when the salt and blue fill a circle of horizons

the sun finally appears at the end of a grey dayTonight is the last night of our Summer 2011 vacation at Oceanside. We'll be back in a few months in the fall, and we've been doing this seasonal Oceanside vacation thing for years now, but it never gets any easier to leave.

And I do mean years. As we were unloading our stuff when we arrived at the cabins, one of the proprietors was returning from a walk with a new employee. I was in the cabin putting things away as Sal was coming up the steps with the last load of stuff, and I heard her greet Sal warmly, then introduce him to the new person. "This is Salvatore," she said. "One of our regulars. You'll see him and his wife every three months. Like seasons."

sunlight on the cliffsExcept this year -- we skipped our March/April visit to save up so we could take the Olympic Peninsula trip for Sal's birthday. She noticed, too. When I went to check in a little later*, she remarked that they'd missed seeing us this spring. It's nice to be known like that. To be someone's regular.

*The front office was empty when we arrived. But we come so often that they just leave the cabin to our door unlocked knowing we'll check in at some point. Which is why we were able to start unloading the car and get settled in before they got back.

our vacation spot is so awesome it includes a tunnel to a secret beachWe had mostly gray sky for this trip, and a whole day of rain today, but it was comfortably temperate, warm enough that we could keep the windows open day and night without getting chilled. And we did get several hours on the beach despite the intermittent sun, with little wind. Enough to get a bit of sunburn, even. And today, which was rainy until late in the evening, we squeezed in a pleasant stroll on the sand. We snapped some pics and even made a short jaunt through the tunnel to the secret beach on the other side of the promontory before the tide got too high.

ending in sunburstOther highlights: continuing our tradition of starting a new show, which we watch once it gets dark and we're eating a late dinner or snack; starting a special book saved for the occasion -- The Wise Man's Fear, in my case, which I've been waiting for more than three months to begin and that's a testament to willpower, people, because goddamn, this series is brilliant; afternoon naps with the window open and the sound and smell of the ocean as we fall asleep; Sal's homemade cookies and orange chocolate chip scones; and of course our special crockpot roast stew, which no matter how many times we make it at home never tastes quite the same as it does at the coast.

But then, I guess that's true of a lot of things.

title taken from "North Atlantic" by Carl Sandburg

these good days make us wealthy beyond measuring

We are two* days into vacation and I am already brainstorming ways to become independently wealthy so that we can do this all the time. We win at recreation.

*(Three for me, since I took Friday off, as well. Sal had to work but it was an end-of-semester day, which meant he didn't have to go in until 10 and was home by 4. So half a day for him, really.)

Taking advantage of Sal actually being home on a Friday night, and the newly-arrived nice weather, we headed to the new HUB Bikebar. (Note, that's a bike bar, not a biker bar. As in, bi-, not motor-.) It's nice having a Hopworks closer to the house (especially on Williams, since that area is just awesome anyway) and this one has a more neighborhood feel than restaurant feel. We snagged a seat on the patio and talked about the last few weeks while we ate.

Sal headed to the Organic Brewers' Festival yesterday over at Overlook, while I spent the day in the studio, working on two new art journal spreads. In the evening, we went to Amnesia Brewing so we could again sit outside and enjoy a casual dinner in another one of our favorite neighborhoods. And even though they didn't offer lemonade, the bartender concocted one for me on the spot. And a damn tasty one at that.

Then we decided we wanted to finally try Salt & Straw (in yet another neighborhood we love) after talking about it forever; unfortunately, we didn't have much cash with us so we had to share a cup instead of each getting our own. Sal, ever the gentleman, allowed me to pick the flavor. I of course went with the salted caramel.

There are some new shops and restaurants since we were there last, so we wandered as we took turns eating our ice cream. And managed to withstand the temptation of Collage as we sauntered by, if only because they were closed. We did not, however, withstand the temptation of Petite Provence. We emerged laden with a sophisticated bakery box of tarts and treats.

Today was the Sunday Parkways, in which the city closes down a bunch of streets in a part of town for the whole day, and people can take over the spaces for neighborhood parties and bike riding and impromptu basketball games and whatever else they want to do without having to worry about cars. It was North Portland's turn this month, and the network of streets that were closed connected a bunch of neighborhood parks, all of which had activities going on to make the most of the day. Combined with the aforementioned newly-arrived nice weather, it meant there were A LOT of people out (ETA: it was officially the largest turnout since the Parkways began), and it was just generally all the best things about Portland on a sunny June day.

So vacation has started off with a bang, and will continue into awesomeness. Tonight we did a bit of cooking and baking in preparation for a few days at Oceanside. (NOTE TO POTENTIAL THIEVES AND/OR BURGLARS: We have a housesitter and very alert neighbors so don't even bother.) We cleaned out New Seasons of basically every good thing to eat in stock -- INCLUDING OMG AN ENTIRE FLAT OF HOODS OMG SRSLY DELAYED STRAWBERRY SEASON HAS COINCIDED NICELY WITH OUR VACATION Y/Y? -- so we will not be in danger of starving. It's a real worry, you know.

Anyway, we'll get up to our usual shenanigans at the coast and then we'll see what other trouble we can get ourselves into when we get back. And I might just come up with a way to make every day a vacation day....

god forbid i ever run into nathan fillion

another new box, but this one isn't really my faultSo here's a little story about how the internet is awesome.

In a neat timing of coincidence, I received an email from the founder(!) of Lunchbots on the same day I did my bento presentation at work. She was writing to tell me that she liked the lunches I'd put together using the Lunchbot Duo and wondered if they could post one of the pics on their Facebook page.

I may have squealed in nerdy delight.

It was kind of like running into a celebrity at the coffee shop. Not even a really huge celebrity, but just someone you recognize and like. And then you're standing there waiting for your hot chocolate with whipped cream (SHUT UP I LIKE HOT CHOCOLATE OKAY) and you're thinking, "Holy crap, that's...!" but you don't want to be one of those total losers who gets all stupid at any brush with fame, so you try to affect a totally chill attitude and you're all, "...'sup, dude?", but inside you're all, "OMGOMGOMG". You know, like that.

So I waited to email (I hadn't even posted my pictures from that day yet, which happened to feature the Lunchbot as part of the demonstration) and thanked her for asking and said yes of course and that it wasn't really necessary to send me a box but if she really really wanted to, here was my mailing address. Hee. And then two of my lunches* appeared on the Lunchbots Facebook page and I was sort-of internet famous for a day and thus the circle of life was complete.

(*That description of the food isn't quite right. I think what she's calling tofu is actually roasted red garnet yams, cut into flower shapes, and those aren't wontons, they're gyoza, which means it also wasn't a vegetarian bento. But she was right that it was delicious :)

So that is the story of how I acquired my second Lunchbot, the Pico, which is the same as the Duo except smaller (350 mL instead of 500 mL).

I had a very pretty breakfast this morning featuring the Pico, but like a moron forgot to take a picture. So here, have a picture of the two Lunchbots together.breakfast, Lunchbot Pico:

• oatmeal (once I've prepared it, it'll go back in that side with everything mixed in); little salt container tucked in the side for the egg
• dried cranberries with a small vial of maple syrup underneath
• not-very-molded egg half
• cantaloupe, braeburn apple slices, red grapes

lunch, Lunchbot Duo:

• smashed roasted sweet potatoes
• smoked sausages
• another not-very-molded egg with peas as gap fillers
• cantaloupe, braeburn apple slices, red grapes

let the wild rumpus begin

Success! Our yard, which now looks approximately like the wild jungles of Borneo, is about to be beaten into submission. We'll have to pay someone to do it, but we found someone who was willing to take their lives in their hands and attempt to restore it to its benign Pacific Northwest unruliness. Of course, there's the very real possibility they'll go inside and be eaten by wild things with lots of teeth, but better them than us.

And speaking of Pacific Northwest unruliness (oh, I kill me with these segues)...Saturday night was the Naked Bike Ride (link is SO not safe for work, but this one is). Ostensibly, it's a protest against fossil fuels, or a way to highlight the vulnerability of riders on the road, depending on whom you talk to, but it's mainly an excuse for people ride around the city letting it all hang out. Which is always hilarious if you happen to be out and about and suddenly a bunch of naked people on bicycles streak past (that's happened to us a few times). Guaranteed to make you smile and giggle and be glad for a bit of gentle absurdity. But this year was notable because Sal decided to join in. And had a blast, so I suspect this will be an annual activity at Hall House. Don't worry, there won't be pictures.

I can't boast anything quite so daring for my weekend. Did some writing, some art, made phone calls, avoided work stuff. I also made the mistake yesterday of not bringing lunch in with me. Well, the mistake was Sunday night when I didn't make one to bring, for no real good reason at all, and then yesterday...well, yesterday was the kind of day that makes a person glad they don't happen very often. It was merely coincidence that it also happened to be a Monday, but it certainly didn't help Monday's reputation for sucking.

Anyway. Today has to be better because I have both lunch AND breakfast, my replacement debit card finally arrived (srsly, what a PITA), and our summer vacation (mine and Sal's) commences Friday. Eleven whole entire days of not being at work. Such luxury! And with the yard finally restored to order, we don't even have to go anywhere for it to be awesome.

breakfast, cute animals sidecar:

• molded egg
• cantaloupe
• red grapes

lunch, Ms. Bento:

• taco filling -- seasoned ground beef and rice, shredded colby, and a bit of sour cream in the little condiment cup
• flour tortilla and red leaf lettuce for the taco
• carrots and red grapes
• cantaloupe
• dark chocolate covered raisins and candied almonds (courtesy of Chef Sal)

conveniently dependent

Several Michaels crafts stores in our area were recently hit with a massive PIN-stealing scheme, including the store that's just down the road from my office. In the last week, there's been a rash of people reporting fraudulent charges on their bills or being notified by the fraud department of their bank of attempts to charge, including several people in my office. I've certainly visited the same store multiple times in the period mentioned in that article, so I've been monitoring my account closely. But while I was fortunate not to be hit by any illicit charges, I discovered yesterday that my debit card had been cancelled by the card company.

It was done as a preemptive measure across all their accounts that were on the list of compromised cards (which means my card was cancelled but Sal was unaffected), but just the sheer number of accounts involved meant that notifications are taking longer than they would normally.  Which meant that I discovered it when I tried to renew an online account and called the bank.

So grateful that what could've been Very Bad has become nothing more than inconvenient, with minimal hassle on my part. But yesterday was definitely a lesson on just how dependent I am on my debit card. I never carry cash and the couple of credit cards I carry are emergency-only. I don't really purchase much except for semi-regular trips to New Seasons for groceries, but it would be no hardship to curb those until my new card arrives.

Or so I thought. On my way to an appointment yesterday, it suddenly occurred to me I'd have to use my credit card. Annoying, but whatever. But then at the parking meter, I was stymied. I did just happen to have cash (one of the rare times I do) but it was a $20, which the machine wouldn't accept and I didn't have enough in coins for the length of time. Did I really want to put that couple of dollars on my credit card? I didn't really have a choice.

Even Sal had a hard time making the adjustment. Upon my relating the unexpected challenge of being without my debit card until a new one arrives, he suggested just getting cash back the next time I was at the store. "Um...I don't have a debit card...?" I said. "...oh, right," he said.

Funny how incorporated into our lives this convenience has become, that we would be so challenged when it disappears, however briefly. And a good lesson that maybe I need to make it a habit to carry at least a little cash more often.

breakfast, bento colors mini green:

• oatmeal with maple syrup and raisins
• blackberries and half a red grape (trying to make a sort of flower), with more grapes underneath
• mandarin sections
• molded egg half, with more mandarin sections underneath

lunch, deli club:

• mini sausages (with carrots underneath)
• steamed string beans as "grass" and carrot flowers for garnish
• molded egg half, with more carrot pieces underneath
• grapes on picks
• mandarin sections

a sudden realization about treats

I was up very late last night working (on stuff for website clients, not my day job), to the point that I convinced myself that I wasn't going to take the time to pack a lunch. Too tired, no leftovers to scrounge, no starches/carbs, too much work, etc. etc. The usual. But our organics delivery had come earlier in the day so I certainly didn't lack for veggies, and eggs are always an option, and no starch/carb wouldn't be any big deal. So I ended up putting one together, as well as a small breakfast sidecar. I even molded a couple of eggs and cut out a few carrot shapes. It was so late by the time I was putting it all together I just figured in for a penny, in for a pound, right?

Tuesdays include a very long meeting, one that goes from morning until lunch, sometimes past lunch. So as I sat during our meeting eating from my little breakfast sidecar, I was thankful that I'd taken the time the night before.  But our meeting went longer than usual and rather than order out, we decided to finish the meeting at a nearby restaurant (Macaroni Grill). Damn, I thought. I could've just saved myself the hassle of making lunch last night if I'd known. A silly thought, since of course there was no way to know that we'd decide on the spur of the moment to make it a lunch meeting, but I thought it nonetheless.

At first, I thought well, I'll just save my lunch for dinner, then. Consider lunch a treat, even though a part of me was bummed that the especially colorful lunch I was looking forward to would have to wait until dinner.

But once I got there and looked at the menu (which was perfectly decent food, if a bit heavy), I changed my mind. I wasn't very hungry yet, thanks to my little breakfast, and my pretty lunch was waiting for me at my office, packed full of veggies and food cut into cute shapes. I knew I'd feel better afterward if I ate that instead of the pasta and cream sauces. (HAHAHAHA ORDER A SALAD WHAT IS THIS CRAZY TALK?) My bento was my treat, I realized, and suddenly nothing on the menu could compare.

breakfast, cute animals sidecar:

• heart-shaped egg (with a small container of sea salt)
• mandarin sections
• fresh blackberries and raspberries

lunch, bento colors purple

• mini sausages*
• peas w/carrot shapes on top
• two halves a star-shaped egg
• corn
• carrot sticks
• green beans
• mandarin sections
• red grapes

tales woven of enchanting yarns

Saturday, a friend I met through Prompt came over for dinner, which necessitated getting the house whipped into some semblance of presentability, since it would be her first visit and I think we all know how important that first, er, introduction to my home is to me. The side benefit of which is that the house looks and feels so great, which we then get to enjoy for however long we're able to keep it up. (I always have to laugh at myself, because when the house is all clean and nice and pretty, I tell myself that this time, this time, I'll be better about putting things away and staying on top of the chores like dusting and vacuuming that make such a noticeable difference in how the house feels. Even as I know that my best intentions aside, I'll inevitably peter out and then start wishing for a magical housekeeping fairy to just come keep my house clean for me.)

She arrived, beautifully arranged basket of flowers in hand (flowers that she picked from her own garden and arranged herself), gorgeous mohair pashmina thrown over her shoulder.  The weather obliged with warm air and clear skies so we could sit on the patio (for the first time this year) to enjoy cheese and Sal's handmade crackers(!) and breads while we talked.  Then dinner, which she was uniquely suited to appreciate since she once worked as a professional waitress at a famous NYC restaurant. And Sal made a great dinner, not overstated or pretentious, but just what he does best:  exceptional ingredients thoughtfully put together.  (And dessert was totally amazeballs fantastic:  mini chocolate bombes with a ganache coating and two decorative tuille cookies artfully placed on top, with fresh berries and a berry coulee arranged around it on the plate.)

My friend has two qualities (among many) that make her a delightful dinner guest: 1) a life straight out of a book, chock full of eccentric (and obscenely talented) characters and extraordinary adventures; and 2) a storyteller's gift for the well-told tale. By the end of the evening, I felt like we'd been given some secret treasure and fully expected her to fly off on a magic carpet. No magic carpet, but she must have sprinkled some kind of enchantment around while she was here because here it is Monday and the house is still in perfect order.

lunch, Paris slimline:

• Yucatan roasted turkey breast
• steamed broccoli
• corn
• blackberries
• raspberries
• Pink Lady apple
• cashews and dark chocolate covered raisins

fleet week

guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86), taken at the 2009 Rose Festival; U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Maebel Tinoko [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsWith the Rose Parade on Saturday, the military and historic ships started coming in yesterday, with the really big ones coming in today. I didn't see any coming down the river yesterday although I did make it a point to go out on the porch periodically to check. But, I did see the Broadway Bridge go up, so I know there was at least one going by me when I was downtown.

The river is usually about seven feet above normal during fleet week, necessitating some bridge lifts so the bigger ships can pass. This year, however, the river is 17 feet above normal (and still rising), which has meant bridge lifts for pretty much everything, and that's been true even before the fleet started coming in. It's translated into traffic backups all over the place for the last few weeks, which is something you don't really think about until you live in a city of bridges.

I remember last year that the river was abnormally high, and some of the ships couldn't come because they couldn't clear the St. Johns Bridge (which doesn't lift).  The St. Johns Bridge sits 200+ feet above the water, so we're talking about some pretty big ships for no bigger than the Willamette River is. Anyway, the tallest one that they could get through last year just cleared the bottom of the bridge deck by four feet. (And I'll bet they sweated through every inch of that clearance until the ship was all the way through.) I'm guessing they probably had to cancel a lot more ships this year.

The St. Johns Bridge, by the way, was dedicated during the Rose Festival 80 years ago (June 13th, 1931). And that's your fun Portland bridge fact for the day!

lunch, french bistro:

• omelet/scramble/frittata?...whatever, it's bunch of stuff cooked with egg -- spinach, mushroom, caramelized onions, green onions; a garnish of fresh spinach to eat with it
• part of a Braeburn apple, with corn as gap filler and more fresh spinach to eat with the egg dish
• celery pieces (cleaning out odds and ends in the fridge)
• dark chocolate covered raisins

all this time in her city, and I'm finally going to meet her

I'm headed to an SFWA event tonight which will include Ursula K. LeGuin speaking about writing, books, genre literature, and, I imagine, whatever else she darn well pleases. As the kids say today, I am excite!

I read The Earthsea Trilogy when I was, like, ten, and if I could locate the boxed set I had (stole borrowed inherited from my dad), I'd take it with me to be signed. Sadly, I suspect that it was lost in a move at some point. But I can still picture that set, and still remember discovering it on a weekend when I was looking for something new to read and browsing his bookcase. I came to a lot of books that way, now that I think about it....

breakfast, cute animals sidecar:

• oatmeal
• smidge of butter
• maple syrup
• raisins

lunch, Lunchbots Duo:

• half sandwich -- pepper roasted turkey with mustard on sourdough
• string cheese pieces as gap fillers
• lettuce for the sandwich lining the box
• Braeburn apple half
• celery sticks and carrot pieces

the sheer force of sky and the cold magnet earth

this is what the first(!) 80 degree day of an extremely cold, wet, and gray year looks likeFriday was so glorious that as soon as the workday was over (which ends early on Fridays because our company is the greatest), I jetted to a little hideaway place of mine with a book and a late afternoon lunchish/snackish bento (see below). This little spot is tucked into a niche of the Columbia River, in a place where there an island splits the river in half. I sneak out there every few weeks if the weather's nice and I've got a good book going.

taken a month and a half ago, back when the river was high at the time, but nowhere near as high as it is now; and randomly, a pirate ship that just sailed pastThe river is super high right now. Past flood stage, actually, though not currently threatening anything and no worry that it will before it finally starts to die back in a few weeks. Very thankful for that, obviously, since it seems so many others haven't been as lucky in other parts of the country. Still, it was amazing to be out there and see how noticeably different it was from the last time I was there just two or three weeks ago.

We spent Saturday with Sister, Guy, and the Fabulous Miss M at their house, us girls knocking about in the gorgeous weather while the boys brewed. Then later time spent together, just together. And food, of course, because that is what we do best. Mouthwateringly grilled steaks, with grilled asparagus and a special treat of a creamy mushroom sauce for the steak thanks to the morels that Guy picked up at the farmers' market and Sal's handy skill with cream, stock, and exquisite fungi. And later, sampling of the very special French artisan chocolates they'd bought in Montana months ago and saved just to share with us. That's love, people.

sometimes snapping a pic of Miss M is like trying to capture wind in a bottleThe weather held most of the day yesterday, but today is back to overcast and intermittent rain, but at least it's stayed a little warmer than it was. Although now that our yard has had a taste of sun and warmth, the weedy chaos is threatening to explode into overgrown catastrophe. We really need to get out there and get the place whipped into shape, but with so few nice days this spring, it's ever so much easier to go for a bike ride or ensconce onself on the porch swing with a book. Which explains why our yard is in the state it's in, and we're no closer to having it done. Sigh.

lunchish/snackish bento from Friday, Lunchbot Duo:

• parmesan breaded chicken breast pieces on my new picks
• string cheese
• carrot and celery sticks
• raspberries

sweet treat from Friday, matryoshka:

• honey roasted mixed nuts
• two chocolate chunk & sea salt cookies

lunch today, laptop lunch:

• salad greens -- red leaf lettuce, spinach, sprinkling of green onion
• salad fixins -- carrots, snap peas, radishes, celery
• a bit of naan
• chicken sauteed with a bit of salt, pepper, and fresh ginger (leftover from the gyoza adventure a few weeks ago)
• raisins and honey roasted mixed nuts for the salad
• dark chocolate covered raisins in the little condiment container
• on the side: Sal's homemade vinaigrette

title taken from "The Lightning Strike: Daybreak" by Snow Patrol

a charm from the sky seems to hallow us there

Today and yesterday are big anniversaries in our lives. Today marks 21 years since Sal and I first started dating, which...is still boggling to me every time I think about it. How is that even possible? Holy crap. We've been together for well over half our lives. Incomprehensible! It's like trying to wrap your head around the concept of super massive black holes or chaos theory or why Justin Bieber is popular.

And yesterday marked our 9 year house-iversary! Happy House-iversary, Hall House! How far you've come and how much you've changed. You were in need of more help than we initially realized, but you've been a bigger reward than we ever could've imagined. (Except for that whole water line incident. Let's not do that again, kay?) Thank you for being a castle and a sanctuary and a house of dreams.

breakfast, bento color mini green:

• mini frittatas -- mushroom, onion, spinach
• mini blueberry pancakes
• raspberries

lunch, Lunchbot Duo:

• 4-color raddiatore (tomato, carrot, spinach, regular) tossed with a bit of oil, herbs, and salt
• asparagus sauteed with mushrooms and caramelized onions
• red garnet yam patties*
• pepperoni -- the last from our visit to Dick's Brewing
• corn
• raspberries

*This is a new invention. Although someone probably thought of it long before I did.  So new to me, I guess. Anyway, I had some leftover roasted yams from last week so I mashed them up and mixed them with a little maple syrup, them put them in a lightly oiled pan (to keep them from sticking) on high heat. The result? To die for.

title taken from John Howard Payne's "Home, Sweet Home"