Where are you? - Hawaii

In Canada we can’t grow citrus in our backyards,  there is just something about our seemingly endless winter that doesn’t agree with sunny oranges, or tart lemons, which is precisely why I get excited when I see one. The first time I saw an orange tree I was 24. I was walking down a back alley in San Francisco when I literally squealed in delight at the sight of big plump oranges dangling from a backyard tree. I’ve calmed down a little since then, and I’ve shifted my focus. In Hawaii I would be on a hunt for an avocado tree. Hawaii grows their own special variety and I wanted to see one of those jade monsters in action.  

So after a breakfast fit for a queen ...

... I wandered around neighbourhoods …  

 ... ended up in an arboretum …. 

... but the search goes on ...

I can see for pretty miles and pretty miles

Fall was just beginning to show off her deep rich colours in Oregon, when I packed my suitcase and left her, and her cool days behind to be reunited with my beloved summer in Hawaii.

I began my Hawaiian adventure where any good tourist begins, in Waikiki. The name alone is just too much fun to pass up. 

My second day there I followed some new friends up to the top of the Diamond Head crater.

 If Jeju is the Hawaii of Korea, and actually I’ll agree to that, then Diamond Head is their …. oh  I can't remember the name, but it's the crater beside Udo island. Anyway, the view at the top is a little nicer in Hawaii, but the crater itself is prettier in Korea. I’m just saying.

What is a suitable reward for marching up a big crater and climbing a bunch of stairs? If you’re a big tall guy from South Carolina it’s Vienna sausages for you and your pretty lady friend.

… if you’re me, it’s a shave ice. Coconut and lilikoi (passion fruit) please.

..and maybe a massive bottle of soju for later.

How the notes all bend and reach above the trees

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Between crossing a few times zones,

cancelled flights,

jet lag,

and working on finding a new job and apartment,

 I'm a little scattered. 

Hawaiian photos are coming.

I promise.

Soon.

Sort of.

xo

I'm Going to Eat You Up - Portland Foodcarts

Oh Portland, you are quite the town.

We’ve had some pretty delicious times together.

I can’t claim to have eaten at all of your adorable little food carts, but I have grown a little plump from a few of your bests.

Korean Twist

SW 10th & Alder
It was my first, and it was love.

Whoever invented the bulgogi taco is a genius.

BBQ Fusion
SW 10th & Alder
Sometimes a girl doesn’t want to eat like a delicate flower,
she wants to bite into something big and messy. 

Perierra Crêperie
SE 12th & Hawthorne
They may have mixed up my order and given me a different crepe than I had ordered,
but I think the boy with all the tattoos was looking out for me.
Not only are their crepes delicious, but their milkshakes are just as imaginative.

Potato Champion
SE 12th & Hawthorne
I am not really a poutine lady. I might speak French with a dirty accent, and lived in la belle province, but I’ve never really caught on to the whole poutine racket … and ok, maybe Potato Champion’s gravy was a little on the sweet side, but I am definitely a fries girl & ketchup girl. These boys know how to make fries, and they know how to make sauces. Rosemary truffle ketchup, or tarragon anchovy mayo anyone?
 


Food Cart Favorites: The Sugar Cube from Portland Monthly on Vimeo.

Sugar Cube
Mississippi & Skidamore
"Boozy yellow cake, infused with copious amounts of brandy, a hint of orange zest and then dipped in sexy bittersweet chocolate ganache. This little gem comes with a coke straw and a Colombian sugar bump."
She describes it better than I could.

Then again ...
sometimes it's nice to just stay home and have someone make you something delicious.

Go, stay, Go

Bad luck - My flight out of Portland getting cancelled this morning.

 

Good Luck - Having an extra day to spend sipping Stumptown americanos, wandering around record stores, browsing through Powell's, walking over bridges in the rain, and seeing old friends.

Hawaii ..... soon ....

Pass the Sunscreen

Hi.

Please don't hate me, but I'm going to Hawaii.
It's only for two weeks. 

I leave in the morning.

I'll miss you too.

xo

Ruby

meow

I am not a cat lady.

I can't be a cat lady.

They make me itch.

Even if I take the tiny pink pills, 

 unsightly little red bumps will follow if we cuddle on the couch ...

"meow"

"I'm sorry Meatball, but you can't come in my room."

"Meow"

"Meatball it's 5am, please be quiet. You're going to wake the others."

"MEow"

"No"

MEOW

or

"Meatball, stop following me."

"Meow"

"Please go home, I have to cross the street."

"MEOW"

ok ... maybe I'm going to miss this little Korean mess of a cat.

kiss me for a while, and hide it in your smile

I saw two bands the other night..

and



They were both wonderful, so I bought their CDs ....
and then I remembered why it is so great to buy a CD ...
lyrics in the liners.

My love was swallowed by a whale.
We danced a waltz inside his tail

Oh, oh, with chandeliers and candle light

the ocean sparkled in the night

 But it's easy I believe what I was seeing,
in my head I wasn't dreaming, when my fingers started singing.
Can you see me singing?
-Ferraby Lionheart

some ruby with your french toast?

Something came in the mail ...

The last time I was in New Orleans, beautiful, seductive, dirty New Orleans I met Becky.
She draws really wonderful comics.
Guess who is running around taking pictures and causing hell in a dress?