Well, not so much sloe gin fizz.   Mostly damn good coffee and iced tea.   Make that damn good coffee, iced tea, fun, excercise, friendship, and bruises.  Yes, bruises.

I visited Portland yesterday to participate in a the third anniversary PDX [Portland] flickr meetup.  I met a lot of wonderful people and had a great time taking in the city from behind the lens.  Some folks made it up to the Pittock Mansion for the 6:05 AM sunrise.   I- being me, of course, was a half hour late.   But we take the time to get acquainted over warm beverages at Stumptown Coffee.   I swear, this was the best mocha I have ever tasted.   I’m now officially ruined for all other coffees.

After Stumptown, we walked around Old Town Portland for a bit.   I have not experienced this part of the city as I am so often stuck behind the steering wheel instead of enjoying the freedom of being on-foot.   This isn’t far from the Saturday Market, so I’ll have to make plans to visit again soon. 

The group then took a bus (thanks so much for the passes, TJ!) to The National Santuary of our Sorrowful Mother- also known as “The Grotto“.   I have never been there, but this has long been on my list of places to see.   We spent roughly two hours walking through the serene grounds and photographing the trees, statuary, and birds that were abundant within.   One of the folks on the meetup even let me try out his 15mm fisheye lens in the Meditation Room.   I’ve got to get one of those— it was so much fun!  (TJ- that was amazing!  Thank you so much!)

After a delicious (and hard-earned) lunch at Steamers Restaraunt and Lounge, we piled ourselves and our gear into two cars and headed over to Hippo Hardware.   The kind folks at HH agreed to let us bring our cameras in and pretty much gave us free reign to shoot as we pleased.   Boy!  There was a lot of interesting stuff - all lit by either vintage lamps hanging from the ceilings or by large windows in the walls and ceilings- paned with aged glass.  I really enjoyed this leg of the journey and I think I have finally found the perfect bathroom towel bar!  (I’ll just have to head up there again soon to purchase it.)

My new friend, Bonnie and I hung out for a while- heading over to Blue Moon Camera and Machine to pick up some photos she had processed. I came dangerously close to purchasing a pinhole camera. Seeing the great shots that Bonnie captured using her Zero Image didn’t help my cause. But we made it out- and I didn’t spend a penny. (for which I should be commended). We met the members of the group (and a few others) at Proper Eats to enjoy dinner (for some of us), drinks, the smoky atmosphere, and great conversation.

We closed out the day shooting the St. Johns Bridge- something I have always wanted to do.   I consider this a recon mission…   I know I’ll be back soon to shoot this magnificent structure.

I really had a great day, made some new friends, learned a lot about the city, and managed to bruise myself from carrying gear, twist my ankle (mildly, this time!), and use every ounce of energy that I could muster.    And after all that, I cannot wait to get back up there and do it again.

Some people make their clothing purchases based on the seasons.   Well, I make my grocery purchases based on the weather.  

I went grocery shopping this evening, which was a costly venture. We were out of almost every kind of cheese-except American. (cheese is one of my warmer weather indulgences…   go figure.)   So, I brought home crumbled blue cheese, gorgonzola, and feta.  I purchased a nice looking wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano, which I cannot wait to craft- along with the pine nuts and basil taking up residence in my icebox, into a mouthwatering pesto. Lastly, I picked up a little something decadent… Great Midwest Wild Morel and Leek Jack cheese.  I’ve never tried it before, but it sounds yummy!   I’m really tempted to have wine, cheese, crackers, and maybe strawberries (since I don’t eat grapes) for dinner tonight.    If Sami had stayed in bed (she’s been ill), I almost certainly would!

I also bought pre-made, ‘jarred’ pasta sauce.   Pasta sauce is one of those things that I usually insist on making ‘from scratch’ (even if I am going to serve it over store-bought frozen ravioli).   But tonight I purchased not one, but TWO jars!  Why this change of heart, you ask?   Because they were incredibly gorgeous mason jars- perfect for iced tea on a warm summer night.   A few years ago, I gave my only mason jar glassware away in a ‘let’s clean the kitchen’ fit.   I’ve regretted it ever since.    I could have just bought new mason jars, but these are some of the prettiest I’ve seen and I wasn’t about to let them go.   So, I’ll cope with a couple of so-so pasta dinners and will soon enjoy refreshing beverages from my pretty new glassware. 

Those warm summer nights are coming soon.  The night air- even in the early days of March, betrays warmer, short-sleeved weather which waits just around the corner.    I can hardly wait until the chill in the air gives way to soothing, fragrant breezes- and I can open the front and back doors to air out the apartment.   The time will come.  Forget what Punxsutawney Phil proclaimed just over a month ago.   The overgrown rat has it all wrong.  Winter has worn out it’s welcome.  It’ll be over soon.   And, I’ll be sitting on my front porch, taking in the evening air- with a mason jar full of iced tea.

It’s snowing in Corvallis.  It’s not accumulating and there really isn’t much hope that it will.   Still, the gentle rhythmic sway and swirl of falling snow is mesmerizing.  I am comforted by the pulse of Nature- much as an infant finds solace in it’s mother’s heartbeat.  

I feel happy and at peace.  It’s been a long, long time.