coffee in the garden....

Went for a walk in North Portland with the walking group from the club, then had coffee at an Italian cafe, where a case full of Italian sweets tempted us!  I split a huge, wonderful biscotti studded with hazelnuts with one of the gals, and vowed to come back for a meal.  The street there also had a funky cafe where parts of old cars served as a tables and even awnings over windows!  The inside was covered with not only car parts, but toys and tea pots, and collectibles of all kinds.  Fun, fun!  Definitely will go back there as well, with Clem in tow, so he can see it.  The photo stream has several shots.  The group does a monthly "field trip", but they walk too fast for photos!  Glad I had taken the little camera along just in case!

Portland Rose Test Garden

 On such a glorious afternoon, I decided we should go walk around the garden, where we have not been in some time.  4.5 acres, 700 varieties, and something like 9000 roses!  About a month behind due to the bad weather, but that was to our advantage.  It was stunning! Wish I had taken my good camera.....and I intend to do that again early in the day very soon,  The light here was mid day and harsh, but wanted to put a few in.

They are offering tours this year, and surprisingly, Clem suggested we do that!  And he thoroughly enjoyed it!  He remarked that his Dad loved roses, and would have enjoyed the garden.  Everyone seems, to, rose lover or not.
 In August, there are summer concerts here in an amphitheater, which are very fun to attend.

It always brings a smile to my face when I see a dog riding in a car with his head out the window and especially if his ears are blowing in the wind!  Rarely is there an opportunity to get a photo, but this car was driving in front of me on the way to the gym, and pulled into the turn lane.  Guess he wondered what I found so interesting!
The sun was shining for a change!  We were ALL enjoying it!

and the "fruits" of my labor............

Two batches of Marionberry Jam.  It is uniquely Oregon, and Clem's favorite, so I think this year I will only make this kind.  The last time I made Strawberry, Marionberry, Raspberry, and Peach.....a little over the top maybe.  He loves peach, too, but it is so delicate that it does not get used as much. (can't stand up to peanut butter!)  While making it, I did notice a recipe for mixed berry, and I may be tempted to do that.  

Berries!!

The weather is not so great, and our tomatoes may reamain green, but the berries are coming in!

And Loki appreciates them, too!

This was taken the same day as that car show, in Oregon City.  There is an interpretive center there, for the end of the Oregon Trail.  Signs posted about were taken from journals of the settlers that made the trek, and this one held sort of a special meaning for me.  Wonder why that might be?  :-)

I just like this shot!

Taken at the car show some weeks back.

Car Show in the Park Blocks

A gorgeous Saturday afternoon, and we went to see this weeks collection of Mercedes and BMW's sponsored by the Art Museum.  There will be different cars every weekend, drawing attention to their exhibit "The Allure of the Automobile."  We went to see that last weekend, when it was a total downpour on Sunday.  It was totally amazing!  Cars I had never seen before, all worth multi millions of dollars.  We topped off a lovely afternoon strolling around the city with "Tartberry" self serve yogurt.

Fruit Trifle

Made this for the 4th of July.  Desert and Fireworks on the deck after dinner at friend's house.  It was a new recipe for me, and a huge hit with all, as they went back for second helpings!  Definitely a keeper , with home made chocolate cake layered with a fantastic cream and the fruit.  I chose the blueberries and strawberries for the Red, White, and Blue!

Ahhhhhh......the sunshine returns!

Chilly Day

Weather has been pretty awful for July, with very few sunny days, and mostly cloudy, cool, and often drizzly.  Except for this past weekend when it POURED!!  Very unlike Portland!  Loki decided a warm dryer was just the place to curl up for the afternoon.  Of course, my laundry chores came to an end waiting for  his nap to be finished!  Are these cats spoiled, or what???

Orphan's Car Show

Clem's friend Ed has an antique car that he showed one sunny weekend in Oregon City, and we went.  First not understanding the title of the show, it was explained that these cars stopped production, so are Orphans!  A ton of Studebakers!  

Loki got ashes????

He followed me out into the garage, and came back like this!  Can't imagine what he got into, but it is greasy, and though I have rubbed it many times, it is still there, though faint, several days  later.

A walk in Alberta Neighborhood in East Portland

Funky area, and lots of interesting things to see, like the plastic horses tethered to the old horse rings. 

And this 1969 Dodge camper that a young man is turning into a juice bar.

Or just this brightly painted "fence" someone constructed.  Did a City Walk from the book of the sam name with friend Winnie.  Always fun. 

Tropical Storm

As I have been updating this, the morning sun turned to foreboding black sky, and the heavens opened up and dumped buckets of rain!  And now the sun is shining once again!  It reminds me of what tropical weather can be, and that when you see forecast for rain, it could be for a half hour or so, and that is it.
The same occurs in Portland.  They show "rain", and that could mean we got a few sprinkles during the day, so it counted!  But the total rainfall is not what one might imagine.  It DOES however, remain gray and cloudy there, at least in the winter.

There are so many misconceptions about places.  New Jersey, for instance, is considered Newark-like by many.  (It is not called the "garden state" for nothing.)  Florida is likened to Orlando, because Disney is what people see, and say they have been to Florida!  Portland has cowboys and indians and always rains.  (NOT!  Portland has the most spectacular summers of anywhere we have ever been! ) Florida is buggy. (????)  I can tell you the mosquitos in New Hampshire will carry you away in the middle of the day!!

Sometime I will have to do some rambling about different names people call things in different parts of the country!   That one is really fun!  I should be able to get a collection of things as we hit the road in the RV!
Should make that a game!

Riverbend Park

Woke up really early one morning, and took the camera to see what I could get.  Sunrise was not that visible at this park, so no great shots.  But as I was leaving, I spotted this wild turkey.  You could hear them gobbling, but I was thrilled to see one.  Then driving out, there was a bunch of them!  I think they were squabbling, as they were making a ton of noise, and putting tails up and down.  Hard to get them withought movement, but you get the idea.  Had to wait for them to get out of the road so I could pass!

Cinco de Mayo

Ok, so I don't get the chef in the beret, but he made a beautiful paella at the clubhouse.   We joined many of the folks we had already met, and a few new couples, and had a nice evening.  Here three of the walking/exercising ladies.  Susan, on the left, was the sweet one who said, "hi! are you new?" the first morning I went to the gym , and invited me to sit and visit.  What a great introduction to the neighborhood! In all the times we have moved, that has never happened!  I am so grateful for her friendliness and acceptance.  She continues to ask "have you met Carol?" when we are at a gathering.  Very sweet!

Froggy surprise!

Went outside one evening in new house, and discovered this little guy napping on the arm of the patio chair!   He stayed there while I got the camera and took his photo, and was still there when we went to bed.
Looked him up, and think he is a cuban tree frog.  Note the little suction cups on his feet.  Not native.....not so good!  But pretty cute!

You knew it wouldn't be long........

I had to return to my favorite subject matter!  These guys were spotted on a walk along the river front in Fort Lauderdale.  The second shot is bad compositionally, but don't you love his ear?  Wonder who he got into a scrap with!

Delray exploration

I took a course at FAU's Lifelong Learning with Mary and Gloria, and when it ended, we continued our Thursday meetings, changing it to some exploration.  This day we went to Morikami Gardens, and maybe because of the drought, found nothing much worth photographing.  Walking to lunch downtown, however, I spotted the colors on this great building, and took some shots.  although I had some to take to photo class with me of the architecture, I liked this one I grabbed of Mary going through the doorway.

City Place with the Ogrodnicks

We were packing up the little house in preparation to the move to Mirabella April 2, and David and Cindy were here visiting.  We met them and David's sister Jean, pictured here, at City Place and walked around then had a nice lunch Al Fresco.

Bob and Judy come to visit

We took them to Wakodahatchee, knowing Judy would enjoy the wildlife, and Bob would enjoy photographing it!  Bob loaned me his 300 mm prime lens, and I got some great shots with it.   These, however, are my two favorites.  "the boys", and three young cormorants, with all that fuzzy plumage as they make the transition to adulthood.

HOW many guys on a baseball field??????

Went on a photo shoot early morning to Roger Dean Stadium here , where they do spring training.  We arrived to an empty stadium!!  Took shots of empty seats, but I think some of the organizers complained enough that they got us out to the fields where we could see some practice.  Not close enough for my camera, certainly, but got a couple of shots.  Now, not being a fan, I have no idea, but think since this group of guys actually had names on their shirts, they might be recognizable!  There were groups this large all over the place!!

Allegro Club

Here we are with our first outing with the coach and the club we joined of folks with the same make.  We went on two outings with them, but have discovered that with the exception of one couple, they drive to the destination, and then sit there!!!  We played tennis, used the pool, and went for walks.  At the second outing, we had the tow car, so went out exploring during the day.  Evenings are enjoyable, as everyone meets for the cocktail hour to socialize.  We also have learned a lot of tips and ins and outs of RVing. Very friendly folks.  The second outing, one of the guys played guitar, and we all sang into the night.  Fun.
It is  interesting that they stay in RV RESORTS!  They are gated with pools and amenities, though sometimes quite bland in that they are big cement pads with not much in the way of vegetation.  I prefer trees!  Some of them were pretty new, so eventually the trees will be big and provide shade, but not my idea of where I would like to stay so far.  We have booked parks for our trip between here and Boston , and have made selections based on surroundings being more natural.

Picking up the Motorhome!

This photo was purely unintentional, but pretty amusing, as I see it now!  There were a few little spots in the body paint that I was documenting.  We went to pick it up just two days after our company departed on their cruise.  Spent several days living in it on the lot, making sure all systems were a go.
What an outfit!  It is like a little city!  They feed everyone breakfast and lunch while you are there for any reason.   Have to say I was ready to get off the lot, however!  Left the last day, and though it was only 3 hours away, we stopped part way and stayed in an RV campground overnight.  I drove the RV and Clem followed in the car, as we did not have the towing car yet.  Much smoother and quieter than the rental, though a bit larger.  By the end of the journey, I was pretty comfortable with it.  Just have to watch those right hand turns!

Holcombs and Urzaas visit

Before taking their Caribbean Cruise, they spent a few days with us.  The guys played golf one day while the gals visited Mounts Botanical Gardens and had lunch at Guanabana, my new favorite tropical restaurant.  I swear I am going to plant our back yard to look like it does!  This photo was taken along the seawall behind the Breakers Hotel.  We had milk shakes in their courtyard!  Then went to Worth Ave and saw how the other half lives and shops.  Very fun visit, and they realized why we had no need to go to the Caribbean with them, with our own tropical breezes and beaches.

Photo workshop at daybreak

I took a Fine Art Photography course in Delary, and loved it.  But this was at a workshop at Wakodahatchee Wetlands.  Such a beautiful place, and I have gone several times since.  The wildlife is amazing.  Wish it were closer to where we live....I would be there more often.  Watched tiny birds grow from hatchlings.

Hollywood Broadwalk

We have been so busy, that I have lost track of my photo blog!  Setting up a new one as we prepare for our cross country trip in the RV, and thought I would catch up with this a bit.

We have had a very busy season in Florida, with company, buying an RV, buying a new house, moving, and getting settled and acquainted with new folks.  No complaints!

This photo is one of the several walks we did with the meet up group.  They were typically attended by way too many people!  Though we did make friends with one couple, who we have met for dinner a couple of times.  It has also provided me several interesting places to walk or explore on my own.  This one was really nice.  A BROAD walk along beachside, where we had lunch after our walk.  It was early here, and pretty quiet, but was soon populated by folks enjoying the beautiful day.  Florida really is a great lifestyle.  We had friends over for dinner Friday night, and we sat outside in the courtyard of the new house, and enjoyed the warm tropical breezes.......not too shabby!

Had a tropical storm late yesterday after a lovely day of golf with new friends.  We need the rain badly, and it came down fast and furious.  When it stopped, we picked them up to go out to dinner, and took them to see the RV.  Well, it poured again, so we popped open some wine and I had some peanuts in the cabinet, and we had our first guests in the RV for drinks before dinner!  Very fun!!  Then a nice dinner at Nick's Tomato Pie, where our new friends introduced us to Nick!  Seems he plays golf at their club, so they know him.

So happy to have moved to Mirabella.  Only wish we had done it earlier in the season.  We have been readily adopted into the group, and have gone to parties and potlucks, and I am a regular in the walking and coffee after group!  What I had been missing from Portland.  Of course, not my old friends, but making new ones.  "these are silver, those are gold."  :-)

New camera lens

My favorite subject cooperated nicely on the evening of purchasing my new lens!  This was taken in low light in the bedroom. That, and the new camera make quite an image.

Dali Museum

After buying our motorhome, we went to St. Petersburg and visited the Dali and Chihuly museums.  Dali far more interesting perspective that I realized, with hidden images in his work.  No photos allowed in either museum, but the building here was worth the visit!  Amazing!  I took so many photos, and Clem was very patient.  :-)

We did it!!!

Spent the last two days in Ft Meyers and Tampa shopping for RV's , and a bit of sight seeing.
And we bought one!

Also visited St. Petersburg after making decision, so stay tuned for those photos....some cool ones!
On my way to class at FAU Lifelong Learning.....no good photos for that!  :-)

Can you feel the breezes blowing??

This is the most beautiful day one could imagine!  Warm and sunny with  cool breezes blowing across the lake, whistling through the palms and  gently blowing through  the house.  Wow.  This is TRULY why we are here.  A lot of the country has been getting clobbered this winter, and we have had some chilly temps to be sure,  but can't complain.  And this week has made up for the chill we had.

Now, this may look like a snap shot, but in fact, I have set the aperture to get deep depth of field, so you can see the table, pool, palms and lake in focus!  But I really took the shot to remember this beautiful day....and to remember that Clem is right.  In our search for a larger house , we DO want to be on a body of water!  The breezes come off the lake even when there is little elsewhere, creating such a feeling of serenity.

This cat is into his comfort!

No fancy photography here, just a quick snap shot of the big Sas taking a nap with his head propped against the pillow!  He sure knows how to find the cozy spaces!

Beautiful evening, and I talked Clem into going out with me just before sunset, to see if I could find something interesting to shoot.  The places we went did not turn up much, but they did turn up what might be our new favorite ice cream!!  Haha!  And I was determined to lose some weight!  Not with THAT stuff!!

This one was taken through frosted glass that had small burst shape openings.  Kind of interesting.  Maybe some other subject might work better.  Reflected light added to this shot.  

and some experimental shots

Still on the bike with the point and shoot.  May have to go back with the "real" camera!

haha.....just noticed if you look closely at the reflection in the mirror, you see me at the bottom taking the photo!