UPDATE and, yes, I'm posting photos of eating out again, at 3 Doors Down Cafe and the Bijou Cafe. One must have achievable goals when going through chemotherapy. Mine include dining out where I know the food is perfect, along with the service. Just like I always have at the Blue Diamond, too.

UPDATE: Slept a bit better, for longer periods of time in between waking up with some peripheral neuropathy humming through my lower legs. I'm thankful for any periods of sleep during these nights. So far today, the anti-nausea meds continue to work, hallelujah! I don't feel very well overall, like I've got the flu, achy here and there. However, no nausea is such a gift that I can deal with the aches and the humming. Oh, there has been some success in the area of "plumbing difficulties," too, for which I am grateful.



3 Doors Down Cafe, the third place that Mama and I ate out in Portland, back on our first visit in the summer of 2004. I took this photo on July 19, 2015, a little over eleven years since that first meal. Included on the menu as Pearl Bakery Bread with white bean spread, you see here the long-time-neighborhood-favorite-restaurant's popular lead-off dining delight.



Sunday's a great day to dine at 3 Doors Down Cafe because of the Happy Hour selection. I love these mini meatballs with marinara and mozzarella. A perfect consistency to the house-made meatballs combined with the taste of the equally house-made marinara, and that fresh mozzarella--gosh, I really do love this dish! And that Pearl Bakery Bread makes for the best way to finish off the marinara, for real.



My other small plate, an appetizer that I also love, anything that involves duck confit. Here you see bruschetta of duck confit, honey-herbed whipped bellwether jersey cow ricotta cheese, arugula, grilled black plums. Totally mesmerizing with every bite. I well remember my first ever duck confit. I walked back to the kitchen and announced to one and all, "Now I know why ducks have legs!" Sounds mercenary, sorry. It's the truth. (At that time both of my sons cooked at 3 Doors Down Cafe, so I got away with walking to the open kitchen and saying hello and laying on the praise!)



The table's set at the Bijou Cafe, downtown Portland, Oregon. The second place where Mama and I ate out on our first trip to Portland--the first place, hardly memorable so as not to be named here. Bijou Cafe, outta sight wonderful ever since, mine and Mama's favorite breakfast/brunch place throughout the years.



My Bijou Cafe breakfast on that spectacular day, Thursday, March 15, 2012, when I went to the NCAA March Madness games, an entire day of college basketball. This omelette, salad, and pancake held me for hours and hours. I knew that they would, from years of experience.




Chicken, black bean nachos. Perfect. They prepare the black beans at The Blue Diamond PDX, y'all. They are so good! As are the rest of the ingredients on this smooth-tasting treat. I never eat all of them at one sitting. They warm up very well in the toaster over inside a foil pouch that I make. Yummy out the wazoo!



The only place I've ever had a French dip is The Blue Diamond PDX. Why mess with a good thing?

Before too long, I'll feel well enough to dine out again. I've got some great places to choose from, including Killer Burger which you saw on Wednesday's post.

My sons excel at splitting.

My lovable lefties, splitting the bill for our impromptu Mother's Day Brunch at my favorite breakfast spot in Portland, the Bijou Cafe.

Yes, impromptu. For Mother's Day, all I really wanted was to shop the sale on Twinings English Breakfast Tea and Walker shortbread cookies at Cost Plus World Market, followed by a tour of and shopping in the recently completed remodel of the Fred Meyer on West Burnside. As we excited World Market, I realized lunch time was nigh. After a bit of discussion, Lamont mentioned the Bijou, so off we went in search of a parking space in downtown Portland and a short wait at the cafe. Success on both counts! After all, it's best to shop for groceries when one is NOT hungry.

From October, 2006, through January, 2011, Mama and I lived within walking distance of the Fred Meyer store's previous iteration which I thoroughly enjoyed because it was not a huge store, more like a neighborhood store of yesteryear. I admit that I've been curious to see the finished product after having shopped the work-in-progress last November when I had a Zipcar and could drive over there from where I now live across the Willamette in Northeast Portland. I found everything I needed. Lamont drove us; the guys carried the groceries in, and Leland put them away--good sons, splitting the effort that made my Mother's Day so special.




My divine brunch, a French omelette filled with smoked goat cheese, bacon and green onions. I had one buttermilk griddle cake and gave the toast to Leland, most all of the potatoes to the guys.



Lamont's brunch, an omelette I know nothing about except that he ate every single delicious bite of it, his salad and his toast, as well as the aforementioned potatoes.



Leland's brunch, a Mother's Day special involving bacon-wrapped eggs which turned out to have been made in the oven in a muffin tin. He ate all of that, too, plus the aforementioned potatoes and toast from my plate, plus the last of my omelette.

With Sarah's help, I took some queenly advice!

Here's the advice, straight from H.R.H. Jill Conner Browne, THE Sweet Potato Queen, given to me on April 15, 2015, by way of a Facebook Message: Go out TODAY and buy yourself a FIVE-YEAR CALENDAR and start filling it up. Give no thought WHATSOEVER to being sick in any way. See yourself as healthy and vibrant, doing all the things you are putting in the calendar. Begin thanking God TODAY for your health and well-being. Praise Him for how wonderfully you are made and for all His magnificent Creation, of which you are an important part. All is well and all WILL BE well. xxoojill Thanks, Jill!

My friend Sarah came to my apartment yesterday with Burgerville Chicken Tenders and French Fries and the FIVE-YEAR CALENDAR, plus an added treat, the One Line A Day, A Five-Year Memory Book. Both the calendar and the book are exquisitely made so that they feel good in my hand, at my fingertips.




I'll be writing in them with my little Mama's favorite Papermate Sharpwriter #2 USA lead pencil, the one that advances the lead with a twist of its tip. Since she always wanted to have plenty on hand to use in her crossword puzzle books, I had a couple of unopened packages after she died in January, 2011. Since then, I've made my way to that section of either Freddie's or Walgreens, picked up another package and enjoyed the memory of watching her diligently complete one puzzle after the other while sitting in her recliner in front of the TV--Mama aced every single one! Now I keep a pencil atop this thick glass picture frame--that's us on July 9, 2004, taken by Lamont at the Bijou Cafe, downtown Portland. We ate breakfast there before going to the airport on the MAX and flying back to Jackson, Mississippi, after our first visit with Lamont and his brother Leland in Portland. Sweet memories.



See the tabs? There is one for each month in each of the five years. Enjoy my first entry!



I am astounded at the versatility of the memory book. You can see here how you're able to write in the year on a particular date before you record your memory! Brilliant!

Mother's Day, 2014--a blessing.

I took this sweet photo earlier today while on a Mother's Day walk with my sons, Leland and Lamont, and Leland's girlfriend Rachel. At my suggestion, they took me to Forest Park, a public municipal park--all 5100 acres of it--in the Tualatin Mountains west of downtown Portland. On part of the Lower Macleay Park Trail alongside Balch Creek, we walked off the sidewalk and into the woods within moments. It was a treat, a real treat, to be out there with them on such a beautiful morning. As you can tell, lots of people were out and about because, when the sun comes out in Portland, that's what you do.



After walking for .85 miles (according to info I found on the Internet) one way, we turned around at the Stone House and walked back to the start. The three of them went to get the car while I waited and watched people and dogs, then we went to one of my favorite restaurants for brunch--the Bijou Cafe in downtown Portland. A very special day, all around. 



A vandalized map of Forest Park. The map is a decal applied to the plate, not enameled onto it. If it were, then the vandal or vandals would not have been able to scratch those letters on it on the upper right or to scratch off that portion of the map at the lower center. Jerk.

Still life No. 2, Bijou Cafe

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The omelette and potatoes I had ordered. A single pancake in the distance. Consistently delicious.

Still life No. 1, Bijou Cafe

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On Saturday, February 16, I waited patiently for brunch, but I couldn't help myself. I had to take a photograph.

Josh Hailey's in PDX on his Photamerica Tour!

A creative young man on a mission, that's Josh Hailey. Since I supported his successful Kickstarter campaign, I've been patiently awaiting arrival of Josh in Portland. He got to the city on Sunday. Serendipitously, I had taken a vacation day on Monday, so we got together for brunch at my favorite breakfast spot, the Bijou Cafe, downtown on the corner of SW 3rd and SW Pine. Here Josh is talking with my favorite person at the cafe--Eve. Mama and I met her on our first visit there in July, 2004.

After enjoying talking and eating and laughing, we both fed the meter (Josh has a van he's driving across the county, I had a Zipcar for the day so I could do errands), and then Josh interviewed me! More photos coming!

Here's what I found about his Photamerica tour, online:

50 states in 50 weeks: A unique interpretation of modern America, by Jessica Festa

What does it mean to be an American in modern times? That is the question propelling Josh Hailey forward on a mission to visit 50 states in 50 weeks and capture modern America in a visual way. The final project from the road trip will be a 100-page photography book.

The project will go further than photography, however, as Hailey plans to conduct interviews and shoot video footage, as well. He says, "I want to understand what people feel about America and what it means to be an American in modern times. Asking a series of open questions, people's answers will be documented on camera and compiled as a film that will be both aesthetic and thought provoking and will hopefully capture a wider picture of America in 2012."

To follow the journey, view photographic artwork, host Hailey with accommodation, leave feedback and comments, or donate money towards fuel, visit his website, Photamerica. (http://photamerica.com/)

And here's what I had read, written by Josh, at his Kickstarter campaign:

ABOUT THIS PROJECT PHOTAMERICA: 50 States in 50 weeks: a unique interpretation of modern America.

This project was born out of a very long road trip that saw me drive cross country twice in a matter of months. An avid photographer, naturally I captured the weird and wonderful beauty of my journey, absorbing the culture of every individual state and enjoying the random conversations I’ve had with Americans along the way. It dawned on me that this experience is one I could build on and share!

In 2012 I intend to do it properly. This time with two goals in mind:

• I want to capture modern America, visually. State by state, place by place, person by person and represent this all in a photography book to be completed and published 2013. 

• I want to understand what people feel about America and what it means to be an American in modern times. Asking a series of open questions, people's answers will be documented on camera and compiled as a film that will be both asthetic and thought provoking and will hopefully capture a wider picture of America in 2012.

I’ve estimated a week in each state, give or take a few days and am asking you to follow my journey and take part in steering my course on our website www.photamerica.com. This website will be all encompassing in that you can see day by day where we go, the artwork we are making, and take part in hosting us or helping us find things of interest to photograph.

This will be a unique and interactive site where you can leave comments on places of interest for me to see and also get first glimpses of the artwork I’ll be creating with the images from the road.

The book, estimated publishing 2013, will be a large and thorough interpretation of each state in many different camera mediums from digital, to cell phone images, to film.

In terms of the documentary film, this will be observational in nature. It has always amazed me how different and diverse America is, and the contrasts and conflicts that are present within each state, let alone across the entire country. I’m hoping this will be an insight into the intimate perspectives of the people I come across. I intend to sit down with 3 to 4 subjects in each state from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, to ask a question about how people feel in these modern times, and especially in America.

Whilst I am an artist and photographer, I am wanting to make this project as legitimate and as well researched as possible, and have currently been speaking with numerous esteemed academics and professionals who have assisted me in gaining a better understanding and perspective on how to go about this and move forward my approach.

I am budgeting this trip solely on the gas to make it around America. I have good friends and couch surfers in most States and hopefully can find a place to stay with people helping host on the website. At the present the current gas pricing is upwards of 20,000 dollars to get enough gas to go to all of the states I intend to. This is about far more than a substantial amount of gas money, it is about being part of the wider journey and ultimately about being part of a moment in time.

Whether you’re a fellow artist/ photographer, a road trip enthusiast or just a curious American/ non American, this project has huge potential to be an informative, interesting and beautiful piece of art that will depict a raw, honest and insightful picture of modern America! Get involved! Please visit http://.photamerica.com/ to see more! and watch the incentives video below to see what art you can score for helping make photamerica a reality! thanks so much. Josh

My March Madness began at the Bijou.

Cafe, that is, downtown Portland at SW 3rd and SW Pine. My table where I waited right about 7:30 a.m. Thursday, March 15, for my favorite restaurant breakfast which I knew would keep me from getting hungry too soon at the Rose Garden Arena. My goal, to enjoy all four NCAA March Madness Second Round games that day, feeling a minimal amount of hunger and a maximum amount of college-basketball-induced joy. I rode the 12 bus from home and willingly walked two blocks to the restaurant through the rain because I knew that my plan was a really good one.


My favorite restaurant breakfast, the Redwood Hill smoked goat cheddar French-style omelette. Inside the perfectly cooked, fluffy eggs, you find three ingredients. Crumbles of Redwood Hill smoked goat cheddar--maybe it's been riced, I don't know, but it's teensy pieces of big-flavored goat cheese. Small rectangles of crispy bacon. Slender, perfectly-formed ovals of paper-thin green onions. It comes with the crunchy salad greens you see here or with chunks of potatoes which taste like they were actually grown in the earth. And the muffin of the day or toast accompanies it. I always go for the muffin which I take with me in a square paper sleeve provided by the waitstaff. I always order one outta-sight-best-ever buttermilk pancake upon which I put two pats of butter and a small amount of maple syrup which I pour into slight grooves that I cut into the top of the pancake once the butter has melted. That lets the syrup soak right on down into the pancake, doncha know.

As I savored my first bite of the omelette, I turned to my right to face the counter behind which the cook(s) work steadily, smiled and flashed the cook the A-OK sign. He smiled back and said, "Thanks." After a fine meal, I walked in the rain again, this time three blocks, to catch a MAX train to the Rose Garden Arena, site of my planned college-basketball-induced joy.

Milton and Kay and I ate breakfast/brunch at the Bijou Cafe on Friday morning.

Waiting to be seated, Milton and Kay graciously posed for a photo. The Bijou Cafe was Mama's favorite breakfast eatery in Portland and had been since our first visit in June, 2004.


We were so hungry that it wasn't until we had finished that I realized I had completely forgotten to take photos of our food. Maybe you can get an idea of just how delicious every bite was from looking at these plates? We just might go back there one more time before they leave for home. I hope to take photos before the first bite!

Saturday a week ago's breakfast, yum-yum...

...at mine and Mama's hands-down favorite breakfast spot in Portland, the Bijou Cafe.

My favorite on the menu--next to the buttermilk pancakes--is the omlette with Cypress Grove goat cheese, bacon, and some sort of green onion--I've eaten this almost every time I've been in there, you'd think I could remember the ingredients. Anyway, it was prepared perfectly, just like I wanted with the egg done. I'm not a fan of runny eggs. I do really love the taste of these roasted potatoes. I mean this in the best way possible--they taste like the earth. You can tell where they grew up before becoming a delicious addition to breakfast at the Bijou Cafe.

Speaking of the buttermilk pancakes, while the omelette comes with toast, brioche or a homemade muffin, I always substitute one buttermilk pancake. Here it is, with maple syrup, waiting patiently for my fork. Just so you know, I always make a few cuts across the pancake before I pour on the syrup--the syrup permeates the pancake better.


Bijou Cafe is at the corner of SW 3rd and Pine.

ELLEA, Friday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008

The four of us woke up Friday morning, knowing that, although we'd have the Buick by the afternoon (Leland's driving it to school weekdays), we were a pretty tired quartet of fun-havers. So, we decided to stay in on Friday, especially since we needed to have Lucy at the airport by 11 a.m. or so on Saturday.

You won't be surprised that they played Hand and Foot every spare moment--photos below. And after I got the car, I went to get my flu shot--I don't have a photo of that, though.
Shuffling the four decks of cards they use in Hand and Foot takes some time.

Then the hand and the foot are dealt. Both of them have their hands in the circular, plastic-canvas-and-yarn cardholders. Their foots (ha, ha, ha!) are on the table.


Lucy's discarding in the space for that in the two-space, rectangular, plastic-canvas-and-yarn deck holder.

I don't pretend to understand this card game, but I do know that part of it involves making numerous stacks of cards and keeping up with them.

Over in the afternoon, I made popcorn for everyone. Mama likes a fun-sized Milky Way with her popcorn. And that pink circle is a box of that stuff that makes your fingers tacky which certainly helps in picking up cards.

Once the game is over, the cards are counted. Four hands make a game of Hand and Foot, so keeping score each time is important--hence the pencil and paper.


Saturday morning we went back to the Bijou Cafe for breakfast.

Then we headed for the airport where I took these last few photos before Lucy went to her gate. In this one, they posed for me on the bridge between the parking garage and the terminal.

A shared last laugh in the elevator, on our way to check Lucy's really nice rolling black bag.

A good-bye, last photo together. We truly had a wonderful, wonderful time together and thank our Lucy very much for coming to visit us.

Monday, July 28, 2008 - Mama wanted to ride the MAX ...

... so we walked a block from the apartment and boarded the 17 bus to the Bijou Cafe, site of our first ever breakfast in Portland, an ultra delicious brunch to tell the truth. Nothing has changed at the Bijou, Saturday every bite tasted just right, satisfying the two of us to a T. Next we walked a few blocks east, then south, to the MAX stop at SW 1st and Oak, to wait on a shady metal park bench. I sat down beside Mama, leaned back, and took yesterday's photo of the sky and trees.

We sat there about 25 minutes, deciding which MAX to catch, the Red or the Blue. Mama wanted to go as far as possible, so we decided to go to the western end of the Blue Line, out in Washington County, to Hillsboro.

Here's Mama! Note her useful and beautiful carved cane and my ever-present rolling black bag.

We rode from a few blocks west of the Willamette River to the middle of suburban Hillsboro, around an 18 mile ride. When we weren't in the tunnel that goes through the West Hills, Mama sat like this the whole way.


In Hillsboro, when the MAX car announced end of the line, we got off and boarded the waiting Blue Line to Gresham, as far east as the line goes. Mama announced that we'd get off at PGE Park and not go all the way to Gresham--she felt like that would be enough for one day. So we did get off, and then walked over a block and caught a 15 bus home. All told, we had an enjoyable meal and over three hours entertainment, for under $35, including the brunch and tip. Mama wants to go again, and so do I. Next time, we'll ride east and make a bus connection, too, maybe heading north, maybe south. Or we'll ride the Red Line to the airport. It's so great that we have options.

UPDATED TO ADD: The MAX is Portland's light rail. From TriMet dot org, TriMet's MAX Light Rail system connects Portland, Gresham, Beaverton, Hillsboro and the Portland Airport. Trains run every 5-15 minutes roughly between 4:30 a.m. and midnight.