is lovely!All the gardens are beginning to bloom, the magnolia trees and clematis vines are fragrantly spilling their scents and petals all about the sidewalks, the rain periodically becomes hail and then a giant rainbow covers the sky and sparkles in the mist.....every time we visit, I am more enamored of this City-of-Roses.
We have been spending our Spring Holiday - an extended Easter week!- at Louise and Ned's in Portland, and visiting with Stella and Marcus every spare second!!
We had a wonderful Easter morning attending the Episcopal Cathedral service - with a choir of 40 singing Byrd, a mitered-Bishop presiding with 3 assisting Right Reverends (at least 2 were women!), a dozen alter boys, Deacons, incense and crosiers, trumpets, horns, and drums! I am a sucker for good music presented in high style!!
And I was so happy to sing and fill my ritual-starved soul in a lovely building with stained glass rose windows and candles and gilt-painted icons crowding out the flowers :-) There were many Easter Bonnets in the crowd! Here's Louise's - she and Jon are standing beneath the magnolia trees in the cathedral courtyard.
Afterward, we went home to a Buffalo Roast that Ned had brought back from his grand Colorado Ranch adventure -Louise wanted to try out a new roasting method that works with "any size/any kind" of roast and it did!! Heat the oven to 375, rub oil and assorted spices onto roast, place in oven for an hour. After an hour, turn off heat, leaving roast in the oven with door closed for 2 hours - then turn oven to 300 for another 45 minutes and you have the perfect Medium-Rare roast! I'm so glad it works, because now I can cook the perfect beast for my lovely husband when he's in a carnivorous mood.
She had also pickled Salmon with onions - I am currently attempting to pry this secret recipe out of her because dear vegetarian daughter Stella converted to Pescatarianism for the day just to eat several pieces of the most delicate and exquisite salmon ever created!
We have visited a castle-for-sale (unfortunately, we can't afford it just yet), and attended Stella's New Music Trio working with a master class, and last night went to the opera, Falstaff, by Verdi, performed by the amazingly good PSU Opera Department students, starring (Metropolitan Opera Baritone) Richard Zeller in the title role. Stella's orchestra was wonderful as itself, and I believe we have heard a couple of talented up-coming vocal stars.
This afternoon, I will be a "presentation case" for Louise's Naturopathic Student Clinic rounds and Jon is attending nephew Nash's choir festival to hear Portland area high school musicians. We are truly living what we love doing with people we cherish this week!
May the promise of Spring breathe new life into all that you endeavor this year as well. Blessed Be!
We have been spending our Spring Holiday - an extended Easter week!- at Louise and Ned's in Portland, and visiting with Stella and Marcus every spare second!!
We had a wonderful Easter morning attending the Episcopal Cathedral service - with a choir of 40 singing Byrd, a mitered-Bishop presiding with 3 assisting Right Reverends (at least 2 were women!), a dozen alter boys, Deacons, incense and crosiers, trumpets, horns, and drums! I am a sucker for good music presented in high style!!
And I was so happy to sing and fill my ritual-starved soul in a lovely building with stained glass rose windows and candles and gilt-painted icons crowding out the flowers :-) There were many Easter Bonnets in the crowd! Here's Louise's - she and Jon are standing beneath the magnolia trees in the cathedral courtyard.
Afterward, we went home to a Buffalo Roast that Ned had brought back from his grand Colorado Ranch adventure -Louise wanted to try out a new roasting method that works with "any size/any kind" of roast and it did!! Heat the oven to 375, rub oil and assorted spices onto roast, place in oven for an hour. After an hour, turn off heat, leaving roast in the oven with door closed for 2 hours - then turn oven to 300 for another 45 minutes and you have the perfect Medium-Rare roast! I'm so glad it works, because now I can cook the perfect beast for my lovely husband when he's in a carnivorous mood.
She had also pickled Salmon with onions - I am currently attempting to pry this secret recipe out of her because dear vegetarian daughter Stella converted to Pescatarianism for the day just to eat several pieces of the most delicate and exquisite salmon ever created!
We have visited a castle-for-sale (unfortunately, we can't afford it just yet), and attended Stella's New Music Trio working with a master class, and last night went to the opera, Falstaff, by Verdi, performed by the amazingly good PSU Opera Department students, starring (Metropolitan Opera Baritone) Richard Zeller in the title role. Stella's orchestra was wonderful as itself, and I believe we have heard a couple of talented up-coming vocal stars.
This afternoon, I will be a "presentation case" for Louise's Naturopathic Student Clinic rounds and Jon is attending nephew Nash's choir festival to hear Portland area high school musicians. We are truly living what we love doing with people we cherish this week!
May the promise of Spring breathe new life into all that you endeavor this year as well. Blessed Be!
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