dahlia show

This past weekend I drove down to Canby with my mom to check out the Swan Island Dahlia Show. Dahlias are in full bloom right now (and most will continue to flower well into October if the weather cooperates), so the fields of flowers were really gorgeous. Below are some of my favorites.

 

 

trillium lake

Perfect mirror image of Mt. Hood and Trillium Lake.

 Spent the weekend at Trillium Lake with my mom, sister and brother-in-law (and our three dogs), and it was a trip full of "firsts" for many of us. It was my first trip to Trillium Lake, and it was a memorable one. Gus, my darling energetic dog, decided to take me very literally when I told him to "Go get that duck!". He jumped in and and like a guided missile he locked in on that duck and just kept swimming, and swimming and swimming... even after the duck took off and landed about half way down the lake. I tried to call him back, but at that point he either couldn't hear me, or was so dialed in he didn't care. So what started as me calmly calling, "Gus, come here." turned into me insanely shouting, "GGGGGUUUUUSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!", all to no avail. At that point it was time to take off running the trail around the lake until I caught up with him about a 1/4 mile away. By that point he was about 100 yards off shore, still dialed in on the stupid duck, and was obviously getting a little tired. I called his name, but instead of turning towards me he circled around and started to swim towards the other shore. I think I probably said something like, "Oh, F*&%! No! No! No!",  and then took my shoes and socks off and dove in. I honestly can't remember the last time I swan so fast, but I finally caught up to him, grabbed his collar and guided him back to shore. At that point I scolded him with a few choice words, and he looked very sorry. That is until I turned around to put my shoes back on and the little devil caught sight of the duck again and jumped right back in!!! He only made it about 30 yards until I caught up with him and dragged him back to shore with me... and this time I didn't let go of him until we got back to the campsite. Note to self, get Gus a life jacket.

Gus starting his marathon swim (see duck taking flight).

On a calmer note, this was my mom's first camping trip in Oregon (and her first camping trip in 18 years) and it was her first time kayaking, ever! it was so much fun to have her out there with us and she did a great job in the kayak.

Me and Mom on her maiden kayaking voyage.

Mom's first Oregon adventure, camping, kayaking, hiking... she did great!

Mom and me kayaking on Trillium Lake with Mt. Hood behind us.

It was also Bodhi's (Mer's 4 month old pup) first kayaking outing. Merrill got him a little life jacket so he'd be easy to retrieve if he went overboard, but he was cool as a cucumber out there!

Merrill takes Bodhi on his first ride in a kayak... he was so good!

And last but not least it was Spot's (my mom's dog) first camping trip. She loved being outside all day, and she did great in the tent, but come morning she still looked a little groggy... but adorable.

Spot is not so sure how she feel about this whole camping thing.

making the pilgramage to nyc

I just got back from NYC, where I was at a huge trade show, the New York International Gift Fair, buying for Red Sail. After two days of walking the show I had some free time, so I headed out to Brooklyn to visit my friend Sheila, owner of POP, a clothing boutique in Williamsburg, and then over to Carroll Gardens for my annual pilgrimage to Court Pastry Shop. My family has eaten cookies from Court Pastries for as long as I can remember. My dad grew up down the street from the shop, and my grandmother used to bring the iconic boxes filled with cookies to every holiday gathering. When she passed away, my whole extended family mobbed the place right after her funeral at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, and for my mom, dad, sister and me the smell of the bakery brings back some really powerful memories.

My cookie mecca.

Just a few of my favorites.

The way they tie up the box makes it nearly impossible to sneak a cookie out!

Those cookies were a great treat after a really tiring two days at the show. The NYIGF is massive, with 35000 buyers walking (and sometimes shoving) their way through nearly 3000 vendor stalls laid out over more than 800000 SF of exhibit space at the Javits Center and Piers 92 and 94. The first year I went I was totally overwhelmed, but now I have it down to a science to minimize sore feet, knees, and shoulders (you end up carrying A LOT of catalogs) at the end of the day. I ordered some really great merchandise for Red Sail that should be arriving over then next three months, so be sure to check the website out for all the goodies this fall!

This is image shows maybe 1/20 of the entire show...

charlton farm

Thanks to an invitation from my lovely friends Katie and Joe, I got to spend Thursday evening out at Charlton Farm, a private duck club on Sauvie Island. We had twelve people and six dogs (I love that ratio) out there for a picnic and few hours of escape from the city, amazingly only 20 minutes away. It was great to catch up with friends, and the dogs were in absolute heaven being able to roam the farm and swim in the lake... at least until sundown when we had to reel them after hearing a pack of coyotes howling it up in the nearby fields. Gus is still totally pooped from all the spastic running, swimming, and wrestling he did out there. Thanks Joe and Katie!

Gus taking in all the new smells at Charlton Farm

Perfect summer evening on Sauvie Island

Catching up lake-side at Charlton Farm

Laea pauses for a quick photo before some more retrieving in the pond.

Sunset on Sauvie Island

Sunset on Sauvie Island

Beautiful end to a nearly perfect evening

getting lucky at le pigeon

After two plus years I finally made it back to Le Pigeon, the hot spot on East Burnside here in Portland. My first visit there, which was probably right after they opened, was pretty unremarkable. I went back a  year after that and I remember it being better, but still not deserving of all the praise it regularly receives. This week, I was thoroughly satisfied. Maybe it was my company, but the whole experience seemed better, with the menu selections more appealing, the wait less long, and the food just tasting better. We started with the rabbit over salami risotto, gouda and fennel, which was excellent... I easily could have eaten the entire dish myself. Then we moved onto the pork with latke, green beans and almonds. It was a decent sized portion (as it should be for $23), the pork was super tender, the latke has a nice crust and beans were well dressed.  We also had the corn spoonbread with squash, oyster mushrooms, and tomato vinaigrette, which I liked even more than the pork. For dessert we wrapped things up with a blueberry apricot crisp with a basil popsicle, which was good, but not not great in my opinion. I also make A LOT of berry crisps so I'm fairly picky about them. I felt theirs was a little too tart for me, there wasn't enough topping, and that the crisp part lacked in texture and "crispiness".  All in all, it can be an expensive outing, but fun to try for a special occasion. I didn't whip out the camera at dinner, so no pics this time, sorry.

From the Le Pigeon website.

timothy lake weekend

This past weekend I went out to Timothy Lake for a much needed break (a lot of work related stress lately, yuck), and the trip completely delivered the escape I needed.

Sunset on Timothy Lake.

View from our campsite.

Merrill, Duke and I got to paddle on Saturday morning, and after that I spent the afternoon with the Hetherington and Villanueva clans, who also happen to be out there this weekend as well.

Mer & Duke with Mt. Hood in the distance.

Unfortunately, Mer and Duke has to split that evening after Bodhi, their 15 wk old puppy, got a terrible allergic reaction and started to puff up like a marshmallow. I decided to stay, and after staring at the fire for a few hours (caveman tv) I called it a night.

Evening entertainment when camping solo.

Sunday morning I got up early, made a super yummy (and filling) breakfast and then headed off on my mountain bike to ride the Timothy Lake Loop. The approx 16-17 mile loop took me a few hours to do, but I absolutely loved it, and it was great to ride at my own pace and enjoy the total peace and quiet of riding alone (not ideal, but I had cell service the entire ride). If you mountain bike, you should definitely give a go, especially if you are staying at one of the campgrounds around the lake and can go for a post-ride dip to wash all the dirt and dust off!

Stop 1 on Timothy Lake Loop.

Stop 2 on Timothy Lake Loop.

Stop 3 on Timothy Lake Loop.

In case you're interested here is a trail description I pulled from mbpost.com.

"One portion might be characterized by shin scratching undergrowth encroaching the trail while other portions are more open and shaded under the evergreen canopy, almost cathedral-like, with the forest floor covered with moss, ferns and beds of needles. It can be a smooth, fairly level out-and-back suitable for the novice or younger riders for several miles along the lake shore while providing more technical challenges for the experienced; switchbacks, climbs, choppy downhill, moderate drop-ins and rocks and roots are part of the experience as the trail leaves the lake and heads deeper into the timber. It shares about 200 yards of the historic Pacific Crest Trail (at which point bikers must walk their rides) and criss-crosses it at other points."

berries!

Berries! Berries! Berries! This might be my favorite time of the year food-wise. The veggies are fresh, my garden is overflowing, and most importantly it's berry season! A few days ago Mer and I made a trip out to Kruger Farm on Sauvie Island for a few hours of berry picking, and it was well worth the slightly sunburned neck! Merrill said it best when she expressed how the fragrance of raspberries in warm summer air is the smell of pure joy for her.  I couldn't agree more. It was such a treat to spend a few hours with my sister, chatting in the fields, stuffing our faces with fresh berries, and enjoying a stunning summer day in Portland. Definitely one of those, "God, I love it here" moments that I'm sure I'll think back to when the rain settles in this fall.

The fruits of our labor (I couldn't resist)... raspberries, blueberries, and a handful of blackberries.

blackberry lemon/limeade

strawberry pineapple ice cream from ruby jewel

picture perfect hike

Mirror Lake and Tom Dick and Harry might be the perfect hike... if you go early on a week day, which thankfully I did last Friday. The gentle and constant incline (1710 ft over about 3.2 miles), which I think took us about an hour and a half, was a very small price to pay for the unbelievable view from the top of the ridge. It was a crystal clear day so Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Ranier, and Mt. Jefferson were sharp as could be, and the gentle breeze made the short break up top heavenly. I'm not sure in Gus and Mozzy appreciated the view front the ridge as much as I did, but they certainly seemed to enjoy dunking themselves in Mirror Lake on the way up and down.

Me with Gus and Mozzy in front of Mt. Hood and the Zigzag Valley.