Amuse who?

Bethany and Chris gave us a gift certificate to the View Point Inn, which is on a cliff overlooking the beautiful Columbia Gorge. It is also famous for being in Twilight, when Edward and Bella have their romantic moment at the prom. Built in 1924, it has hosted such luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Theda Barra, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
We arrived just before five o'clock, so we had time for a wee stroll around the grounds.

This is the main room, complete with roaring log fire and comfortable sofas.

Our table was in the sunroom. We were the only diners. This was the view from our table. So far, so good.

The waiter did everything with a flourish, including giving us our menus. That should have made me suspicious.
There were two menus.
The seven course meal, at $65 per person.
And the four course menu, at $45 per person.

Gulp.
I didn't think to ask about prices when I made the reservation. Even with the gift certificate, that was a hefty chunk of cash for our meal. But we forged on intrepidly, on the four course menu, naturally.
First up was the amuse bouche. This is designed to excite the taste buds, meaning, literally, mouth amuser. This particular amuse bouche was described as a "blue cheese mouse on a finger of endive." I chuckled and asked the waiter if there was anything we could substitute for the mouse, and if they by any chance meant "mousse"? He was suitably abashed at being corrected by such a mere mortal as me, and allowed as how they might be able to substitute the prawn with avocado from the 7-course menu.
"Thank you," I said demurely.
Unfortunately, it took me about ten seconds to retrieve my camera from my purse and by then Jeff had devoured the prawns.
Both of them.
"Careful," I said, "those cost about $10 each, you should have savoured them."

He pronounced them very tasty.
Next up was a small salad for Jeff...

...and a miniscule bowl of French Onion soup for me.
That is a teaspoon that you see, for an idea of scale. The cup was about two inches in diameter.

It was also very salty.

We were beginning to worry that we might not be filled up in two more courses. We joked (very quietly) about buying a hamburger on the way back to Portland.
As we waited for our main course, I played with the sunbeams that were shining through our water glasses.

Notice the lack of ice in the water. Although, I will say that the water tasted very good, no nasty chlorine.
Luckily, dinner arrived before we thought of any dastardly deeds involving starched linens and water glasses and candles.
Flank steak, sweet potatoes, and root vegetables for Jeff.
Roast pork with chicken sausage cassoulet for moi.
Bad blogger that I am, I forgot to document these masterpieces because I was ravenous.
But dessert, while not cherry and white chocolate as advertised on the menu, was a fairly delectable cinnamon-y and caramel bread pudding.

It lasted about 30 seconds. As you can see, I almost missed the photo op, yet again.

After dinner, which, surprisingly, filled up my tummy, we sat and looked at wedding albums in front of the fire. I cannot even imagine how much it would cost to celebrate a wedding at the View Point Inn.
Being too intimidated by our flourishy waiter to ask him to take a photo, I managed this one in the very nicely appointed unisex bathroom mirror.

And this one of His Nibs, on the regal sofa.

Another stroll around the grounds, as I had seen some pretty cool shots of the old fountain in the wedding albums and wanted to give them a try. The light was not good, but I kind of like these two.

We hit the road, I84 back to Portland, because the evening had barely begun.

More Easter aftermath, added upon

So, as well as the half-price, very-dangerous Cadbury Mini Eggs, I also got these cute fishie eggs at Fred Meyer yesterday. With some split peas and Gorilla super glue, they became two dozen adorable egg shakers for use with my preschool groups. The total cost was around $5 and I also got the candy out of the eggs to put in the piano treat jar. Score all around!

Plus, I made a nice new bag in which to carry them.

Let's hope the super glue holds up. After it has dried for a day, it seems to be very strong. I can think of some scenarios in which they might get forcibly opened, but I don't think preschools is one of them. Egg shakers usually cost over $2 each, so if these hold up it will be a mighty coup.
If you want to make some egg shakers for your own little crew, choose eggs that are harder plastic. The flimsier, shiny-smooth ones will not hold the glue. And it is imperative to use really good super glue. I wanted to use the regular Gorilla glue, but Bethany forgot to send it with Josh today.
Just sayin'.

P.S. Two of the shakers broke open in the first preschool this morning, but the rest were still intact after four groups . So I would say, use the regular Gorilla glue, not the super glue, just in case. And the kiddos loved them.

The ONLY reason for the Easter Bunny....

...is this:
Cadbury's Mini Eggs.

Just in case you were wondering.

Not that I'm complaining...

...but I think we've had enough rain now.

If you ever wonder why Oregon is famous for being green (and I'm not talking environmentally savvy, although that too) it's because of this:
Grey and wet...

Bedraggled tulips...

Overflowing birdbath...

Sigh.

Weekend recap:
Don't you just love men in aprons? Our Bishop (who is Jewish by birth) did a Seder on Friday evening. Jeff had the day off, so he helped with the preparations. He chopped apples and rolled matzah balls and manhandled chicken thighs.
Bishop Bill, Jeff, and young Justin.

Daniel walked in the door on Sunday afternoon wearing his Easter basket on his head. He had been wearing it most of the day.
"I'm toad," he said.

?

I spent the day cooking up a feast and watching General Conference.
This apple cake is very delicious. I made two, one gluten-free. It is also dairy-free, if that is an issue.

Apple Cake

1 1/2 c sugar
4 c chopped apples
2 c flour
1/2 c oil
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
Mix sugar, oil, and eggs. Add apples and mix again. Add sifted dry ingredients. Bake in a greased and floured bundt pan for 1 hour or until it tests done. 350 degrees.

Easy peasy.
Your dependent goody-eaters will love you.

Just keeping track....

Here we were a year ago.
And here we are now.

 

Better camera, better piano, same darling girl.

Been there, done that

Friday 2nd:
For those of you who think I just sit at home and do facebook and blog all day, I have already driven to Lake Oswego this morning, conducted two preschool music groups, and provided one hour of excellent supervision for my Marylhurst student.
Now...
I have thought twice, thrice, four and five times about this post.
Because I don't want you to have vivid nasty mental pictures when you read it.
There, now I've done it. Your mental pictures will be in 3-D technicolour.

Technicolor is one of those proper nouns that has become a ubiquitous part of our language. And did you know that my dear Uncle Charlie used to work for Technicolor?

But I digress.

Then, I decided that indignities happen, and maybe you will enjoy a laugh at the expense of my indignity and won't hold the mental pictures against me.
So here goes!

Thursday 1st:
Today, I had the joyful occasion to visit Dr. Patrick Lee, at his Rectal and Colon Clinic. Could the name be any less subtle?
Aha! Is this an April Fool's joke?
No, I say.
Unfortunately.
I will not thrill you with details. Let me just say that after we were done with our little discussion and before things got more...interesting...he said, "Don't worry, I'll make this fun and entertaining."
Right.
When all was done, I said, "Wow, that was fun and entertaining."
He laughed. "Be careful, I charge double if you have too much fun."
When I re-entered the waiting room there were three other patients sitting there.
Our eyes met and we smiled sheepishly at each other.
We all knew.

On the way home, I treated myself to a stop at Tuesday Morning, where I bought some lovelies for the garden.
Just because I could.

Meet Harvey the Heron.
And the Toadstools.
Harvey and the Toadstools.
Sounds like the name of a band.
This would be a much better mental picture!
Did I mention that I love garden art?

Busy Babes, Tired Nana

WARNING: If you are lukewarm in your adoration of my grandbabies, you may be slightly bored by this post.

Josh and Natalie arrived at ten a.m.
The first order of business was their second breakfast of the day.
Natalie said, "Nana, I have Cheerios at home. I wub it."
"Wow, Natalie, you love Cheerios?"
"No. I wub it."

If you click on the collage, you will get a better look.

Next on the agenda were legos. These two get along so well, playing side by side and having little conversations. I love to sit and watch them, but today I was doing laundry and trying to work up the nerve to get out of my robe and into my jeans.

Natalie is working on potty-training and has a perpetual bum crack. Jeff said it's genetic. My Dad was a plumber, don't you know? But I want it known here and forever that he NEVER sported a bum crack. Josh was wearing his pants backwards, as usual, but on one of the many potty trips of the morning he remedied the situation so I missed the photo op.

After I got dressed, we dragged the scooters out of the shed and took a walk. The sun was out, there was a brisk wind, and we were happy to be outside.

Listening to water trickling down the storm drain.

Dandelions are the flowers of choice for most kiddie bouquets. I asked Kenzie why? a few days ago. "They're so pretty," she said.

Natalie got tired on the way home and also needed to go potty, so I carried her and the scooter. When we arrived home (See Nana, I told you it was over here, said Josh) it was time for a snack.
Mandarin oranges.
Chocolate.
Yogurt.
Broccoli.
Carrots.

Then some serious block building. Whereupon I took the opportunity to lie on the couch next to them and take a pseudo-nap...

...and of course Bethany and the older kids walked in the door a few minutes later.
We have been trying to talk Josh and Daniel into haircuts for some time. They were both very shaggy. Neither bribes nor shame had convinced them to endure the clippers. Today, Bethany told Josh that he could have a piece of gum if he got his hair cut.
"Okay," he chirped.
This is much better than the shaggy bedhead he was sporting all morning.

Natalie was determined that she needed a haircut too. She really wanted to be buzzed, but I appeased her with a trim.

Daniel got the shaggy prize. He still wouldn't bow his head to the clippers until I told him that he wouldn't look as handsome as Josh. "Okay," he chirped.

He doesn't enjoy the clippers and flinches every time I move to a new part of his head. This was his strained expression for the duration of the job.

Ahhhh.