Vacation, Day 11, 10/31/2009, Part 2

Do these guys know that they're at NASCAR's longest track, 2.66 miles around? Yep, they do. Individualism rocks for NASCAR fans!


No wondering where we are! Here's the sign to prove it. Oh, joy!


This is where we're going!


Tire trouble on the track led to a trip down Pit Road. That's T.J. Bell's Toyota.


The pit crew works on changing the two right-side tires.


The back tire's finished while work continues on the front wheel. See the child on the seat at the back of the pit box? His ticket hanging around his neck is almost as big as he is! And I think that woman to the right in front of him has on a red-devil-horns-headband!


Bell's Toyota won't start, so two of his crew push it down pit road--they're already two pit spaces away from theirs. Taylor Malsams' #81 rolled into his pit, making for close quarters. Bell's crew look to their right, hoping for a break in the traffic on pit road so that they can get him out onto it as Malsam's crew puts gasoline into the truck and one guy makes an adjustment of some sort there at the back window, probably in the wedge. Here's some info about wedge, from NASCAR's glossary: Refers to the relationship from corner-to-corner of the weight of the race vehicle. Increasing the weight on any corner of the vehicle affects the weight of the other three corners in direct proportion. Weight adjustments are made by turning "weight jacking screws" mounted on each corner with a ratchet. A typical adjustment for a "loose" car would be to increase the weight of the left rear corner of the vehicle, which decreases the weight of the left front and right rear corners and increases the weight of the right front. A typical adjustment for a "tight" vehicle would be to increase the weight of the right rear corner, which decreases the weight of the right front and left rear and increases the weight of the left front.

Anyway, the truck race is on!

By the way, over at Portland Oregon Daily Photo there's a spectacular photo of the Hawthorne Bridge that I think you'll really like!

Vacation, Day 11, 10/31/2009, Part 1

Halloween morning at Talladega Superspeedway, and we're having Cafe du Monde beignets courtesy of Kay! Way to go, Kay!


And pancakes courtesy of Betty! Way to go, Betty!


Having never really been around golf carts before this trip, I found them endlessly fascinating.


Here's another one.


Tinkerbell's ready to go outside. It had rained during the night; rain and/or mist persisted. She's a well-dressed cutie pie, thanks to Kay! Way to go Kay!


Mike and Milton, searching for the weather report on the TV.


Off to the race! The Mtn Dew 250 of Talladega fueled by Fred's Hometown Discount Store!


Don't forget the tickets!


See what I mean? Fascinating. Lots and lots of folks park their golf carts at the edge of the campground and walk on over to the Superspeedway.


Here's how lots of other folks arrive at the track. See way off--all of those white things? Those are travel trailers, motorhomes, all sorts of RVs, camped between Speedway Boulevard and I-20.

Vacation, Day 10, 10/30/2009, Part 8

After dinner entertainment, courtesy of Ian, Milton and Kay's grandson. I wondered why he asked me to bring him some shoe strings and light sticks from Walmart. He tied a shoe string to a light stick, made one for each hand, and started to rotate his arms and wrists. See the spectacular results!











By the way, go over to Portland Oregon Daily Photo (on My Other Blogs) and see a beauty of a Chevrolet Pickup Truck, maybe a 1952. You'll be glad that you looked!

Vacation, Day 10, 10/30/2009, Part 7

First let me say that I've decided that I'll post about our fan-tab-u-lous vacation here at Mama and Me from PDX and about Portland over at Portland Oregon Daily Photo. I hope you'll have a moment to click on the link to the other blog, as shown in My Other Blogs. Thanks! And for anyone who wants to see previous vacation posts, go back to May 28 and before. Thanks again!

Now for the fried food, courtesy of Milton at the campground at Talladega Superspeedway.


Milton mans the Cajun Fryer. You can see he's been a busy, busy man.


The Cajun Fryer at work.




Fried okra.


Deep-fried corn on the cob.


Corn on the cob waiting to be fried.


Fried jalapeno slices.




Fried fish.


I think these are corn poppers, but I cannot remember for sure. It's too late to call Milton and ask him--I'm doing my post on Thursday night, to appear on Friday morning.


French fries waiting for the hot oil.


What sort of poppers do these look like to you? Milton? Kay? Are you out there?


Kay's banana pudding--some kind of delicious dessert!

Setting sun sparks KOIN Tower windows as I wait for the 4th of July fireworks

From my friends' boat on the Willamette River, I noticed the KOIN Tower windows, glowing wondrously. I clicked the D50 a few times, hoping to get at least one photo that would do justice to the sight. I like this one best because it not only shows the windows but also give you a good idea of the size of the crowd at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival there in Tom McCall Waterfront Park as well as the number of boats visible in the narrow space captured by the camera.

The building is 509 feet tall, Oregon's third tallest building. The building was originally named Fountain Plaza, but it quickly came to be known as the KOIN Center, or KOIN Tower, reflecting the name of its highest-profile occupant, KOIN television. The building was controversial while being constructed because its location blocked the view of Mount Hood that had long been seen by drivers emerging from the Vista Ridge Tunnel under Portland's West Hills going eastbound on U.S. Route 26. The Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival is the largest blues fest west of the Mississippi and the second largest on in the USA.

Savor summertime at 3 Doors Down Cafe

New entree on the menu at 3 Doors Down Cafe. This is the first time I've ever taken a photo of a dish that I didn't eat afterwards. I had listened to Lamont's description of it and knew immediately that I would want to photograph it. So I asked him to let me know when he plated it again. Our waitress did just that. It's pan-roasted Oregon albacore tuna, bacon, chilled mache greens and sliced heirloom tomatoes with Mama Lil's Hungarian pepper aioli.

Before I forget, since Mama and I were at 3 Doors Down on Sunday night, we had Happy Hour food, all small dishes which we shared: grilled corn on the cob with blue cheese butter; tuna salad stuffed piquillo peppers; egg fettuccine, truffle oil and black pepper; mini meatballs, marinara, mozzarella. Actually I took half of the fettuccine and the tuna-stuffed piquillo peppers home and ate them for lunch on Monday. Lucky, lucky me!

Going south on the Willamette, towards the 4th of July fireworks

The Fremont Bridge takes my breath away. Looking south at the bridge.










Looking north at the bridge.

Waiting for the Fireworks No. 1

I got to ride on some friends' boat on the Willamette River for our July 4 fireworks in downtown Portland. All they asked was that I just take photos of everything else, not them--such camera-shy folks. I quickly agreed and had a blast!


When the breeze blew, it was just this cool in the shade.


Elvis is on the river.

Although this is the first post on this topic, the posts will not be in chronological order. You know how much I like to do that, but I thought, "Hey! What's wrong with random now and then?" Enjoy!

Cool off considerably at 3 Doors Down Cafe, SE 37th & Hawthorne

Every bite, every sip, a reward for having the sense to come in out of the heat at 3 Doors Down Cafe after work.


Cool, the appetizer vitello tonnato, a classic Italian dish of chilled braised veal breast resting on a bed of tuna sauce that includes capers, cornichons and aoili. The first three bites I ate without the lemon juice, savoring the flavors, then I decided to go for it, to drip lemon juice on a corner of the vitello tonnato. My gosh! Talk about accentuating perfection! That's what the lemon juice did to the veal--it actually made it taste even better. In no time flat I had dripped lemon juice all over it!


Chilled, the Perfect Manhattan--it looks gorgeous, doesn't it? It went very well with the vitello tonnato.


Cold and creamy, the housemade strawberry ice cream, two great big scoops with that crispy wafer in between them. Satisfaction.

Happy 4th of July from Portland, Oregon