon is not Sonoma – our wineries are pretty casual and comfortable
for the most part.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YNlfLKPcjmE/UFsi-18Td4I/AAAAAAAABWE/-viRBawznDU/s1600/IMG_2276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YNlfLKPcjmE/UFsi-18Td4I/AAAAAAAABWE/-viRBawznDU/s640/IMG_2276.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m_kZzv6-PxY/UFsV87izJkI/AAAAAAAABSE/rFNeRSDIxUk/s1600/IMG_2264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m_kZzv6-PxY/UFsV87izJkI/AAAAAAAABSE/rFNeRSDIxUk/s640/IMG_2264.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">One such winery south of Mac (that's what people call McMinnville) on Highway 99, named Left Coast
Cellars, is particularly special, not just for the wines they produce (which
are pretty special), but for the incredible park like setting they have created
on the property. It’s a large acreage and they have tastefully landscaped the
area (which includes a small lake) that runs beside the drive up to the winery
and tasting room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stunning in the
spring, lovely in the summer, and then in fall all you notice are the immaculately
manicured vineyards with opulent bunches of black pinot noir grapes promising another fine year of great wine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The winery is worth the visit just for the
drive up to the tasting room. And an inviting tasting room it is, well
appointed in a sort of shabby chic motif.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only can you sample their
very good wines, but they have a small café serving small plates such as figs
and gorgonzola, dolmades (stuff grape leaves), caprice salad, or maybe some of
Carolyn’s special carrot cake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During the summer they offer live music on the patio on Saturday
afternoons or you can take a walk on the well maintained hiking paths around
the property.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">All and all it’s a great place to be – somewhere on
highway 99 between McMinnville and Corvallis!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Life is good! Bye for now. Evelyn</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>REMEMBER: BUY LOCAL WHEN YOU CAN!</i></b></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Evelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966305658127055213noreply@blogger.com2