September 29, 2015. Alone in Portland

LOCATION:  House-sitting in Portland, Oregon

WEATHER:  Beautiful, sunny fall day. High about 80.  The TV weather people say this sun and warmth are record-breaking

We got a call from the RV repair shop saying our Airstream is fixed and ready to be picked up.  They fixed the leak by replacing the vent fan, replaced the computer for the refrigerator, and spliced the cord between the car and trailer that had been accidentally cut.  George drove to Eugene to pick it up, then took it to his friend's house near  Florence to store in their driveway until we finish this house-sit.  

I putzed around he house and garden.  The backyard of this house us like a Japanese garden.

There is a koi pond with two koi that we feed.

If the bamboo starts spreading, we will dig up a shoot to eat, like we did in Japan!

The colors are starting to change. We like sitting on the deck to admire this beauty.

DINNER:  Since I'm alone, I just warmed up some leftover pizza and "devoured" a book!

September 28, 2015. Chinatown

LOCATION:  House-sitting in Portland, Oregon

WEATHER:  Another picture-perfect day. Unseasonably warm @ 80 high

We visited Portland's Chinatown, at their very nice Chinese garden.  It is an oasis of quiet in the busy city.  Beautiful buildings and views, made in cooperation with their sister city in China.

We walked around very peacefully.

We stopped at their lovely tea house.

They had many types of tea, but George ordered a green tea sake instead.  Tasty!

DINNER: Fried gnocchi.  I used a recipe from The Splendid Table.  She says it is her most asked-for recipe.  Side salad, with ripe tomatoes from the garden.

September 27, 2015. Koi day

LOCATION:  Housesitting in Portland, Oregon

WEATHER:  Another beautiful, sunny fall day. Highs in 70s

We took a long walk to a gigantic Asian grocery store.  The walk was downhill all the way; then of course a long hail up the hill on the way back.

The market was sponsoring its annual koi show.  These sell for $300-$1000.  I sure hope the 2 that we are caring for don't die under our watch!

They were auctioning some off.

Inside the store, we searched for geoduck.  They have them today.

The seafood guy weighed one for us.  Each one is about a pound, $28, and about half of it gets tossed when you clean it.

The store has an amazing variety of Japanese foods, including a huge sake selection.  This is only one of many shelves.

DINNER:  Leftover fish.  I jazzed it up with ginger, lemon and soy sauce.  Rice and an avocado/tomato salad on the side.

September 26, 2015. In search of geoduck

LOCATION:  House-sitting in Portland, Oregon

WEATHER:  Another beautiful fall day. Highs in low 70s.  Sunny

We let Lola out to get some fresh air.  She didn't come back for about an hour.  I was sick with worry, but then she magically returned.

We drove around the Beaverton area, a suburb of Portland, near where we are staying.  There seems to be a lot of prosperity here.  There are a lot of high-tech companies, including Intel.  Nike has its headquarters here, too.

We searched online for a restaurant that serves geoduck (pronounced gooey duck).  It is a type of huge clam, found on the Oregon coast.  This is what it looks like before being cleaned.

 

Pretty grotesque looking.  We found just 2 restaurants online that advertised them.  Both were sushi restaurants.  So, we went to Bamboo Sushi.

 It is in an area called NW 23rd Avenue, full of shops and restaurants. We sat at the sushi bar. We asked, and yes!  They had one geoduck.  The sushi chef first cleaned it up and sliced it thin.

We first ordered it as sashimi (raw).  It was a work of art....

Then, we had it nigiri-style.....

We stopped in a few other places, stumbling upon a Belgian beer-tasting event.  We got  free t-shirts and beer glasses.  We want to return to this area.  Fun!

September 25, 2015. Out on the town in Portland

LOCATION:  House-sitting in Portland, Oregon

WEATHER:  Occasional rain, pleasant. Highs in 70s

We awoke to rain showers.  After all, this is Portland, right?  We did some chores around the house, and I picked more herbs to dry.

This is the front yard of the house we are sitting...

Lola, our temporary cat, goes outside when the homeowners are here.  We thought she shouldn't go out until she has completely acclimated herself to us.  But today, she slipped out when I had the patio door open.  I was so afraid she wouldn't return, but she did.  So, I rewarded her with a good brushing, which she loves.

DINNER:  We went out on the town.  We went to 2 brewpubs (out of about 100 here) that had been recommended.  The first was a tiny, neighborhood pub with friendly people who all seemed to know each other. Then we went to a new one for dinner.  They have 90 beers on tap, so we did a sampler tray.  We ate a  pretzel, sausage link,  and veggie sliders. This was near downtown Portland.  Everything was really "hopping".

September 24, 2015. Happy birthday to me!

LOCATION:  Housesit in Portland, Oregon 

WEATHER:  Beautiful again. Perfect fall day. Highs in low 70s

I picked tomatoes and blanched/froze them.  There are a lot still on the vine.  Then I picked herbs to dry.  I hope the homeowners will like this when they return.

We went out for lunch for my birthday.  We went to another McMenamins Pub.  For my "passport", we got an extra stamp since it is my birthday.  We sat outside and had a bacon and scallop pizza.  Really unusual and tasty.

The pub had been an old farm.  The restaurant is the former home.  The grounds are pretty...we sat next to a vegetable and herb  garden.  They have a very small, working distillery there, in what used to be the granary.  We went on a tour, rewarded  by another stamp in the passport.

The still came  from France.

 Interesting old tanks 

We were the only ones on the tour...

We relaxed in the afternoon and played with the cat. In the evening, we sat around a nice fire in the firepit.

DINNER:  Grilled steak, baked potatoes , and sautéed vegetables...squash, onions, eggplant and mushrooms.  We opened the special bottle of wine we had bought last month in Napa....splurge time!

September 23, 2015. Exploring Portland

LOCATION:  House-sit in Portland, Oregon

WEATHER:  Beautiful fall day

George spent the morning cleaning our truck.  It got really dirty/dusty in California.  Due to the water shortage there, they say it is a status symbol to drive a dirty vehicle.  But, it was now time for a change.

Then, we went to downtown, near Portland State University, fur lunch.  We parked right next to a street  car track.  Tight squeeze!

 

The weather was so nice that we sat outside on their patio.  Market Street Pub is another in the McMenamins chain that we are trying to visit.  Downtown is a very easy trip from our house, although in rush hour, it can be seriously backed up.

We went shopping in a huge Asian store.  It is mostly Japanese.  We could have been in Japan!  We bought fish for dinner.

We spotted a raccoon in one of the trees in the backyard.  The homeowners had seen it in the same place during the summer.

DINNER:  Swordfish steaks on the grill.  What a treat to be able to grill again!  We couldn't grill when we were housesitting in California due to the risk, and open fires were banned at the campgrounds in Oregon.  We also grilled some Japanese eggplant and squash.  

 

September 22, 2015. First day house-sitting

  LOCATION: Portland, Oregon

WEATHER:  Beautiful.  Hint of Autumn. Sunny. Highs around 70

We drove the homeowners to the airport.  After dropping them off, we went in search of one of the brewpubs on our McMenamins  "passport" for lunch.  The nice thing about this passport challenge is that it takes  you  to out-of-the-way places.  We drove through cute neighborhoods, many with small Craftsman-type houses.  We ended up in the Hawthorne area.  We went to a McManamins pub there that has a Grateful Dead decor.  Each is different.  We had some Irish Stew.  

Back at the house, we got settled in.  We watered the plants on the deck, then relaxed.

The backyard is like a Japanese garden.  George fed the koi.  They have beautiful bamboo and Japanese maples that are starting to turn.

George watched some TV and bonded with Lola, the cat.  

DINNER: Pasta with mushrooms and chicken, leftover from last night's rotisserie chicken.  Side was nice salad with tomatoes from their garden, and tomatoes we brought from the farm.

After dinner, we watched a few episodes of my favorite TV show, "Call the Midwife" in front of the fireplace.  Cozy!

September 21, 2015. Portland house-sit arrival

LOCATION:  House-sit in Portland, Oregon

WEATHER: Cool. Very pleasant. Highs in 70s

We reorganized our stuff to prepare for the house-sit.  We left Bend and took the scenic highway to Eugene, Oregon.  We drove through the Deschutes and Williamette National Forests, passing by picturesque lakes and rivers.  

In Eugene,  we dropped off the Airstream at an RV service shop.  We want professionals to fix our leak. George has tried everything.  They will also fix our severed cable.  We will just leave the Airstream there until everything is repaired, and then will move it to George's friend's house near Florence.  

We stopped at a nice brewpub for lunch.  It is part of the McMannins brewpub chain.  We got "passports" and will try to go to several of them while we are in Oregon.  

We arrived in Portland at the house where we will for the next 6 weeks.  We wanted to arrive a day early for orientation and to bond with Lola, our charge.

She is very sweet.  

DINNER:  Rotisserie chicken with German-style baked potatoes, salad and green beans.  

September 20, 2015. More of Bend

CAMPGROUND:  Another night at Thousand Trails

LOCATION: Bend, Oregon in dough central Oregon

WEATHER:  Same as yesterday....cold (upper 30s) in AM, beautiful (80) in PM

Following the last few days' routine, we explored Newberry Volcano Monument in the morning.  This time, we went to the lava cave.  Unlike other caves that we have toured, thus one is completely natural.  There are no guides, no indirect lights, no level paths.  You rent a lantern and are on your own to wander through the mile-long "tube" created by the boiling lava years ago.  It is pitch black without the lantern. The floor is rocky so you have to walk slowly.  What an unusual experience!

We drove about 20 miles from Bend to a town called Sisters, named from the 3 mountains surrounding the town.

These are horse sculptures in a pasture, very realistic.  These are the Three Sisters mountains.

We are always looking at places where we might settle one day.  Bend is a possibility as is cute Sisters....

We had rice and beans at a brewpub in Sisters.  Bend has an "ale trail" challenge.  You go to the 16 brewpubs on their trail map, collect stamps from each, and win a prize.  We aren't doing it, but met some bikers (both kinds) in pubs that are doing this, and chatted with them.  We stopped at a distillery, also on the trail, and sampled their chile pepper vodka.  Really spicy.  

We bought some huckleberries along the roadside and will have them for breakfast tomorrow.

We stopped in one more brewpub in Bend on our way back. This was another friendly neighborhood one in a garage-type setting.

DINNER:  An omelette to use up final leftovers....onions, roasted garlic, potato, garbanzo beans, olives,  and goat cheese.  Topped with leftover tomato sauce (of course).  

September 19, 2015. Oktoberfest in Bend

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Thousand Trails RV Park

LOCATION: Bend, Oregon in south central Oregon

WEATHER:  Cool/cold again in the morning. Beautiful, 70s in PM

Following yesterday's schedule, we visited another section of Newberry National Monument.  We drove up a really  steep, gravel road to a height of 8000 for a beautiful view of the lakes formed by the volcano.

In another section, we hiked around the obsidian flow, a landscape full of glass rocks from the hot explosion of the volcano.

We did a third hike, this one to a pretty falls.

After all that, we had worked up an appetite, so went into Bend for their Oktoberfest.  Fun!  About 12 local breweries were selling beer.  We had brats and beer and enjoyed the fun.

There seems to be a lot going on all the time here.  The Peddle Pub drove by with a load of party-goers.

There was also a kayak race going on, that we passed on our way to Deschutes Brewery for a tasting.

DINNER:  Trying to clean out the refrigerator, we had leftover pasta with extra onions and tomato sauce.  

September 19, 2015. Oktoberfest in Bend

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Thousand Trails RV Park

LOCATION: Bend, Oregon in south central Oregon

WEATHER:  Cool/cold again in the morning. Beautiful, 70s in PM

Following yesterday's schedule, we visited another section of Newberry National Monument.  We drove up a really  steep, gravel road to a height of 8000 for a beautiful view of the lakes formed by the volcano.

In another section, we hiked around the obsidian flow, a landscape full of glass rocks from the hot explosion of the volcano.

We did a third hike, this one to a pretty falls.

After all that, we had worked up an appetite, so went into Bend for their Oktoberfest.  Fun!  About 12 local breweries were selling beer.  We had brats and beer and enjoyed the fun.

There seems to be a lot going on all the time here.  The Peddle Pub drove by with a load of party-goers.

There was also a kayak race going on, that we passed on our way to Deschutes Brewery for a tasting.

DINNER:  Trying to clean out the refrigerator, we had leftover pasta with extra onions and tomato sauce.  

September 18, 2016. Lava and lager!

CAMPGROUND:  2nd night at Thousand Trails

LOCATION:  Bend, Oregon in south central Oregon

WEATHER:  Cold in AM (39) warming to 70

We visited Newberry Volcano Lava Fields National Monument.  What a find!  It is a huge area, about the size of Rhode Island.  Part of the Cascades, it consists of lava fields, volcano and lakes formed from earlier eruptions.  We took a hike to some beautiful waterfalls along the Deschutes River.

 

Then we drove up to Lava Butte where the fire watch tower is. You can see mountains in Washington and California from here.  They have  fresh snow on them. 

We will visit other sections of the park later.  But for now, lunch was calling.  We found a cute neighborhood brewpub called The Rathole and had a delicious lunch and a rye IPA.  Then we explored the town.  Following that, we went on a brewery tour of 10 Barrel Brewing.  Our tour guide was fun.

DINNER:  Grilled chicken (using George Foreman grill) with onions and potatoes in a tomato sauce.