Thanksgiving, 2006

(click the baked goods for more photos)

As is our wont, Kip and I went over to Barry, Sarah and Charles’ house to share Thanksgiving with them and assorted friends and housemates: Matt, Kim, Sydney, Maddox, Jake, Bean, Dan, Bill, Anne, Dylan, Indy, Kevin, Katie, Owen and briefly John, Becca, Alice and another Matt.

As usual, I baked pie: mushroom and brandied butternut squash. As usual, Kip baked bread: goyish challah and potato oat.

Not much else to report: we talked a lot, laughed a lot, ate too much and then stumbled home in a food coma. And are still cleaning the kitchen.

Spouse by candlelight

‘Cause we all here like to eat, and eat well.

The photo above is one I took of the Spiced Berry Balsamic Chocolates from a new coffee and chocolate bar that has opened near my workplace called Sweet Masterpieces.

Beyond the fact that they serve chai cider, I’m very pleased that this place has opened because it prompted me to do a web search for its actual name to share with a friend. While I failed to find that out online, I did chance across a website dedicated food in Portland, specifically “An Exploration of Portland Food and Drink” with the sub-title motto: Throwing Ourselves on the Grenade of Bad Food to Save You.

A group blog born of a misleading restaurant review, not only are there restaurant reviews (sometimes with menus), but they report on current Portland food trends, like local micro distilleries, supply press releases on upcoming food focused events and review food specialty shops, like the Meadow, a place that carries 35 kinds of salt.

I figure this to be a timely find as we are entering the rainy season, the rainy winters being part of my theory of why, according to my father-in-law, Portland was known for its fine restaurants even in the mid-60s. (I also credit the winter rains for the large amount of coffee, bath products, candles and book reading around these parts.)

Crazy from the 15th to the 31st

So, the last couple weeks of October were pretty darn action packed so me, hence my even spottier than usual posting here.

It began with Lori’s delightful visit and then the Dresden Dolls concert, but it kicked into overdrive when Kip and I began our trip back to the Northeast, initially with the one and only Barry Deutsch.

I already posted about how Kip, Barry and I met up with the McClouds. After we left the McClouds in Vermont, Barry, Kip and I drove down to Western Massachusetts to visit some friends in the Pioneer Valley that we don’t see nearly enough.

We begun in Greenfield to meet up with Emily and the Bakers: Meg and Vince and their three sons, Sebastian, Elliot and Tovey. (Emily’s photos of dinner that night)Then we followed Emily out to Plainfield and on to Salamander Farm, the place she calls home along a few other folks, including Serena, Meg’s sister and the architect and head builder of the house and barn at the farm.

Kip and I bedded down in the guest room in the barn, which was quite comfy, though I found the smell of animals and feed a bit disorientating at first. Not to mention the sounds of a restless horse in the night. But I soon found these things became quite comforting and I slept soundly until awaken by some wet and grumpy sheep right out of our window. (Which I really first thought was person saying “Baa” out there.)

After a cozy late morning in the house during a torrential down pour, Kip and I decided to revisit Northampton, our usual haunt when we used to live in the Pioneer Valley. We were pleased to see that the Haymarket Cafe, the Iron Horse, Yes Computers and Raven Books were still all there and I found the most amazing top right before we went to meet everyone for dinner at Osaka.

After dinner we went back to the farm which was experiencing a power outage. Though this was somewhat inconvenient, it was a great excuse for lighting a lot of candles and making a fire. Also, I got to look at the stars without any competing light, which was just amazing and allows you to truly appreciate the Milky Way.

Kip and I had to leave the next day, which was a real pity since we had to miss the trip to the the mill ruins of Plainfield never mind the Harvest Party and Barry getting bit by a horse. But we were off to Boston to drop off our rental car and catch the train so we could meet up with Kip’s folks in NYC.

Between dropping off the car and getting on the train, Kip and I took a brief stroll through the Common and old streets of Boston and toured the Granary Burying Ground.

Then on to NYC, which was a very pretty and relaxing train ride—we actually caught some peak fall foliage. Once we hit Penn Station, we checked our luggage and made our way to the Lure Fishbar to meet up with Kip’s parents who happened to be in town visiting Kip’s sister Laura who just moved to Brooklyn at the end of September. And then we proceeded to have one of the best damn meals of our entire lives: from the saki martini to the cappuccino and everything in between, each course was the best example of its type I had ever tasted.

And then we caught our train to New Jersey to my mother’s house in Long Branch–only to sleep, wake up and train back into Manhatten to enjoy the Broadway musical Mom was treating us to, Mamma Mia.

The next day was much more leisurely and New Jersey focus. Mom indulged us with a drive through Colts Neck and Freehold so I could see all the Thuroughbred Horse farms and orchards and ol’ Freehold. We then met up with more family–my Aunt Pam, Cousin Shaunna and Shaunna’s girls, Chloe and Ava– and made our way to the startling revitalized Long Branch boardwalk and dinner.

The next day we had plans to meet some friends in NYC for lunch and since Mom had an engagement that morning, Kip and I decided to take advantage of being in Manhattan that day and visit a museum, the Cloisters home of the Unicorn Tapestries, to be precise.

I hadn’t been to the Cloisters in over twenty years. Still as neat as I remember. Unfortuantely our lunch plans fell through de to illness and extreme workload. So we decided to catch the subway down to 81st, cross Central Park and visit the Metropolitan Museum proper and check out what they had in the way of Byzantine and Medieval art.

After a quick tour of the Byzantine galleries, we decided to take in the special Americans in Paris exhibit, and we were pleased we did. Some amazing stuff, all of which can be viewed online: three of my favorites being Au Café by Willard Metcalf, Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque d’Hiver by John Singer Sargent and A Summer Night by Winslow Homer. I’m grateful to have this convienent virtual keepsake of teh exhibit as pictures were not allowed and I didn’t care for the color reproductions of the pictures in the official keepsake book. The images found online are much more true, as is the case for
William Morris Hunt’s Self-Portrait whose soft yellow background got very green and grey in the printed reproduction.

We managed to train back to New Jersey and spend more time with my mother before catching the plane back to Portland–where we almost immediately got absorbed into Stumptown Comics Fest and its proceedings. First up, Sara and Steve’s pre-Stumptown party and with as many cartoonists as could be crammed into their home.

Then there was the Stumptown Comics Festival itself in all its glory.

The 3rd annual Stumptown had a bang up selection of exhibitors and attendees. There were some technical problems as per usual, but since it will be held in the same space next year (a first!) we will know of most of the foilibles of the space and plan accordingly–bold signage, better light control, separate room for events, etc. Regardless there was an excessive amount of talent and great art on the floor, very exciting.

Of all the events and parties available to us Saturday night, the crew I was traveling with decided to focus on one, Paul and Anina’s annual cartoonist Halloween. It proved to be an excellent way to meet up with and talk with some of our favorite folks.

Sunday was that usual day after the Con, everybody sleepy–and grumpy in that good natured way. There was a large group breakfast with much doodling, geeking and Halloween themed breakfast foods.

And then came Halloween, which was pretty low key, though we did get some scary visitors.

Now I expect life to settle back into its version of normalcy, barring Thanksgiving and various winter based festivities, natch.

One nice fall-out of all this October craziness–well beyond having a blast and hanging out with people I adore–was the motivation to finally get busy with my flickr account