St. Patrick's Day

We went up to Seattle this weekend to visit our friends who are temporarily living there while Mrs. K does her final residency before completing her Nurse Anethsitican education. The men folk were going to attend a soccer match and I didn't realize that we'd end up missing St. Patrick's Day entirely. I had made plans to go out for tea at the Georgian Lounge at the Olympic Hotel with some of the other wives. I had such a nice time and I'm so glad the other ladies were willing to go with me.
 
On the way home we stopped in Fife for gas.  I have long admired the awesome neon for the Poodle Dog diner.  We didn't time it right to eat there this time, but the interior is a perfect time warp.  An excellent counter and lots of paneling.
 
 
I packed some green shirts for the boys to wear, but that was the extent of my celebrating St. Patrick's Day.  When we returned home My Little Helper put on a bishops miter and a staff they had made at school on Friday.  I actually think they had made the staffs in December for the Feast of St. Nicholas.  They look so cute; totally worth the cost of tuition!

 

A crafting table makeover and an adventure

Our master suite has a dressing room which has a shaft of bookshelves and a small closet with in it smack in the middle of the room. I'm not sure why previous owners would have chosen that placement since it blocks a view of downtown, but in any event it is what we have to work with for now. I decided to use the section closet to the bay window as a crafting/sewing work area. Shortly after we moved in I began trolling craigslist on the hunt for inexpensive furniture I could make over to fill in some of the holes in our rooms. I found a small mid century, stained maple, colonial revival style desk which they were asking $90.  Except I read the add wrong, they had 60 in the title because that was the decade he assumed it was. Anyway, by then I had already made a commitment to come out and thought $90 was still reasonable.
It's in good shape and I liked all the curvy lines.

 I began by sanding it down.
 
then I primed it and painted it black to blend with the ebony stained RH dressers we have in the closet.
 
I was planning on reusing the colonial revival hardware, but in an attempt to straighten up, Mr. W lost them in the garage.  I have been trying to relocate them for a couple months now to no avail. I'm about to go pick up some inexpensive silver tone replacements.
I have been searching for an oval backed, tufted side chair I can paint black and have reupholstered in a lavender velvet. Not much luck in the department yet. Every thing I find is either too nice to paint, too expensive, or a pair that I would feel guilty about breaking up.
Last week Ms. Mc invied me to share a sitter with her and drive out to Camas, WA to go antiquing. She had been there with Mr. B a few days earlier and had spied some cute Hallowe'en things thru the window. She is gearing up for her annual Hallowe'en party which this year will be a tea! I was happy to join her. She found some cute amber carnival glass tea cups and saucers and we each got a few black glass pieces. One vendor had the cutest embellished lampshade in their booth. I've been looking online for purple lampshades for the work table. I think I might do this instead with a drum shade.

Camas has a really cute main street with lots of great neon signage. I enjoyed this diner sign.
It was closed, but we think we need to return with the children, there is a great little counter inside where I know little boys would love to sit.
 
The movie theatre has some nice neon too.
 
Once we got back in the car I recognized a man who was walking out of the antique store.  I had seen him two weeks before when Mr. W and I were at the Monticello Antique Mall. He is memorable because he looks like a carnival strong man.

I'm not exaggerating. He was antiquing in a muscle tank. totally tight shorts, a gigantic belt buckle, he has broad shoulders and an itty bitty waist. He has perfectly coiffed dark hair with sideburns and a handle bar mustache. When Mr. W and I saw him the first time I mentioned that I would love to see where he lives.  I imagined that his interiors must be just as fun and unique as he is.
This time he had a regular, but super tight polo shirt with an I heart Jesus belt. I had to call Mr. W right away and he began to badger me into taking a photo of the man. I wouldn't do something so rude. Ms. Mc got all excited once she got in the car and decided she would follow him to take a picture. Fortunately he had already gotten into his shiny red pick up so she couldn't have taken his picture. But by that point she was feeling so adventurous that she decided to follow him in his car! I was mortified! Camas reeks, by the way, because of the paper mill, so the less time we spent in Camas the better. The town is very cute, cute old bungalows, beautiful vistas, but so darn stinky!
At one point I thought for sure we lost him so I was a little relieved. Until she spotted him up ahead. We eventually saw him pull into his driveway. His house was a totally nondescript, 70s snout house. I was a little disappointed, I was hoping he was driving home to something unique and awesome. Then Ms. Mc circled around and drove back past his house trying to talk me into taking a picture of him in his driveway. I could not be convinced.  I hope his interiors are exciting. But I have assure Mr. W and Ms. Mc that we are NOT going back there to peer in through the windows!

A drive out to Milwaukie

When I drove out to Casa de Tamale for Candlemas, I brought along my camera to take a few photos of the awesome olf neon at Pietro's Pizza. I think this must have been the original location since it has such an awesome sign. In the 1980s there were many locations including the Pietro's Engine House Pizza Parlor where my family walked to dinner every Friday night in Irvington. I've never eaten at this location, but have long admired its neon.
Admittedly the photos would be better at dusk. The neon shifts so that he looks like his feet are moving very quickly. On the north side of the sign the neon was actually on, perhaps because this side faces the highway more?Next door there is a Mid Century bowling alley which has a neon sign of its own.That building has a pierced concrete block exterior screen. And a rather dull paint job.

Highly offensive neon

If you are looking for neon signage, mid century architecture, and ethnic restaurants then the Eighty Deuce is the place for you! Of course 82nd Ave. is totally sketchy and a good place to see prostitution in action, but you will also find an interesting mix of 1920's storybook style cottages and bungalows built before the road was widened and a major thoroughfare as well as mid-century infill like motels, supermarkets, and 'suburban' restaurants. And it is rife with neon!
The most offensive of all is the Canton Grill. There are many American style Chinese restaurants along this street and many modern Asian grocery stores and businesses. Somehow this 'Chinaman' has survived our PC world.I have long wanted to try this restaurant, if for nothing else an opportunity to photograph the sign before someone comes to their senses and takes it down. But Mr. W is scared of most things on the Eighty Deuce, so I've never been. It wasn't until the H-Gs came for Christmas that I had the opportunity and dining companions. We took the boys for a mid week lunch.
There is another non illuminated sign snugged between the restaurant and the minimart next door.I didn't decide I liked Chinese food until my 30s, so I'm no expert on it, but Mr. & Ms. H-G thought it was really good. They were a bit surprised that Mr. W never is willing to try it as they believe that even American Chinese food has its place. The interior was an awesome time warp of a business with a long and popular history. The walls were covered in 1950s black and white photographs of some pretty fun looking parties with the ladies all in Cantonese style dresses. And the prices were very, very reasonable. I'd definitely eat here again if I can talk Mr. W into it.

Making progress on the potting shed

We finally are working on the little shed in our back yard. I have been waiting on finding a door before we begin work, but the tiny opening we have is proving quite troublesome. No matter what I find it will have to be significantly cut down and the proportions will be off. I decided that maybe "breaking ground" on this project will either motivate me to search harder or maybe even reveal a solution if we create a door from scratch.
I called my Uncle M to do the work since he can use the work and Mr. W doesn't have a lot of time. Last weekend when we were out getting supplies for my sister's condo we also bought the lumber and supplies needed for the shed. We went to Mr. Plywood because they are close and local. Any time I can avoid a trip to worthless Home Depot I'm happy. Plus look at how awesome their signage is?This potting shed is never going to be weather tight, but I am hoping by closing it up we can at least prevent opossums, racoons, cats, squirrels and rats from finding shelter in there or using it as a litter box. I also want to be able to keep out toddlers and babies. I have a feeling I'll always have spiders in there ::shudder:: but maybe fewer? Because it isn't meant to be weather tight we are skipping the step of using felt paper between the plywood sheathing and the cedar shingles. We bought white cedar grade b shingles. I was interested in some fancy cut shingles, like the round or fish scale ones, but they are all special order and have a minimum order anyway and we only needed 16 square feet so it wouldn't be worth it. I keep reminding myself it is only a potting shed and we may be moving soon so I needn't go crazy out here!
The gable overhangs the footprint of the shed quite a bit and we wanted to use that as a ledge for storage in the interior. We used 3/4" plywood there for strength. We finished out the underside/exterior with tongue and groove beaded board for the porch ceiling, if you will. A cove mould finishes the edges and covers the spacing. My uncle and I decided to cover the eaves with beaded board as well. The angle of the roof means there are a thousand little cuts and that board will help to finish off any uneven seams. It also looks a lot nicer and was something I originally considered doing but opted not to in the interest of saving money on supplies.
We bought one bundle of shingles which covers 25 square feet, but with all the little cuts needed we ran a little short. There were 9 round edge shingles in the shed from when the previous owner redid the siding on the house. We used those at the top to make up the difference we needed, but hopefully it looks like it was a detail we always intended to add. Among my dad's tools is a compressor and a pinner but we didn't really have a way to staple the shingles, which is the method the previous owner used for the body. I rented a 1/2" crown stapler from Parkrose Hardware because I was told that they can also sell you the fasteners you need in smaller quantities rather than having to buy a giant box. Their rental prices for 5 hrs or a day are very reasonable and whatever unused strips of staples we didn't use they would return.
I'm very excited! I still need to find a door, I do have a possible solution with materials we already have on site. I'll paint the trim, door, and sashes too as a possible test run for colors on the house if we end up staying here. And maybe I can talk Mr. W into adding some sort of solar powered LED light for the interior since the downside to closing up the place is I have eliminated most of the natural light source.

***Upon returning the staple gun I noticed boxes of flossine on the shelves. I thought, that's odd that they sell that at a hardware store. Then it occurred to me, I'm in the rental department...what if they rent cotton candy machines?!?! So I asked and indeed they do. I am so excited!! One of my favorite jobs at Oaks Park was making cotton candy; it is one of those mindless, repetitive jobs, like ironing napkins, that is very therapeutic for me. I had already been considering a future carnival/circus theme birthday party in the future, but now I know I can make my own cotton candy. So awesome!!!***

Eating our way across Portland

The Wedding to end all weddings falls on Labor Day weekend this year. Hot Dog: The Bachelor Party took place over the weekend. Our friends Ms. H & Mr. G came into town on Wednesday because he would be going up to Hot Dog: The Bachelor Party with Mr. W and she was going to keep me company in town.
As I've mentioned before Ms. H and I love food; we nearly minored in it in college. Although I went pesca-vegan for Lent, I knew God would want me to be a good hostess to my little atheist friend, in spit of the liturgical season. The vegan diet would just have to be put on hold for the duration of her visit.
Another of Mr. W's friends, Mr. K arrived in town before the H&Gs. After dropping the littlest W off at his great grandparents' house for a sleep over we went to Pok Pok for dinner. Shamefully we haven't been there yet for dinner in spite of it being within walking distance. I was so excited about seeing Ms. H that I actually don't remember too much about Pok Pok, but I was very surprised to discover that although we arrived after nine on a winter Wednesday, that there was a half hour wait for a table. No matter, we headed across the street to Whiskey Sour Bar until our tiny table became available. Let's just say the corner was tight. Mr. W and Mr. K were in their element here, out man-ing each other with the spicy foods. After we'd had our fill we left Mr. K at Whiskey Sour with some of the other brothers and we retrieved the H&Gs from the airport. The last time we visited the H&Gs in Tucson they took us to the Kon Tiki because they have become tiki devotees. I knew instantly where I had to take them the next time they were in Portland.
The Alibi is really a perfect match when you think about it, combining both the love of tiki and love of karaoke. Fruity drinks with umbrellas were drunk. Kenny Rogers, The Rolling Stones, and Showtunes were sung. Although we arrived to a full room, we closed the place down.
On the way home, and four drinks to the wind, we stopped by the late night food carts at SE Hawthorne and 12th Ave. We've always wanted to go, but since it doesn't open until 8 pm and that is past someone's bedtime, we've not been able to do it. I finally could try the Belgian frites. From what I remember, they were tasty. I do think I need to return under more sober circumstances though to confirm.
Miraculously Mr. W made it to work the next morning while we were barely able to drag ourselves out of bed. I managed to get my baby back and we walked to Pine State Biscuits for breakfast, although it was lunchtime for the rest of the city. I really wanted to show off the glory of The Reggie, but none of us were adventuresome. We opted instead for beverage and biscuits with honey, apple butter and marion berry jam. It took us most of the day to recover from the night out so all we could manage for dinner was to order in pizza from Rovente before the menfolk headed up to the mountain.
By Friday we were back on our game and we drove to Alberta Street and the Grilled Cheese Grill. A month ago I had another sorority sister, Ms. G in town and I took her here for lunch. I knew right away that a school bus converted into a dining room for cheesey sandwiches was exactly what Ms. H would need.
She was in heaven considering they have both savory and sweet sandwiches. She had the special of the day and followed it up with a nuttela, grilled banana on cinnamon raisin bread sandwich to go. I had the Jalapenos Popper which has roasted jalapenos, cheddar, cream cheese and corn chips. They offer optional grilled ham on it and why wouldn't you?
While the Littlest W loves grilled cheese sandwiches, on both visits thus far he starts out his meal stealing and devouring everyone's pickle spears. Friday evening did not turn out the way I'd planned (more on that later perhaps) so we satisfied ourselves with a take out dinner from Laughing Planet.
Saturday we finally had an opportunity to meet up with Mrs. F and her son, who joined us for breakfast at the Waffle Window off Hawthorne. It was such a beautiful day and a pleasure to be eating outside. Mr. W and I have been wanting to try it out since it opened, but I think we somehow always get sidetracked by Pine State Biscuits. We positively have to go back; the waffles are so pretty!
Another child free night was in order so this time he went to his Grammy's. We did a little shopping in the Pearl and then went home to change. One of our sorority sisters, Ms. Mc lives within walking distance so we met up with her and bussed back to the Pearl for Ladies' Night. Our first stop was Vault Martini Lounge. Their martini menu is extensive, but we never made it past the first page: The Deadly Sins! We all picked our personal favorite sin which gave us Sloth, Gluttony, and Greed.
We would have liked more, but we had dinner reservations at Blue Hour. We'd read reviews online touting the bacon wrapped scallops, and for good reason! That bacon is sliced so thin it literally melts in your mouth without giving you any fatty bacon texture. Mr. W has been making sure I acquire a taste for scallops. I think it is safe to say that he has been successful in that endeavor. I did not care for my carrot soup at all; it tasted of the root cellar, but not of carrots. On the other hand it is such a bland, boring broth that it makes for a perfect Lenten food! And then there were the truffles! I had the truffle gnocchi, Ms. Mc the risotto and Ms H the fried risotto cakes with truffle salad. We were pleased.
We weren't at all prepared for dessert, instead we walked down to the Gilt Club, which online alluded to the old-timey, speak-easy feel. I can't say that I agree considering the place is floor to ceiling windows so everyone can see what is going on inside, but it is very beautiful and not at all what I would expect based on my days bus riding down Broadway on my way to high school. Ms. H promised that she'd order a drink with egg whites in true speak-easy style if they had one on the menu. They have two such drinks.
Ms. H has heard of VooDoo Donuts, but we've never had the opportunity to take her there before. Since we were in walking distance we headed over. On our walk down Burnside some 20- something, skater punks declared us MILFs. I didn't hear it, but considered it flattering. Since neither of my friends are mothers they were not pleased. At all. The line for VooDoo Donuts was outrageous so we grabbed a cab and headed home, pleased with our old ass selves for staying our so late.
After Mass the next day I took Ms. H to one last place. A tea party was in order. Since Ms. H isn't as frilly and old fashioned as I am I thought she'd be a perfect candidate for the tea room at Tao of Tea. It is very Asian inspired and has a large selection of custom blended teas and Indian and Asian snacks and sweets. It was an excellent way for me to wean myself back onto a vegan diet since my dear friend's trip was drawing to a close. I hope to visit them in a few short weeks during her spring break.