Wrigley field

My husband is a huge baseball fan.  It's in his DNA; when his mom was alive, they would bet on who would win the World Series. I don't think the stakes were very high, it was just one of those special links between the two of them.

I'm an artist and don't totally 'get' the sport thing, but after 33 years of marriage, I have an allegiance to the Oregon Ducks. Also, since Portland has has the Hops Baseball Team, I've come to enjoy baseball games, as well, so when we were in Chicago and had the change to see a Cub's game at Wrigley Field, we took L train out to the game. 

I loved that it was baseball with lots of history!  The field is actually green grass, and the outfield wall is covered in ivy. The area surrounding the ballpark is residential streets with bars and restaurants that have been there for decades. I guess to the locals it's called 'Wriglelyville.'  We had dinner at a local bar across from the field, called O'Malley's.  The waitress said that it's closed off season, but from what I could see, it was thriving 'On Season.'  I ordered this crazy concoction, called Irish Nachos.  I think it could safely be called 'Heart Attack on a plate!'  It had waffle fries, avocados, tomatoes, hamburger, tomatoes, peppers,and a crazy cheese sauce. If you are crazy enough to order this delicacy, you will definitely want to share!

All in all, it was a fun night. We met tons of friendly Chicago natives,who were more than willing to tout the features of their amazing city.

Chicago is really fun place, with very friendly people, and I can't wait to return!

Re-purposing an Old Birdbath with Succulents

Last year I replaced my old cement birdbaths with colorful ceramic ones. The new ones seem to have held up better, in part because you can easily remove the bowl and store inside when it freezes. However, I was stuck with two old birdbaths that no longer held water, and was looking for a creative solution to enhance it.

 I put one in the front of the house where I get a lot of afternoon sun, so I knew that I needed plants hardy enough to withstand harsh summer sun.  It's been especially hot this summer in Portland, and we were out of town quite a bit, so regular watering would be a problem also.

I ordered succulent cuttings from two ETSY shops, and both arrived wrapped in newspaper.  As I planted my fledglings, I wondered how such tiny, spindly plants could thrive enough to fill in my bowl. There was no need to worry, however, since in no time they took over the space and doubled in size.  

.  Best of all, they seemed to thrive in the sun, and on my intermittent watering schedule!

This what they looked like in early July, and below is what they look like now.

  I figure I have another month or two before I'll have to bring them inside.  I don't have a daylight basement, so they will either winter on a covered porch, or master bathroom.  Anyone have any suggestions?

Lunch in Sisters, Oregon

We were on our way to Bend in Eastern Oregon, for a reunion with Dear Husband's college friends, and stopped for lunch in Sisters, Oregon.  Sisters has always been a favorite stopping place for me, mainly due to the Sisters Quilt Show, which is held every year in July.  Even if you don't quilt, Sisters in a quaint town, with some unique shops, art galleries, restaurants, and of course Llamas!  Since we had our little Harper along, we had to find a dog friendly place, and happened upon a charming restaurant called The Open Doorhttp://theopendoorwinebar.com/.

It was a lovely day to sit outside, so we chose a spot in the courtyard and checked out these very cool little 'sheds' that display the work of local artists.  I want one of these in my backyard, please!

 Lunch was so yummy.  Rick had a 'sandwich' on flat bread with Pesto, turkey, bacon (of course), red pepper, avocado and the best balsamic dressing, drizzled over.  What a great idea for an easy summer meal!  I made one the following week with pesto, shrimp, spinach and Parmesan cheese!   So easy and yummy!

The restaurant inside looked cozy and cute too, but that will have to wait for another day!

Walking by The Stichin Post, http://www.stitchinpost.com/,the big quilt store in town, started me thinking about making a simple, small quilt again.  This is one that looked like an easy and cute pattern to start with:

 Sisters is worth the stop if you heading East in Oregon!

Route 66, Albuquerque, NM

When we were in Albuquerque, I couldn't help thinking about that quintessential TV Show with the theme song, "Get your kicks on Route 66."  One of these days, it would be great fun to drive the whole road, (as much as possible, since some stretches have been paved over), but last month, we did experience the highway, which in it's heyday ran from Los Angeles to Chicago. There are now breaks in the road, but it was once a destination of roadside attractions, endless restaurants, hotels, and Neon signs. 

Route 66, paved in 1926, was the conduit from the Rust belt to the Sun Belt, with hundreds of thousands finding their way to the California sun during the great depression.

In the 80's Route 66 was replaced by the interstate freeway, which displaced many businesses along the iconic route.  Even though many of these hotels and restaurants have been sidelined, there's till lots of fun places to stop along the route.

   

We especially liked this fun '66 Dinner' which not only had great diner food, but lots of nostalgic touches.  

You could imagine yourself back in the 60's with the decor and music!

There's a few modern touches like neon, and a few 21st Century menu items, but this is the place where burgers and shakes rule, and it's worth the calories!

UFO's In McMinnville, OR

It was one of those forecasted rainy Oregon weekends where we had tons of household chores to do. There's always the list of boring 'to-do's' around the house, or wait...Maybe it was Aliens that were summoning us to the charming town of McMinnville to enjoy the UFO parade, part of a 15 year annual tradition ufofest.co.  Well, it's not hard to see what won out!

Our first stop was lunch, where we came across this Alien enjoying a bite, while waiting for the planned invasion that was sure to be just around the corner! Foil headgear was very popular, perhaps sending out a frequency to the "Grays?
We grabbed sandwiches at The Red Fox Bakery, and had them boxed up so we could find a place on the parade route. I had a roasted turkey, Gouda, Apple sandwich on crunchy golden raisin bread, that seriously had to be one of the best sandwiches that I've ever had!  As a bonus, they included the most amazing chewy, melt in your mouth macaroon.  I always thought macaroons were boring, dried up poor excuses for a cookie, but these, were amazing!  I read on their website where they are baked daily and can be mailed!  Must check that out!

This was Ground Zero, The McMenamin's Hotel Oregon, where food and live entertainment, vendor booths, and the Pet Costume Contest made this THE Happening Place! The McMenanin Brothers are famous for buying up old public buildings, which have fallen into disrepair around the state, fixing them up, making them a cornerstone in their communities- Hotel Oregon is no exception.  I heard that they even have a rooftop bar that rocks!

Runners in the Abduction Dash were pelted with water balloons from the balcony of the hotel as they finished the race.

If that didn't get them wet, the Ghostbusters crew was on hand to finish the job!

Wait... a sighting!

I don't know how many people attended the UFO Parade, but they were six deep on the streets, and many wore costumes.

These guys had the best headgear, especially the guy on the left with a saucer that lit up! 

The parade was lots of fun, but there were many other events, including the purpose of the weekend-the Speakers, who are experts in extraterrestrial phenomena, like George Noory, host of the nationally syndicated radio program "Coast to Coast AM," and Stanton T. Friedman, Nuclear physicist, and UFO expert since the 60's. The whole event is based on the Trent UFO Photos, from May 11, 1950 which remain one of the best UFO sightings to this day! http://www.rense.com/general/mcmin50.htm

This was good- a recovery truck with satellite, lights and Alien storage 

The Grays!

There was a marching band from the local Jr High School

creatures from Star Wars

Space capsules

Not sure about the fish, but it was a big crowd pleaser!

Lots of Alien beings...

Even the local Square Dancers were out of this planet!

Little Terrestrials

                    This guy was amazing-the photo doesn't do him justice. 

         This band was really extra terrestrial-The Love Bomb Go-Go Marching Band, from Portland

This spaceship floated down the street to the delight of all the kids, big and old!

This entry featured the McMenamin's Hammerhead Beer.  It took me awhile to figure out the hammer heads

 You gotta love this little guy!

 Kip and his wonderful sons, Skyler, and Ben

 Everyone got into the spirit

 Have we had enough 'Keep Calm...yet?  

 More foil headgear!

Friends, Pam, Barb, and Karen...

 Sweet Murphy was so freaked out by the firetrucks, he didn't make the Pet Parade, even though he had a great costume!

  These guys were great!  

Even NASA was on hand...I guess they don't have much to do these days!

 A good time was had by all!