Buddha Bellies

Monday, June 17, 2013

Life, As of Late

Technically summer hasn't started yet, but our perennial garden is really showing off lately; the Rose Festival has come and gone; our berry bushes are coming on strong; we're enjoying walks every night after dinner and during our lunch breaks; we're eating outside every chance we get, as well as cooking outside more; Cooper River Salmon; craving tacos daily; we pulled up the garlic and shallots planted last October; and the vegetable garden beds are ready for some action. I'd say summer has arrived.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Portland Dragon Boat Races

The Portland Dragon Boat Races has become one of my favorite Portland outdoor events. It has shot way pass the Soap Box Derby Races on Mt. Tabor. Why, you ask? Well, on a sunny day there's nothing better than being by the river.

There really is no bad spot to leisurely watch the races with terrific views of the finish line.

Races occur every 10-15 minutes, as one heat is racing another set of boats are paddling out and getting into position under the Marquam Bridge. So the action keeps coming.

On the second day, after times have been set, and the final brackets are positioned with teams evenly matched, the races get really exciting. Even though I didn't know any of the teams, I found myself cheering during the final races.

One unexpected bonus of having the Dragon Boat Races occurring the weekend of the Grand Floral Parade and the final weekend of the Festival City Fair was that going to brunch at usually busy restaurants was a breeze!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Life, As of Late

Apparently we like low-key Memorial Day weekends. Our holiday weekend was spent pretty much the same as last year's - staying close to home, going for walks in the neighborhood, brunch with friends, dinner with family and enjoying all the beautiful spring scenery.

It's been extremely cold and especially rainy the last couple of weeks, prompting us to roast a chicken and make soup. Some days have felt more like January than May, but the sun has come out just long enough for us to do a major bamboo cleanup, enjoy the farmer's market and slow down a bit to smell the flowers. Life, as of late isn't too exciting, we're liking the slower pace and taking care of long neglected chores (piles and piles of paperwork to be filed be gone!) We're dealing with the loss of missing out on a piece of furniture we've been hunting for awhile now, but we're reminding ourselves the only "things" we should be concerned with are the people in our lives.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Holy Bananas, It's Our 5 Year Anniversary!

5 years ago today we started this blog! Life has changed a lot in the last 5 years and so has this blog. We originally started it as a place to document our travels through Asia and continues to be a place for us to document our travels, daily adventures and life in general. Thank you all for joining us, we're already looking forward to the next 5 years. May the adventure continue!

We planted this banana plant to remind of us of Asia a year after our trip, and it has been amazing to see it transform into something different each year.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Chaba Thai Mother's Day Dinner

I love my family. They know we haven't found any good Thai restaurants in Portland and attempted to rectify that on Mother's Day. "Bring your camera," said my mom.

First of all, why can't anyone make a decent plate of pad thai noodles? Chaba Thai's was underwhelming to say the least, over sauced, noodles too gummy and no flavor other than the dark "gravy". Also why is it that when you say, no meat or tofu, just the noodles, they toss in vegetables? I want to taste the noodles and noodles only.

Our Mother's Day dinner was fine enough, but nothing that made us say we'll be back. The first three pictures are our appetizers - corn fritters, squid salad and chicken laarb; all three were our favorite dishes, but nothing extraordinary. The crispy duck curry was flavorful and great for the rainy Sunday evening. The egg noodles with pork had no flavor and could have been much spicier. The stirfry vegetables was the dish my mom & I enjoyed the most, and I half-heartedly let her take the rest for lunch. The seafood dish was heavy and again, lacked the layered flavors Thai food really should have. It was a nice meal, but we're still disappointed in the Asian food in Portland.

Chaba Thai

5810 NE Sandy Boulevard

Portland, Oregon

503.282.3970

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Life, As of Late

April showers brings May flowers! Long after the cherry blossoms are gone, does the Pacific NW flower show really begin. We had unseasonably warm/sunny weather for two weeks and then the cold marine layer returned and we're back to typical 60s, gray and misty rain. The extra long days makes this crazy weather tolerable, especially when everything on the ground is so pretty. We've been enjoying extra walks in the evening, with the amazing evening light, and Mike even perfected his stretching by walking. Hope everyone is enjoying spring as mush as we are. There's only more and more light to come for the next 5 weeks! Woohoo!