B #1: a new Baby! (no, not mine!! ;)). Congrats to T and C on their new baby boy! He's GORGEOUS! Love the hair! And so happy that he's being such a good baby for you! When do C and I get to babysit??? :)
B #2: the updated Bathroom! C and I did some updating on my guest bathroom. Here's a pic of what I had to start with when I first purchased the condo:
Y'all can say "craptastic" and not hurt my feelings ... trust me! :)
After some painting (wall, door, and vanity), cabinet removal, repair (wall, floor tile, and vanity side), replacement of (faucet, light fixture, toilet lever, door knobs, cabinet hardware, toilet roll holder), the addition of (a towel holder, linen closet, and mirror framing), and some decorating (towels, shower curtain, knick knacks, artwork) .... we get this:
It isn't a high-end upgrade (I spent under $500) ... BUT ... I love it. I think it modernizes the bathroom and makes the house more sale-able! Woot! Plus ... the most important benefit ... Emma approves! :)
B #3: Beauty! A few weekends ago, C and I drove down to Silver Falls State Park to do a little hiking. Just look how gorgeous that area is!
A couple of waterfalls there.
From behind a third one.
A hairy tree! :)
Pretty leaves
Check this one out .... three trees which look like they are hugging! Too cute!
A pic of C and I reflected in a river:
B #4: B&Bs! Just recently we decided to spend a weekend in a bed and breakfast on the other side of Mt Hood. Tons of open space over there, with farms and orchards ... really beautiful. It's maybe a 2 hour drive from Portland.
Anyway, the area has what is called a "fruit loop". It's a loop of highway with many orchards and fruit stands you can stop at to browse and shop! (also wineries and alpaca farms!). We had a great time!
The alpaca farm was my favorite (of course!). It was baby alpaca season ... just look at this cutie!
This guy was my favorite .... quite the character!
My favorite picture of him was when he put his ears up! Reminds me of me in ponytails as a kid! Look how hilarious this picture is .... cracks me up!
A couple of other cuties there...
The farm also had a working dog to protect the herd at night from the coyotes. He was gorgeous ... and catching a few deserved winks while it was daylight.
That place was heaven, of course, and with a yarn shop! I asked when I could move in, but apparently the owners weren't thrilled with that idea! Go figure! :) I did leave with this though!!
A winery we stopped at on the "fruit loop" had a great flower garden in the back guests were allowed to explore!
Sadly, we were not allowed to move in there either! :(
One of the great things about that Hood River area was the wonderful views of Mt Hood everywhere you went. Here are just a few taken throughout the weekend!
Yeah, I tell ya ... that was one nice weekend! I'm already jonesing to go back!
So there you have it .... the latest on some "b"s!
So the trip to Los Angeles was a success!!!!! And not only because, LOOK .... the socks I knit for my bf fit!!!!!
YAY! And not only did they fit, they fit perfectly!! Double yay!!!
But also, since C had never been to LA before, I was able to show him around a bit, what with LA being my home town and all.
(I also got to introduce him to my mom, and to my friend V and her family! YAY!)
Look how huge this city is .... all concrete, not many trees. It's quite a different view flying into Portland, Oregon, I tell ya!
First up, we hit Venice Beach.
I was hoping the loonies would be out in force for him to experience. I have a feeling that he was hoping the hot bikini rollerblading babes would be out in force for him to experience. ;) Sadly, we were both disappointed. Venice was pretty quiet for a nice sunny day. Of course, we were there before noon on a weekday so perhaps the loonies (and babes) are still sleeping at that time? :)
We did see this character though! Long live rasta!
And I like this photo I took of a lady walking on the pier.
But for the most part, not too many folks out and about on the boardwalk. Certainly no-one working out in the famous muscle beach portion of Venice.
And (thankfully?) no-one walking around in the plus-sized bikinis available (don't do it, people!)
So we gave up on people watching, and I dragged him to my favorite burger joint there in Venice .... Hinanos. It looks like a little dive bar (and it is ;)), but I swear the burgers are really, really good! So do yourself a favor and try it out next time you're there!
They had a demonstration on the beach, showing a cross for each American soldier killed in Iraq. It made for a lot of crosses. :(
On a more chipper note, we drove up to the Hollywood Sign to get a better view (since the smog was certainly making its presence apparent). I always love seeing the Hollywood Sign.
We also took in a couple of Dodger games, as his Chicago Cubs just HAPPENED to be playing my Dodgers on his birthday! (how fortuitous!). As you can see, we had pretty great seats!
Also cool that this year is the Dodger's 50th anniversary. So I made sure to pick up some memorabilia while I was there!
Of course, I had to show C Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Blvd, and the Sunset Strip. We got out and walked along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and took in some footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theater. Look, T2!! .... the Ocean's 11 guy's prints are on display now! (T2 and I looked high and low for them while we were there in Oct!). They are located smack dab in the center in front of the theater doors! (to anyone planning a trip there soon!)
Here's George Clooney's (le sigh!)
And Brad Pitt's:
And Jerry Weintraub's (the producer of the Ocean movies)
And Matt Damon's!
Dang luck ladies who were on hand to see those guys do their prints. George Clooney, Brad Pitt AND Matt Damon .... all in one place. Yikes-a-bee .... my breathing quickens just thinking about it!!! Whew.
Apparently they also did the stars of the Harry Potter movies as well as those are on display right below those of the Ocean's 11 guys.
For dinner Saturday night, we tried out Ketchup on the Sunset Strip. What a great place! We had so much fun! And the food was great! We tried a variety of appetizers, including some little burger "sliders" (which were FABULOUS) and even more fun was the sampler platter of fries and ketchup. Yep, three different french fries to try out with five different ketchups! Too much fun. And all quite delicious! I'd definitely go back, that restaurant was a hoot!
While we were leaving the restaurant, who should we see coming in but Jason Castro of American Idol fame. Being that David Cook and Michael Johns were my Idol boys this season (and of the two I'd probably only truly stalk David Cook), I gave Jason only a chin nod of recognition as I passed him. But C shook his hand and congratulated him as we walked by. So that was cute. It's never a real trip to LA until you see someone famous and see something being filmed (which we did on our way back from the Hollywood Sign).
So definitely a successful trip. Socks fit (check). Sunny weather (check). Saw something being filmed (check). Saw someone famous (check). Saw the Hollywood Sign (check). Doesn't get much more LA than that! ;)
1. Pedestrians do NOT have the right away! We learned quickly to start crossing only when a person who looked like a local Bostonian stepped out to cross. Which, more often than not, did not correspond to when you had the little green "walk" sign.
Which leads me to Things We Learned #2....
2. The green "walk" signs in Boston are worthless! ;)
3. Bostonians are actually very, very friendly people (as long as you're not trying to cross a street, that is!) Each time I pulled out a map, one stopped to ask if I needed assistance. Very nice. Thank you Boston!
4. Bostonians lovelovelove their Dunkin' Donuts! No kidding!! I saw WAY more Dunkin' Donut shops than I saw Starbucks! You heard me correctly. More Dunkin' Donuts than Starbucks. Folks, that's just crazy! But trust me, they are everywhere!
Even at Fenway Park. Look!
And no, this is not a beer line. It's a Dunkin' Donuts line!!! WTF?!
Weird, I tell ya! I mean, the Milky Way hot chocolate they have IS pretty dang yummy. But .... Dunkin's at a ballgame?? Why that's un-American!!! It's supposed to be beer, hot dogs and peanuts, people! Beer, hot dogs, and peanuts! Not donuts! Sheesh! You crazy, Bostonians! :)
5. Fenway Park is beautiful. It's completely old school. I loved it. A bit chilly for our night game though. They announced that it was 46 degrees as the game began. We survived til the 7th inning stretch then left to try and thaw out.
6. While we're on the topic of baseball, I believe you risk life and limb if you are other than a Red Sox fan there. Because EVERYONE wears Red Sox jerseys, hats, etc! I've never seen anything like it! Do hospitals give out Red Sox baby clothes and blankets to newborns before they leave the hospital?!! They must.
7. Fancy convenience stores. Is this not the fanciest 7-Eleven you've seen? I found this in the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
8. Fabulous subways! We found our way to everywhere we wanted by either walking or taking the subway. VERY easy to get around. No need to drive (thank goodness. If trying to cross the street as a pedestrian was bad, I can't imagine actually being in the middle of things there!)
9. They definitely like their statues there. I haven't figured out who/what/why this one? It kinda creeped me out.
But loved this one! This is in Boston Public Garden and is called " Make Way For Ducklings". This is mama duck with babies: Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack. Too cute! Based on a children's book.
10. Boston Public Garden is beautiful!
And the animals in it are as friendly as the (non-driving) Bostonians!
11. Bostonians seem to like things which reflect:
12. Great artwork! We went to the Boston Museum of Fine Art to check an item off my bucket list ....
.... by seeing my Renoir! ...
... and found some other great artwork as well!
13. Apparently hookers are classified into "general" and "non-general" and have separate entrances.
I'm assuming "hooker" does not mean "hooker" and instead is some political term (?) ....but found the sign to be a crackup nonetheless! "Hooker entrance" ... hee hee. Of course, if this state building deals with politicans, then maybe "hooker" does mean "hooker"! (what? You thought it too! You know you did!!! :))
14. Two Cheers there ... the original Bull and Finch Pub which had the its exterior used on the tv show Cheers.
And the mock-up Cheers designed to replicate the interior of the bar seen on the tv show.
Sadly, no-one knew our names at either. ;)
15. Lots of history around Boston. Here's a picture of the Paul Revere Mall with the Old North Church (in which Paul Revere hung the lanterns) in the background.
And Paul Revere's grave. I haven't quite figured out why folks put money on it. But there ya go!
16. The squirrels are horny.
What?!! Is squirrel porn wrong?? :)
17. And last but not least of things we learned in Boston, Kilroy was here! :)
All in all a great trip! And two items checked off my bucket list ... the Renoir painting and a game at Fenway Park! Woot!
