Arrowhead Chocolates in Joseph, Oregon

On our fall visit to Eastern Oregon, we came across Arrowhead Chocolates. http://arrowheadchocolates.com/ We're always on the look out for new and unusual places, (which I love to feature in my Blog), but who would have expected a Chocolatier in the small town of Joseph? This is a charming chocolate shop, but they also have amazing coffee, scones, waffles on Sunday, and gift items. 

The chocolates are handmade right in the shop, of course we couldn't resist bringing some home.  The western designs, butterflies and fish were too cute!

On the day we stopped by, several artists were Plein Air Painting around town. Joseph seems to be a haven for artists, and it's easy to see why with the dry weather and amazing scenery. 

 Inside the chocolate shop was nice and toasty, and we were tempted to come back for the waffles that they serve every Sunday, but unfortunately had to get back to Portland.

If you stop for coffee, be sure and enjoy a scone.  They're very moist and delicious!  

I loved all the teas and tea accessories in the shop, and I managed to do some one stop Christmas shopping.  I bought one of the colorful mugs with strainers to keep my tea warm when I'm in my office. 

Best of all, they ship everywhere, so I definitely plan to order some chocolates to tie me over until I get back to eastern Oregon again!

Riding the Rails in Joseph, Oregon

Last fall we had a family trip in Eastern Oregon.  The little town of Joseph is a hidden gem full of surprises, with some fun and unusual things to do. 

I think my favorite thing was the Railrider trip. An ingenious former bike shop owner, Kim Metlen, built these lightweight cars that you peddle on abandoned railroad tracks.  This route had us riding 6 miles to the Terminal Gravity Pub in the town of Enterprise, and then returning back to Joseph.

The scenery along the way was so beautiful, and peaceful!  We saw lots of cows, white tailed deer and open fields, plus a few abandoned railroad cars.

Our son Bryan, organized the trip, and it almost looks like he's sitting on an old horse and buggy.

The cars are lightweight enough for two people to lift them off the tracks so we enjoyed a beer, and split some yummy Nachos at the Terminal Gravity Pub.

You don't want to overdo the spirits since you have a 6 mile ride back, uphill with a 1.5 grade. 

This was so much fun!  I can't wait to do it again!

Ironically, as I was writing this post, a show on OPB, Oregon Field Guide,  http://www.opb.org/television/programs/ofg/segment/railriders/was airing a segment on the Railrider cars - talk about serendipity!

2015 opening season for this fun activity starts May 22nd, through Oct 4th, three rides daily F-M. 

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!

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!

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!