How to do Research to Write a Book

https://youtu.be/gWBIF1Q-elo

Food Trucks

If you've ever been to Portland, Oregon and driven at all around the city, then you've seen FOOD TRUCKS or what Portlandians call "carts". They are everywhere. And these little grab-and-go food supplies lend themselves to an overwhelming diversity of foods. We have everything anyone could imagine...and maybe more.

And if you know me, you know I like to bake and experiment with ...almost everything. So, I've been thinking about trying my hand at a food cart. Yep, my brother used to have a restaurant before he retired. And together, we've been talking about starting a little family venture. So, if in the next few months you start seeing posts about testing out recipes, you'll have an idea of what we're going to be doing.

So, keep your eyes open for some fancy food and maybe even a few fails as we test our ideas and our food.

Finally Went Fencing

We suited up.

 

 And we were like the Three Musketeers . . .or maybe the Five Musketeers ;D
 
 But the instructor was giving Blanche an unfair advantage--well, at least that's what I thought.
And then, when he finally told me to stab her, I felt a little funny lunging in toward the kill. . .
at first ;D
 

 But before we started stabbing away, we had to warm up with a few "Simon Says" games and the losers had to do pushups...a lot of them, and I know...from personal experience :(

 
Then we did some limbering games and the instructor had us face off against each other.

We were paired in teams of orange and blue. And,it was a night filled with fun activity at the Northwest Fencing Center in Beaverton, Oregon.

Running in Portland Oregon

Saturday morning I woke up with that sugar hangover from the night before and thought I'd run off a few of those candy bars I snacked on over the last couple of days.

Here's a view of my November 1, 2014 run...

And this is only one of the parks in the center of the city.

There are lots of others to visit, like Forest Park, Mt. Tabor and Normandale just to name a few.

But there's also Washington Park, Macleay, Eastmoreland and more.

There's also Cathedral, Lents and Gabriel parks but today I'm simply posting pictures from a run I took through Laurelhurst Park.

The Aids Walk

There were some super cool costumes - especially on such a HOT day. I couldn't believe that people were willing to put these heavy layers on and wear them in the 90+ degree heat of the day.

There were plenty of volunteers.

And it was a fun two mile walk around the city streets.

OPENING NIGHT - Dr. Horrible - September 4th

My son will be performing at the Funhouse Lounge  at 2432 SE 11th in Portland, Oregon, this month, singing and acting and we'll be sitting in the audience...laughing and enjoying the show.

Performances are:

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog -  Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays, Sept. 4th, 5th,   6th, 11th, 12th, 13th,  18th, 19th, 20th, 25th, 26th, and 27th  7:00pm
Late Shows Sept 20th & 27th 9pm
Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE 11th Ave. , Portland, OR 97214

Tickets Start at only $12
VIP Tickets are available and include VIP lanyard, buttons and autographed picture of the cast

Also you have the opportunity to buy the role of "The Mayor" That's right buy your way into the cast. Only one per show.

August 2-4 Willamette Writers Conference

The Pacific Northwest is known for creative people, we have Portlandia, Grimm and Leverage all right here in little 'ole Portland, Oregon not to mention tons of independent productions taking place all over the city. So, I guess it comes as no surprise that we have a lot of writers living in this beautiful part of the country.

And with writers comes writers' conferences and one that is well known in these parts is Willamette Writers.  Their big event is coming August 2-4 to the Portland Airport Sheraton Hotel.

There will be writers, agents and editors galore. So, if you're a writer or even a wannabe, you might want to make plans now to attend this conference. So, hop on over to the website and check it out here.

Tulip Festival

We went to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, Oregon today and we lucked out. We made it between rain showers. It runs from March 28 through May 4th and if you get a chance you should go.

Woodburn is 37 miles from Portland so it takes a little longer than 40 minutes to drive and make it to the tulip festival. But once you're there, it's worth it. It's $10 for a car load of people so pack up the kids and make a day of it.

Where else could you ride on a pink tractor? Or view mountains and fields at the same time?

They also have cow trains for the kiddies and sometimes even facepainting. They also had a man carving wooden shoes right on the fields. And you can get 4 bouquets of flowers for only $15.00. Plus they have food and crafts available. You can wander the booths and look at some great craftman's work and fun kabaubles too.

These barrettes and pins were made from old zippers. And hooks and hangers made from recycled water faucet knobs.

and mobiles and wind chimes made from old cans, forks and watering pots...or maybe coffee pots.

But, if you come, please wear boots and pants (unless it's a sunny day) because otherwise you are going to be walking fields that are damp and sometimes very muddy.

and you're not going to be wanting to be walking in white tennis shoes (which we saw a bunch of young girls wearing...and skirts). You can do that, if you want to stand on the edge of the fields and take a few photos but otherwise, come prepared.

And if you don't want to buy food there, pack a lunch or bring some snacks and a few water bottles.

So, if you're driving from Portland and you make it to the Woodburn Outlet Mall, instead of taking a right at that exit, take a left and go straight for about . . . 5-10 miles (just keep your eyes open for tulip signs) the signs will lead you to the fields.

And then be ready to spend a couple hours wandering the fields, taking pictures, looking at the gift shop and booths and watching the carver . . . plus more.

It's a great way to spend a day.

A dress made from an old man's shirt

Okay, I'm not a model and I don't do this dress justice but it is so cool to wear something that was destined for the landfills. At Camp Hollyhock they repurpose old clothing and make it "seam" like new again ;D

All it takes is a little embellishing and some tea...or so I'm told. Anyway, if you are in Portland, you have to check out this shop over in Sellwood. It is so "green" and if you want a way to celebrate St. Paddy's day - this is definitely the way to do it by buying green and getting some great clothing at the same time.

I love these clothes so much that I've blogged about Camp Hollyhock before but I just might do it again.

And, okay, maybe I should have belted the dress - but this is it without any help from me.

But it is "sew" comfortable and I love the idea of wearing repurposed clothing.

How 'bout you?

Run Like Hell Portland, Oregon October 20, 2013

Today was the perfect day for a run. Not to hot. Not to cold (except at the start when we were waiting around for the emcee to say "Run Like Hell!")

I thought I'd just share some of the photos I took from the race. Now, remember some of these people were running by me so fast that they are only a blur... ;D

The Book Fairy was waving her wand before the start to give us all a little wisdom on how to run the race.

Then we all had to wait around for the start. So we were checking our phones to see what time it was and how much longer until the start.

And then it was nearly time to Run Like Hell. There were normal looking folk and super heroes, fairies, and even gnomes running around.

I saw all sorts of get-ups. I even saw Mario

Lots of people running together and plenty running on their own.

Tons of tutus and some that I didn't even know what they were.

Capes and masks of all sorts.

Little devils and even some angels

People were having fun on this Halloween-themed run.

 Love the high-five at the finish line :D !

All in all, it was a great way to spend a day.

SUPER VILLAIN kills 25,000 Bees

This is a story right out of a Marvel comic book. 25,000 Bumble Bees found dead in an Oregon parking lot and the assumption is insecticide is the killing culprit.

25,000 of anything is horrible but bees are critical. We need bees for pollination. And pollination for our food source. Without bees, we lose crops and food. But due to insecticides we're losing bees and cutting down our own food supplies.

And Monsanto is like the giant Lex Luther of the modern day world. It has been a major contributor to the decline of our bee population. This one corporation assumes the super villain role by creating genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) that kill bees. They must be planning on creating their own robotic bees and then charging everyone in the world for pollination. Control the food supply and you control the world. MWHA-HA-HA, they want to take over the world. 

But there's nothing funny about this Sci-Fi story, especially since it's real.  Farmers are even suing Monsanto over the destruction of their crops.

Control the food sources and food supplies and you control the population. But don't humans work in that corporation? I just don't get it. This is crazy sauce served up Monsanto style.

Fat Tuesday

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Mardi gras is French for Fat Tuesday, which is the last night of partying before Lent begins (which is a time of fasting and religious practice) on Ash Wednesday.  

New Orleans is the most famous city for Mardi gras because they go all-out with the celebrations.

If you're interested in celebrating in Portland, Oregon you can find a list of events here. 

And if you're interested in making your own Mardi Gras mask, check this site out.

Run Like Hell Portland - 2012

Run Like Hell is a Halloween themed run that benefits The ALS Association of Oregon. My hubby and I signed up for the 10k (or 6.2 mile run) my sis and a friend signed up for the 5k. It is one of the funnest runs because people come out dressed in full Halloween garb. These year it was a Super Heroes theme. There were a ton of Bat Mans, plenty of Wonder Women and I saw quite a few Incredibles. But there were lots of other great costumes...including Santa Claus - now, that's a true Super Hero to kids.

This run isn't so much a race. Everyone is in a good mood--not so competitive as some runs. We all start snapping photos of each other and it's easy to make friends. I met another Poison Ivy - and we chatted about how we made our costumes ('cuz I'm too cheap to go buy one ;)

She had a great wig! No way could I run with a wig on. But then some people ran in full Big Bird costumes and kudos to them. It's not easy to run . . . let alone run with a furry-feather suit on.

Sonic and Tales made an appearance- true super heroes to gaming guys and gals. Just take a peek at some of these fun get-ups Portland had going on - in the streets of downtown Portland.

So, I hope y'all get a chance to Run Like Hell!