bread

I've been baking little loaves of bread these days. I like to give them to the people I like. It makes me happy!

I have also been trying different "cutting" methods on the dough to create different patterns on top of the bread:


I made a little star on this one before baking.


This one I cut a little cross on the top.


And this one had criss cross on it.

How will the next loaf look like?

[Portland 07.09] On the Way to Powell's

After downtown Stumptown we walked toward Powell's Books. We had to go because it was the City of Books!

On the way there we saw a lot more food carts/vans/tailers, and this one was really cool:


It was powered by vegetable oil!

When we were almost at Powell's we saw this:


A brush?

There were a lot of cool public artwork in Portland, and this was one of them. I didn't quite know what it was, but it looked like a very well-balanced brush with a heavy "core" underneath it.


Brian demonstrating how you can move the "brush."

And across the street was Powell's Books!

[Portland 07.09] Downtown Stumptown

After Bijou we went to the downtown Stumptown, which was pretty much next door to Bijou!


The place was HUGE!


Lots of zines.


Lots of coffee.


Waiting for our drinks.


My capp.

John and Brian both got Stumptown cold brew. I believe it was Panama Carmen Estate that day.


Lots of people, and Brian making a face.


Did I mention the place was HUGE?

HUGE!

yummy burgers with black vinegar

John made us burgers again.

This time he used fragrant black vinegar as one of his "secret ingredents." Very delicious!


And of course Nuki wanted a bite!

wall of vines

Sometimes I wish there's not that many vines on the fence in our yard, but they seemed to have been there forever (way before we move in the house)... we cut them off and they come back very soon after... I think they are almost out of control!


I saw this near a restaurant on 4th South. It was so pretty in the sun.

I wonder if there's a way to "control" the growth of the vines so I can have pretty walls of vines but not have them "bother" the trees nearby? Hmm...

maggie getting a latte

Maggie getting a latte (with an little apple latte art on it,) and a pastry.

OK not really. These were for Elizabeth, but I think Maggie wanted some.

pretty at 8:30

These days when we drive home after closing it will still be light outside, and the colors are just amazing!


Looking toward Northwest on I-15 (heading South.)

Ahhhh the colors!


How beautiful. I love it!

And no, I was not driving and taking these pictures at the same time. John was driving, and I was in charge of holding the camera tight in my hand so it did not fall out of the window on the fast moving car.

rabbit pocket

I've noticed that I started wanting and taking notes when I read certain books. I always jot things down on a piece of paper and lost it soon after. I therefore decided I must have a tiny little note book, or a post-it pad, and a pen near by with the book.

I have a lot of bags. Most of them are too big for just one book and its "accessories," or they are actual purses that are not suitable for books. I've been searching for the right size bag.

Then Joyce sent me a cute bag for my birthday, along with a black kitty passport cover and a cute cute cute cell phone strap.


It's a "Rabbit Pocket!"

And in the photo with the Rabbit Pocket: the cell phone strap, the passport cover, and the birthday card.

The Rabbit Pocket is just the perfect size! It's large enough so the book and friends can fit in and stay together, but small enough where you can't really stick much more in.


Rabbit Pocket with a book in it. (I pulled the book out a bit for demonstration purposes.)

And oh it's sooooo cute! Thanks Joyce!

double yolks

My friend Joanne brought me some eggs she drove all the way out to West Jordan to get. These eggs were huge. While not all of them looked super giant, she did manage to find really big ones to me, just to show me how big they were (she thought they would be convenient for my baking purposes.)

I think an average large egg weighs about 55 grams, and I weighted one of the largest ones she brought me and it was 109! OMG. Pretty much double the regular dude.

Anyhow, I cracked one (not the largest) open and there were the double yolks in it!



Ahhh big eggs!

ginger sighting

Ginger has been shy about coming out to play with the others since Torsion came to stay with us. I was a little sad about it, but at least she still comes when I call for her if she knows Torsion is not near.

I usually stay up Saturday night and watch some silly Japanese shows on my computer in the kitchen. Ginger would always come by and stay up with me. Since Torsion came she hasn't done it for a while... she doesn't like to "show herself" at all.

This past Saturday before heading to bed John put up a baby gate at the bedroom door so Torsion couldn't roam around the house (and the other dogs and cats can jump over.) I went to the kitchen, made some tea, and pulled out my laptop.

After a short while Ginger came!


She sat at her usual spot and watched me.


Making sure everything was OK on the table.


I *heart* Ginger.


Fuzzy and cute.


She was cautious and very aware of her surroundings for a while.


Then she felt more comfortable and just relaxed next to me for a long time.

I really hope she comes out of her shyness and realizes Torsion didn't mean her harm when he chased her that few times.


As a result of her hiding so much is that she doesn't eat as much. I think she actually lost some weight!

Ginger was chubby, and she still sort of is, but losing a little bit of weight is probably not a bad thing.

I hope she comes out more often.

[Portland 07.09] Brunch at Bijou with Brian

One of the reasons we went to Portland this time was to see Brian! He's been out there for about 3 years now, and every time he comes back in town he'd come to see John and I at the caffe, but I missed him EVERY single time! I was really excited to see him in Portland!

We were gonna meet at Bijou for brunch. The restaurant was not too far from the hotel, so John and I walked. (Oh, and on the way there we were stopped at an intersection for a while because someone was shooting a car commercial. Sort of fun.)


When we were almost there we saw a cool Mexican food cart.

There were a lot of cool food carts on the streets in Portland, and most of them look really nice.

While I was taking a picture of the food cart, someone said "hey!"


It was my buddy Brian!

We walked across street and there was Bijou.


It was Saturday morning, and there were a lot of people wanting to eat brunch.


When we finally got seated we were seated by the window. Yay!


Brian was thinking.


Both John and Brian were thinking about what to get.

I must admit I do not remember what we got now. All I remember is that Brian got something that Bijou was known for, John got an white cheddar omelette (?) and I got another kind of omlette. The omelette was soft and yummy.


Mine.


Brian's.


John's.

And yes. Everyone waited until I was done taking the pictures before they started eating(!)

We ate, talked, and ate, and talked. Brian was still Brian! Brunch at Bijou with Brian was fun.

[Portland 07.09] Yuzu

Our friend Brian recommended that we went to Yuzu, a Japanese izakaya - style spot when visiting Portland. (Yuzu is in Beaverton.)

Since we bought the All-zone Day pass, we decided to go despite the fact that it was getting late. We arrived in Beaverton around 11pm. Almost couldn't find the place, but with the help of Brian's verbal instructions and the nice police officers, we found it!

Yuzu was located at a strip mall, next to a Korean restaurant. Its store front was small, so we almost missed it! When we went in we were greeted and seated by the door. I started checking out the place. It was casual, and had a small Japanese family-style diner feel to it.


Menu on the wall.

The server lady was really happy and nice. Took our order. There were a lot of great selections on the menu. We went with a few.


Gotta start with some Asahi!

John was not feeling too well at this point... I think he was slightly dehydrated from the heat and all the walks earlier. Poor thing.

Most of the big bottle of Asahi, and the food, went to me.


I liked their plates.


Grilled beef tougue. Yum. I wished there were more pieces.


Gentleman came in by himself, drank and ate a the bar. Reminded me of Japan already.


Grilled Sanma (Japanese Saury). So delish. Every time I eat Sanma I think of my dad! He likes to make Sanma.

I pretty much ate the whole Sanma myself. John was still not feeling well.


John's ramen. I don't remember what he got, but he could only eat the soup anyhow. I helped with the noodles and meats.

The ramen soup was pork bone based, I believe. Slightly salty for my taste, but good.


My ramen, with cubed fatty pork. Hmmm... fatty pork.

I enjoyed the food, but felt bad becasue John was not feeling well. There were happy customers at Yuzu, both Japanese and Americans. I liked the vibe.

We'll make sure John is very well hydrated and happy next time we go to Yuzu.

torsion at play

This is for my friend Joyce! Her little dog Torsion is staying with us.


Looking serious.


Being invited to play (and didn't quite know what to do!)


Yama says, "Just come and run with me!"


And Nuki says, "Or you can sniff my nose."