UPDATE and post Chemo Round Five dining last night

UPDATE: Slept almost eleven hours last night. Amazing! Today I've taken my post-chemo meds, had breakfast of baked frozen Grands buttermilk biscuits and frozen Jimmy Dean sausage links and Twinings English Breakfast tea. Then I got dressed and walked over to Albertina Kerr to enjoy the roses as they continue to bloom before shopping at their thrift shop, AK's Closet, and their gift shop which concentrates on jewelry, AK's Jewel Box--at least I think that's the name. I enjoyed myself and didn't spend too much money! The chemo went straight through yesterday, thanks to figuring out how to use Ativan and close monitoring of my blood pressure so that we didn't have to pause the Taxo--it still took from around 9:20 a.m. until about 3:04 p.m. to empty that bag, then the Carboplatin took 30 minutes after it was hooked up. Finally, after flushing the port in my chest and pulling out the needle, then covering it with a medicated band-aid, we were outta there and leaving the parking garage at 4:10 p.m. Hooray!



Over the last few days, I'd made up my mind that my post-chemo meal would be at my favorite neighborhood spot, the Blue Diamond. Here's what I knew would taste just right to my chemo-impacted taste buds. I ate half the deli turkey sandwich and salt-less tater tots. Yummy! I didn't photograph my treat to myself, two huge scoops of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, whipped cream and two cherries.



Lamont's chicken strips and fries, from the Happy Hour menu. They smelled real good.



Leland's cheeseburger and tater tots. He likes his ketchup straight outta the fridge, nice and cold. I do, too! Thanks, Janessa, for always remembering!



My hand-decorated leftover box! For Halloween, no less! Thanks, Janessa!

UPDATE and several photos I took on the way home from work Thursday

UPDATE: I slept fine. As Mama used to say every school day morning as she flipped on the overhead light in my bedroom, "Up and at 'em!" That's me, y'all! I did wake up with an allergy/sinus headache, though, so I took something for it. I doubt it will bother me for long. I plan on getting to the bus early again today, just in case I need to rest a bit before beginning work. Thank goodness TriMet considers NE Sandy Blvd. to be the traffic corridor that it truly is and services my bus stop frequently, with two bus lines. It certainly helps me a whole lot!



After work yesterday, I caught the streetcar north to East Burnside and NE Grand Avenue where I waited for one of the two buses that would get me home, either the 12 or the 19. I decided to take a photo of the construction going on at the Burnside Bridgehead--those two buildings going up that have obliterated the view of downtown as you head west towards the Burnside Bridge. For some reason, I'm fascinated with cement mixer pump trucks--I guess there's a truck somewhere at the end of the orange pumps servicing both buildings, one in plain view, the other behind the tree and the old billboard. Take note of the Peter Corvallis box truck, please. More about it later on.



My camera has an exposure compensation button which I decided to use in this photo to learn about it. I wanted to get a photo that allowed us to see the orange cement pump better. Did I add too much here? I think I did, at least for parts of the photo like the sky. By the way, here's why I believe we can't see the cement mixer pump truck. There are several streets at a lower level than the ones we can see in the photo. I've never driven down there or walked down there, but I've seen them from walking on the sidewalk on the bridge. I'll be glad when I'm well enough to explore, even if it might be limited to walking the sidewalk on the bridge above it all--I imagine it will be some time before pedestrians are allowed down there.



Here's a screen shot that gives you a bit of perspective, I hope. There in the lower left corner, I wrote ME because that's where I stood to take these photos. I hope the labels I've written here will help you get an even better perspective of the area. The multi-lane road at the bottom of the screen shot is the Burnside Bridge. Through the label for the tall building, you can see the streets down below the bridgehead--that's what folks call the part of the bridge as it joins the east side of the Willamette. When I ride a bus west across the Willamette over the Burnside Bride, or in any sort of wheeled vehicle, I go along that curve to the right of the label about the orange pump. Those two little blue dots to the right of the empty lot are where I sometimes change to either the streetcar or a bus, heading south.




After work, as I neared the stop where I get off the bus--see the Subway sign--I took this photo when we were stopped at NE 18th and NE Sandy Blvd. I couldn't resist that sky and Dave's lot--he comes into the Blue Diamond now and then, an interesting man who's been in business there for practically my whole life. Seeing those dark skies, you'd think we soon had a down pour. Nope. By the way, the Blue Diamond is beside those leftmost trees up the sidewalk, just past that traffic signal at NE 20th Avenue. I love my neighborhood!




After I got off the bus, I waited at the traffic signal at NE 20th Avenue and took this photo. I cannot resist taking photos of this building--I adore triangle-shaped buildings and am thrilled that I get to see this one often, plus enjoy time in the Blue Diamond which is behind the Halo Salon. While I wait for the light to change, I usually decide whether to walk on the north side of the building, the left side in the photo, or the south side of the building. Depending upon how tired I am, I take the south side which is probably 200 steps shorter and offers one place to rest, at the backdoor of the Blue Diamond. If I'm wanting to get in more steps, I go up the north side of the building--there are three places to rest, if I need them, a pew in front of the Blue Diamond, a bench in front of the Silver Lining pawn shop, and the low wall at the bioswale at the corner where NE Glisan and NE 22nd Avenue intersect a few feet before NE Glisan intersects with NE Sandy Blvd. Like I said, I love my neighborhood! Oh, about the Peter Corvallis truck--while I waited here, in came toward me on the street to the south of the Halo Salon! I couldn't believe that I saw it again in just the short time that it took for me to get from East Burnside and NE Grand on the 19 bus. Oh, one more neat thing--I had the same driver on the 19 on my way to work and on my way home--she recognized me and my hat!

March 5, 2011, announcing what was to come. It didn't pan out. The Google Maps screen shot shows what's coming, in fact, it's almost finished now. I need to get out there and take a photo to show you.

With the Blue Diamond within walking distance of my studio apartment, where the food is excellent on a regular basis, I never felt the need to frequent the food carts that ended up inside the fence. Evidently not too many others did because, as I noticed in person, then read about online, the carts left and an apartment building began to be built in either 2013 or 2014.



So, all of that brown dirt area on the screen shot is a five-story apartment building with 47 units and surface parking there where you see the parking spaces marked on the pavement. If surface parking had not already existed, I seriously doubt the the developer would have included parking in plans for this building.

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.

Seen at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, No. 13, July 3, 2014 - Kevin Selfe himself performing with The Bone Pickers

Lots of Sunday evenings for over a year I've been at the Blue Diamond, my nearby neighborhood bar, enjoying the Sunday evening blues jam. Kevin Selfe and his band The Tornadoes host. It is a special treat to see him singing and playing at a different venue with other musicians, his talent and skill and love of music readily evident for every moment he's featured during The Bone Pickers' performance. They are a T-Bone Walker Tribute Band of great talent.

Here are some other candid shots of their performance. Sorry that I don't know their names.

Back to the Waterfront Blues Festival, July 5, at the FedEx Crossroads Stage

You could hear him before you could see him. The stage, the smallest, most intimate one at the festival, sat beneath some trees off to the south side of the Hawthorne Bridge, enclosed in a chain link fence. Intrigued, I entered through the opening in the fence and found a seat on the front row of the portable metal bleachers. Am I ever proud of myself for doing that!
 

Mesmerized, I stayed and witnessed Lloyd Allen, Sr. gather us all up in the palm of his hand, playing the blues with classy skills honed through the years. Here's what I found on the Waterfront Blues Festival Web site: Lloyd Allen Sr. is a charming, smartly dressed blues practitioner with over six decades of experience with the blues. He began his performance career at age 13 with the Vibratones and later became one-quarter of the blues foursome, the Cannonballs. Allen's guitar and vocal chops have yielded opening slots for the likes of B.B. King, Dinah Washington and more.
 

I took 78 photos. These are my favorites.
 

Easy to see why, right? And how's this for way cool. Mr. Allen played at the Blue Diamond on Friday, August 2! Right near where I live, as some of your realize. I am blessed.

July 4, Waterfront Blues Festival, Oregonian Front Porch Stage: "Catch a blues buzz"

Franco Paletta and The Stingers, Journey to Memphis 2012 Winners: Band. After catching their set, it's easy to see why they won last year. Wow! Sorry that I don't know who's who. I hope that doesn't cause you not to enjoy the photos. Maybe someone who knows will comment and give me the info. Or I might have the chance to ask the band members myself because I saw on the band's Web site this superb announcement: Saturday, August 31, Blue Diamond PDX. Yea! Within walking distance!

Thanks to Franco for FB messaging me with the names of these great musicians!
 

No. 1 - Franco Paletta on vocals and harmonica
 

No. 2 - Jason Thomas on guitar



No. 3 - Eric Rabe on sax, Miles Thompson on trumpet
 

No. 4 - Jon Barber on drums, Kenny Goldstein on bass, Steve Kerin on keyboards

Found this info at the Waterfront Blues Festival Web site:

Since breaking into the Portland Blues scene in the Mid-1980's, Franco Paletta has become one of the mainstays of the city's blues scene. His dynamic harp style and unique vocals have made him one of Portland's favorite blues personalities.

Franco’s Harmonica influences include Sonny Boy Williamson, Paul Butterfield, James Cotton, Little Walter Jacobs, Big Walter Horton, Kim Wilson, William Clark, Rod Piazza and others.

As good as his harp playing is, Franco's strong vocals are what thrills the listeners. He has a unique vocal style that lets you know that you are listening to a true bluesman.

In 2007 and 2012 Franco & The Stingers won the Cascade Blues Association's "Journey to Memphis" Competition and was privileged to represent the CBA at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis Tennessee. Franco has received several Muddy nominations for “Best Harmonica Player” from the Cascade Blues Association, and won the Muddy Award for “Best New Act” in 2007.

In 2010 Franco & The Stingers released their first CD “Can’t Kick Love.” Franco’s newest CD released in 2013, “I Like It Just Like That,” gained attention at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis from several radio stations and has been in their Top 20 Charts since its release.

Franco has also been seen at festivals regularly around the Northwest including the Waterfront Blues Festival, Winthrop Blues Festival, Tri-Cities Blues Festival, Big Sky Festival, Grey Sky Festival, Walla Walla Guitar Festival, and the Bronze Blues and Brews Festival.

Waterfront Blues Festival, July 4,2013, downtown Portland at Tom McCall Waterfront Park

I've only had time to upload 45 pictures--a very late night after a long day of music, music, music, people-watching, fireworks, and the best fried chicken I've tasted since October, 2009, at The Dinner Bell in McComb, Mississippi! Here you see Lisa Mann and Her Really Good Band. I've seen them at the Blue Diamond, too. Fabulous, all-around fabulous. A bunch of talent packed into that woman. Now, I've got to get this posted and head out for today's music! Bye! Oh, I'll be at the Blue Diamond Saturday night for "Ladies Sing the Blues - Women of the Blues Festival." Can't wait--I'll have to leave the waterfront early--who cares! I might leave early tonight to the Blue Diamond's "Guitar Slingers of the Blues Festival." After an hour-long wait for a cab last night, being able to walk home after the music, all of 600 feet, sounds mighty fine!

Degrees of separation, count them. Six. Yea!

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My connection to Thursday's Blues Music Awards in Memphis may seem tenuous. Nevertheless, I claim it, wholeheartedly as a lover of the blues. Here we go. Sunday, April 7, at the end of my most music-filled day in Portland (Portland Art Museum's Members Gospel Brunch, Patrick Lamb's matinee concert at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall), I stopped in at the Blue Diamond for the Kevin Selfe and the Tornadoes Blues Jam. More live music. Yea! What a good idea that turned out to be! Great music, and I got to take a few photos. I wish I knew everyone's names, but I don't, doggone it. UPDATE: Just found out that the musician on the far right is Allen Markel.

Fast forward to April 20 and the Concert for Sandy Relief at the Keller Auditorium. Curtis Salgado and his band opened for Aaron Neville. For me, that show could be put on one of those Ground-Hog-Day-repeats. My goodness, but that was fine, fine, fine. Stay with me, now. Thanks to being a Facebook friend of Kevin (on guitar on the left in these photos), I found out that Curtis Salgado had won the B. B. King Entertainer of the Year Award. So, there's my somewhat tenuous connection to the Blues Music Awards held in Memphos May 9. Salgado also won Soul Blues Album for "Soul Shot," and Soul Blues Male Artist.

Now, back to being at the Blue Diamond on April 7 and those few photos. When I finally got around to uploading them to Flickr today, lo and behold, there with Kevin Selfe on guitar and other musicians stood Curtis Salgado's guitar player! I recognized him from the April 20 concert--I had a front row seat practically right in front of him. Wow!
 

Me - Blue Diamond - Kevin Selfe - Vyasa Dodson - Curtis Salgado - Blues Music Awards!
 

In the middle, Vyasa Dodson, Curtis Salgado's guitar player. On the left, Kevin Selfe, a right fine musician. And I'm sorry that I don't know the saxophone player's name.

Felt good enough to go to the Portland Farmers Market Saturday

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Saturday evening I ate a small, fresh-baked baguette--no kidding, I got it at the Dollar Tree in a package of two which you're instructed to bake on the oven rack for 8-10 minutes until golden brown, imported from Holland, of all places--a sensible amount of Pearl Creamery Artisan Goat Cheese, a sensible amount of Rose City Pepperheads' Mango Madness, a sensible amount of Chop's Farmhouse Country Style Pate, and a sensible amount of Unbound Pickling's Bread & Butter Pickles. Wow. Then for a late lunch today, after a laundry marathon, I ate a sandwich on Pearl Bakery's honey wheat bread--with, once again, sensible amounts of goat cheese, pate, pepper jelly and pickles. I eat sensible amounts of these goodies because I want them to last all week. I cannot get over living in Portland where I am allowed to happily spend my hard-earned cash on products produced with pride by locals. I am blessed. See more details about my purchases below. I'll bet your mouth will water, maybe your stomach will growl. Let me know, OK?


My friend Sarah, a recent graduate of University of Gastronomic Sciences in Bra, Italy, has found a great job with the Portland Creamery. She sweetly posed for this photo holding my purchases. I bought Artisan Goat Cheese, Sweet Fire Artisan Goat Cheese (the addition of marionberry preserves adds the sweet, habanero pepper adds the fire), and Cajeta, Artisan Goat Caramel. Swoon city, y'all. Creamy, flavorful, spreadable yumminess. I am very excited to have these products in my frig, even more happy to have them on my plate!
 

Sarah didn't know that I stopped to take this photo. I love the look of concentration on her face as she listens, ready to answer questions and offer tastes of Portland Creamery's products.
 

I bought Bread & Butter Pickles, pure perfection. From their Web site, every word the truth in my opinion: sweetened with blueberries and pear. Bread and butter pickles, subtracting out large quantities of sugar from the formula while adding fresh Willamette Valley blueberries and pear juice to sweeten the taste equation. Perfect on sandwiches and cheeseburgers or add a flavorful and joyous touch to your tuna or chicken salad.
 

I bought a loaf of totally wonderful, great textured honey wheat bread (see the one still there with the big white label in the low basket to the right) and one satisfyingly sweet little pastry called a rugelah, I think that's how they spelled it. I decided to eat it slowly; it's small enough to be gone in two bites, but that would be plain stupid. I made it last for five bites. Yea for me! It's in the case on the top shelf, right, as you look at the photo. The lady had just helped me and had a smile on her face--I caught her in this photo with what I'm sure was a passing moment of farmers-market-been-there-since-probably-6:30-a.m. fatigue. I took the photo at 1:03 p.m. 
 

I bought my all-time-favorite pepper jelly, Mango Madness. My gosh. That stuff is so good! Sweet and spicy, a nice-to-the-tooth-and-tongue consistency. Spreads like a champ!
 

I bought a couple of pears, green and red anjou, if I remember right. I know they're going to be good because every other single piece of fruit I've bought here over the years has been. I trust fruit from Draper Girls.
 

When I go to the Farmers Market, I have to have enough money with me to get a box of Cherry Country Dried Cherries & Milk and Dark Chocolate. So outta sight good, melting chocolate and chewy cherries. I can eat them one at a time without cheating myself by eating them more quickly. I really can! There are 20 in the eight ounce box. I like to get the mixed chocolate because variety is the spice of life. I also got a jar of Montmorency Tart Cherry Jam. I shall have Pearl Bakery honey wheat toast and Cherry County jam for breakfast this week. I am blessed.
 

I bought Farmhouse Country Style Pate, to which I readily admit I am addicted. You can see tidbits of it there on the edge of the cutting board, right in front of the Chop man. In my haste to get into the package, I tore through the label, rendering it unreadable. To tell you the truth, I'll be buying it again before too long; I'll be more careful so that I can share the ingredients with you--I'll even take a photo of the slab inside the butcher paper.
 

Finally, I bought a bunch of both the yellow irises and the purple irises. I stopped by the Blue Diamond on the way home and left them for the sweetest bartender in town, Janessa. Her birthday is this Wednesday, so those flowers are her birthday happy from me.