Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge is a city park of about 141 acres in southeast Portland, Oregon. Located in a floodplain along the east bank of the Willamette River near Sellwood, the park is known for attracting a wide variety of birds and other wildlife. James chose this trail for a nice long walk in the … Continue reading Urban Hike & Strange Findings
Hippo Hardware is an eclectic building salvage store specializing in hardware, lighting, architecture, and plumbing from 1860-1960. They also offer assorted collectibles, trinkets, whatnots, and whoziwhatsits depending on what they get in. The spirit of Hippo Hardware is to rejoice in the individual, the unique, and the original. Yesterday was a wicked rainy day so … Continue reading Hippo Hardware & Trading Company
Jim took me to the Portland Apple Store the other morning to purchase my Christmas present, a new iPhone. I'm part of the family team that takes most of the photographs, so I choose the 8 Plus, which has two cameras. Sorry, I'm going to "geek out" for a sentence or two. The 8 Plus … Continue reading Apple Store – Portland
I'm sure most of you are asking, what the hell is she writing about now? Garbage is very serious in Portland, here's a short explanation from the "handbook" that came with our rental cottage.... Bins are located in the garage of the cottage around the corner on Elm Street. We have to use the keypad … Continue reading Garbage in Portland
When we're in Portland, which is where we are currently, here are our digs. Japanese Gardens, Zoo, and lots of other urban trails are all within hiking/walking distance. Jim and I walk down the mountain to Burnside and have lunch or brunch then do our grocery shopping. Sometimes, we buy too much and take a … Continue reading Historic Springs Cottage
As most of you know we just recently moved to southern Oregon, Jim and I are foodies and 4 Daughters Irish Pub sounded compelling. (Best English Pub we've ever been to was located in Hong Kong, but that's a different story.) Loved the ambiance, wait staff was friendly, put food only average. Still liked it … Continue reading 4 Daughters Irish Pub, Medford OR
Jim loves trains, he was featured on the front page of the Colorado Springs newspaper "The Gazette" in the engine of the train with the engineer. This was due to the fact that everyday the train went by Jim was out there waving to the engineer. We've never been to a train show before but … Continue reading Rogue Valley Railroad Show
I just bought myself an Instant Pot. I have been wanting one for a while now and finally indulged. You will probably be seeing a string of recipes that call for one. This soup is the first thing I cooked with the Instant Pot and it turned out impressively well. I was amazed at how … Continue reading Split Pea Soup
You can find Black Bean Sauce at any Asian market. It keeps forever in the fridge. Also we are never without Laura's favorite Chili Garlic Paste. I had one fish fillet left in the freezer so I decided to make this last night with some white rice and stir-fried Boc Choy. I smashed the ginger … Continue reading Steamed Fish with Black Bean Sauce
Turns out there is a cool tradition here in Medford. Every year about this time they have a Gingerbread House contest. There are three entry levels: kids, kids with adults, and adults. So yesterday we went to see what it was all about. It was fun and amazing to see all the work and time … Continue reading Gingerbread Houses
