Wednesday, May 26, 2010

love to smile

lately on my drive to or from work, signs like these have been popping up in different places. i'm not a big fan of graffiti but this just puts it all in perspective for us...especially while driving in the car.

se burnside


hawthorne bridge


hopefully it helps to cut down on road rage!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

rolling

the television show leverage is filming across the street from work this week so i got a few shots of the crew in action. the funny thing is i guess it's supposed to be boston, there are boston cop cars all over neighborhood but they all have oregon license plates!

here, tom skerritt waits for his scene.


and christian kane in action.



still no timothy hutton sightings for me, though.

ps. tom skerritt stopped in to shop in my store on wednesday. he's a very sweet man and likes his western shirts!

Monday, May 24, 2010

got milk?


my friend vince reminded me that last week, may 22nd, was harvey milk day. i don't know if you have seen the movie "milk" by my fave director gus van sant, but if you haven't, you really should check it out.

i was so lucky to get to go to the portland premier where gus and james franco were present and each shared a personal story of what harvey and the film meant to them. it was a very touching and moving film and i highly recommend checking it out. the final scene was just incredible.

i generally try not to get all political but i just can't believe that we are still fighting for equal rights for the gay community. have not all of our lives been inspired or touched by a friend or family member that is gay? why do we not push harder for equal rights?

a few years back, gay marriage was allowed here in portland but only ever so briefly before it was voted out. i don't think the way it was implemented was the right way(it was decided by our city council and not put on a ballot to begin with) but i was really surprised that so many people are still against this in our day and age.

oh when will church and state ever become separate?

Thursday, May 20, 2010

songbird


look who popped into my store yesterday. turns out she grew up in happy valley. who knew?

i absolutely love her!

Monday, May 17, 2010

golf pro...

...i am not! in fact until this weekend, i had never played a real game of golf in my life. not that what i played at mcmenamin's edgefied could be called a "real" game but for me, it was a far cry from the putt putt i used to play as a kid at the phoenix metro center course.


i have loved edgefield ever since i moved to portland and my friends first took me there. i don't make it out as much as i used to but i do try to make it once or twice a summer because nothing beats a lazy summer weekend hanging out around the little red shed drinking rubies or "rubinators".


so the fact that this time i actually played golf was an entirely new experience for me. luckily, i good coaches and after a few rough starts, i was able to get my first swing onto the green.

and the course is absolutely beautiful looking down the hill onto the edgefield grounds. you really couldn't beat the great weather we had out on saturday, it was a clear blue sky day.

i really hope i can get out to edgefield a few more times this summer. i'm not sure if another golf game will happen, i don't know if i have the attention span to play even nine holes but i definitely hope to make it out for some music like willie nelson or pavement. oh i can't wait for summer!

mcmenamin's edgefield is located at 2126 sw halsey st troutdale 503.669.8610

photo 1 courtesy of eats and interest
photo 2 courtesy of macgeek

Thursday, May 13, 2010

shop vintage portland


as i mentioned over here on my other blog, i'm trying to get more into vintage shopping. i think my mother tortured me as a kid by dragging me to so many flea markets and thrift stores that i vowed i would never shop in a thrift store again. well i do and i will, hopefully even more.

working in the retail industry, i see so much of the same thing out there over and over again. if you want something truly unique, vintage is the way to go.

yesterday i was on line looking for vintage stores and i found this terrific blog called shop vintage portland. this is just want i need, someone to tell me exactly where to go. they list all of the vintage shops in town and have a section for the new vintage stores that are always popping up.

if you enjoy thrifting and vintage shopping in portland, i highly recommend this website to help you navigate your excursions.

Monday, May 10, 2010

funky foster road


last week i was running errands out on southeast foster road and was amazed by all of the great restaurants and shops that have popped up over there lately. but i about slammed on my brakes when i came to an open lot on the corner that had the coolest funky vintage furniture on it. i saw a truck parked next to the lot that said grandma's funky furniture.

sadly, i was in a hurry and did not have time to stop but as i continued heading west on foster, there on the left hand side was a storefront called grandma's funky furniture. behold, i could see inside some of the coolest wares i have seen in a long time.

did you all know about this store? how have i just now found this? i looked on-line but all there was about this fabulous portland gem was a small yelp listing.

well let me tell you, the next day off i get, i'm heading over to foster road to spend the day checking out grandma's as well as the other great new places foster has to offer. i'll let you know what i find!

grandma's funky furniture storefront is at 6852 se foster rd 503.975.6362
the open lot is about eight blocks further up foster on the northwest corner.

photo courtesy of flickr

Thursday, May 6, 2010

cafe velo


i needed to go run an errand today during lunch and took a side street that i don't take very often. this cute little cafe caught my eye on the corner of sw 6th outside of the the big pink and right on the transportation mall. several different lunch counters have occupied this space in the past but i love what this one has done for the curb appeal.

i popped in just for a minute to look over their menu, which sounded really good. when i got back to work, i googled this little gem and this is what i found out about our new neighborhood business.

cafe velo started as a mobile coffee cart over at the portland farmers market in the south park blocks. the owner, rick wilson, quit his high tech job, purchased a european bakfiet bike (the cool three-wheeled kind that looks like a boat) and opened up shop. he felt that this was the perfect business for portland because it involved a bike, coffee, and sustainability. it turns out he was right. his business is booming at the farmers market and now he has a permanent home as well, referred to as cafe velo 2.0.

at cafe velo 2.0, he still offers made-to-order drip and french press coffee by stumptown, but also offers a few other varieties of coffee as well. i have not yet jumped on the portland made-to-order drip coffee bandwagon but now i think i'll give it a shot to see what all of the fuss is about. however, what really caught my eye was the great lunch menu he boasts at the tiny cafe.

the menu is based on rick's time living in paris when he encountered the diverse ethnic selections of parisian street food. he offers flatbread sandwiches, falafel and hummus, soups, tagines and one of my favorites-paella. i cannot wait to go back and try some of these wonderful flavors of spain, morocco and tunisia right here in our very own neighborhood!

cafe velo is at 600 sw pine 503.719.0287 and is cash only. there is a menu listed on their website cafe-velo.

little birdies in my tree


this morning as i walked into work, the tree outside of my store was talking to me. i looked in to see what it was and here they were, 1-2-3 little baby birds looking for their momma!

what a nice way to start the day.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

what's in a name?

you all know that i'm fond of a guy named lorenzo. i happen to also love a restaurant named lorenzo's. now if i could only get them together at one time i would be in heaven! (that would be the guy lorenzo in the restaurant lorenzo's).

lorenzo's is this quaint italian restaurant over in my second favorite pdx hood, mississippi. any time i'm over in the neighborhood for lunch, i drag whomever i'm with in for lunch. they have the best lunch specials where you can try a sampling of the dinner menu for a fraction of the dinner menu's cost.

lorenzo's specializes in fresh made pasta, local hormone free meat and local organic ingredients whenever possible. the rustic raviolo is to die for. it's a giant home made raviolo with a special daily filling. the last time i had it the day's filling was roasted asparagus and a tomato/cream sauce. yum!

they also have one of the best caesar salads i've had in a long time. i do consider myself a caesar aficionado and i rarely come across many good ones these days. most restaurants offer the same watered down version with not nearly enough garlic for my liking. lorenzo's caesar is his own version made with arugula and fennel. two ingredients i fell in love with when staying in italy. and while it still is not garlicky enough for me, it's really damn good.


and i'm not sure why but i don't have any shots of the dining room other than this one of the cute little lounge area. the rest of the restaurant is just as comfy.

so if you haven't tried lorenzo's yet, head over for your own little taste of florence right here in portland. great, now i'm hungry!

lorenzo's is at 3807 n mississippi 503.284.6200