ESHT 2014 - Several signs in Llangollen that caught my eye, plus some family news

I missed posting yesterday, Saturday, December 6. You see, I most often work on my daily post the night before, setting it up to post the next morning at 3:30 a.m. I failed to do that Friday night, mainly due to several swigs of Jamesons and two vodka-infused Jell-o shots which I thoroughly enjoyed with my two sons, Lamont and Leland, and Leland's girlfriend Rachel. We met at the Blue Diamond after I got off work Friday to celebrate my younger son Leland's new job which he starts on Monday, December 8. Finally, after years of trying, he has the chance to put to use his civil engineering technology associate's degree with Ascentec Engineering, a company that--I read on the Internet--engages in the design, development, and manufacture of fixtures and tools for the electronics assembly industry. He'll be driving to Tualatin, a nearby suburb. Leland begins as a design intern. We all believe that the sky's the limit!

Back to the lack of a Saturday post, on Saturday I spent three hours getting to and back from a fine lecture at the Architectural Heritage Center: Portland 101: Crooked Grids, Tiny Blocks, and the Building of the City . . . How did Portland get this way, with its little square blocks and weird intersections, the funny pronunciations and the bridge ramps to nowhere? Why is it even located where it is? There’s a reason for everything (we didn’t say a good reason…)!
Stone carver’s mistakes, upside-down pineapples, and mythical tunnels are just part of the things true Portland residents should know about – we’ll look at the grid, the naming and re-naming of our streets, and the eras of commercial architecture that have marked our compact and vibrant downtown, as well as the near blitzkrieg effect of the Great Demolition which left us with parking lots where the temples of finance and industry once stood. Long time AHC Education Committee member Robert Jordan will guide us through 150 years of Portland’s development – a great overview for those just getting interested in Portland’s architectural heritage as well as for anyone who ever wondered, “Why did they do THAT?” 

Afterward, Leland and his sweetheart Rachel picked me up and we went to nearby Lloyd Center, a shopping mall with a food court, for lunch and a successful adventure in shopping for business casual pants. Yes, successful in that we found three pair which are now in Leland's possession as early Christmas presents from me--sweet! Successful in that we survived the uncomfortable heat inside the stores at the mall.

By the time I got home, I had just enough energy left to gather my canned good contributions for the Oregon Food Bank barrel at the Blue Diamond and to walk over there. After placing them in the barrel, I sat down at the bar and drank several glasses of water and enjoyed talking with Janessa, bartender, and Trace, cook--two of my favorite young people to whom I did not give birth! Then, I ate half an order of chicken black bean nachos, drank a hot toddy with half a shot of Fireball in it, thanks to a kind young man who overheard me talking about only needing a half shot--he's new to the Blue Diamond and had no idea just how big the shot glasses are there! After deciding to buy a shot, he shared half with his lady friend and half with me for my hot toddy! So, when I got home, I got on my comfy clothes and headed for the recliner and the heating pads. No contest, I fell asleep with the best intentions of getting up in a few minutes and blogging! Now, it's Sunday morning and I'm blogging for today, hopefully for tomorrow and maybe even a few days in the future!




Hughes! I like that and the fact that the word's on a nice-looking corner store selling quality fruit and vegetables right next door to another store selling meats and cheeses, also a deli. Serendipity! I put this photo on Facebook yesterday because my son Leland's first name is Hughes, plus he and his brother have had careers involving food since 1994--Lamont started at a busboy at Bravo! in Jackson, Mississippi, our former hometown, while Leland began there as a dishwasher; over time they both ended up at 3 Doors Down Cafe in Portland, Lamont as sous chef, Leland as line and prep cook, all skills learned on the job with the added touch of inherited talent from their dearly departed Daddy whose skills exceeded mine, masterfully.

And, since Leland's changing careers tomorrow, this photo should be shared today on the blog. Lamont will continue his work at Provvista Specialty Foods where he runs the company's lunch program (cooking lunch daily from fresh ingredients, scratch recipes, for 50 employees) and afternoons he maneuvers all sorts of cheese, including 80-pound wheels imported from Italy, into the sizes sold to restaurants and grocery stores around the Pacific Northwest. With his new job, Leland no longer has to get up at 3:15 a.m. Monday through Thursday to drive a truck full of ordered/sold goods to another driver in the Seattle area, then drive the empty truck back to Portland. Yea for Leland! Plus, Lamont's satisfied to have a job which makes good use of his skills and talents plus allows him to have weekends off. No more restaurant kitchens for either son.



Around the corner, I came across this sign--I immediately noticed bulldog since I'm a loyal Dawgs myself, a Mississippi State University Bulldog, to be precise. Talk about serendipity! Plus, I enjoyed the humor in the sign--dogs welcome, owners allowed.



Then I turned to my left to check out the other sign at The Bull. Hmmm. I'll bet we'd have walked in to check it out if we weren't already completely satisfied with our lunch at the Buttered Crust. I particularly like that item, Roast Served Daily. However, in checking some online reviews, disappointment most likely would have ensued.