09 August 2010
We're All Grown Up
While in Portland, I was able to reconnect with two dear old high school friends and their kids. To add to the nostalgia, we decided to meet up at Wilshire Park - the site of many debaucherous high school parties. Oh how the times of changed. These days the park boasts a great playground for kids of all ages. Ashley has a sweet little girl named Daisy who is 2 years old, and Laura has three kids: twin 5 year old boys and a 7 year old daughter named Caroline. The weather was perfect for playground lounging and Caroline was showing off her babysitting skills. As you can see from the photos, Maceo determined that the swings on the West Coast were just as exciting as the East!
06 August 2010
Adventures in Eating II: How could I forget the cupcakes and charcuterie?
I almost forgot a couple more tasty treats in Portland. The cupcakes pretty much speak for themselves - the coconut lemon was our personal favorite...and trust me when I say we pretty much tried them all:) Vendor: Saints Cupcakes. Maceo looks somewhat dejected in the background, probably because he has been on a steady diet of prunes, oat cereal and sweet potatoes.
Charcuterie plate by Olympic Provisions. The general consensus was that the salami's were great, as were the pickles. The pork liver pate was a struggle for me, and the boquerones were an acquired taste. However, if charcuterie was your thing, this would probably be nirvana.
Charcuterie plate by Olympic Provisions. The general consensus was that the salami's were great, as were the pickles. The pork liver pate was a struggle for me, and the boquerones were an acquired taste. However, if charcuterie was your thing, this would probably be nirvana.
Spine Saver: Wearing Maceo on the Back!
While in Portland, we did a practice ride with Maceo on the back in the Ergo carrier and he loved it. Now I just need to figure out how to get him into the position without an assistant!
Adventures in Eating
As many of you already know, Portland is one of the most vibrant and inventive cities when it comes to food and restaurants. If I had my druthers, this is the place I'd spend all my money eating out. Every time we visit my mom there are at least 5-10 new restaurants that are being lauded as the best of the best. Unlike Boston, the food is both phenomenal and affordable. For $100, you can go out for a very decadent meal that includes all the elements - including a couple of tasty cocktails. One of the ironies of heading to Portland to eat is that my mom is a great cook and food lover, so there is a fine balance of wanting to try new restaurants and going to farmer's markets to buy the local harvest and play with food together (or at least she and Craig cooking together with me as an occasional chopper/wine glass filler). This trip we did a pretty poor job at documenting all the eating - there were several missed opportunities with no camera available. So you will just need to take me on my word that the eating is phenomenal.
A nicoise salad made from the left-over albacore tuna that we grilled the night before.
A Cast Iron Frittata with fava beans, olives, confit green beans, caramelized onions & feta from a new restaurant called Tasty and Sons. $7.
A polenta and sausage ragu with fresh mozzerella with a fried egg from Tasty and Sons. $8.
A grilled albacore tuna line caught from less than 120 miles from my mom's house. For $5.70 per pound. My mom made the marinade, Craig did the grilling. What a super treat.
A decadent lunch at Pok Pok, a Southeast Asian restaurant in Portland known for replicating serious street food. The serve food found at restaurants, pubs, homes and the streets of Southeast Asia with the majority of the food coming from Thailand, and specifically from the North and Northeast of Thailand. The menu changes seasonally, monthly or at whim. They use local products when possible and practical.
Dishes pictured- and consumed by three very happy mouths - include the following. Please note the bill was $40, inclusing 3 fancy tea/soda concoctions.
-Roasted natural game hen rubbed with lemongrass, garlic, pepper and cilantro served with a spicy sweet and sour dipping sauce. Their signature dish.
-Fresh natural chicken wings marinated in fish sauce, garlic and sugar, deep fried, tossed in caramelized Phu Quoc fish sauce and garlic and served with Vietnamese table salad. The daytime grill cook Ich Truong’s recipe from his home in Vietnam.
-Giant prawns, brined and grilled whole over charcoal, served with naam jiim thaleh, a spicy lime/garlic/chile dipping sauce.
-Fresh wide rice noodles with Chinese broccoli, pork, egg, garlic and black soy sauce stir fried in a hot wok.
A nicoise salad made from the left-over albacore tuna that we grilled the night before.
A Cast Iron Frittata with fava beans, olives, confit green beans, caramelized onions & feta from a new restaurant called Tasty and Sons. $7.
A polenta and sausage ragu with fresh mozzerella with a fried egg from Tasty and Sons. $8.
A grilled albacore tuna line caught from less than 120 miles from my mom's house. For $5.70 per pound. My mom made the marinade, Craig did the grilling. What a super treat.
A decadent lunch at Pok Pok, a Southeast Asian restaurant in Portland known for replicating serious street food. The serve food found at restaurants, pubs, homes and the streets of Southeast Asia with the majority of the food coming from Thailand, and specifically from the North and Northeast of Thailand. The menu changes seasonally, monthly or at whim. They use local products when possible and practical.
Dishes pictured- and consumed by three very happy mouths - include the following. Please note the bill was $40, inclusing 3 fancy tea/soda concoctions.
-Roasted natural game hen rubbed with lemongrass, garlic, pepper and cilantro served with a spicy sweet and sour dipping sauce. Their signature dish.
-Fresh natural chicken wings marinated in fish sauce, garlic and sugar, deep fried, tossed in caramelized Phu Quoc fish sauce and garlic and served with Vietnamese table salad. The daytime grill cook Ich Truong’s recipe from his home in Vietnam.
-Giant prawns, brined and grilled whole over charcoal, served with naam jiim thaleh, a spicy lime/garlic/chile dipping sauce.
-Fresh wide rice noodles with Chinese broccoli, pork, egg, garlic and black soy sauce stir fried in a hot wok.
Maxin' and Relaxin' In Grandmama's Beautiful Yard
My mother has what must be the largest and most beautiful rose bushes in her back yard. They serve as the backdrop for this backyard pool party photoshoot. It took us until the last day of our trip to pull out the pool, but it was clearly a highlight of the trip.
PS. I opted not to include a live-action shot of the sneaky brown poop that emerged about 1/2 way into the party!
PS. I opted not to include a live-action shot of the sneaky brown poop that emerged about 1/2 way into the party!
Portland, Oregon
This summer has been full of visiting with grandparents. After spending the better part of 2 weeks in New Hampshire with Craig's family, we took Maceo on his maiden airplane voyage to visit Grandmama Martha in Portland. The weather was wonderful which gave us many opportunities for outside fun. What follows is a collection of photos from various adventures both near and far.
Fun at a city water park: As you can see from this collection, Maceo is fearless when it comes to the water!
Fun at a city water park: As you can see from this collection, Maceo is fearless when it comes to the water!
03 July 2010
40 feet, 86 degrees and 8 hours: Part 4
Ready for action!
How does this life jacket go on?
I love this photo.
Having a ball.
How does this life jacket go on?
I love this photo.
Having a ball.
40 feet, 86 degrees and 8 hours: Part 1
After a chance meeting at Whole Foods several months ago, Craig recently reconnected with an old friend from high school who had been living in Asia and recently moved back to Boston. After some facebook back-and-forth, we were invited to enjoy a pre-4th of July boat cruise on the Charles River with Jung and a few of his friends and family. In years past, Craig and I have precariously navigated inflatable rafts on the Charles to enjoy the July 4th fireworks display. Secure in our knowledge that we would not be making a similar trek this year with Maceo, we thought an afternoon cruise on a real boat sounded fun. Little did we know that the "real" boat would be a 40 foot vessel equip with a legitimate kitchen, dining room, 2 bedrooms, a full bathroom and seats for 20ish!
The weather was prefect: crystal clear, 86 degrees and sunny. We got a ride to the Quincy Marina where the boat was docked. By noon we were ready to pull out of the marina, coolers packed with snacks, lunch fixin's, and plenty of cold drinks. Only around 6pm did we discover that dinner would be on the hibachi grill: fillet mignon and sushi-grade salmon (did I mention one of the passengers was a sushi chef?)! Needless to say, it was an afternoon and evening to remember. One particularly cool element was floating under the Zakim Bridge and waiting for our turn to pass through the locks for entrance into the river. See photos for a visual. Once we passed through the locks, we anchored 100 yards downriver from the Mass Ave bridge and about 200 yards from the barge where the fireworks originate.
We initially thought we'd be able to hang out for about 3-4 hours and then need to take a dingy to shore once Maceo started to melt down. Apparently Maceo realized that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity (well, hopefully at least twice) and was an INCREDIBLE passenger. In a total of nearly 7 hours on the boat, he didn't cry once and only offered about 4 squeaks of sleepy protest (despite resisting all naps and MAYBE sleeping a total of 45 minutes). More on sleep challenges/solutions in a different post.
In concert with recent posts that Maceo seems to be a water baby, apparently he is also a boat baby. While he did not get into contact with the water of the Charles (for obvious reasons), he did spend a good chunk of time watching the sky line and the waves and seeming as happy as a clam as the the boat bobbed away (and occasionally rocked back and forth with some real vigor). At about 7:15pm, we reluctantly got on the dingy and headed to shore where we jumped off, snugged Maceo into the Ergo Baby carrier, make a quick stop at JP Licks on Newbury Street for a cool and creamy treat, and walked to the Mass Ave T stop to head home. I could go on an on, but I think the photos speak for themselves.
The views of the Boston skyline and waterfront were incredible and the entire experience was a real treat. Thanks go out to Jung and his family for graciously including us in such a memorable adventure. While it took Craig and I a collective total of 72 years to enjoy such an exciting luxury, Maceo managed to experience it at just 6.5 months.
The weather was prefect: crystal clear, 86 degrees and sunny. We got a ride to the Quincy Marina where the boat was docked. By noon we were ready to pull out of the marina, coolers packed with snacks, lunch fixin's, and plenty of cold drinks. Only around 6pm did we discover that dinner would be on the hibachi grill: fillet mignon and sushi-grade salmon (did I mention one of the passengers was a sushi chef?)! Needless to say, it was an afternoon and evening to remember. One particularly cool element was floating under the Zakim Bridge and waiting for our turn to pass through the locks for entrance into the river. See photos for a visual. Once we passed through the locks, we anchored 100 yards downriver from the Mass Ave bridge and about 200 yards from the barge where the fireworks originate.
We initially thought we'd be able to hang out for about 3-4 hours and then need to take a dingy to shore once Maceo started to melt down. Apparently Maceo realized that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity (well, hopefully at least twice) and was an INCREDIBLE passenger. In a total of nearly 7 hours on the boat, he didn't cry once and only offered about 4 squeaks of sleepy protest (despite resisting all naps and MAYBE sleeping a total of 45 minutes). More on sleep challenges/solutions in a different post.
In concert with recent posts that Maceo seems to be a water baby, apparently he is also a boat baby. While he did not get into contact with the water of the Charles (for obvious reasons), he did spend a good chunk of time watching the sky line and the waves and seeming as happy as a clam as the the boat bobbed away (and occasionally rocked back and forth with some real vigor). At about 7:15pm, we reluctantly got on the dingy and headed to shore where we jumped off, snugged Maceo into the Ergo Baby carrier, make a quick stop at JP Licks on Newbury Street for a cool and creamy treat, and walked to the Mass Ave T stop to head home. I could go on an on, but I think the photos speak for themselves.
The views of the Boston skyline and waterfront were incredible and the entire experience was a real treat. Thanks go out to Jung and his family for graciously including us in such a memorable adventure. While it took Craig and I a collective total of 72 years to enjoy such an exciting luxury, Maceo managed to experience it at just 6.5 months.
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