camera confession

I have to confess, this Cannon Power Shot A80 is my favorite camera. At first glance it would be easy to draw conclusions based on the appearance of this well used camera. Believe me, we have had lots of fun teasing and making jokes about it but in spite of the scratches and duct tape, it takes unbelievably great pictures. I admit it is a bit heavy due to the four double A batteries it requires but the advantage is I never have to wait for recharging. I just carry an extra set of batteries or stop by the nearest store and Wah La, I'm back in business in no time. You might be thinking it looks rather large and bulky compared to the new, thin, sleek models that fit in your pocket but I assure you it is worth its weight (and size) in gold. It just requires carrying an extra large purse....problem solved. 

If only my favorite camera could talk, oh the stories it could tell. Perhaps of the time it was stolen from a checked bag at an international airport only to be returned months later minus the tiny but valuable memory card full of special images that could never be replaced. Or when sand from the warm sunny beaches in Maui inadvertently collected under the moving parts and made it nearly impossible to zoom for at least a year. Or the time it met with an unfortunate accident in Kenya which involved dropping it accidentally on the pavement. This resulted in broken plastic parts that are now held together with tape, rubber bands and a strong pinky finger that presses the bottom against the batteries when the tape begins to loosen. In spite of these setbacks it continues to be amazingly reliable and able to shoot exceptional photos.  

With all of that said, I must admit that my wonderful family gave me a brand new, thin, sleek, pocket sized, blue Sony camera for my birthday almost 2 years ago which I really like and have used ever since. It is light weight, easy to carry, takes video and also very good pictures. I have not used my old favorite camera since I received my gift but yesterday I pulled it out of the cupboard, filled it with batteries, set the time and date and tried it out. It still works! This is a good thing since my new camera is being borrowed for the next 10 days. During that time I'm sure that something picture worthy will come up that requires a proper photo and you can rest assured that I will be able to capture it with my Cannon Power Shot A80.   

Saturday Night Church

 Last night we went to Saturday Night Church downtown which is held at the beautiful First Baptist Church. It is such a wonderful, old building and I love the architecture and all the elaborate details. 

The sanctuary is round with walls that are built in sections which are divided in the middle. The top and bottom parts of each section automatically raise and lower to separate or connect adjoining rooms such as the fellowship hall. There is an elegant, curved balcony, colorful stained glass windows, intricate paintings on the ceiling and walls and traditional wooden pews. We met our friends there for the 6:00pm service and afterwards we all went out to dinner which is our tradition when we attend on Saturday night.     

No matter if we attend one of the four Sunday services in Tigard or either one on Saturday night downtown we have to go early enough to be sure and get seats. So, while we saved seats and waited for our friends to arrive I snapped a few pictures.

A fun part of our dinner tradition is trying new restaurants around the city. Several times we have driven across the river to find the perfect eatery, another time we waited for a table at a restaurant located under one of the bridges and occasionally our group is so big we spend a good portion of the evening trying to find a place that can seat all of us in a reasonable amount of time. Last night though, we were a nice sized group of 6 and planned ahead with reservations at Henry's on 12th, the old Blitz-Weinhard Brewery, another historic spot downtown. We chose it because if it's close proximity to the church (6 blocks) but didn't realize how popular it was. Thank goodness for those reservations, it was packed. I think we would all agree that the food was really good but I have to say that my favorite part of the meal, besides our fun friends and great conversation of course, were the PICKLES!!! They were outstanding and unlike any pickle I've ever tasted. I would describe them as sort of a dill with a spicy kick. I would go back just for a side order of their pickles. In addition to the great taste they were cleverly served, sliced in a little, mini canning jar accompanied by a long fork. These are by far some of the best pickles ever, if you like pickles that is! 

I tried to get a picture of Henry's on 12th but didn't have time to take a better one since
I needed to catch up with our fast walking group. I didn't want to be left behind.

Baby it's Cold Outside!

It's hard to believe it's so cold outside today when you look out the window and see such sunny, blue skies although the snow in the yard is a sure sign of the frigid weather. Other than the snow and ice it was a routine Friday morning until we discovered, right outside our door, a random act of kindness related to the cold temperatures. Some kind, thoughtful person had apparently walked around last night and lifted all the windshield wipers up off the windows of all the cars that were parked out on the street and in the driveways of the homes in our neighborhood, including ours. What a grand surprise! In inclement weather I have noticed this practice in the hills where we live but have never remembered to do it to our cars when the conditions called for it. What a great way to start the day. I will now be trying to think of a way to pass it forward!    

Hip Hip Hooray...A SNOW DAY!

We love, love, love SNOW DAYS and had been hoping for at least one this school year. We got our "grand surprise"....SNOW...last night and the excitement made it hard to sleep. Of course we were up early to see if the snow was still here, measure how much more may have fallen during the night and most importantly, check the news to find out if enough snow had accumulated to close school. By 6:00am the highly anticipated announcement finally came, school had been canceled for the day!! At 7:30 we were bundled up and out on a walk with the dog, enjoying the big flakes hitting our faces and filling our tracks almost as quickly as we made them. Kids were already sledding and throwing snowballs while a few cars made their way slowly up the hill. At our house a special day like this always calls for an extra special breakfast and today it was bacon, hashbrowns, eggs and a batch of belgian waffles covered with homemade jam and whipped cream. While it snowed off and on all day we enjoyed texts from the boys, homework and reading by a hot, crackling fire, eating cups full of snow, and cooking up a pot of chili for dinner. Did I mention we love SNOW?

The official "SNOW DAY" announcement! 

Morning snow with more on the way.

Happy Presidents Day!

Presidents Day is the perfect day for homemade cherry pie. My next door neighbor has a pie cherry tree and each summer when she's finished picking she brings me enough cherries for a pie. In fact, she brings them cleaned, pitted and ready to use. How lucky am I to have such a thoughtful friend right next door? I like to put them in the freezer and save them for a special occasion or holiday. Today is that day! 

backyard makeover

Step 1: Deck removal

Our DIY backyard makeover began on 1/9/11 with the removal of our 20 year old deck. It served us well and was remodeled and repaired several times over the years. The trellis held grapevines on one side and kiwi on the other. In the summer the vines grew fast and furious and had to be trimmed several times a week but provided needed shade during the sunny days. The raccoons loved to visit in the fall and eat the fragrant, ripe fruit, always leaving behind a big mess of grape skins below. We juiced and canned our grapes every year and agree there is nothing better than a cold glass of pure, nature sweetened grape juice. The kiwi stays on the vines until they ripen with the first freeze around the beginning of December. Perfect timing for gift giving. The grapes were planted along the edge of the deck, up the posts and were in the way of the new project so we removed those and pruned back the kiwi for now. Of course we had to leave a little bridge from the house to the yard for "Bruce" but that is now gone too. Gravel has filled the hole and soon that will be cover with concrete. 

Trimming the grapes and kiwi so the trellis can be removed. 

Happy memories were made here. Good~bye old deck. 

Our muddy mess. 

A bridge for Bruce!

Finished hauling wheelbarrows full of gravel yesterday
 from the front to the back. Now preparing for concrete. 

Afternoon Conference

We spent this afternoon in the Columbia River Gorge at the historic Crestview Manor which is now a camp and conference facility. The view was spectacular and the property was absolutely beautiful. The inside of the manor was like a small castle with amazing woodwork, walls made out of stone, arched wooden beams, two fireplaces in the great room with a hand carved mantle on the largest fireplace. Just a short walk out the back doors and across the lawn was a small chapel and near the parking lot in the front was a rock climbing wall and two water slides. All of this was tucked away on the edge of a hill overlooking the Columbia River Gorge and the snow capped mountain range. We drove up with our friends and arrived at the conference just after lunch and enjoyed meeting some new people who are living and serving in Haiti and Kenya. It was fun to hear about their experiences, see their slideshows and share stories and ideas. 

What a gorgeous day for a drive!     

Comfort Food

The cold weather and the sight of snowflakes today put me in the mood to make homemade Molasses bread. While I was working on that Mr. Wonderful put in a request for homemade chicken noodle soup. Mm, mmm good!!! Next, a new batch of cookies. I'm thinking peanut butter blossoms.

sNOw Kidding...

Yes, we woke up to unexpected snow yesterday morning! It was wonderful. I wish there had been more but it was beautiful just the same. 

Also, I made two more tissue pockets for Valentines Day which brings my total to 10. I discovered more  fabulous prints in my fabric stash and couldn't resist sewing them up.