30 April 2009

In the Shadows of the Mission

Recently, I escaped the dreary Oregon spring for an extended weekend in Orange County. And on a Saturday afternoon with a little time on my hands, I ventured north to the San Gabriel Mission and Pasadena.


bug and mission

The mission turned out to be quite the hub of activity -- hosting both a traditional wedding on one side of the lot, and a car show complete with aging rock band along the main drag.

painting car mission

And while the cars were certainly shiny and bright, I think my favorite part was the display of handpainted tiles set into the sidewalk surrounding the mission.

toes and tiles

11 April 2009

Blue Sky in Bend


postcards
Originally uploaded by Katherine H.
Work took me to central Oregon this weekend, just in time to catch a bit of blue sky and sunshine. Every time I visit the area, there is a secret thought in the back of my mind that maybe one of these days I could live here...

I love discovering new things about places I already have an affinity for.

An afternoon walk downtown to a favorite paper shop introduced me to the work of Anahata Katkin. She is based out of Ashland. Who knew?

I selected two lovely postcards to send to lucky postcrossers. However, I may have a hard time parting with these. They may take up residence in my permanent collection.

From my hotel room I had a panoramic view of Pilot Butte, an extinct volcano within the city limits. It was a little too brisk and breezy this morning to hike to the top, so instead I went in search of this little bakery:

the sparrow bakery

I had stumbled across some promising reviews of The Sparrow Bakery online, so I went to try out the ocean roll for myself.

ocean roll

I was not disappointed! It mixed the goodness of a sticky bun with a kick of cardamom -- sweet and spice all rolled into one.

The Sparrow Bakery is tucked into an odd industrial corner of downtown Bend.

industrial barn

So naturally, I took out my camera.

mailboxes2

Before leaving today, I stopped by Mother's Juice Cafe on the westside of town. The fruit & veggie blend (apple, carrot, orange, cucumber, beet and lemon) was the perfect treat to quench my thirst.

Mother's juice

To live here full time though? First, I'd need a Subaru and a road bike!

04 April 2009

Easy Friday Night


Quiet studio space
Originally uploaded by Katherine H.
I took Friday off. I'll be working this weekend--and most of next week--on the road. I wanted movement. I wanted a creative spark. And I wanted it to be thrifty, too.

A quick search on the internet revealed the beginning of the Blue Sky Choreographers Series in a quiet space in downtown Portland. Enjoying contemporary dance is something I don't get to do very often anymore, so this was a nice renewal of that appreciation.

fries in a paper cup

Afterward, I decided to check out the Belgian fries that are gaining an appreciative audience over at Potato Champion.

Sitting in a corner parking lot at Hawthorne and 12th Street SE, this festive cart is only open Wednesday-Saturday, from 8 pm - 3 am. Perfect for late-night snacking. And they only serve one thing: fries. Order a cone full, sprinkle on some salt, and nosh away!

Potato Champion