Under a Red Roof

The Gift of Friends

March 21, 2011 in Celebrating, Drinking, Eating, Friendship by Colleen | 1 comment

Happy Monday, gentle readers. It is gloriously grey here in Stumptown, and I’ve no complaints. Well, not any serious ones, anyway.

Here’s hoping you had a lovely weekend. Mine began in earnest on Thursday, with my friend and maker of the exquisite little beaded angel pictured above, Bebe. We met way back in college, and hadn’t seen each other in thirteen years. She called out of the blue, on the road in my neck of the woods, and we spent two fun filled days thrifting and eating around Portland (Broder and City State Diner – yum). It was a hoot and a holler to be sure.

Then Saturday was blessedly sunny enough to be in the car with the windows rolled down, doing all kinds of running around to purchase an odd assortment of items: delicious strawberry rhubarb jam (from my friend’s brother’s company), bread, my favorite Italian nougat, safety vests (for bicycling), metal straps and braces (for earthquake “proofing”), and something else that evades my memory at the moment.

We also spent a lovely evening with the jam maker’s sister, Lori (but sadly not her husband, as he was quite under the weather). She made the sweet (in scent and looks) sachet above from a thrifted quilt. Our chosen hangout was Circa 33, a newer place on Belmont with good service, delicious fare, and super drinks. Steamed mussels, a pulled pork sandwich, and a cocktail called La Louisiane (whiskey and absinthe make great partners) were the tops.

The highlight of the weekend (more like my life), was the company and conversation of truly wonderful friends and one sibling (Hey brother!). I am beyond blessed in this department, with so many kind hearted people near and far, giving of their time and hearts, cheering me up, willing to listen, share, and withstand my occasional and excited but no less annoying interruptions (noticing the problem is the first step to mending it). Thanks to you all.

Have a wonderful week!

Tags: Portland, Restaurants

Portland City Walks: No. 4

February 23, 2011 in Eating, Exploring by Colleen | 2 comments

It’s funny how a three-day weekend throws me off of my blogging game. Not that I am complaining (no way!), just observing, for it was a long and lovely weekend, to be sure. The highlight was this walk and learning ever more about this city I love so much. I also spent a fruitful afternoon in the garden, tidying and readying for the spring to come. Though not today, our forecasters say we are getting snow this evening, a rather BIG to do in these parts, possibly six inches on-the-valley-floor. We’ll see. Just in case, I’ve got the crock pot going with vegetarian chili goodness and a box of my favorite Jiffy cornbread (the cheapest and best) for dinner. Sturdy food for sturdy times. What a mantra!

Anyhoo, to the walk. This is Irvington, probably the most posh neighborhood on Portland’s east side, with Eastmoreland a very close second (sadly, it doesn’t have a walk – how about it Laura O. Foster?). It is beautiful, with quite a few stunning and truly grand homes, some mansions even, the majority built before WWII, and still looking rather divine. These two are among the oldest, dating to the early 1890s. Can you imagine being the one to paint them? Oy, that’s a lot of detail. By the way, the last two photos are not actually in Irvington, just in case archaeologists find this blog and decide to start walking. Pause Kitchen is one of our favorite eateries, a place we always manage to visit after long walks or drives, with ravenous bellies speaking well before we do. It’s well worth a hop, skip, and a jump across town. The very last speaks for itself, perhaps, as the hubster needed some bike accessories for the commute, which is going well, by the way.

Not so random thoughts:

Kinetic

A tree named after me…

Proof!

Eucalyptus

Fancy

Making Friends

Spring Pink

Well Trained

Going Vertical

Nap Interrupted

Maker’s Mark

Wait Here

Sky Blue

Getting Spiritual

Pause Kitchen

Gear Up

Happy Wednesday!

Tags: Portland, Restaurants

Write it Down.

February 16, 2011 in Being, Eating by Colleen | 4 comments

Howdy pardners –

I hope the day is treating you well. I am bust-a-gut full of lunch from Dick’s Kitchen on Belmont – dang, do I ever love this place. I enjoyed (in the company of a very good friend) an Elvis Burger (topped with pimento cheese – genius!) and Yam “Not Fries.” Seriously good. I filled it to the brim (my belly, that is) with a Stumptown Americano and really couldn’t be happier, despite having to change into sweats upon my return home. It’s better than walking around with my pants unbuttoned. I may not be a rocket scientist, but I do have my head screwed on straight.

Anyhoo, I’ve got some unrelated exciting news. I powered through my yoga challenge and am still going strong! Today marks day 23 of a daily yoga practice, with no end in sight. I didn’t even bail with the ugly funk that occupied my sinus cavities and gave me the fevers, though I had to scale back. You know you are sick when downward facing dog feels like climbing a mountain. Oy vay! A recommendation, however, if you are in the throes of this bit of nastiness: Vashistasana is an excellent posture for relieving sinus pressure. I have no scientific proof, but if my ears could speak, they’d surely rave about the positive after effects. Indeed.

In other yoga news, and straight off the Colleen Sohn life list, I will be meeting my yoga inspiration, Shiva Rea! How about them apples? I am nervous and excited and jazzed, jazzed, jazzed. The finest reason I’ve seen for writing a dream down. It comes true! It’s almost spooky. What wish do you have that’s itching to be put on paper (literal or digital)? Get thee to a pad and pen, my friends!

Thanks for reading the ramble. I’m off like a light – time to make dinner, a decidedly vegetarian, and coincidentally, very yoga friendly meal, chana masala and a curried coleslaw. Yum!

*Zoiks – sometimes I let the details slip. I’ll be taking a workshop with Shiva this April, up Seattle way, all the more reason to practice every day. A road trip, too!

Tags: Portland, Restaurants, Yoga

Portland City Walks: No. 7

February 16, 2010 in Eating, Exploring by Colleen | 1 comment

What a lovely weekend it was around here – lots of activity, but not at all busy, full of fresh air, exercise, beauty, good company, and good food. The highlight was another Portland City Walk. It had been a while since we last ventured out on one, and it was wonderful to see yet another neighborhood, especially one so very close to home, in a new light. Terrific, I must say. Having the hubster home for an extra day was the veritable cherry on top!

Now, to the walk. Near our beginning point is the stunning gold statue of Joan of Arc – donated in remembrance of American soldiers who fought in World War I. For non Portlanders, Joan is located at the center of a traffic circle, and not at all easy to access on foot. We braved the waves of cars and were glad to appreciate an up close and personal view of this luminous lady.

The violets are in bloom! I want a patch of these in my yard – the scent is intoxicating, and they taste lovely, too. Choward’s Violet Candy, anyone?

A funky red-roofed abode, you know why.

Charming hellebores.

The beautiful east wall at Laurelhurst Park.

The first of the camellia blooms, too bad they don’t have a scent to match their good looks.

Much further into the walk – the Historic Belmont Fire Station. Open the second Saturday of each month (lucky us!), it is a tribute to fire fighting and safety in the Portland area. A real gem! We took our lunch break across the street at the India Oven. We love this place, especially now that they’ve moved into this new and improved location. Malai Kofta, Chana Masala, naan, and Chai. Double yum!

I’m not a firefighter, but I play one on my blog.

This truck cab is a simulator. Hop in, buckle up, and go for a ride on a call to an emergency. It feels very real.

Did you know that fire hats were originally made of leather?

The original bell to the fire house. Look at the size of it. Ooh la, la! I can only imagine the sound it made.

Light on Alder Street.

Mighty Oak leaves.

This walk is a hoot!

Mossy.

The mansion on the hill.

This giant tree and, rather unfortunately, impossibly hard to view sculpture of Shiva Nataraja, are on the grounds of a beautiful Edwardian (best guess) mansion built as an Old People’s Home in 1910. It is now the Portland home of The Movement Center, offering a multitude of yoga and meditation classes. I can’t tell you how many times I passed this building without knowing it was here. I am so excited to have found it!

One of the grand entrances to the Laurelhurst neighborhood.

A fine end to our super day – pizza from Wy’East. Run by two kind-hearted pizza lovers, Red and Squish, it’s cart food at it’s finest, and a great way to support the neighborhood.

Tags: Portland, Restaurants

A Chinese-Irish Kind of Day

January 12, 2010 in Drinking, Eating, Exploring, Gardening + Nature by Colleen | 3 comments

The Portland Chinese Classical Garden, in celebration of ten years in the heart of the city and the changing of its name to Lan Su (Garden of Awakening Orchids), offered free admission for ten days, starting after the new year. The hubster and I took advantage, as we hadn’t visited the garden since it’s inaugural season. It was as beautiful and tranquil as I remembered, and quite thankfully, they limited the number of people in at a time, so it did didn’t feel at all crowded, save in the line out front.