Person Of The Year

My favorite place to write postcards is under the magnificent columns on St. Peter's Square. Nothing better than sending a friend a souvenir postmarked Vatican City, from the Pope's~except, maybe, receiving one. Surrounding the walled Michelangelo masterpiece of St. Peters Square, guarded by unarmed Swiss jesters, is the Vatican post office. A good place to buy some awesomely arty stamps.

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Outside the walls, in Rome, pick up a few postcards, maybe a souvenir bottle Popener, and send some Vatican graffiti home. My favorite, the Pope in the backseat of the Popemobile blessing Catholic pilgrims eating pizza.

The first time we were in Vatican City, it was Popeless. Pope John Paul had passed and the conclave was vetting for the new Pope. It's actually quite possible that we were the only two Popes alive that day we visited the Tombs of The Popes under the piazza of St. Peter's Square.

The Popes on St. Peter's Square

Only a few years after Pope Benedict was elected Pope, he "retired". Now probably playing golf on Capri. The replacement, Pope Francis, followed from humble Latin American roots, scrapped the fancy ride for the train. This Pope has dedicated his papacy to the struggle of the poor, the children, and out-casts of society. Recently, he celebrated his 77th birthday after Mass by inviting four homeless Romans to have breakfast with him. What a guy!

Pope Francis deserves the recognition from Time Magazine as Person of the Year.

 Yea Pope!

Day Pass

Today I felt like a visitor in Portland. A good day to see the town in all it's holiday glory. A good day to get a Tri-Met day pass. For a mere $5, we can walk two shorts blocks, tour the town and be safely delivered back by dark. No parking issues, no lame last-minute drivers to deal with, and we can enjoy a beer or two and a hot holiday toddy to top off the tour--> without our car.

First stop, Portland Luggage. Hali has a bag fetish. I don't know what it is: the pockets, the straps, the clips, the zippers? I call her the Bag Lady, me, the Bag Dad. No, actually we're looking to retire my 30 year old Eagle Creek pack for something similar but much younger.

Pioneer Square is considered Portland's living room and worthy of a visit, especially today. Take a seat. Enjoy the magnificent Douglas Fir lit up and serenaded by a symphony of 222 tubas, right in the middle of this living room.

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A short walk away, Saturday Market. A staple downtown open all year featuring local craft and a great opportunity to people watch. You can spot the locals wearing beanies, sporting pork chop sideburns, and tattoos jigsawed over every inch of flesh. The poor tourists waiting in line, in 30 degree drizzle for a donut? I don't get it. There's a Voodoo Donuts a couple miles away on the other side of the river~~never a line. Time for a beer.

Dan and Louis Oyster Bar was packed so we head up the street to a hole-in-the-wall taco joint, Santeria. Is that a voodoo word? Who cares? For five bucks you can get two meaty tacos al pastor with all the fixins' and FREE house made chips&salsa. A craft beer will set you back another $3. Only one beer, this place shares a rest room with Mary's, Portland's oldest strip club. Go ahead, take a pee(k), it's FREE too.

From here we jump on the street car for uptown. In the lobby of the Hotel Deluxe is the swanky, dimly lit Driftwood Room. This is the first place I've ever seen glögg on the cocktail list and the bartender gives us a generous sample, probably because no one outside of Stockholm even knows what glögg is? Glögg was good but we went for the hot toddy beside the cozy driftwood bonfire.

Holiday Toddy

Back to the tram which passes right by Powell's Bookstore. Get off! This store is so massive, each genre is given a different colored room. It's easy to get lost so go for it! Get lost! Meet later at Sizzle Pie just across the street for a slice and a beer. The veggie is loaded with roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, romas, olives, and feta. Pair that with a local IPA. The best pizza pie west of Vatican City.

Sizzle Pie

Walk a block or two to the bus mall and your bus will be there soon. Tri-Met, there's an app for that. Count the Christmas lights on your way home as the bus driver escorts you to your stop.

What a day! One more beer and I just may have gone "local" and tattooed a small backpack on my shoulder at the parlor adjacent to Sizzle Pie. Crap!! I left my beanie on the bus!! Dang Distractions!!

'Tis A Season

Here in the Pope household, Christmas is not a day, 'Tis a season. Starts about a week before Thanksgiving, stocking the kitchen with the staples, butter, flour, eggs; the seasonals, dried fruits, nuts, root vegetables. Season ends when the Christmas tree comes down which happens to coincide with the football season. I have been known to tackle the tree the day after Super Bowl. Most years though, soon after Christmas- like January 2nd.

I knew it was time to get a tree when Holly Jolly Christmas and Feliź Navidad were belting from the stereo and Carli hinted by lighting a pine scented candle. A candle she lit last year while staying in a Southern California apartment with a fake- Christmas tree, that is.

 

Hanging from our tree are decorations we've hung every year. There are the milestone ornaments: my first airplane ride, my first puppy, my first beer, my first house, my first baby girl. This little guy was my first Christmas ornament, 1962. I guess you can call us vintage.

Our household is also ruled Democratically so every year we vote whether or not this cheesy cheeky cardboard cutout goes up. With three of us voting, odds are George Dubya is dangling near the bottom of the tree. Just below a sucker and Mickey Mouse. Brings out that bipartisan JOY to our Holiday Party.

For the moment, we will savor the Christmas season as long the pine aroma lingers and the majority of needles stay on the tree.

At the very least, our Christmas tree will be the centerpiece of our living room a couple Sundays into the New Year. One never knows, as they say, On any given Sunday...

The way the 49ers are playing, this, the last season at Candlestick Park, I may be taking our tree down the first Monday in February.

Seasons Cheer! 

Ephemer-what?

Yes, it's true, Hali and I are still on course of our goal--> selling one thing per week. Last week we sold several declutterables: a small aquarium, 8 cans of sterno, a bag of feathers, a cookie press.

As I read through the wanted section of Craigslist, I came across a post for someone ISO(in search of) postcards, old photos, and ephemera.

I've got a box of postcards, boxes and boxes and boxes of old photos but I'm not sure I have any ephemera. Okay, I don't even know what ephemera is so I replied to this posting~ I've got postcards and old photos and might have ephemera down in the basement but can you give me a clue what ephemera is? I might be able to help. 

As I dug down through that box of postcards, I Found it!!-Eureka!!-Ephemera!! I've got ephemera!! I thumbed through this stack of ephemera and realized that I wasn't quite ready to get rid of that either. 

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Later that day, I went back to that wanted poster and fibbed, I looked all over for ephemera but couldn't find any. I'll keep my eyes open for it and let you know if I come across any. Sorry I couldn't help.

Unclutter Or Declutter

In our attempt to pursue a minimalist lifestyle, I am often confused on which word to use, unclutter or declutter?

Perhaps they could be interchangeable but one is a word the other is not. So I consulted my favorite English major~Garrison Keillor. No, not really, he still hasn't responded to my postcard. Oh well, I went for the next best~Yahoo Answers.

For most, unclutter is a word, declutter is not. However, within the minimalist movement, consensus seems to go with declutter.

Verb--> You need to declutter to leave it uncluttered. 

Consensus has it, we're decluttering .

Snow Day

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Every winter Carli charts the weather for these~Snow Days!! In grown-up speak~Winter Weather Advisory!!

Last Thursday night Carli wore her pajama bottoms inside out and backwards. Why? A call to the snow gods. She then tucked a spoon under her pillow, What's that for? The snow flurry fairy, she says matter-of-factly, as if I should have known.

What I should have known was Carli had been monitoring the forecast, weather "models", Doppler, and fairy movement all day. She was going to be prepared.

Sure enough, all that preparation paid off and we awoke Friday morning to the snow globe effect right outside our picture window on the front porch.

 Snow Globe Effect

I didn't need to jump up and down hollering, it's snowing, it's snowing!! to get Carli up. She simply propped her head off her pillow, reached under, grabbed that spoon, pointed with it outside her bedroom window, and said, I told ya so:)~

C'sons Greetings

My name is Woody and I'm a tightwad. 

Every Tuesday afternoon us tightwads meet at the 5th Quadrant, affectionately known to us regulars as the 5Q. The place where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came.

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The brewers here brew arguably the best IPA in Portland~C-Note. So named for a bitterness unit of 100(BU) and all seven hops in the recipe begin with the letter C. Out now for the holidays, the Granddad of the C-note~C'sons Greetings. A bigger, bolder beer, inherent goodness in every pint.

C'sons Greetings

 

You can meet us tightwads each Tuesday, Tightwad Tuesday(TT), where a pint will put you back $2.50. After a couple Tuesday meetings, you'll wanna go where everyone knows your name, to the the 5Q.

Nice heated, dog-friendly patio just 12 steps away. FREE bacon for your furry friend, where they always know their name. 

Cheers!

Turducken~Vegan Style

             Baby Granny~ the Apple~

I just read that Portland is the most vegan friendly city in America. Now, I'm not vegan, never intend on converting. I enjoy bacon and cheese too much. Too much in fact, I'll  put a slice of cheese on a thick slab of bacon and eat it~Elvis style, with more bacon.

Many Portlanders think the holidays are the hardest time to be vegan. Not me. Last year, I put together a vegan turducken.That's right, instead of putting a chicken in a duck, then the duck-chicken duo in a turkey, I stuffed a couple delicatata squash with quinoa(keen-wah) stuffing, then stuffed that into the largest butternut squash I could find. Baked it for about an hour then sliced it~strata style. 

The delicatata had this amazing tiger striped skin emblazoned in the buttery gold layer from the butternut, with the rosemary herbed quinoa stuffing in the middle. It looked absolutely awesome.  

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No one ate it, dang vegans! Shoulda put a bacon crumble over the quinoa~Woody style.

Oh, Oh, Oh JOY

Ever try to include your pet in a family photo? You'd think after a dozen years or so Carlos would get the picture. The secret on getting him to pose for the camera?-->bacon grease slathered on the backside of my hand. Everything is better with bacon, including a well behaved dog.

We do this every year~our Holiday Greeting. It's our gift to you. Since becoming digital, the process is pretty simple. The hard part is agreeing on a theme. We all agree on something unique, extraordinary, and irresistible but what do we wear? I thought that since we'll be in Bend, we'll be outside, it'll be cold, let's all dress in flannel. What else says OREGON more than flannel? 

While browsing through online photos of other family's greeting cards, Hali proposed we all wear crisp, white shirts. Like other family's?

Carli agreed with me, Mom we're not like other family's, we're the Pope Family: unique, extraordinary, and irresistible. Let's go with Dads flannel idea. Then she reminded us that it's not the clothes people wear that make the picture, it's the people wearing them. I couldn't agree more. Besides, I don't even own a crisp, white shirt.

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Happy Holidays~~~the Pope Family

ps. Thank you Grandpa Dave for taking the pic.

A Calendar Year

It's Tradition in our family. The first day of December starts with this~ the Holiday advent calendar.

Holiday Tradition

The joy of the hanging gifts, the anticipation of every morning leading up to Christmas, the delight in the smiles and laughter make this a creative, fun tradition for us.

Hali collects simple little gifts throughout the year, wraps each, and hangs them with ribbon on every ring. The gifts are anything from store sample shampoo to show tickets. Today it was a miniature plastic dinosaur. Everyday, something different. This simple gesture, whether Carli's a toddler or a 21 year old, brings out our child in our little girl.

Through the Years

Pillow Talk

Let's put the month of thanks to bed tonight and await the month of tradition in the morning. With that, my final of five things I will miss while on our journey- my pillow.

When it comes to pillows, I have what some sleep study specialists refer to as Goldilocks Syndrome. I like my pillow not too soft, not too hard. I like my pillow, you got it, just right. So, when packing my 44 liter pack, I need to compromise. Feety pajamas or pillow? Puffy jacket or pillow? All righty then, just the pillowcase. Heck, it's lightweight, compact and has more functions than a Swiss Army knife. Let's see, it can be a picnic blanket, a laundry bag, a turban, a beggars basket, a snorkel gear tote, a peace flag. There must be hundreds of uses for my pillowcase. Hmmm... Do they trick-or-treat in Thailand? I'm packing it!

When traveling like a vagabond, I may never know where I'll lay my head at night: a guesthouse, a hostel, a couch, a train station, a lap. At the very least, I'll have my pillowcase. For that, I'm thankful.

Green Thumb

Green Thumb

Every Friday morning, I bring in my watering can and water every one of our indoor plants. Takes less than 10 minutes. Once a month, I offer up a shot of nourishment for my fine foliage friends~Miracle Gro. Then I rotate the container a quarter turn to balance the growth. Pretty simple.

Yes, I confess, I dote on my plants. I have to. I have a green thumb and every one of these plants has a story. Many of them represent milestones in our lives. There's the ficus tree upstairs I've had since college. The umbrella plant, now relegated to the front porch with the bucket of umbrellas, we've had since getting married. An African Violet in a little ABC ceramic pot that says, BABY on it. Our three Christmas cacti that bloom twice a year~~right about now and Easter. Oh, and the clover from Karl that we've brought back from the brink several times. Story is, this lucky clover is from Karls' college days?

Umbrella Plant

I  have been know to give bare root roses as gifts on special days rather than a lovely bouquet. More practical, plus one day they'll have a story to tell. I dug up our Carli Girl rosebush when we moved seven years ago and it blooms pink all summer. And my favorite annual, the fuschia, trails flowering marshmallows from Mothers Day up until just a couple weeks ago.

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Tending to our plants is just a small chore and am thankful for the joy they bring today and everyday. Someday soon, however, we'll need to let them go. We'll probably put them up for adoption to local friends before we begin our journey. Under one condition, we get visitation rights.

Thanksgiving Carlism

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Where's the bird? Why is this turkey platter empty? The last time we used this platter as our Thanksgiving centerpiece was seven years ago. Our first Thanksgiving in our new(circa 1922) home. We had 17 guests, 2 tables pieced together, a pot luck of side dishes, and a 24 pound turkey.

All had gathered around the table and before digging in, we thought we'd have an interactive blessing. I started from the head of the table stating something I'm thankful for that starts with the letter A. I'm thankful for ALL of you seated at the table. B, C, and so on, around the resting turkey...

Nearly all the way around we got to Carli and the letter Q. Hesitating, sheepishly rolling her eyes from side to side, she twists her finger to her dimple and says, I'm thankful for being cute(Qt). It worked, and she took the house down. Continued around the table, then started passing around the turkey platter.

I'm Thankful For...

Carli was 14 years old the last time we used this platter. Haven't used it since. Won't use it today. Definitely won't need it in two years, so we gave it to a young Jewish couple celebrating their first Thanksgivukkah today. Afterward, they can put their turkey platter away for another 80,000 years or so.

Happy Thanksgivukkah Everyone!!

Cheers!! l' chaim!!

Lucky Thirteen

 Lucky Dog???

Today is Carlos' birthday. Still frisky(at times), loyal, and, at times, annoying-this guy is thirteen years old. So, I asked him(me, being the dog whisperer), What would you like for your birthday, 'Los?
And this what he requested:

Forget the material goodies, dawg. I've got bouncy balls, squeaky pork chops, stuffed animal nests all about the house and yards. At my age, I dig consumable gifts. How about you fetch Tanner, my best buddy, BBQ beef back ribs with all the fixins', and Monday Night Football in the man-cave~~~just the boys? 

All right dawg, you got it!

After the game, beggin' for a Niners win, we'll have a sleep-over. Move over Hali, it's gonna be a three dawg night.

Two Reasons

As promised, I was going to elaborate on why our toilet is one of a handful of things I will miss while on our journey. There are two reasons I am thankful for our toilet~~

 Two Reasons

Number one~
I clean our toilet so I know it's clean. Our toilet is reliable and efficient so I can count on it doing the job it is intended on doing. Our toilet is always in the same place so it's easy to find. Our toilet is surrounded by our own personal niceties, like a pen and the daily crossword puzzle.

Number two~~
When moving from place to place, a toilet can be a crapshoot, literally. If you've been to a rural train station in Italy, like Pisa, you know what I mean. In Amsterdam, we stayed in a guesthouse where we shared a bathroom. In there was a box of matches, a placard, and a toilet. Written on the placard, Please burn after heavy business.  Wasn't sure what constituted heavy business?  I burned one anyway. In the Swiss Alps, we stayed at the legendary Mountain Hostel. Here there are co-ed bathrooms for 60 co-eds, young and old. With four toilet stalls, the nightmare can be in the morning, if you get my drift. For a $5 bunk, world-class hiking, a COLD alpine shower, and a million dollar view, it's worth it. We've stayed twice.

Heavy Business?

Two toilet tips while traveling~~

Number one~
Sometimes the nearest toilet is not the best toilet. Our little secret-->100 meters down from the Mountain Hostel is the gondola station. Toilets here are always clean and rarely used.

Number two~~
When touring, use the public facilities at museums, libraries, post offices, schools. You never know when then next opportunity will knock. In a pinch, drop into a Starbucks. For the price of a cup of coffee, you can take care of business and sit down for FREE wifi.

By the way, for a HOT shower at the Mountain Hostel, take a hike up the mountain--> Our little secret.

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D'Oh Canada

Last week, while having lunch in a tourist area of Vancouver BC, THIS happened...

An expensive lunch bill

THIS didn't happen because we're Americans.
THIS didn't happen because we had Oregon license plates.
THIS didn't happen because we were tourists.
THIS didn't happen because we were targets.

THIS happened because we were careless.

THIS happens in secure parking garages.
THIS happens in church parking lots.
THIS happens in our neighborhoods.
THIS happens EVERYWHERE!!

So, here is a note to the person who did THIS...

Person(s) with no regard for other people's property---

THIS was my property, now it is yours. Please enjoy the daypack I use for my sweaty hot yoga gear. You now have my fleece pajama bottoms adorned with footballs and the words, "NICE BALLS" printed down each leg. A pair of socks. My snowman boxer shorts. A three year old iPad that you might be able to sell at Fred Flintstones Pawn/Rock Shop(he's got stacks of these stone-age tablets on his shelves) for $2.78. There's a turtleneck where the neck is torn from the turtle and a flannel shirt with a pen in the pocket. My toothbrush, hairbrush, and some tums. Also, enjoy the paperback book in the outside pocket- Sorry, no pictures. You also have MY travel journal that I started at the beginning of the year. Fortunately, most of my entries have been documented on this blog, although many "butterfly thoughts" were not. Tucked inside that journal were a couple www.passportsandpostcards.com postcards intended as Thank You's for my gracious hosts at the Douglas Guesthouse B&B(www.dougwin.com). Those postcards are yours. Please, Please, Please enjoy this blog-lots of pictures-and while you're at it, PLEASE sign the guest book. It's the least you could do. And as long as we're still enjoying this month of thanks, you didn't get our passports, and for that I'm thankful.

Peace, Woody

Journal and Postcards

$72 Canadian Dollars And Change

 $72 Canadian Dollars and change

Last month I was pawing through this tiny tray of foreign currency and it occurred to me, there's some Canadian money here, let's drive five hours North and spend it!

We've been through Canada a couple times the last ten or so years but haven't spent much time money visiting Canada. So we planned a weekend getaway to our neighbor up North. Our goal, to see how far $72 Cdn and a handful of change will take us.

First stop, lunch at Steamworks in Gastown. Although the view here overlooks the train station, the snow capped peaks surrounding the bay were stunning. A couple beers, seafood chowder, fish tacos-$40 Cdn.

Next full day, a long walk exploring Olympic Village, Coal Harbour, Stanley Park, and Yaletown. 3 sleeves of beer, Korean noodle bowls, 4 postcards, maple leaf patch-$18 Cdn.

Our Canadian Friends

The last day, Remembrance Day in Canada, we honored our Canadian friends who have sacrificed alongside American servicemen in every conflict we've been engaged since the American Revolution. A haircut, change for the parking meter-$16 Cdn

Happy, Happy? Haircut

  

Thank you Canada for your neighborly hospitality. You do make a tasty poutine but why not come visit us in Portland for a proper pint of IPA-eh?

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Cut It Up, Dude

I use tools everyday that are neither in my toolbox nor in the garage. These tools are kept in a kitchen drawer. These tools are sharp, clean, and ready to use. My kitchen knives are my favorite most useful tool so working in my kitchen is more enjoyable with good sharp knives and almost more important, proper cutting boards.

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These kitchen knives were a wedding gift from my father-in-law thirty years ago. Karl was a firm believer that if you invest in quality tools, take care of them, they'll last forever. I've been gifted other knives but nothing even cuts the mustard as these Chicago Cutlery knives do. Sure, the food processor does the job, but by the time I pull that out and put it together, I'd have a few cloves of garlic, an onion, celery, and carrots chopped with Benihana chef efficiency and precision.

For a few years, I kept these sharp with a standard knife steel. Again, the wisdom of Karl prevailed, and I invested in this Chefs Choice high-end diamond honed sharpener. I pull this out a few times a year to sharpen my knives and now, before the holidays, is the perfect time.

The first slot removes the old edge while the second and third slots sharpen and hone the knife blade. In a few minutes, the blades are like new and I'd challenge any kitchen knife to a chop-off. 

Today, and every day, I am thankful for these knives and take pride in keeping them clean and sharp. Nothing is more impressive than a dinner guest helping prepare a salad by slicing through a beautiful tomato, like butter, with my knife.

Water, Pure and Simple

Last time I traveled through the airport in Portland, I saw this ~ FREE WATER! Wow, what a concept. Now you can fill your own water bottle and keep that $3 in your pocket that you were about to spend on a bottle of water, and fill your own bottle for FREE.

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When I travel, I carry this refillable, reliable, inexpensive little metal bottle and clip it to my pack. I check this web site ~www.canidrinkthewater.org~ to see if the water where I'm traveling is safe to drink. Obviously, common sense will override if the water looks iffy. Otherwise, I go with the flow, and drink like a local.

While browsing this site~www.canidrinkthewater.org~ I was also schooled on bottled water facts.  Americans spend $31 billion a year on water infrastructure(monthly water bills)~ water treatment, city water lines and maintenance. Another $29 billion a year on bottled water. Yes, that's billion with a b, and yes, every year. Then I learned that 60% of bottled water comes from a municipal source. That's $17 billion a year for water we've already paid for. Imagine paying a monthly fuel bill for your car and then paying again at the pump. That's crazy talk! All this for the safest most regulated water in the world?

Then we have to address the disposal of 50 billion plastic water bottles every year. For a few of us, it's simple, just toss them in the river or in the local park. C'mon man, this is your river, your park. Take care of them and they'll take care of you.

C'mon Man!!

Today, in this month of Thanks, I'm thankful for that delicious Oregon drinking water. With that tall glass of water I keep on my night stand, my bed water, I can sleep at night.

 My Bed Water

As we take to the travel, I will miss that tall glass of water more than FREE wifi, more than Monday Night Football, even more than my pillow. So before getting on that plane, I'll fill up my trusty water bottle(why not,I've already paid for it), and savor every sip.

A Handful of Thanks

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Hali recently asked me, what five things I would miss the most once we set off on our journey? Which tangible possessions would be hard for me to give up? Without much hesitation, I listed these five things:

• Our delicious Oregon drinking water

• Our kitchen knives

• Our toilet

• Our garden and house plants

• My pillow(s)

Throughout the month of November, I will elaborate, why I can count on one hand, five things I am most thankful for.

Dia De Los Muertos

In Mexico, the day after Halloween is celebrated as Dia de Los Muertos- Day of the Dead. If you can plan a trip to Mexico this week, you are so lucky, or are you? Depends on what's on the menu.

On this day, locals are baking a traditional bread with the Mexican version of a scull and crossbones and other dishes inviting their dead guests back for their favorite meal. Today, in honor of my brother Dave, who needs a taste of real Mexican ethnicity(Dave believed Taco Bell was Mexican food), I'm making a molé(rhymes with olé). Typically, every Mexican family has their own recipe for molé. A kitchen ritual that keeps long past love-ones coming back, every November 1st.

Dia De Los Muertos- Butternut Squash Mole

I love butternut squash this time of year, so butternut squash molé is on our menu tonight. The buttery, nutty flavors of this salsa can be slathered over anything: beef, pork, chicken, veggies. Or you can eat it like you would chocolate pudding, in a tiny ramekin. For Dave, I'll pour this molé over house made chicken enchiladas.

Put on some salsa musica, or Dave's favorite, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and vamanos(Let's Go)!

Here's what I'm putting in my molé, pretty much in this order:

Olive oil

Garlic, chopped

White onion, chopped

Cumin

Cinnamon

Cloves

Allspice

Fresh oregano and thyme

A handful of chocolate chips, okay, 2 handfuls

A cup of strong brewed coffee

Golden raisins, 2 handfuls

4 cups chicken stock, low sodium

Ancho chiles, if they are dried, like mine, soak in water 30 minutes, seed, purée

Simmer together 1 hour

While the salsa simmers, roast butternut squash and almonds with a little olive oil. After roasting, stir into the simmering salsa and take off heat. Let rest for 1 hour while the wonderful spice and rich dark colors infuse in this molé. Reheat and ladle over the whole enchilada. Garnish with lime and 26 pepitas(Mexican pumpkin seeds). Why 26? Dave's lucky number.

Welcome back, Dave~~~

There you have it, salsa good enough for a Pope~~~Holy Molé!

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Great Pumpkin

Our little princess carved this. Can you tell what it is?

Trick Or Treat?

Deadlines

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I don't know where she got it, probably Grandma Sue, but every time we'd drive past a cemetery Carli would blurt out, "People are dying to go there-->". Yea Carli, maybe it was funny the first time, not anymore.

We weren't dying to go, but yesterday as we drove along the fence of the Lone Fir Cemetery in SE Portland we stopped in for a visit. No Joke!

We walked through the wrought iron gates and were greeted by several people, hauntingly alive, dressed in costumes portraying long dead famous Portlanders. Cool, an outdoor history museum!

Here among the towering pines and fallen leaves lie pioneers of the Oregon Trail, Civil War veterans, and former Mayors. I recognized the names of Portland streets on the headstones, like Dr. Hawthorne who once oversaw a hospital for the insane. Mayor Lane, the Father of the Rose Festival, is buried here. And yes, Mr. Lovejoy, a founder of Portland, who famously lost a coin toss to name the city. Imagine Boston Oregon, Keep Boston Weird, Boston Trailblazers??? I can't.

So if you happen to be on this side of town, drop by the Lone Fir Cemetery. You might enjoy it as much as the people buried here are enjoying their final resting place. It's true, you don't need to be dead to go there. Now is the perfect time. Or perhaps, Thursday night...

Lumber Jack- A life"cut short"

The Fall Classic

With 70 degree weather, dry streets, and Pubsters still sipping their beers on outdoor picnic benches, it doesn't seem like Fall here in Portland. Yes, the trees are colorfully shedding leaves but it wasn't until I heard that familiar voice of Tim McCarver that I knew it was definitely Fall. The St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox were in the World Series-The Fall Classic.

While I hadn't followed baseball throughout the season, I do pay attention during the playoffs. Interestingly enough, I found myself rooting on the Dodgers to beat the Cardinals. Grown up a Giants fan, rooting for the Dodgers, unspeakable? No, not this year. The Dodgers had an incredible season. The kind of season they haven't had in a number of years. The Cards, they seem to reach post season every year, kind of a lackluster white-collar team. Gotta a go with the Dodgers~ Sorry guys.

Needless to say, the Cards are in, the Dodgers out. So now I'm going with the Red Sox, and here's why:

I'll start with the Cardinals~ They dropped the ball last night! Memories of my fifth grade farm team.

The Red Sox~ Fenway Park is arguably the best place to watch a baseball game: throwback(back to 1912), the Green Monster, the passionate blue-collar fans, better beer, better beards, scruffy and scrappy.

But the biggest reason I'm cheering on the Boston Red Sox tonight is this hand painted mural in my fan cave~~~

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The prior owners of the house must have been big fans, so naturally, I am too.
 

One Sentence Story

Hali and Carli recently took a trip to Chicago for a Disney audition. Obviously a visit to Chicago is not complete without a surprise "un-Birthday Party" celebration. I wonder what Grandma Catherine has up her sleeve? Well, I wasn't there so it's hard for me to comment so I asked Carli to write a one sentence story about her surprise dinner?? at Moto restaurant in Chicago.

Post Modern Gastronomy

Thank you Iron Chef for the artfully created dishes you served in 14 courses, but I'm still hungry.

Iron Chef Homaro Cantu

Probably a good thing I wasn't there for three reasons: One, it would be near impossible for me to write a one sentence story on an art museum disguised as a restaurant. I'll save my one sentence story for the COSTCO cafeteria. Two, I too would still be hungry. And three, I'd have fallen over when the bill came. Would've settled for a deep dish pizza at Gino's East.

The irony: I sold my chefs jacket and hat the same week to someone looking for a Halloween costume. Must be dressing up as an artist.

 

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