UPDATE and a bit more of a mural I noticed on the way home Wednesday

UPDATE: Chemo Round Five proved interesting, doable but interesting. I had to have the Taxo paused for an hour and a half, due to its impact on my blood pressure. After that pause and taking an additional medicine to relax me (which should help one's blood pressure even when one isn't aware of not being relaxed), the Taxo resumed and finally emptied. Then the second chemo, Carboplatin, flowed in like a charm which it has done all four rounds. Afterwards, tired and hungry, Lamont drove us to 3 Doors Down Cafe where we met Leland for a fine supper. Thanks, sons! Thanks, 3 Doors Down Cafe for being as wonderful as always, both front of the house and back of the house.



This is the southern end of a mural I noticed the other day from the Portland Streetcar. It's the white shapes on the black and brown background. It's located at 525 SE Pine Street, just east of SE Grand Avenue.



Here's that bit of the mural, its northern end--you get just a glimpse of it at the right edge of this photo. It's one of the Forest for the Trees, 2015, public art offerings.

One of these days, like I mentioned earlier, Leland and I will go on an outing to find and photograph murals around Portland. The ones easiest to find will be those for whom we will get locations from the lists on the Forest for the Trees Web site. We're both excited at the possibilities!



By the way, here's what we ate last night at 3 Doors Down Cafe. Leftmost, Lamont's special of the evening which was braised rabbit over papardelle with cacciatore sauce. In the middle, my mini meatballs with marinara and mozzerella plus baked macaroni and cheese. Rightmost you see Leland's roasted golden beets with pancetta and comte cheese risotto. Each one of us ended up supremely satisfied.



Before our dinner order arrived, we received a couple of grand appetizers from the Chef. I'm proud to say that both sons used to cook at 3 Doors Down Cafe, Lamont as sous chef, Leland as line and prep cook. so we have a great relationship with the restaurant.

On the left, housemade blood sausage with cipollini onions and fingerling potatoes. On the right, molasses cured salmon, buttered grilled rye bread, capers, onions. Needless to say, not a morsel of deliciousness remained once the three of us dove into them. Thanks, Chef!

3 Doors Down Cafe -- taking a break from basketball

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After I spent my gift certificate and some cash at Murder by the Book on SE Hawthorne, a great little store succumbing to the downturned economy, I rode the 14 bus five blocks east, got off at SE 37th and walked north half a block to my favorite Portland restaurant, 3 Doors Down Cafe. My older son Lamont used to be sous chef there, my younger son Leland used to be a line and prep cook there. Since our first visit to Portland in the summer of 2004, Mama and I loved to go eat there every chance we got; I've lost count of how many friends we've taken there for dinner. 

Lucky me, Lamont and Leland gave me a gift certificate for Christmas! I felt so good sitting at the bar, saying hello to everyone, taking photos of my food, and enjoying every morsel!




Grilled Bruschetta with an Italian Chopped Salad of salami, provolone, capers, peppers and olives--sent out to me from the sous chef Zack. Thanks! The salad, filled with flavor and texture. Always, always I'm amazed by the crunch perfection that is bruschetta at 3DD. Notice the buttery bubbles on the piece to the right, in between the grill marks.  I am particularly pleased with the fact that they showed their shiny little shapes in the photo.




Pugliese and white bean spread--once you've had a bite, you've found yourself a favorite.

Here's the recipe, found on 3 Doors Down's Web site:

Classic White Bean Spread


What you'll need:

2 cups cannellini beans 

1 medium onion, finely diced 

4 tbl butter 

1 tbl fresh rosemary, finely chopped 

2 tbl fresh garlic, finely chopped 

2 pinches red chili flake 

2 tbl parsley, finely chopped 

2 tbl extra virgin olive oil 

Italian bread with a nice, crunchy crust 

Instructions: 

Cover beans with water by two inches. Soak for 4 hours. Drain beans. Put beans into saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook beans until tender. Drain. In separate saucepan melt butter and add all remaining ingredients. Cook until onion is translucent. Add cooked beans. Mash. Add salt and pepper to taste. This can be reheated, just add a little more olive oil. Makes four cups.




Gnocchi, roasted hedgehog mushrooms, chevre cheese--I choose an appetizer to finish my meal. A divine appetizer. Let me list the reasons for that adjective. 

The gnocchi--smooth and dense, perfect-to-the-tooth--the most comfortable little pillows of food known to me. 

The roasted hedgehog mushrooms provided a touch of earthiness. 

The perfect finish--the chevre. Salty and sitting lightly on the gnocchi. By the time I had eaten a bite or two, the chevre began to melt a bit, enhancing its texture in relation to the gnocchi themselves. 

I don't know the ingredients of the sauce, but suffice it to say that I cleaned up the entire plate with the last of the Pugliese.

Open House, Provvista Specialty Foods, Part One

Read about Provvista Specialty Foods here



Here's Leland, my younger son, on the right, who is working with Chris at a table filled with various products available at Provvista. The Taza Organic Stone Ground Chocolate tasted so good, especially the Mexicano Salted Almond--I had several small bites over the course of the three and one half hours I was there. Also tasty on this particular table, the Luxardo Italian Maraschino Cherries.
 

Here's Lamont, my older son, who is standing outside the company's kitchen where he cooks lunch each day for the employees. At the Open House, he kept up with the needs of the various vendors for all sorts of necessary items for their displays, including those pieces of bread in the bowls on the table in front of him.
 

Leland on the left and Nick on the right. Nick is the Provvista employee who delivered one time years ago to 3 Doors Down Cafe when Lamont was at work there, with owner chef Dave. For a few seconds, both of them thought that Leland had come through the door with the delivery, there was that much of a resemblance. Today when I arrived, I found Lamont in the kitchen and this young man was there picking up things to take out into the warehouse. I immediately asked Lamont, "Is that the guy who reminds people of Leland?" Of course, the answer was yes.
 

Todd, Lee and AJ, all Provvista employees, at another table filled with items which end up being bought by restaurants and grocery stores in the Portland area and other parts of the USA.
 

Dave, 3 Doors Down Cafe chef owner, and Andy, Provvista and who was sous chef at 3 Doors Down Cafe in the past.

Mid-September Roses at the Rose Garden in Washington Park

I've been remiss, out of it, gone, down in the dumps missin' my little Mama, even sort of feelin' sorry for myself, escaped into an addiction to British spy/WWII television programs through Netflix, lazy, and good for not much of anything off and on for months now. I've been up for air at times, thanks to my two swell sons Lamont and Leland and to my work and those special folks at the workplace. And to Portland itself.

It's past high time for me to straighten out and partake of life every single second available to me.

Tiny steps still get it done.

Yesterday I went to a lecture at the Architectural Heritage Center and to two museums I'd never visited through the Smithsonian Museum Day. I rode the brand new Portland Street Car Central Loop between them.

Today I'm going downtown to Pioneer Courthouse Square for White Bird's West Coast premiere of Le Grand Continental by Montréal-based choreographer Sylvian Émard at Pioneer Courthouse Square on September 30, 2012! This exciting performance brings together 150+ participants of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds - dancers and non-dancers alike - to perform a contemporary re-imaging of a traditional festive line dance! Age range 9 to 75.
Read The Oregonian piece about it here.

Here's the first blog since Tuesday before last.



I took these photos the evening of September 16 when our dear friends Nora and Upa Parikh (plus Nora's sweet sister Aida) were in Portland for a family wedding. I got a Zipcar, picked them up at their hotel, met Lamont and Leland for a fine dinner at 3 Doors Down Cafe, then took the three of them riding around Portland. Lucky us, we made it to Washington Park and the Rose Garden before the sun went down. We made good memories, taking in the beautiful blossoms, some of which smelled so good, some of which had no scent whatsoever. How does that happen?

  Aida, Nora, Upa, taken with my iPhone at 3 Doors Down Cafe.

October 17, 2008, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Jimmy Mak's, an easy walk from home

Solo time. Sound so low that my skin vibrated with the deep timbre of the saxophone.


I walked to Jimmy Mak’s at 221 NW 10th Ave. (between Davis and Everett), just 12 blocks from the apartment where I used to live ...


... on a great Friday evening filled with funky, outta sight live music and a house packed with fans of the band.


You see, I knew the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, having enjoyed them outdoors a couple of times in my hometown of Jackson, Mississippi.




Women came on stage at the invitation of the band ...

... to dance ...

... and groove to the music.

Impossible to remain still. Fine fun.My older son Lamont joined me once he got off at 3 Doors Down Cafe, the restaurant where he used to work. Always great to enjoy live music together, always.

After the show he walked me to the bus stop a few blocks away on Burnside in front of Powell's Books. Not long after, I boarded the 20 and rode on home.

Part 6, our last fun day together, Sunday, August 28, 2011

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at 3 Doors Down Café, SE 37th and Hawthorne--a family dinner for the seven of us, plus Lamont manned the kitchen as sous chef.

We were all pretty hungry, so I didn't take many photos--we just got down to it.


Fresh fettucini with heirloom tomatoes, sent to our table by Lamont. We shared like the grown ups that we are, enjoying every bite. Lamont got to come out and talk with us for a few minutes. Sweet.


Spaghetti and meatballs. Vanessa, Kay and I ordered this Sunday night special. I can't remember what anyone else ate, and I didn't write it down either. Having too much fun with my own dinner.


Kay and I got this for dessert, the banana cream pie. It is so fabulous, just looking at the photo floods me with fond memories of the taste and texture. One of the things that makes it even better is the consistent cool temperature that it is when served.

Dinner over, I took Howard and Vanessa to their hotel. They had to be at the airport about 5 a.m. Then I dropped off Milton and Kay at my apartment and headed for where the SUV lives. That's what you do with a Zipcar. You take it back where it lives when your reservation is over. Leland and Kailey met me there and brought me home.

Milton, Kay and I called it a night pretty early. We were to be picked up by Lamont the next day for brunch at the Bijou Cafe and then to Union Station so that they could board the train for the long ride home.

What a splendid time everyone had. I can't thank all of them enough for coming up here to visit us, to enjoy Portland and Oregon with us. Blessed, truly blessed. All of us.

Part 5, our last fun day together, Sunday, August 28, 2011

With the help of both the Garmin and the iPhone, we made our way from Gaston to Portland and our destination, 3 Doors Down Café, SE 37th and Hawthorne. While we waited in the bar for Kailey and Leland to meet us, we noticed a sight I've seen before. I took these through a window. I think they're best friends. What do you think?

Guess where I ate dinner after work on Friday? 3 Doors Down Cafe, SE 37th and Hawthorne

The cocktail--a New Old Fashioned with house-made dried maraschino cherries, muddled orange, angostura bitters, sugar and bourbon (Evan Williams Black Label). I took the photo in available light.


OK, so you know, my older son Lamont is sous chef at 3 Doors Down Cafe. He brought me this salad which is on the menu right now as accompaniment to pan-roasted King salmon and parsley red potatoes. It's made of julienne zucchini, arugula and lemon--very good taste and texture. I used the flash for this photo.


About half way through the salad, this appetizer appeared in front of me--grilled artichoke with lemon aioli. It was finger-lickin' good, let me tell you! This photo uses available light.


And here's my entree, sweet corn risotto with heirloom cherry tomato and basil salad. All I can say is, thank goodness I decided to forego the bread and bean spread, because that meant I could enjoy every bit of this dish fresh, as intended by the kitchen. Think about it, creamy parmesan-flavored risotto mixed with individual kernels of sweet corn that sort of snap as you chew. Mix that every now and then with a bite of sweet, juicy cherry tomato. My goodness! Used available light here, too.