The BLOOMING has begun!

Hello everyone!

I had a really wonderful weekend! My weekend started with a little adventure after work. Last week saw some very strange weather in Portland with temperatures far below normal and some periods of snow though it only stuck at the higher elevations. As I was leaving work Friday afternoon I could see the foothills to the Cascades were plastered with snow. I wanted to find that snow. I drove into the Gorge & headed up Larch Mountain road. The road climbed into the snow zone pretty quickly. The towering trees were caked in snow. I drove until the road was no longer plowed as I am without tire chains and looking for an easy adventure not a nightmare. I walked around a bit and took some photos. It smelled wonderfully piney and cold. It was really amazing up there. I headed down & stopped at Chanticleer Point to watch some crazy light in the Gorge before heading home to Portland.

I went to Elaine & Gina's to get my photos off my camera and they invited me to dinner at Bewon, a really great Korean restaurant on NW 23rd. It was Elaine & Dave, John & Gina & me. We ordered family style and shared everything. There was a zillion little round dishes like a nicely organized galaxy filled with kim chee(two varieties), spinach, mysterious little beans, calamari, radishes and bean sprouts. The meat entrees were really wonderful and the rice perfectly sticky. We should have asked for the extra hot sauce. We're a bunch of spice freaks. After dinner Elaine & Dave & I went back to our neighborhood to have a few beers at Thatchers. We talked and laughed and were baffled by the unknown songs that everyone else seemed to be singing along with.

Saturday I woke up early and was happy to see blue skies. I showered and made coffee before heading to Laurelhurst Park. I walked around the park and marvelled at the huge camellia blossoms and the baby wood ducks with their dramatic white and black coloring, always quickly diving under water each time I focused on them. I then drove out into the Gorge to Rooster Rock State Park. I walked along the Columbia for a while and filled my pocket with smooth stones and other found treasures. A little after 10 AM Dave, Terry, Gina & John showed up with two black labs. We were excited to play the frisbee golf course there as it had been awhile, almost a year for me. The front 9 and the back 9 are totally different and both interesting to play. Dave lost one disc in the drink and then threw in another one that he was thankfully able to recover with the help of a big stick.

We then drove down to the east end of the park to play the back 9 which after the first hole are entireley in a dense, mossy forest. There are some really crazy shots including one where you drive off a huge cliff. I, along with several others, were able to land right below the basket though I inexplicably missed my putt (damn this game!) so I blew my shot at 2! Curses while smiling! It was lots of fun but by the end we were all hungry and the clouds had thickened and it was just beginning to sprinkle. We made a big run at Burgerville and ate at Elaine & Gina's house. I then went home where I happily napped having been lured from my bed much too early by the now hidden sun & blue skies. I woke up and read for a while before going over to Elaine & Gina's. Elaine was working, working, working (also why she had to miss morning golf :( booooo!). Gina & I watched the movie Proof where Gwyneth Paltrow & Jake Gyllenhael are both math freaks. It was a pretty good movie, not amazing, but Jake is oh so cute. Gina especially has a thing for him. I went home and read for a while before going to sleep.

Sunday morning found me reading the paper while curled up on the floor register with a down blanket loving the warm, warm air from the furnace. I drank coffee and read my book for a while before showering. I watched a documentary about a crazy outbreak of syphilis outside Atlanta among 200 affluent teenagers. Whoa! Yes I watch documentaries on random subjects but it was a Frontline episode and you can never go wrong with that. Later in the afternoon I went up to Mt Tabor Park where amazingly enough the sun came out. The BLOOMING as definitely begun! I walked around the reservoirs (upper & lower). I sat below my favorite sequoia and looked out over the city. I read my book in the warm sunshine and took some pictures. Eventually the clouds took over, causing the temperature to drop dramatically so I left. After stopping at Elaine's to get my photos of my camera I went home and read for a while.

Later that evening I went to Mark's house. His friend Mike and his brother Matt who was in town visiting from the east coast cooked an amazing meal. Eva & I enjoyed sitting at the counter, sipping our wine and eating the appetizers while watching the two of them put together a fantastic dinner: fresh fettucine with alfredo sauce (from scratch baby) with red peppers, spinach & assorted italian meats (salumi & prosciutto). It was a really great meal & I'm excited to eat it again for my lunch a few moments from now. After dinner we had dessert: samplings from Mark's impressive collection of scotch & bourbon. mmmmm! We talked around the dining room table and cleaned up a bit before the 9 o'clock start of the new episode of The Sopranos. I've seen all of them but always on Netflix so it was pretty cool to see the new episode on HBO. Entertaining stuff as always. Afterwards we finished picking up the kitchen then Mike, Eva & Matt called it a night. Mark and I watched the season finale of Flavor of Love, a hysterical reality show where Flavor Flav, formerly of Public Enemy, tries to find love. He shouts out "Flavor Flav!" at random moments and is often seen with a giant clock around his neck (still after all these years). A very entertaining conclusion to my weekend.

So that's what I've been up to. Please let me know how you are & what you've been doing! I hope all is well!

xoxox,
carolyn