cherry compote

A gorgeous weekend has passed and now appears the threat of untimely snow to break our stretch of early spring.

Clara kindly took me out to brunch at Detour Café on Saturday morning. We sat outside and peered through shrubbery at pups passing by on the sidewalk. I had the most delicious French toast of my life. So delicious that I must share the menu description:

Thick slices of our cardamom bread,

dipped in custard and toasted to perfection.

Topped with cherry compote and toasted almonds;

served with organic maple syrup.

I returned home in the very early afternoon and immediately threw open the door to our balcony. The sun was beginning its slow descent – the one that bathes our apartment in golden warmth and infuses the air with optimism and calm. At Clara’s recommendation, I set up an account on last.fm and got the music rolling. I pulled a small table and chair onto the balcony and sat down with a bottle of hard apple cider.

And I sat for about two and a half hours. Letting the sun warm my face, listening to a variety of birds hidden in the trees, thinking happy thoughts. Oliver and Aurora were more than happy to join me, napping in the panels of sunlight beaming down on the wood floor.

I eventually grabbed my camera and got a few photographs, before retiring back to my seat. If only every Saturday could be so glorious (not raining).

our view

saved from death by Aurora

dark-eyed junco

I did progress a bit on one project. I hope to have this all finished by Wednesday or so. Here’s a sneak peek.

Lastly, I want to mention two exciting developments! The first is that I’ll be taking a short vacation very soon. I depart next Tuesday, March 16th. I’ll be spending a few days in southern Arizona with my family – just relaxing and catching up, not to mention indulging in a margarita or two and getting some REAL sun!

Equally awesome is the news that my great friend Stephanie (you know, the gal who crafted our wedding skullpture) is coming to visit in just a month! Her trip will officially mark the beginning of visitor season here in Portland. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to schedule your own vacation to this lovely city of roses.

towers abound

Overall, I must say the weekend was a bit lacking.  Despite the decent weather and some positive developments in this neck of the woods, I spent hours feeling blue.

A period of redemption awaited me Saturday morning.  McKenzie was in town from Denver and we set a plan to meet for brunch at the much-recommended Vita Cafe on Alberta. I must say, brunch in Portland is one of my favorite things in the world.  Getting up and out of the house on a sunny spring Saturday, eating and drinking the morning away, chatting with a close friend - these are very restorative things. 

As I drove down Alberta I was struck by all the new shops and eateries tucked into long buildings stretching the blocks.  I didn't think it had been that long since I'd visited the area, but I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road ahead of me.  I found Vita easily and secured both a booth and a Bloody Mary.  McKenzie soon arrived and we set to devouring the menu and trying to make a selection.  I opted for the day's special - "The Leaning Tower of Huevos."  As Vita is a very veggie-centric restaurant, I had several options in terms of making my meal vegan, vegetarian, or thoughtful meat-eater.  I went with cage-free eggs and opted for a side of fresh fruit rather than bacon.

The meal was great.  McKenzie commented on how she loves that Bloody Marys are basically a meal in a glass (or a mason jar in this case), so make that the meals were great.

When we were stuffed to the point of pain, we set off on a short walk to explore some nearby shops.  We found a Mexican shrine store and a branch of the fabric store Bolt.  Holy dreamland.  Bolt's fabrics, though pricey, are gorgeous and so-charming.  I'm going to really hone my sewing skills before spending too much money there.  Our last stop was the awesome Townshend's Teahouse, where we chatted with a knowledgeable cashier man and selected some hot brews for the road.  McKenzie went with a womanly choice and I selected something like smelled like a lemony kitchen solution (which is actually a good thing, to me).  I also picked up some loose detox and peppermint teas to whip up at home and hopefully heal my ailing husband.

We parted ways and I drove off aimlessly.  I soon decided to try out the Japanese Gardens at Washington Park, which were having their annual free admission day.  The park was packed, with the zoo parking lot completely full.  I got lucky and found a spot fairly near the Japanese Gardens on my first drive through.

I hiked up the hill and followed switch backs to the Gardens' gate.  Though crowded, it was nice to stroll leisurely through knolls of nearly-blooming trees and over tiny wooden bridges.

Back at my car I discovered a pretty flower bud taking off its jacket.  Seems like a better sign than anything to do with a groundhog.

android

I am not even going to say what time I got out of bed yesterday. It was a work holiday for me, and I'd been so busy over the traditional weekend that I never stopped to plan out a productive Monday off.

Saturday night, Jesse and I ventured downtown. I'd been hanging out at home during the day and was craving a jaunt to Portland to participate in the nightlife. Well, to be there at night. We caught the end of happy hour at Oba! and snacked on green chile mac & cheese and spicy corn fritters. By the time we were finished, it was nearing the start time for a movie I'd been eyeing at the cozy, hip Living Room Theater. We grabbed some popcorn and a big bowl of olives and watched the Coen Brothers' "A Serious Man." I had only read a brief synopsis about the film on the theater website and we'd seen a somewhat cryptic preview months ago. Jesse and I both loved it. Just go check it out.

On Sunday I had some friends over to eat, drink, chat, and check out what Scentsy products are all about. After my apartment cleared out, I was feeling tremendously lonely all of the sudden, so Clara and I grabbed some pizza and watched the white knuckle season premiere of "24" - which was new for me.

Monday arrived too soon, and before I knew it, Jesse was out the door for the first of his two shifts. I got coffee brewing (on my own - this is rare) and set my mind to not turning on the television. I cooked up some steel cut oats for the first time ever and doctored them up with a bunch of tasty ingredients from the pantry. Maybe way too many tasty ingredients? I jumped in the shower and then dressed in the most comfortable (slovenly?) clothes I could find.

I got to work at my art table, in front of our big window overlooking the pretty, pale trees and a loudly churning creek, for the first time! Nose to the proverbial grindstone, I finally finished up the first of my Pay It Forward books. I won't be posting photographs of any of these books until they are all complete and distributed, but I took a few pictures of my messy workspace. It's a lot more satisfying to have a space covered in scraps of paper and shiny smears of PVA. I have the materials for my next book, and the slightest vague concepts for the other 4. Not to mention various other book and non-book ideas that I only HOPE will be realized.

Jesse brought home a delicious lunch and sweetly said I looked pretty in my slovenly, glue-stained clothes and no-makeup. Not that I believed him, pretty sure he was joking. He turned on the tv, I thought it acceptable to relax and watch Seinfeld for a while. After he left, I dug through Chloe's to-be-bedroom for my sewing machine. I'll be using it at my first sewing class on Saturday, and I wanted to make sure it actually worked. I have an old Singer 603E that I got for free from a very generous lady on Craigslist. I knew it was serviced just before going into storage from several years. Fortunately, it seems to function, but only time will tell.

A non-sequitur note: I need to devote a lot of thought and energy into getting restful sleep. It's been a difficulty for me for years, and I know it will be a blend of several techniques and natural elixirs that help me get there. Tips are welcome. My attempt tonight will be: (a) yoga, (b) hot shower, (c) hot sleepy tea, (d) clean sheets, (e) happy thoughts.

st. christopher

This has been quite a week, including slight progress toward my overall goal of making creativity a priority and experiencing Portland to its fullest. The one hitch to note is that my pretty $1.99 plant from IKEA died because I forgot about it.

poor baby

One thing that I think I need to keep in mind is that I can’t try to be good at everything. I’m tempted to give pretty much everything (except scuba diving) a try, but even that hyper-experimentation isn’t necessary. With that said, I’m officially not adding gardening to my list of skills to improve upon.

One challenge recently arrived in my inbox out of the blue, and after very brief consideration, I decided to accept it. The job? A weekly 4-hour shift at the Portland Audubon’s Wildlife Care Center. I have been volunteering with Audubon since September, and working in the Care Center was high on my list of long-term goals. In the meantime I had been working at individual events like art festivals and open houses, generally just once per month.

So now I’ll be at Audubon every Sunday from 1pm to 5pm! I’m not yet sure what my exact duties will be, but the Center accepts injured and orphaned birds and other wildlife and nurses them in the hopes of rehabilitation and eventual release. I hope to gain immense knowledge about the birds in this area and ideally, having a scheduled event in the middle of my Sundays will help me to use the time before and after even more wisely.

I also just registered for my first sewing class! I’ll be attending the Sewing Machine Basics course at PDX Seamsters on January 23rd. Joining me will be my friend, Clara, and her friend, Jena. (Both enviably great bloggers, I should mention.) All three of us have sewing machines that we don’t know quite how to use, but we’re very excited to learn. One order of business to be completed before the class should be getting the latch on my sewing machine case repaired… Any tips on how to accomplish that?

Lastly, I found a great deal on a book called 1000 Fonts: An Illustrated Guide to Finding the Right Typeface. I intend on using this reference as a jumping off point for my hand-lettered broadside posters. Jesse is conceptualizing one using Modest Mouse lyrics, while I’m thinking about a David Gray song. (Note: I just realized a lovely coincidence that confirms my choice of lyrics is meant to be transcribed in a gorgeous way.)

To top things off, my sweet husband is taking me out to dinner tonight. Due to divergent work schedules, we don’t have as much time together as we’d like. Now I’ll be cutting into that further with the Audubon gig. He, however, is fully supportive of my endeavors and I’ve realized that’s a valuable, valuable thing.

Hope the New Year is going well for all of you, too. If your resolutions are losing their shine and becoming hard to stick with, check out this article at Real Simple.

elysium

Big things are in the works. A custom blog graphics redesign (really this time), a new computer for blogging on the go, and a refreshed dedication to getting my thoughts onto the screen. New projects, challenges, and a more focused approach to crafting and living in the wonderful world of Portland.

What prompts this rejuvenation and what makes it success possible? The start of a new year almost always infuses some motivation into the dreary winter psyche, but too often it is short lived. I’m hoping that the other component of this impulse – my noticeably improved and utterly comfortable new living environment – will more than prevent against the inevitable creativity depression that will try to take hold in a few weeks or months.

The narrowed focus of my blog will align closely with what I’ve been exploring over the past year: seeking creativity and contentedness in Portland. My plan now is to conceptualize and executive specific art projects – often experimenting with techniques and/or media that are new to me. I’ll blog about my successes and failures, and include instructions on how to begin the project yourself at home. Here are some ideas I intend on trying:

Knit & felted bowls

Glass etching

Hand-lettered broadside posters

Assignment-specific book arts exhibit submissions

Stenciling

Reversible painted headboard

Handmade rub-ons

Sewing

Gold leaf

Paper making

I will also spend more time exploring the many exciting places Portland has to offer. I’ll be more consistent in terms of toting my camera with me and checking out new places. This week offers up two new experiences: an adults-only night of coffee, food and bouncing fun at the World Forestry Museum and a weekend stroll through the newly-renamed Lan Su Chinese Garden.

So here’s to a New Year full of courage and innovation, pleasure and challenge.

Share what changes you plan to implement during the next month in honor of this rousing holiday!

piglet

For Chloe’s last weekend in Portland this summer, we decided to head to my friend Teresa’s house for a small, impromptu barbeque. Chloe and I had gone berry picking on Sauvie Island the day before with our wonderful friend, Maria, so I whipped up a mixed berry trifle and also pressed and fried some fresh corn tortillas to share.

Allow me to digress. Saturday, as we drove toward the island on which we would do our berry picking, we stopped at a red light on Highway 30 in north Portland. A big dump truck came motoring through the intersection just ahead of us, with its, um, clutching mechanism not quite tucked into the proper spot. As we gaped, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, the top of the truck caught on the overhanging light signal and power cord. SNAP! The power cord split and went flying through the air as I rushed to roll up my window. I envisioned the end of the cord jumping into the car and electrocuting us.

Nothing ultra dramatic happened as a result. I called 911 and confirmed for dispatch that no arcs of electricity were shooting up from the sidewalk. Emergency over.

Back to the barbeque. We packed up our supplies and drove to Newberg, the sleepy townlet where Teresa and her kids live. Upon arriving, we learned that Teresa’s daughter, Ali, had come down with some awful sickness and a fever of over 100 degrees. I had to hold Chloe back from running into Ali’s room to hug her.












We ate mass amounts of guacamole and tortilla chips and drank mojitos. Chloe and Tristan, Teresa’s son, sequestered themselves in Tristan’s room, playing with Hot Wheels. My Jesse provided complimentary dream interpretation services to another Jesse (I feel as though I shouldn’t capitalize the latter Jesse’s name!) while I snuggled with T’s darling new puppy, Winston. Badminton, flank steak tacos and 80’s music completed a lovely summer Sunday.


The next day I got the phone call. “Sara, the doctors think Ali has swine flu.”

Oh boy oh boy. For the next five days I closely monitored myself, feeling my forehead every few hours and pursing my lips in worry with each telltale cough. The CDC website instructs those who may have been exposed to swine flu to carry about with their usual business and to continue going to work. Now it’s Friday, the last day we would have likely come down with this evil sickness, and I’m feeling pretty good.

It’s been a harrowing week, but luckily we’ve all survived it.