Christmas in Ohio - Part 2

Well the trip couldn't have gone any better. And we made it back to Portland with ease. Below are some pictures from the trip..

Parker sings 'Jingle Bells.'
Santa's Little Helper was very tired from opening presents...and the trip. She slept the entire trip home on the plane for 12 hours and then slept in front of the fire and all night....it's tough being cute for 10 days.

Parker and Conor sort of posing in front of the tree. Conor looks thrilled to be there.

The Day family.
It was very cold in Ohio. Eric was unprepared for a winter walk with just his vest so he had to borrow some items...Lauren's scarf and my mom's pink earmuffs. Luckily no one saw us b/c we were the only people crazy enough to go on a walk in 8 degree weather.

Minnie took over Tanner's bed much to his chagrin. We couldn't get her out of it.

The Williams family Christmas complete with the 3 dogs - Tanner, Minnie, and Ralph.

This is where Minnie preferred to spend her days...in a lap.

Grandpa with his new sweater.

Out at dinner...what a group.

Christmas in Ohio Post 1

So the first leg of our trip.... it begins with Minnie and I in first class (which isn't much different than coach just a few years ago). Baldy next to me was SOO thrilled to have an emotional support service animal sitting next to him. Minnie was slightly freaked out by the sounds of the plane and was very done with the whole thing by hour 14 (two hours delayed and sitting on the tarmack looking for a parking spot - reminds me of the gym's parking garage!!). Anyways Minnie was a good girl and held it for 15 hours and refused to go until she went on grass.

Minnie in her new OSU jersey. The real OSU. :) (That's a jab at my Oregon blog readers).

We met up with Jody and Mike and learned some fun news but I've been sworn to secrecy until after the holidays.

Jody and I!

More Snow...it's the Arctic Blast!!

I am so sick of this weather. And of the media talking about the weather. If there is one more run on toilet paper....and one more person says..."Arctic Blast," I'm going to poke an eye out. AND, I'm tired of the east coast attitude of what's wrong with Portland...there's next to 0 salt trucks. It doesn't make sense in the bigger picture..

But watch this video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwTfgURt0mU

Snow in Portland

So the entire city is crippled with the snow that continues to fall. No laughing. This is serious. They can not handle it here and the temperature keeps dropping so ice is forming on the hills. And it's FREEZING here. Minnie didn't know what hit her this morning. What is this white stuff?

Christmas Tree Getting

As most things are going this year, we have decided to join the tide and celebrate Christmas and forget Thanksgiving. Not really, but our camera died so we don't have any pictures to document our international thanksgiving event.

This was our trip the day after Thanksgiving to Parry's U Cut farm. I love this place. They are so nice and all about service and take your picture next to the (creepy) snowman.

Trees are pretty cheap out in Oregon where we have so many tree farms that Oregon actually supplies them to other states. Fraser firs that I remember paying an arm and leg for in Ohio, were $24. Granted, you also have to cut it down yourself - or Eric does. I watched. And then the nice men from the farm hauled it back up and fixed it up and put in my car. That's my kind of tree adventure.

Eric is tree spotting.

It is so foggy out here lately. This just gives you an idea of the fog that was rolling up the hill. It's like being in Scotland. Sort of. Now I know why this place has so many coffee shops...I'm ready for a nap by 11:30am.

Just a reminder of last year. Cheap tree and 'natural', but really not something that I'd like to repeat...I do like service. Not so much interested in falling down a mountain and wiping out in the pass. I did it once.

Happy Birthday Tanner!! #6

Make a Smilebox postcard

Trip to Arborbrook

So we needed to get out of the house. We had been invited to a special tasting at a winery, Arborbrook Winery http://www.arborbrookwines.com/ that we had found off the beaten path in Newberg/Yamhill area, just 45 min. SW of Portland. We like it because it has no tasting fees. :) And the people are very nice. So we took Minnie dog in her small carrier to get her used to it in time for Christmas and set out. The fog hung around all day and particularly out in the fields, it was very pretty. If I had my camera, it might have looked something like this...


We have their 2004 Estate Pinot Noir that we're saving for some occasion....but we tasted a number of yummy ones and purchased a great pinot gris and a cuvee (which we learned is a fancy way of saying, blend.)

This is the very friendly kitty that roams the property and came in to say hello to everyone. First time we came, she was a kitten and jumped on Eric's jeep and keep rolling on the hood.


A brief outing, but it made us feel like we at least did something since it gets dark at 4:30 now. Ended the day with a glass of wine and a wood fired pizza. And yes, we did go to bed at 10pm. Sad...but true. Oh well.

On Hiatus

No new news as of late - we're recovering from sickness and stitches (Eric got some suspicious spots removed). Tired and sick and wet. That pretty much sums it up. So we're huddling by the fire and we may move for thanksgiving. In fact, I'm really looking forward to 4 days off.....we'll be spending it with our friends, Jason and Carmen in an International Thanksgiving. I never knew how different American thanksgiving and Canadian thanksgiving could be. Who knew. I'm in charge of dessert, wine, and a side. At least Eric and I don't have to tackle a turkey on our own. It will also be the weekend of the Christmas tree cutting...so look forward to some interesting pictures.

Eric's First PR Post!!

Check out the post about Eric's chair....

"White lacquer of course appeals to me and I love the simplicity of this chair, really chair as beautiful object. Practically speaking, a lounge is not for a percher like me."
- Lisa Radon, Portland Spaces Magazine

http://www.portlandspaces.net/blog/the-design-district/2008/10/29/showpdx-the-final-days



http://flickr.com/photos/portlandspaces/2969412789/

Trick or Treat

Well, this was the highlight of my day. Minnie was so cute. She hated every minute of it.

Such a cute princess.
A kiss for the fairy.
I was a fairy with a cocktail. Hey, nothing new in our neighborhood. That's mild compared to what takes place on our corner.







Evidently eating the costume is more fun than wearing it.

Minnie Fashion Week

Minnie is sporting a couple new items for the colder weather. Missing from the photoshoot is the essential NW gear item - a raincoat, in reflective yellow since it now gets dark here at 4:30pm.

Minnie's fall collection in her signature color.



The winter sweater collection perfect for a midwest visit during the Holidays.

Perfect form.

Kitty was feeling left out of the photo shoot.

Ready for Halloween!!

So we are ready. Except for the candy part...which I should probably get soon so the neighborhood kids don't egg our house. After getting our fire-pit stolen (cast iron by the way), I wouldn't put anything past them.

Carved pumpkins...check.
Minnie dog scary face, check.

Black kitty, check.
Competitive pumpkin carving amongst two designers, check.

Pumpkin rolling, check. "What is this thing?"

An apple pie, check. (i'm really getting good at this crust thing). Whatever, everyone knows apple pie goes with halloween.

Tune in soon for Minnie's halloween costume.

Fall in the NW

We anticipate this being one of the last sunny warmish days here in the NW before the rain sets in. So we headed out to Mt. Hood for a 4 mile hike, apple picking, and wine tasting. It was wonderful. Eric's friend, Milan also joined us as he needed to get out of his house and stop working every weekend. Minnie joined us as well and led the pack on the trail.


This was one of the clearings along the trail. I've really gotten my endurance back and strength back and am proud to say that Minnie and I outpaced Eric on the trail - and it was a hard one as well.



We got to do apple tastings as well as Heirloom Orchards had over 25 varieties of apples to choose from. I picked some tarter apples good for pies.

We ended it meeting back in Portland for some good Thai food.

Christmas Plans are Set

The flights are booked....Minnie is ready for her trip (sort of). We have ordered some winter gear that we will feature soon on the blog's fashion week to gear her up for cold weather.

Chair Progress

These pictures don't show the 4 days of sanding at various grits that Eric has been doing. He is slowly working the grooves down to a beautiful smoothness. I believe he is on the last round of sanding. He decided to leave some of the divots of the material to show its character. It is really a beautiful piece - considering it came from scrap wood from a construction site.



It is very light and airy, surprisingly. And with a coat of tongue oil or poly (depending if are feeling eco or not), it should be gorgeous. Eric says this one is way too labor intensive to be mass produced so he's going to try a bend ply one next on a mold.

I think we will most likely have to open a gallery space for all of Eric's chairs...