Revisiting the Urban Cafe

 My Soul Sister, Barb, and I hadn't seen much of each other this year due to my traveling, her buying and selling a house, and deaths in both of our families, so we decided we needed a "Girl's Getaway"...funny, we used to call them "Mom's Getaway Weekends" but now our children are grown, and out of the house. 

 Astoria is always a favorite destination, and although we keep promising to try new places, we almost always end up at the Urban Cafe.  I love that the decor is always different and fun, and the food is consistently good.

 It's always interesting to see what they will do next.

 There were four of these tall vases with metal flowers, but I could only get one of them without disrupting dinners.  The last time we were here, this section was full of pink flamingos.

Five little pigs guard the kitchen...

We brought the four legged 'kids' to the beach, so we had to hurry home. The two dogs in the front, Molly and Lulu are mine, and the 'Bad Boy' Murphy, in the back is Barb's dog.  He's their brother from the same litter.  Murphy had to mark his territory to show the girls who was boss, otherwise he's as sweet as his sisters!

Flamingoes at the Urban Cafe

One of my favorite destinations in Astoria is the Urban Cafe.  It's a great place for lunch, although we've been known to indulge in one their wonderful desserts as a late night treat.  Today though, I was drawn in by the flamingos.  There must have been 50 of them in the window.

 I had to check out the plants showcasing a small outside eating area too.  OK, it's been a long, wet spring, and we're starved for color.

They have a great selection of Quesadillas-Caribbean 'Jerk' Chicken, Curried Chicken, Apple and Walnut,

and Roasted garlic, to name just a few. 

 

Another popular menu item with my family is their Garlic Pesto Chicken Mac-a creamy, cheese, basil sauce with chicken and penne pasta.

I usually opt for one of their yummy Salads like their Urban Greek Spinach Salad, or T. Paul's Thai Salad, or their Cajun Fish Tacos. Whatever you go for, you must try the Blue Iced Tea shown below!

Spring Jewelry

Last week, we had our usual burst of February sunshine.  I had some business to attend to on the Coast, so couldn't resist staying a few days to enjoy the great weather!  It was crazy to see people in shorts in Oregon in Febrary.  It was more like a May day!  Mom was with me, so we drove up to Astoria to have lunch at our favorite restaurant, The Urban Cafe!

This week, I'm making up for lost time, creating spring designs for my Etsy shops.  There are so many fun beads on the market.  It's been hard to choose and stay focused.  I thought I'd share some of my favorites before posting and taking them to shops. 

Vintage is still really popular, especially with Cabochon flowers and filigree lockets.

There's also a trend towards a more modern looks, with brushed gold and silver and simple faceted stones.

Of course, charm bracelets are always popular, especially if you're a gardener like me.