Dancing in the Streets

Who all out there is going to be here for the Starlight Parade? Well, I can now give you one more reason (of the many wonderful reasons) to attend: one of the many dancers you’ll see in on the streets that night will be yours truly!

Join me June 1st, 8:30 pm, through the streets of downtown Portland for two miles of dancing. The dance we’re doing is by Bodyvox, one and the same as THE dance–the Advance dance in this amazing video of one dance, two minutes, and fifty lovely locations.

We have just six weeks to learn, and last week I had my first rehearsal.  There were so many familiar faces – the people of Le Grand Continental, a similar group dancing experience I did last September (pictured above), made up one special family, to be sure, and many of us had hoped for just such another opportunity. Here we were, back at the very familiar location of BodyVox to learn our new moves! I’d invited anyone that I thought might find this fun, and was delighted to see a couple women from my Zumba class, and the new girlfriend of a dear old friend as well. The initial invite said they were looking for upwards of 100 people, and my quick assessment of the crowd put us at about 80 +/-. Nice. Mostly women, but a good diverse group of us. Big, small, young, old, black, white, etc. Perfect. Two hours of practice for six weeks, for two miles of dancing, smiling, and laughing.

And so it begins!

Francene has over 30 years in the home mortgage business, and she loves being part of the Portland community. Connect with her on Facebook for Portland-centric updates and news or subscribe to her newsletter to receive monthly resources and tips just for locals. If you’re interested in homeownership or refinancing, contact her today to schedule a consultation and find out more about Portland mortgage options. 

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Hidden Portlandia Treasures

Last week, after my adventure in the Pendleton store, I have to say I was definitely feeling my Portland groove. So, of course, the next stop had to be to the food carts–how can you get more Portlandia than food carts? I’ve always known we have some of the best in the world, but I didn’t know what sort of surprise awaited me today. I’d pegged a Mediterranean cart for my meal, but found it closed. Hmmm. Circling, I found myself back at Frank’s Noodle house.  I’d been there before, and knew it was a safe bet – Frank’s Noodle house hasn’t let me down yet. It’s delicious!  But my mission today was to step outside my comfort zone–and that’s when I noticed a sushi cart: “Rolling Gourmet Fusion.” Interesting.  After studying the menu, I nervously decided to give it a try.

Apparently my hesitation was apparent, because chef Bobby Maki asked me to describe what I liked. To be honest, sushi has never appealed to me. Raw fish just doesn’t sound that great. So, having no experience, I had no idea what I wanted.  He suggested the Dynamite Roll, and I thought–why not? Steamed asparagus, avocado, cucumber rolled and topped with tempura fried snapper and wasabi Pico de gayo, all with a side of cucumber spinach sunomono and seared sesame tofu.

Wow.

As I watched Chef Bobby deftly arrange my lunch, I noticed his laminated magazine. All across it rang the praises for this executive chef who hailed from Houston, Texas.   What?!  What was this executive chef doing in a food cart on 9^th and Washington?  As it turned out, he moved here six months ago for the lifestyle! Thank you, Portland. We talked.  I ate.  And I decided sushi wasn’t that bad. In fact, it’s DELICIOUS. Thank you, Bobby!

So head on over to 9th and Washington. There’s an executive chef there waiting to make your WEEK with raw fish magic.

Francene has over 30 years in the home mortgage business, and she loves being part of the Portland community. If you’re interested in homeownership or refinancing, give her a call today to schedule a consultation or find out more about Portland mortgage options. 

A True Portland Moment

It seemed like a typical Portland morning in March when I headed off to Zumba one Saturday. This particular Saturday, though, was anything but. This was the once-a-year-only sale, with the new Pendleton Portland collection, and I snuck out early to secure a good parking spot on SW Broadway.  Once inside the door, I found that it was literally wall to wall with people. This line of clothing was made for the trendy, young hipsters of Portland, and they had all turned out accordingly. But I wanted in on this, too!  Could I find a large or extra-large in hipster-size (that would be a medium in any other line, right?)? After a frantic search I happily found several items and joined the checkout line to cash out on my bounty.  The line, however, took longer than an hour to get through! Normally, a wait that long would have made me CRAZY, but that’s when Portlandia happened.  And by Portlandia, I don’t mean high-nosed hipster indignation. I mean the most laid-back people on earth, who can’t help but make friends and bond over any shared experience–even waiting in line. By the time we snaked up to the checkout counter, I had traded and swapped for styles and sizes while generous strangers held my place in line, carried the cargo of my neighbors and had mine carried in turn so we could race out to fill our parking our meters, and we had all praised and encouraged each other to step outside our comfort zone to go for the biggest, baddest tribal print. I love Pendleton, and I adore Portland.  I halfway wondered why we didn’t all exchange email addresses by the time I left.

Here’s some of the great finds I snagged:

Francene has over 30 years in the home mortgage business, and she loves being part of the Portland community. If you’re interested in homeownership or refinancing, give her a call today to schedule a consultation or find out more about Portland mortgage options. 

Drinking in ALL of Portland…Spring Break!

Well, it’s a wrap on Spring break, and my in-box seems to announce the fact that I’m back.  The Sheraton San Jose wants to know how I enjoyed my stay, as does the Seattle Westin, and the Hotel Paracas in Peru.  Yeah, my timeshare, hard at work, making sure I’m a happy traveler.  But no, being a mother of adult children, my new freedom lets me avoid spring break travel without any guilt at all, and all those stays were for my daughter, son, and brother.   I stayed in Portland for Spring Break, and found PLENTY of fabulous things to do.

After taking in the Bill W and Dr. Bob play, I did a cleanse, which seemed appropriate. But after that, I headed out to find a beverage.

I headed to the Cornell Nursery for a class labeled “The Drunken Botanist.”  Local author Amy Stewart is something of an expert on this subject matter, and was inspired to write her sixth book after happening upon a work published in 1858 – Fermented Liquors: a Treatise on Brewing, Distilling, Rectifying, and Manufacturing of Sugars, Wines, Spirits, and All Known Liquors, Including Cider and Vinegar: Also, Hundreds of Valuable Directions in Medicine, Metallurgy, Pyrotechny, and the Arts in General, by Lewis Feuchtwanger.

Amy’s book is chock full of great information, and I brought home a whole tray of possible cocktail ingredients that will go into a container garden on my deck.

Finally, I wrapped up the Spring Break with more local legends: Storm Large joined Pink Martini for a free “Singin’ in the Square” event in the fabulous afternoon sun on Saturday.

Much like my experience when I danced in Le Grand Continental this past September in Pioneer Courthouse Square, I was overcome with emotion at the vast numbers of local Portlanders as we came together to sing for two whole hours.  This city really is the best.

Governor Roberts leads us in song. Along with some really strong support from Storm Large.

Check out Amy’s website – she a local gem!  http://drunkenbotanist.com/

I’m filing her right next to Lisa the Beer Goddess:  http://beergoddess.com/