I am so excited about this! Here's to two commenters, Honest Abe Lincoln and Christine H. who ...

... commented at Mama and Me from PDX, worried about the placement of certain items in yesterday’s post. I put the same thing on both blogs, trying to be efficient with my use of time.

Mr. Lincoln said: There is an unprotected bombshell in your photograph as well as the girl in the bike. I am flabbergasted the city has not protected the natural gas main from being run into and broken off, erupting in a giant explosion of never ending flames.

On the left and this side of the 55 gallon drum.

Christine H. said: Abe is right. I didn't notice that, but once I read his comment I had to go back and look. there's a dumpster near it, so presumably big garbage trucks back up there. ANYWAY...that is not what struck me first. What struck me is the initials DTW on the newspaper box. This tagger has his @#$%! initials sprayed all over my neighborhood too and I'm a number of miles away from where this picture was taken. I'd like to get my hands on him.
I hope you don't mind that both of these comments have gone off on tangents.

Concerned about their worries but unable to go back outside either on Saturday (I had an intestinal bug) or today (it's raining and I'm still not quite right), I decided to take a look at the area on Google Maps. The photo you see here is the one I shot as it sat on my iMac.

Rest assured, Mr. Lincoln, the gas main is in a protected spot. Rest assured, Christine H., there is ample room for big garbage trucks to maneuver.

I love it that the two of them looked so closely at my photograph. I love it that they, as Christine H. categorized it, went off on tangents. That's one of my favorite places to go! Thanks, y'all!

Oh, and y'all who take way more photos than I do and have been thoroughly trained to do so, what do you call it when the perspective of the photo shortens what is actually there, so much so that the entire alley seems to have disappeared and the four-lane thoroughfare gives no evidence of its width in yesterday’s post? Is there a name for it? Thanks!

The gray pole and the girl on the bike

Her left hand disappears just beyond the gray pole. She's pushing the button to make the traffic signal change on NE Sandy so that she can ride her bike north across the street. I like the perspective here, the disappearing sidewalk and the rooftops that extend over the sidewalk. The pole supports the traffic signal for vehicles heading south at the intersection.

Looking at this photo, it's difficult to believe that NE Sandy is a four lane thoroughfare. I took it on Sunday, March 6, when I was out for a walk. It started to mist right after I took this one, so I hurried on home.

Windy after work and a gray pole in the distance

On Monday because it was not raining after work, I got off the bus a few blocks early so that I could get in a bit of a walk. The wind blew through these foil strips at the Dave Russell Motor Co., making a rustling sound I could hear over the cars on NE Sandy. I wonder if any of them came from the pre-owned car lot?

Look way down the sidewalk, there in the distance. You can just make out a gray pole. Tomorrow's post involves that pole.

Movie Marquee at the Hollywood Theatre

Monday a week ago, Lamont, my friend from work Sarah, and I went to the Hollywood Theatre on NE Sandy. The movie we saw--The Fighter. I realize that not everyone will have seen this movie, so I will give away nothing. Suffice it to say that at the end, sobbing quietly, I looked over at the two of them and said, "That was a whole lot." In fact, it took me several hours to wind down. Lamont told me it took him that long, too. I will say that by the end of it you understand why Melissa Leo and Christian Bale took home Oscars, as well as why Amy Adams also received a nomination.


I wholeheartedly recommend The Fighter. It is an amazing movie, one that I want to see again in a theater. I need to check the local listings and make a plan.

I have a confession to make. I am taken with those Wahlberg brothers, Mark and Donnie. It started with Donnie on Blue Bloods, the NYPD cop TV show that stars Tom Selleck on CBS. Then I saw the 60 Minutes interview with Mark, about his life and this movie. Next came the American Music Awards when the New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys performed together on stage. Both TV shows were on the same night, if I remember right.

OK. So I'm an ol' lady. But I'm also a goner. I'm even thinking about trying to figure out Twitter so that I can follow the two of them. See. A goner. I love the beat of Donnie's music and the way that Mark helped his school with its gym.

Lamont and Leland, I apologize up front if I have embarrassed one or both of you by being a Wahlberg goner.

A Tale of Two (More) Chicken Breasts

You know something that I've discovered? A real big surprise to me? The difference between taste and texture of never-been-frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts and purchased-frozen chicken tenders. It's a delightful difference, let me tell you. Of course, those of you who already know this may be chuckling in a mannerly fashion at my naivete. That's OK.

Earlier in March I bought my first ever fresh chicken breasts, two of them, from the meat counter at Freddie's. I figured I could do something nice with them. That day I also bought some carrots, potatoes, onion, zucchini, yellow crook neck squash and chard. You can see what I did with all of that, here in this photo. Much like what I had on the blog on Monday, I baked the chicken breasts first, sprinkled with sea salt and pepper, drizzled with an olive oil, canola oil mixture. I forgot to say that on Monday, about the oil mixture. In a big pot, I cooked the potatoes in chunks, the carrots in disks, after I had sauteed the onion in bits and pieces, in that same olive oil/canola oil mixture. I added a little bit of water, too.

After the chicken was done, I called Lamont and asked him, "Can't I put my chicken breasts in pieces into my pot with the carrots and potatoes and onion, then add the squash and later on the chard?" "You sure can," he replied.

So I got the chicken out of the oven, let it rest a couple of minutes, then cut it into chunks. Once the potatoes and carrots began to get tender, I poured the chicken chunks and liquid into the pot, added a little bit of water, and turned up the heat for a few minutes. Then I poured in the disks of both squash and stirred in the chard which I had cut in the manner of chiffonade, as in finely cut. Well, finely cut as well as I could do it, not teensy but narrow. Anyway, it all cooked for a while on lower heat and smelled great. Right before I turned off the heat, I stirred in some leftover Green Giant Steamer Shoe Peg Corn. Oh, and as I added each new ingredient, I sprinkled some sea salt here and there in the pot.

Needless to say, I had me some more great leftovers. In fact, Lamont came over one night that week and ate a bowl of it, proclaiming it "chicken stew." He liked it! I hope that I can cook this again and have it turn out just as tasty.

On the menu at 3 Doors Down Cafe, SE 37th and Hawthorne

From Friday night and still on the menu in much the same fashion: Duck confit, roasted pork belly, roasted carrot, roasted shallot, cannellini beans, bread crumbs. Sprinkled on the duck and pork, Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. A fine mixture of textures and flavors for your dining enjoyment.

Supper. I love leftovers!

I cooked this on Sunday, intending to have it as supper, off and on this week. First I put the two chicken breasts in the glass bowl--sprinkled with salt and pepper, drizzled with olive oil--and baked them for one hour in the oven, 350 degrees. Then I got them out of the bowl so that I could use the drippings and olive oil mixture elsewhere.


Here's where I used it, in this great big saute pan so that I could first cook my cippolini onion and carrots, then braise my variety of greens and spinach. I think that I have Kale. Is that kale, y'all?

So, you see the fresh vegetables which I reaped at the Portland State University Farmers Market which opened this past Saturday. Yummy. I also bought a jar of Mango Madness, a fine pepper jelly from the Rose City Pepperheads, some Chevreddar goat cheese from Farmucopia in Woodland, WA, some other cheese from Ancient Heritage Dairy, Opal Creek, from Scio, OR. I thought I read on their sign that it was sheep cheese--now that I look at the label I see that it is described as "Artisan made on our farm with raw cow milk, cultures, enzymes and salt." Oh, well, I won't each much of it at one time so maybe the lactose tolerance problem won't kick in. It also says "aged at least 60 days." It ought to make a fine grilled cheese. I also go two smallish chocolate chip cookies sprinkled with fleur de sel (sea salt). Actually, I bought one, succumbed to its tastes and texture, then bought the other one and ate it right then, too! The best morsels I popped in my mouth as I made my way through the market!

Walk #6, interesting spot in the neighborhood

For years I've noticed this house which appears to have been converted into a business. Now I live within walking distance, so I finally got to take a photo of it. And look at the serendipity--that front bumper of the car matches the paint on the house.

Sing-A-Long Mary Poppins, Cinema 21, NW 21st Avenue

Saturday, March 5, my friend Sarah and I enjoyed ourselves very much at the 2 p.m. Sing-A-Long Mary Poppins at Cinema 21, over in my old neighborhood. Dimwit that I am, I completely forgot to take a photo of the marquee! I have until March 20 to make it back over there to take a photo and attend the Sing-A-Long Grease--it's at 7 p.m.

While we waited in line to pick up our will-call tickets, Mary Poppins herself came out to speak to me--I had on a headband sporting two long-stemmed flowers and a butterfly because people were encouraged to dress up in costume. She wanted to talk flowers-on-your-hat for a minute or two. Delightful. Soon this charming little girl appeared with her grownups. Seeing Mary Poppins literally stopped her in her tracks. I thought it was very sweet of MP to speak with her, to call attention to her friend Winnie the Pooh who had come to see the movie with her.


As we walked through the lobby, each of us received a bag of goodies--turned out to be sort of movie props for the audience's enjoyment, to heighten our sense of participation beyond mere singing. Here you see Sarah holding our cards and her umbrella. Mine's the card on the left.


Mary Poppins held each item up, one at a time, and asked the audience for suggestions when to use them during the movie. Other items included a chocolate penny for Feed the Birds; a Pixy Stix for A Spoonful of Sugar, the umbrella for Mary Poppins arrival and departure, a kazoo for when the penguins show up in the part where Mary and Bert and Michael and Jane jump into Bert's sidewalk art, a Champagne Party Popper to pull and cause to explode at one of the times that Admiral Boom's man shot off that cannon on the roof, a paper fan to blow away all of those other nannies who answered Mr. Banks' ad for a new nanny, and the pink card to hold up while everyone sang Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! You could smell the gunpowder every time that cannon went boom, what with all of us deciding to pull the string on our party popper at different times. One more thing Mary Poppins told us--the words would appear on the screen for each song which relieved my anxiety about remembering all of them.


Here's the silhouette of my "hat," caused by the light behind me inside the theater itself.


And here I am in the hall mirror at home, before heading to the show.

I can't think of what to wear when I go see Grease. I don't know where my scarves are, yet.

On the appetizer menu at 3 Doors Down Cafe

Potato gnocchi, eggplant, mint, plum tomatoes--delicious, every bite, as I ate my dinner on March 4.


Soup of the day, March 4: Cauliflower, mushrooms, chicken stock, celery root and chopped flat Italian parsley. I ordered a cup and wished, when all was said and done, that I had ordered an entire bowl. The bowl is more the size of the one you see with the gnocchi. I'll know better next time. Oh, before I forget, the drink you see there by the edge of the cup is my swell New Fangled Old Fashioned, a bracing drink to enjoy on a Friday after work.

To keep this post on the up and up, I report to you that my older son Lamont is sous chef at 3 Doors Down Cafe. I also report how proud I am of him and everyone who works diligently and professionally to serve their customers at a restaurant I would frequent even if Lamont did not work there. The food and drink and service is that good.

The King's Speech, what a movie ought to be, at the Roseway Theater, what a neighborhood theater ought to be

When I realized I only had a few days left to make it to see The King's Speech at the Roseway Theater, I asked for an hour's vacation and made it to the 5:15 p.m. showing. What a fantastic mental health break to see a movie, especially one so well-written and acted. It looked wonderful, too. In fact, the movie captivated me from the beginning, as did the theater itself. I shall return.


This quick shot doesn't really portray the luxury of the spacious seats which sport loads of leg room nor does it portray the actual size of the screen--it's huge!. Read all about the Roseway Theater and its owner here in an article from the Oregonian, our daily newspaper.


The lobby, the concession stand.
The beautiful door decoration.


Stained glass in the lobby.


Gorgeous, isn't it?


I think this one is etched.


This one, too.

Walk #5, interesting concept

As I walked around the neighborhood last Sunday, I remembered that I wanted to take a closer look at the windows at this corner store. Recently I'd noticed the painted signs from the bus window. But what caught my eye as I snapped this shot wasn't just the "Sleep Better ... Buy Local" painted across the outline of the state of Oregon.


Nope. It was the red and white printed sign leaning up in the lower left corner of the window that caught my eye. Deliver a mattress by bike? Interesting concept. Do I ever wish that I'd be outside to catch a glimpse of one of these deliveries so that I could take a photo to share!

Walk #4, what's this?

Last Sunday morning. Clothes in washing machine. Out for a walk. Heard it coming. Looked left. Picked up camera. Got off three quick shots. Here's the first one.


And here's the third one. I've cropped it so that you can get the full impact of the Spunky Monkey van. I don't drink coffee, but I dig this van. How about that statement in the lower right corner of the back doors? Help us play all local music: Bring your own recording and get 10 free coffees! Hey, y'all local PDX recording artists! Y'all know about this? Who's done it? I'm curious.

The MAX Yellow Line that I missed because ...

... a woman in line in front of me at Will Call (where I went to pick up a prescription refill) had not called ahead and asked one question after another for I don't know how many minutes! Once I had my refill, I looked at the iPhone app PDXBus and saw that the next train was due in two minutes--yep, you can get arrivals for the bus, the Portland Streetcar, the MAX, and the WES Commuter Line which is way far away from where I ever go. I knew I'd never make it, never. So I just walked out towards the station with my camera ready. Thank goodness! Serendipity strikes again. Look at the red hand on the crosswalk, shining through the windows on the MAX car! I guess I owe that inefficient woman a high five. Recognize the tree in the background? Look at this link to learn more about it—the one that looks like a person holding his/her arms out. To help you find it, it's in between the red spot and the white spot on the grass, to the right of the train car.


Here's the first shot I took when I got to the crosswalk. The train I wanted is on the right. The other one is also a Yellow Line train, heading north. I needed to go south into downtown where I would transfer to a bus to head on home. So I walked up the sidewalk, crossed at the next crosswalk and sat down to wait. If you look at Tuesday's post, you'll see what I did while I waited for the train.

Waiting for the MAX Yellow Line with my music on the iPhone

Too many minutes in between trains, cool breeze, all bundled up and no place to go, so I listened to train songs. I mean, the other night when I waited for a 12 bus diagonally across the street from the Hollywood Theater, I listened to Hollywood by Los Lonely Boys and Hollywood Swinging by Kool and the Gang. By the time I do this the third time, I will have started a new tradition!


First song, Freedom Train by Lenny Kravitz.


Second song, Hey Porter by Johnny Cash.


Third song, Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash.

By the way, I was listening each time to the iPod like it was a transistor radio--I didn't dig out my ear buds, either it was too cold and rainy or it was too cold and windy to take off my ear muffs.

July 15, 2007, Mama and Duncan

Let me explain how I came upon this photo and decided to post it today. I started out going to my set at Flickr, Pioneer Courthouse Square. I knew that I had taken some new photos last Wednesday as I waited for the MAX Yellow Line after work--I had an errand to do. I stood across SW 6th Avenue from Pioneer Courthouse Square, watching people, taking photos. I figured why not, it wasn't raining, the sun had not set. Once I got those photos uploaded to Flickr and into the set, I planned to sort it with the newest photos first, but for some reason it just wouldn't do it. I scrolled down the first page of the set for some reason, and there it was, this sweet photo. We had gone to see Sand in the City with our friends from California when this little girl just had to give Duncan a pat; he and Mama wear the stickers we got when we made our donation to the Kids on the Block charity--Sand in the City's a fundraiser.

Mama's been gone two months today. Duncan's been gone since June 9, 2010. Those two inevitable truths remain unreal.

Walk #3, swinging while distracted

The first few photos I took of the young woman swinging, she faced forward and in one even appeared to be singing with her iPod. In this one, what could have all of a sudden distracted her? is it that she all of a sudden saw what appears to be a giant paint ball splatter high up on the wall? Or did she notice me with my camera?

No matter, I particularly like how the playground equipment framed her swinging.

Walk #2, playground equipment in neon

When I saw this playground equipment, I immediately thought of changing it to neon in Picnik. Success.


The playground as I saw it.

The playground itself is at the east end of the da Vinci Middle School campus. The school is at 2508 NE Everett Street.

Walk #1, blustery encounter at the corner

Sunday afternoon I decided to take a walk around my new neighborhood. Prior to this I had only walked to and from either the bus stop or the Zipcar. I had a great time, despite the chilly temperature, the sprinkles of rain, and the gusts of wind.

While I had my camera hanging around my neck, I had to keep tucking it inside my coat, then pulling it out if I saw something that I wanted to photograph.

The people you see here, walking their dogs, came together and passed so quickly that I almost missed getting any photo at all. But for the tugging efforts of the dogs who so desperately wanted to prolong their encounter, I would have had nothing. Thanks, plucky little dogs!

Grocery shopping by the numbers, for Lamont and me

Photo #1

Photo #2

Photo #3

Photo #4

Lamont's had the flu since Wednesday. I knew it would not rain on Saturday, so I offered to pick up a few items for him while doing my weekly shopping at Fred Meyer, this week by bus--no need for a Zipcar on that particular day. He gave me a short list of three things and asked if I could also pick up his pay check and deposit it for him. Since the Fred Meyer, 3 Doors Down Cafe, and his bank are within two blocks of each other, I immediately agreed. Realizing I would need two rolling black bags, I looked over my selection, thinking how nice it would be only roll one on the way there. So I shoved one into another, zipped it almost all of the way, satisfied that it would work just fine. You can tell from Photo #1 which one fit inside the other one, right?

I left the apartment at 10:25 a.m. Saturday, 2/26/2011, and walked to TriMet Bus Stop where I waited to catch the #12 bus, heading east on Sandy Boulevard. By 10:31 a.m., I sat comfortably, having stayed warm while on the sidewalk in my three layers of jackets, earmuffs, gloves, long pants, socks and shoes. Before long the #12 was at SE 47nd and Sandy where I got off to catch the #75 so that I could head south to the Fred Meyer on the corner of SE 39th (known officially now as Cesar Chavez) and SE Hawthorne.

A couple of blocks from that particular corner, I decided to get off at the stop before it and walk the few blocks to the restaurant on a partially different route. In no time at all, I had the check from Dave and headed for the bank. Making the deposit didn't take much time, either.

By 11:17 a.m., I was inside the Fred Meyer, texting Lamont to let him know to call if he could think of anything else he wanted; he added a box of crackers, saltines. The remodeled store still confuses me, so I had to back-track some, plus I kept looking at my coupons and my Fred Meyer Rewards Card coupon list. Before I knew it, a couple of hours or more had passed. At the check out, I ran my FMRC through the card reader, then my debit card, as the cashier rang up the 37 items and my nine coupons. The machine spit out my receipt which also showed the four coupons which were loaded on the FMRC, for a total coupon savings of $9.05. Some of the items that I bought were also on sale, so I saved more than that--hooray!

Now for the fun, fitting a 12-pack of Diet Mt. Dew and a 12-roll of Quilted Northern Double Rolls, plus two four-pack boxes of Nabisco Saltines and the 33 other items inside the two rolling black bags. It took less than 20 minutes, and I couldn't quite make it all fit, so I got the Fred Meyer paper bag with handles and put all but one of Lamont's items--Nancy's Vanilla Yogurt, two cans of Muir Glen chicken noodle soup, and a container of powered lemon-lime Gatorade--and two of mine into it.

Outside on SE 39th, I sat down to wait for the #75 bus for the ride south to SE Division where I would transfer to the #4. That's when I took Photo #1. The two reasons I had not taken any photos earlier were the cold, cold temperature and not enough time to get the camera out before the buses came. This time, to make room in the rolling black bags, I had the camera hanging around my neck! I waited six minutes on the bench, laboriously made my way onto the bus and to a seat, rode the nine blocks to my next stop. I got off without dropping the paper bag or letting either of the rolling black bags fall over, crossed SE 39th to the bus stop for the #4, due in 3 minutes. I rode the #4 the 17 blocks to the stop closest to where Lamont lives, then walked the two blocks to his house.

Not wanting to catch the flu, I set the paper bag on the porch and called Lamont on the phone to let him know I was outside. He came out and got his groceries and the deposit receipt, thanking me over and over. I gave him a smile, told him I hoped the food would help, said "No, I won't let you give me a ride you've been and still are too sick," and took off back up the street towards the bus stop. Imagine my joy when the #4 appeared just after I had crossed the street!

Even more joy came over me when I got off at the corner of SE Madison and SE Grand and walked half a block to wait for the #6 which came in four minutes, then total joy as I crossed SE Grand at East Burnside and the #12 bus arrived in four minutes! By the time I got off it at the very stop where I had caught the #12 that morning, I was a happy, tired shopper, very pleased with the speed of my homeward bound bus rides.

Not wanting to lug the two rolling black bags down two taller-than-usual steps into the basement, then up nine steps to the level of the front door, I decided to walk up to the corner, pull the bags up the four steps from the sidewalk to our building's entry sidewalk, through the front door which was opened and held open by a gracious neighbor lady on her way out to walk her cutie-pie pug, through the door off the entry and into the wing where my apartment is located. As I pulled the bags slowly up the four carpeted steps, my left foot somehow got caught up in the crowded area, my shoe slipped off, plus I dropped the handle of the smaller rolling black bag which slid to a stop on the floor. My first thought as I stood at the top of the steps, "Oh, I hope the package of flour tortillas protected the egg cartons!" My second thought, "Take a picture for the blog." See Photo #2.

No eggs were broken!

I was too tired to remember what time I got home, but I do know that I saw the start of the Nationwide race at Phoenix--the show came on at 2:30 p.m. All of the groceries, Photos #3 and #4, had been put away, leftover baked chicken had been warmed and Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamer Shoe Peg Corn had been steamed. I think it was 3 p.m. or thereabouts. I enjoyed my meal, washed the dishes, and headed for Mama's recliner with my giant heating pad on medium, lying between my back and the chair back. Nap time.

All totaled up, it was a good effort.