Our early Christmas

Since I'll be spending Christmas with my family in the Caribbean (terrible, I know), Lindsay and I decided to celebrate Christmas a week early. In the morning, I brought back bagels from Kettleman's (yum). Then, we spent most of the morning watching the Bills implode against the Dolphins...again (sigh).

In the afternoon, we walked to the Lan Su Chinese Garden, located in the heart of Portland. The classical garden was built about ten years ago and spans one city block. It is really an oasis of tranquil beauty in the middle of city life. Similar to the Japanese Garden, the Chinese Garden has been praised as the most authentic outside of China.

Historically, Chinese gardens are meant to stimulate one's mind and spirit while wandering through a beautiful and peaceful natural landscape. Qi, or energy, which is created by the balancing harmony of yin and yang (stone and water, for example) is one of the most prevalent elements of a Chinese garden. (On a side note, qi is also an outstanding scrabble word!!) I feel like everywhere I looked, I could find opposites creating a tranquil balance. The garden had five main elements: rocks, water, plants, architecture, and poetic inscriptions.

As we wandered through the intricately beautiful garden, I felt like I was no longer in the middle of a city. Halfway through, we came across the teahouse where Lindsay enjoyed a white tea and I a peppermint tea.


Overall, the garden was quite lovely. I am sure the next time we go I’ll notice new details. I look forward to experiencing it in the spring or summer when the plants will be in full bloom.

That evening, we made a delicious dinner: tomato, motz, and basil for an appetizer, Fresh Sockeye salmon stuffed with crab, scallops, shrimp and some herbs, delicious rice pilaf, and sauteed asparagus for our main course, and to wrap it all up, I made my mom's Apple Crisp. I was too full from dinner, I couldn't even have any dessert! Trust me, I plan on having some (or a lot) later. For tradition's sake, I also had a Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale.

We had a wonderful early Christmas.

Finally... A Tree!

On Friday, Lindsay and I went back to Whole Foods to purchase a tree. Since we didn't want the stand to be a one-time use, we decided to buy an even smaller, cheaper "tree." (Not sure if you can even call it a "tree.") I really love the addition of the mini candy canes.

On Saturday, we had Lindsay's friend Amanda over to make gingerbread houses. (No, we didn't make gingerbread, but resorted to trusty graham crackers instead.) I made wassail (cider, rum, lots of cloves stuck into orange quarters and a few cinnamon sticks), which was delicious. So, we proceeded to drink wassail and watch the Sound of Music while constructing and decorating our houses. Oh, what fun!

Unfortunately, my ambition got the best of me. I attempted to build a two-story house, but halfway through construction realized we were out of graham crackers.

Christmastime Adventures

On Sunday morning, we awoke grudgingly to a number of wailing alarms.

Ugh. Perhaps it was because we had one too many homemade margaritas the previous evening. Now, you’ll soon recognize that this isn't exactly a "Christmastime adventure," but I think it'll provoke a few laughs. On Saturday night we decided to order the Debt on demand. We started watching it, but within ten seconds I realized my fatal mistake- I accidentally purchased the non-HD version. I know, I know. Gasp! (If I were an active tweeter, I’d follow this with the trending hashtag, #firstworldproblems.) Anyways, I was very vocal about my error, which annoyed Lindsay. Even though she didn’t say it, her response was basically, Whatever, drink your margarita.

After I groaned about it for a minute or so, she decided she’d chat with a Comcast representative to remedy the situation. My stubbornness prompted me to grab my laptop and fix the problem myself. Mitzi logged on. A somewhat incoherent conversation ensued, and we both realized he would not be able to assist us. After I thanked him for his “help,” he replied earnestly, “You are most welcome.” Then, this: “Have a Comcastic night!” What a gem! Even though Mitzi couldn’t remove the charge, that delightful phrase alone made the ten minutes of worthless conversation very much worth it.

OK OK, back to Sunday morning. We rolled out of bed and walked to Kettleman’s (their bagels are wonderful!) to meet Lindsay’s parents and brother for breakfast. Then, we hopped in their car and headed out to find the perfect Christmas tree. We drove through the ‘burbs and to the farm where hundreds of Noble trees of all shapes and sizes awaited us.

Upon pulling into the driveway, I was immediately transported back to childhood. Memories of us bundling up in boots, snow pants, hats, gloves, and ski jackets and braving the blustering snow, freezing cold and biting wind to find a tree. Of course, we had to walk up hill in both directions, and at about 4 ft. 5 in., I was almost buried by heavy falling snow a few times. (OK, I’m embellishing here.)

We wandered around for maybe 45 minutes looking for the “just right tree.” No, too tall. Too short. Too fat. Too bare. The trunk is too thick. Finally, we spotted it. The perfect tree. (Actually, I think our expectations were just significantly lowered due to the fact that no one wanted to be there all day.)

As Lindsay’s brother and Dad secured the tree to their car, I remembered the few close calls we had on the drives home. Panic in the back seat. “Dad, I think the tree is moving. Ut ohhhh. It’s slipping to the left. Don’t brake so hard! OH NO!” After a few years in a row of near-disasters, my Dad mastered the art of securing a Christmas tree to the top of our van. And all was well.

This week, I’ve been on an adventure to find a mini Christmas tree for our apartment, on which we can hang our one ornament. (Thanks, Anne!)

After living in New York City for three years, I figured it’d be pretty easy. After all, every 10 blocks in Manhattan is a makeshift Christmas tree farm—open 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, and equipped with everything and anything Christmas related you could ever need. Stands. Lights. Decorations. Everything!

Portland is not New York City.

Monday- I walked about a half a mile to a parking lot where pre-cut Christmas trees were sold. I found a fabulous little tree for 15 bucks. I inquired if they sold stands for the mini trees. No. Only for the big ones. Grr. I figured the grocery store nearby would sell stands. No luck.

Tuesday- Feeling optimistic, I ventured to Fred Meyer to buy a stand and lights. In their Christmas aisle, I found lights! But, they happened to be the ugliest, tackiest lights I’d ever seen. And, the energy efficient ones were all blue. I didn’t realize it’d be so difficult to find white lights. Also, no stands.

Wednesday- I headed over to Rite Aid in the Pearl. In Manhattan, Rite Aid sells everything, so I knew I’d be in luck. “Excuse me, ma’am, do you guys sell Christmas tree stands?” She looked at me as if I were a delusional lunatic. “No, nothing Christmas-related.” Where AM I?! Whole Foods was only a few blocks away, so I walked there with a renewed optimism. Not only did they not sell lights, but they only sold stands already attached to mini-trees. I asked an employee, “Can’t I just buy a stand separately?” He replied, “No, they come as a package.” Defeated, I walked home. (Chuckles.) If Rick Perry were here, he’d think Portland was waging a full-fledged war against Christmas.

Today, I’m taking the day off from the Christmas tree hunt. Hopefully, I’ll have more luck tomorrow.

December Drought...

Over the last week, Mother Nature has blessed the Pacific Northwest with unseasonably and uncharacteristically dry and sunny weather. Let's just say I'm not complaining! I was definitely getting used to feeling perpetually soggy, and I'm sure it won't be long before my rain coat and I are inseparable again.

We've taken advantage of this "drought" in a few ways.

1. The other night, while walking to meet a friend at happy hour, we spotted a middle aged couple gazing at the heavens with a large telescope. I asked if they were seeing anything good, and they insisted we take a look. We looked at the moon and its beautiful craters. I swear, if the moon had buildings, we would have seen them through this telescope.

2. After Lindsay's interview last Thursday (she now has a second PT job--this one at a private practice), we took advantage of the remaning 30 minutes on her zip car and drove to the Pittock Mansion. According to its web site, the mansion was home to Portland pioneers Henry and Georgiana Pittock from 1914 to 1919. During the late 1800s and the early 1900s, their lives and work paralleled the growth of Portland from a small Northwest town site to a thriving city with a quarter million population.

On this particular day, I saw mountains I hadn't seen since being in Portland. In total, I think we saw five in the Cascade Range: Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Rainier. Nestled high in the west hills, the mansion is over 1,000 feet above the city's skyline and boasts a spectacular 180 degree view of Portland.

The marvelous Pittock Mansion, built in 1914

Spectacular view of the city and snow-topped Mt. Hood from west hills lookout.

3. Portland is home to a number of brew festivals throughout the year. (According to Lindsay, there is one basically every weekend in the summer.) On Friday night, we went to the Holiday Ale Festival in Pioneer Courthouse Square, where hundreds of other revelers indulged in tastings of 50 plus boldly potent winter ales. We met up with a friend of my longtime childhood friend, Julia. She and Andrew completed their Peace Corps training together. I figured any friend of Julia could be a friend of mine, and I wasn't proven wrong. We enjoyed the beer tasting, the smell of roasting nuts, and I was especially amused by the ugly holiday sweater photo shoot we did with Andrew's friends.

Not sure where they found those gems of sweaters, but we had a blast.

4. After the morning fog burned off yesterday, we ventured to the Portland Japanese Garden. We walked about a mile from our apartment south to Burnside Avenue, where we climbed a few hundred stone stairs in the woods. Soon, we were well above the city in Washington Park.

As we wandered along a winding road through the hills, we unexpectedly came across Oregon's Holocaust Memorial. Its lone visitors, we walked through it mostly in silence, contemplating and reading the history and quotes from survivors. The memorial contains scattered bronzes of shoes, glasses, a suitcase, a doll, a violin (which instantly reminded me of Juliek--from Eli Wiesel's memoir Night--whose playing of a Beethoven concerto fills the night with rare beauty, humanity and poignancy), and other items to represent everyday objects that were left behind. A cobblestone walkway with inlaid granite bars, simulating railroad tracks, leads to a wall that offered a brief history of the Holocaust and quotes from survivors. I recognized a number of the quotes from a documentary I used to show my students, and was reminded of the resilience and strength of the survivor who spoke to my students, Lily.

Bronze violin

Cobblestone path leading to wall

Although thinking about the Holocaust is haunting, the physical space was tranquil and moving. I am glad we came across it.

We continued our walk and soon passed the International Rose Test Garden, where over 7,000 rose plants of over 550 varieties bloom April through October. I am very much looking forward to visiting the garden in the spring and summer!

FINALLY, we arrived at our destination, the Portland Japanese Garden. Hailed as the most authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan, the garden is a 5.5 acre haven of peaceful beauty in the west hills.

The garden is composed of five distinct garden styles. According to its web site: "When we enter a Japanese garden, the desired effect is to realize a sense of peace, harmony, and tranquility and to experience the feeling of being a part of nature. In a deep sense, the Japanese garden is a living reflection of the long history and traditional culture of Japan. Influenced by Shinto, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophies, there is always 'something more' in these compositions of stone, water, and plants than meets the eye."

The garden's designers achieved their desired effect. The whole experience was incredibly peaceful and welcomed deep reflection.

Lindsay and Tea Garden's exit

Strolling Pond Garden

Bridge in Strolling Pond Garden

Strolling Pond Garden

Strolling Pond Garden

Natural Garden

Sand and Stone Garden

Another marvelous day