A Little 'Northern Exposure' in Roslyn, Washington

I always liked the qurkie show called Northern Exposure, which was popular from 1990-1995.  It was about a Doctor who arrives in Alaska under contract to pay back a Student Loan.  He's a 'City Slicker' type who is out of his element in the rural Alaska location of the sitcom. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098878/ Actually, the filming took place in Roslyn WA and in the Seattle area, and this painted mural is in the opening scene.

A camel in the desert in laughable in this climate and gets your attention.

A lot of the activity in the show takes place at The Brick, which is the tavern in the center of town. 

This plaque of sorts, explains how it's the oldest tavern in the State of WA.

There's lots of local color. 

One startling observance was the 'gutter' of running water at the base of the bar. In the early days this was a coal mining town and a men only bar. One doesn't even want to imagine what went on in there!

An old iron stove heats the place in the cold months.

The food was surprisingly good and fresh.

The buildings looked very much as they did 125 years ago.

Interesting murals depicting the history of the town.

Cute cottages around town.

Take away the cars, and substitute horses, and you'd be in a time machine on this main street at the foothills of a forest.

it seemed fitting that on the way back to the lodge, we crossed paths with these lovely creatures.

Vintage Living Candy Shop in Manzanita

 If you long for the nostalgia of your childhood favorites, you have to check out this cool candy shop in Manzanita, OR.  http://www.manzanitasweets.com/

It's nice to see this location a happy place again.  Everyday there a cute, new little dress at the front door, and a list of the featured goodies of the day.

Moon Pies, Wax Lips, Mars Bars...A kids dream!

I found my own favorite Abba-Zaba Bars, and was instantly transported back to walking home from the local Dairy Store, while enjoying my favorite candy in Linda Mar, CA. For the unenlightened, Abba-Zaba Bars are a taffy candy with a peanut butter like center. We won't even discuss the fact that they are a dental disaster waiting to happen...for an 8 year old, you're talking pure bliss!

The nostalgia continues, with cute 50's style aprons, and Unique Clocks

Special Occasion hats...

and a glass counter full of gourmet chocolates!  It's definitely worth a stop.

From Chicken Coops to Opera

Last Saturday, I heard about the Tour De Coops in Vancouver, WA.  There were 15 coops for viewing, and it was about a 15 minute walk north of downtown.  It was a beautiful day, perfect for walking around town. 

These cute signs alerted everyone to the coop sites.  Lots of people rode their bikes from site to site.

Many people put in runs for their chickens, which are more like pets with benefits. The 'benefits' are the fresh eggs they provide to their owners and neighbors.  These hens are more likely to die of old age, than end up on a dinner table.

 

Neighbors get involved in helping to care for chickens when the owners go on

vacation.  It's a win win situation for everyone. 

Charming entry to one of the homes on tour.

A view from inside one of the coops.  Many were decorated with chicken memorabilia, which owners claimed the chickens favored.

This one, had a chicken run that led into the garden, where there were lots of very healthy, and well fertilized plants! 

One happy hen

Beautiful gardens and chickens seemed to go together

In case they get lost

More happy hens

This colorful Art Chicken was actually on the street.  DH had to get in the act.

The chickens are tucked in at night to protect them from predators.

I cut the Coop Tour short to head over to good friends, Steve and Trudie's for a night of Italian wine and opera.  What a lovely way to savor a warm summer night! 

They go to Italy a lot, and their garden definitely has a Mediterranean feel to it.

At intermission, Trudy served lovely desserts-Toffee bars, fresh peach and berry Angel food Cake, and Brownies.

Gotta love summer in Oregon!

Best Chinese Food in Vancouver

From the front of the the building in a quasi-industrial area, you would never guess that the House of Beijing was a 4 star restaurant, but the food is fresh and full of flavor!  We started with the Crab Puffs and Pot Stickers-not your usual dab of chicken and crab...very generous and not at all doughy!

The Lemon Chicken was the best I've ever had...very lemony and fresh! 

I'm not even a fan of Kung Pao, but the Kung Pao King, full of chicken, scallops, shrimp, and veggies, was fresh and amazing.

Don't let the location fool you-it's worth the trip!

Cracked Pots Art Show at Mc Menamins Edgefield

I finally made it out to Mc Menamins for the Cracked Pots Art Show.  It's held every year, and features art made from recycled materials. There's also some plants and herbs for sale.  Mc Menamins Edgefield is a magical place, and I can't wait to go back out there to sketch and paint. The Mc Menamin Brothers are famous in the Portland area for taking run down and abandoned buildings and turning them into showpieces featuring restaurants, gardens, movies and often live entertainment. This property at Edgefield was once a Poor House. http://www.mcmenamins.com/?loc=3 But, today it was a background to some amazing art.

 Art was displayed all around the property, so it was fun to just walk around the natural garden settings and imagine how a piece of art would work in your yard.  Believe me, there were several pieces that would have worked in mine, and I really was tempted at every turn!

 These charming glass flowers, Blooming Glass by Alex Hargrave, were made of metal and glass, and I regretted that I didn't circle back and purchase one. 

Chicken Coops are a big deal in our area, and there's often tours  http://www.growing-gardens.org/portland-gardening-resources/chickens.php to show off abodes for these barnyard fowl. Wouldn't these cute chickens by HollyArt be perfect for coop decor?

 The ground at Edgefield provide tons of 'eye candy' for artists and gardeners.  This is the doorway to their herb gardens.  Of course the water tower in the center  of the property is a real focal point.

 I loved the sea of umbrellas that shielded diners from the rare Portland sunny day.  Each property has it's own unique style, and in the background you can barely see the cool painted decorative towers.

 Lovely little secret places to explore...note the decorative finials at the top of the stairs near the on-site brewery.

 Around the show were lots of great tips to reduce waste and raise recycling awareness.

 

  I had to take one of these fun metal fish home for my beach garden!

  Love these metal fruit sculptures

 Another view of the water tower and the art that was everywhere.  There was a lovely place set up for lunch outside where you could order things like Hawaiian pork, Cesar Salads, and burgers, but I was having too much fun chatting to take pictures.  You meet the nicest people at these shows and two lovely women, Leona and Dee, kindly let me share their table.  It was fun to talk crafts and favorite books.

There was so much to see, I spent an amazing three hours checking everything out.  If you want more information, check out this link: http://www.crackedpots.org/index.html  I know I'll definitely be back next year.

This is the porch in front of the hotel. Back in my wedding photography days, this property was one of my favorite places to work. What a lovely place to relax and enjoy the view.