The Google Man Rode in on a Beautiful White Horse!

English: Google Logo officially released on May 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am like most bloggers...I have this love/hate relationship with Google. I do know that without them I would be nothing...not saying I am something now...but still they do help me think I am something.

I have been a blog writer for many years and have owned 4 different domains at different times. I suppose that is all good on me but don't ask me how I did it, where I bought them or even how to pay for them. My attitude from the beginning of blogging has been the same as the one I brought to my Apple computer when the very first one ever produced sat on my kitchen counter and Steve Jobs held Apple user group meetings here in Portland Oregon. I just point and click...ask me to join and I was interested. I am not afraid of anything. There you have it.

So getting back to the domains and how to pay for them I need to tell you about the guy and his beautiful white horse. I know his name but I won't put it here because I don't want to embarrass him with too much praise. OK...I give...his name is Ivaylo.

I owned a blog called The Left Side of  My Brain. I wrote on it when Sarah Palin ran for vice-president alongside that guy from Arizona...his name escapes me. She drove me nuts enough to prompt me to buy a domain just so I could rant a little with hardly anyone noticing. Then we moved on and I abandoned the blog. Once a year bills would come for the domain and I could never figure out how to turn off the automatic payment. Finally, this last week I found a place where I could ask Google the question and it would be sent to someone that knew the answer. I was asked to leave my phone number.

Imagine my surprise when the phone rang a couple of days later and a real, live talking Google guy said my name and offered to help me! Oh my goodness and here I thought that there were no real people at Google. I pictured this warehouse full of servers where a small man wearing glasses made sure that the backup generator came on when the electricity went off. I thought it was probably located in Christmas Valley, Oregon. Boy was I wrong. I could just see the man's beautiful white horse.

So the Google Guru and I spent the morning talking on the phone. We used an app that allowed him to see my screen called Join Me.  I was guided through deleting that old blog, paying for a lapsed blog. The big problem occurred in both cases because I was unable to access my Google Administrator account.  I took notes so I may not have to go through this process again in a year or so. No guarantees though.

Today I love Google and Google guy, who ever you really are. Thank you again. My life is very, very good! Oh and by the way, the Google guy said I was very tech savy for a woman my age. I think that was a compliment!

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Note: My new/old blog address is It Crossed My Mind Blog. I plan on writing stories there.

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It's all Portland Metro Week: Links to Websites

NOTE:  all links are in orange.

Take a backroad to a Carlton, Or. winery!

Whether you are a visitor, new to the area or even a long time resident, there are things that you can learn about Portland if you do some research online.  While a few websites like City Search or Urban Spoon are just a given, there are others that give you a more personal and less commercial view.  Those are the ones I want to share with you.  I hope you find this helpful.

• MIX Magazine (online edition) is published by OregonLive.com and is an arm of our local newspaper, The Oregonian.  We received this magazine with our newspaper for a whole year and I was hooked. The online edition will give you a lot of information.  The very best of all restaurants in town are featured along with enticing pictures and personal information on bartenders, chefs and owners.  I love this website.

Old Wheeler Hotel, Manzanita, Oregon
On the Oregon Coast

• Portland Magazine (online) This online magazine aimed at the Portland Metro area consumer has it all. You can find information on everything from food to real estate. The current issue has an article on a day trip of even an overnight stay in Manzanita that appealed to me. The Old Wheeler Hotel is only $99 per night so it is affordable. While the magazine is available on magazine racks I find that the online version is enough for me! 
• PortlandNeighborhood.com  bills itself as the "insider's guide to Portland".  Really, Portland is not a big city but the trendy and historical neighborhoods are spread out across the city.  Some of the best neighborhoods are not that easy to find.  If you take an insiders advice you can see a lot in not much time.
• Around the Sun is a website for those of us that are looking for something to do but don't have a lot of money.  If you are just wanting to fill a day this may be the place for you to go.
• Explore the Pearl Map  Portland's Pearl District is the location of one of my favorite book stores...in the world.  Powell's Books located on the corner of Burnside and 9th Avenue may be the largest used book store in the United States and even the world.  The online map of the Pearl is a must for any visitor to Portland.  In fact if you love to just look, shop and eat this is absolutely the place for you.  Be sure to check this map and the attached website with all the ads for businesses in the area.
• BikePortland.org is a website devoted to people that love to ride in the urban area.  Bicycle is a big deal here in the Portland metro area.  I am not saying that everyone in the area loves it but it is not going away.  People here are trying to find ways to get around, exercise and enjoy the outdoors without climbing in their cars.  Events like the Criterion and Bridge Pedal are a huge draw for the downtown area.
• Public Transportation Our metro area is linked by a beautiful and very useful train line that this supplemented by bus routes. We live outside the city and are about 3 blocks from a Max Line station. We can pay a senior citizen fee and ride Max to downtown Portland in less than 45 minutes. The trains run into the city center and after arrive downtown you can catch a trolley into the Pearl or even go as far as the PDX airport. It is a very good idea to check on this system if you are visiting. Parking, and traffic cease to be a concern. All you need is an all day ticket and a good pair of shoes. From downtown you can go to the Washington Park Zoo, Washington Park Rose Gardens, the Japanese Gardens and even the Children Museum. Hiking in Washington Park is very popular with locals.
• Day Trips from Travel Portland Website You really should either rent a car if you have flown in a take at least one day trip.  You can go in any direction to find what you want.  Wineries, the Columbia Gorge, the Oregon Coast, Mount Hood are all possibilities.  This website lists several suggested day trip.  The concierge at any hotel can help you our with this type of planning.  Sometimes a drive down country backroad can give a person the most pleasure. The point is there are lots of choices.

Portland is one of the most beautiful urban area you will find anywhere.  The climate, people and setting will just blow you away.  I hope you find something useful here.

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Design: "I need a change of pace" with color!

Odeedoh on Apartment Therapy...My Room: Muller Gray
Portland, Oregon

She said her favorite word and color is grey!  After looking at the room she created for her latest child with paint and a dresser from Walmart, I want grey too.  What do you think...could a Grandmother be as happy in this room as a baby would?

I'm not sure what the fluffy thing in the corner is but I want that too.

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A Drive in the Country...back roads near Portland, Oregon

Her friends called her Sweet Sarah!

     Location:  Portland, Oregon Metro Area...20 miles west from the center of the city.
     Area:  Scholls  at the corner of Hwy 210 and Hwy 219.  This corner is a slow down and stop location.
     Business:  Smith Berry Barn and The South Store Cafe
     Day:  Saturday in June
     Weather:  Sunny and Warm
     Mission:  Buy plants for the garden
     This beautiful lady sat at a table adjoining ours as we ate our lunch and listened to a band called Beyond the Grange (contact Lee Thompson at 503.628.1920). Don't tell me we don't know how to be stylish...isn't she beautiful?  When I asked if I could take her picture one of the other three ladies at the table leaned over and said "She is our Sweet Sarah."     

Beyond the Grange

A wagon full of beauty!

ON A QUEST
        We are having two days of sunshine in a row.  The planting can finally begin...here in Oregon at least.  When the sun shines, it is a requirement that we take a leisurely drive in the country...it might be the best good time of the whole year. We could not believe it...no rain and it was Saturday...the perfect day to go shopping for garden plants.

Smith Berry Barn

    
This year we drove out on Hwy. 219 from Hillsboro going south through the countryside.   The drive takes you past Jackson Bottom Slough, nurseries and lush clover fields.  When the sun shines this is heaven on earth.
     We stopped at Smith Berry Barn where we purchased our plants.  I could only think that it was a good thing I didn't live any closer.  I would be so tempted by all the goodies both on the inside and the outside of this beautiful store.  We bought herbs, garden plants and flower for my daughter's yard and flowers for the containers on our deck.
     Then we dashed across the road to The South Store Cafe.  The sign on the building said EAT and the cafe sign said SCHOLLS.   

 Location:  Located about 20 miles southwest of Portland on the corner of Scholls Ferry Road (Hwy 210) and Hillsboro Hwy (Hwy 219) across from Smith's Berry Barn.

Garden Sandwich

     Our sandwiches were some of the best we had ever eaten.  I had a Garden Sandwich that actually had slices baked sweet potato along with tomato, cucumber, red onion and spring salad greens. The special for the day was a brie, bacon, turkey cucumber sandwich that turned out to be the star at our table.  People going out were suggesting what they had eaten so all of the selections must have been wonderful. 
      If you are looking for a outing on a beautiful day around the Portland area, this is the perfect afternoon drive.  You will not be disappointed.

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10 Things About Buying a New Car...we saved some money!

     We just bought a new car today.  Phew!  Trust me there is a reason why we only do this every nine years!  But there were a few things that were different this time around.  We actually enjoyed the experience.

1. Interest rates for those of us with good credit are REALLY LOW!
2. The gadgets on cars are absolutely amazing.  Because the interest is low we can afford better stuff.  Blue Tooth, Alarm Systems, Tire Pressure Warnings, Sound System that searches for the kind of music you want, 4 wheel drive, etc.
3. More power!  We purchases a Subaru Outback Limited. We found the size and configuration to be perfect and the 2.5i  4 cylinder had a lot more power that the old Forester.
4. Our American Express Credit Card paved the way for Fleet pricing on the car saving us several thousand dollars.
5. We discovered that we we could do most of our research and decision making before we even left home.  By going to American Express Auto Purchase Program, we could compare prices, amenities and view the interior of all those cars we felt might be in the running.  That site is available to you even if you don't have a card.  This is good information to have even if you don't have the card.  More information makes you a better bargainer. 
6. The warranty we got this time was 6 years.  We both like that a lot.
7. We are a lot smarter...we did not get the service package when we found out it would only save us $70 over the length of it's use.  Ask how much it will save you.  The service package was only good at the dealership we bought it at.
8. Sales practices by car salesmen may have changed in the last nine years...for the better.  At any rate it worked that way for us.
9. We discovered that you can get a good price even if you don't trade your car in and it is a whole lot easier.  We liked that a lot.
10. Dealers will take your credit card for $2000 on the down payment.  Airline miles are a good thing.

    I don't know about you but I hate to feel like I have been taken.  This is the first time in many years I have walked away from the purchase of a motorized vehicle that I have had a good taste in my mouth.  That, my friends, is a very good thing.
     Incidentally, Brian at Royal Moore Subaru in Hillsboro, Oregon is a very good person to deal with.

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What you need to know to change flight reservations in an emergency! (Delta Airlines)

Image via Wikipedia

My new grandson was born by c-section on Saturday and developed breathing problems. His condition worsened rapidly and he was moved to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit  at St. Vincents Hospital in Portland Oregon.  I had made reservations with Orbitz online to leave Tucson in two weeks.  I would then help the family as others had to leave.  But as things turned bad, I realized that I would need to change the reservation and leave immediately. 

So the question was "WHO DO YOU CALL?"  After a quick thought process, I by passed Orbitz and called my Delta Skymiles number, and explained my dilemma to a representative.  He was very helpful and gave me the price for the change. I was shocked when the price he quoted was more than the price I had just seen online for the exact same flight.  Then I reiterated my problem...very ill baby, family in need, time was of the essence.  That was when he began listening to me in earnest.  I did have to gather information: 

1. phone number for hospital 
2. hospital address
3. doctor's name and number.  
4. copy of your original reservation 
5. your frequent flier number if you have one.  
6. credit card...it is going to cost some more.
7. a carefully thought through explanation of your problem...make sure they understand. 

If you have a real emergency, the airlines might be able to help you.  I don't know if they call the hospital and check but I am thinking they might,  so be honest!  Delta Airlines came through with enough help for me so that I could travel home.  I am so grateful for this service that they provide.  It is wonderful. 

But there is more.  There was a question about my choice.  My husband and I had the discussion...should I have called Obitz instead????  In order for both of us to rest easy about the cost,  I called Obitz, explained my situation and asked for their price to change the reservation....it came to around $600 for a oneway ticket.  It was then I realized how very grateful I was to Delta and their service representatives. My ticket home will cost around $280.  Quite a difference. 

I will be home before midnight tonight. 

My advice????  Find out  how this works now...look the information up and store it away for that day when you are emotionally not able to deal with a huge problem.  Take notes and write down numbers.  I wish I had been better informed.

I just thought you would want to know.

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Portland Oregon Vacation...stay in the suburbs!!!!

Yesterday's answers: Barnes and Noble, Waterfront Park, Brew Pub in St. Helens, Ore., McTarnahans Brew Pub, Countryside view near Carlton, Oregon.

I have a wonderful suggestion for you if you are heading to Portland, Oregon. Go out to one of the suburbs and stay in a bed and breakfast or hotel near the Max line. It is our life style for everyday. We live in a Hillsboro neighborhood called Orenco Station. The planned community as it's very own grocery, restaurants, Starbucks and even a store that features pet supplies. A manicurist, Oregon Hazelnut store and foreign import shop round the services out. There is a Marriot Suites hotel as well as a small hotel called Orenco Manor Hotel Suites. I walk by these browns stone homes that now house the hotel daily. I cannot imagine a more luxurious accommodations.

My son and his wife fly in from China, rent a car and drive out to Orenco Station. They can then take Max to downtown Portland and spend the day. Or they can take the drive to the Oregon Beach area in a little over an hour. Wine country surrounds the area and so a short drive can take you to very small wineries like Helvetia Winery or the small wine shop, Renaissance Wine & Cigar, on Orenco Station Parkway has outdoor seating for a late afternoon wine tasting very near your vacation accommodations. We love a drive out to the site of the old Rock Creek Tavern. McMenamim's has rebuilt an exact replica of the original tavern after it burned several years ago. The feature live music on Friday and Saturday nights. It is situated in the countryside and the outdoor seating is hard to top.

I just thought you would want to know. The adsense ads in the sidebar might have something for you or just follow the links.

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Where in the world am I? Hint: Portland, Oregon Metro Area

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