Dos de Mayo

 A quick trip to Salt Lake City for a belated Valentine's Day gift made a mundane Wednesday into a memorable midweek excursion.

Our friend Jansen recommended we eat at the Red Iguana where we enjoyed the BEST Mexican food with authentic mole  (pronounced mōlli ) sauce.

Enchiladas with poblano mole, mmmmm

http://www.rediguana.com/home.html

Bellies full of mole, off to see The Black Keys:

We thought we had the best seats in the house until this guy stepped in front of us

Spring Chores?

Sitting hilltop watching the spring storms pass through is an easy way to end a week:

This was our Christmas tree from 2010. I cut most of the limbs off to burn in our outdoor fireplace and made the mistake of letting Buck find what remained: a perfect torch ready to be lit

 My terrifying plea to NOT light it on fire seemed to only encourage his idea... 

getting the camera didn't help either 

Should have grabbed the hose instead of the Nikon

Uh oh, did the fire burn all of the grass in our yard, leaving behind a sandlot?

Nope, Otis and Mimi have destroyed our grass and no (living) foliage was harmed during this stunt

Buck may have picked up tree torching to save him from weekend boredom, but I on the other hand have made a safer commitment to cultivating a garden. 

Meet my precious spinach and butter crunch lettuce plants

The Midge

The Midge set out for her maiden voyage this past Sunday and proved herself to be a wise purchase. We drove south to Daniel's Reservoir and enjoyed a beautiful day in the boat. 

Ironically, we got lucky throwing a red midge pattern off the Midge and both had fish on at one point.

 Daddy Rainbow

We watched a mini tornado emerge from and roam this field

 Last catch of the day

  

One of my favorite aspects of the landscape here are the 

abandoned farmhouses that sit  in the open fields. 

We stopped in on this desolate one after our day on the water.

28

An early Saturday morning rise, followed by breakfast in bed started a wonderful birthday weekend in the Northwest.  

On the road by 5AM, we were anxious to get to make it to Bend, Oregon in time to see the town.  

 Bend seems like an active community, with many residents pedaling around town and skiing at the nearby Mt Bachelor. It was hard to believe how much snow was still there in the 70 degree weather.  

After church on Easter, we drove through Mt Hood National Forest to Portland. It was a beautiful drive and the alpine forest was majestic. 

We stopped in Sandy, OR for old fashioned sodas and the most delicious peanut brittle cannoli. 

Ashely and Brett's Portland cottage:

A trip to Hawthorne Street in Portland made for a verrry interesting afternoon.

A Prince cover band (with an actual Prince impersonator) playing in a thrift store? I could not dream this up if I tried.

We walked along the Willamette River before dinner; the weather was perfect. 

 Giant Douglas firs grow all over Oregon...I especially loved these in Ashely's yard. 

Monday, we drove to Seattle where we spent my 28th birthday relaxing and roaming the city. After eating lunch with a friend who works at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (wow, what a security system) we headed to the market on Pike street. 

 


Olives, daffodils, peonies, lobster tails, and artisanal cheeses made for vibrant colors and smells.

 

 We visited the Starbucks flagship store on Pike Place

 My favorite part of the day was our stop at the Edgewater Hotel where we enjoyed happy hour sitting in the sun overlooking the Sound.

 Seattle skyline

 Mmmmm, Franz chocolates