Before and After: the kitchen re-decoration with paint1

Before

After

Oh my gosh...when I began to post these two pictures of my before and after kitchen I noticed something very strange.  On the day that I took the picture of the kitchen last August, my display space above the cabinets had been packed with every piece of bric-a-brac that I owned.  When we were moving into this house, my son and daughter began unloading the boxes and before we knew it the whole top was filled with everything from Buddhas to a Red Riding Hood cookie jar. There sitting next to the kerosine lantern is our black cat.  I really have no idea how he got up there but pictures don't lie.  The cat can climb the walls.  Really.

In the after picture you can seen the green paint under the cabinets and a tan above.  The green shows a lot greener than it really is or if I am to believe the first picture, it is a lot greener than I thought.  Pictures don't lie!

Note:  My husband made the spice can holder out of a piece of welders metal.  We bought the cans at our local Krogers store (Fred Meyer).  He also made the gadget hangers over the counters.  He painted molding and spray painted cup hooks after straightening the hooks slightly so the gadgets would slide on easier.

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Sushi and Me....Portland, Oregon Metro Area Restaurant Scene

I love raw fish!  Up until a few years ago I would have never said that.  In fact, for those of us that were raised in the United States, it is somewhat of a odd taste.  Then I discovered sushi.  Here in the Portland Metro area all the malls both big and small have a sushi restaurant.  Some have more than one.  We are picking up chop sticks and using them as though we were raised in the far east.  Izakaya (sake) bars with their small plate menu are also very popular.

Here in the Orenco Station area we have a new sushi restaurant on our  main street.  Yaki Restaurant and Sake Bar was added to our neighborhood during the time we were gone to Tucson this fall.  This business also has a location in downtown Portland.  That means we can now walk a couple of block and have the choice of five different cuisines.  American, Indian, Italian, Chinese and Japanese.  A wonderful wine shop that has been in business for 7 or more years sits next to our Starbucks.  Then the New Seasons grocery boasts a deli with hot wok food as well as the normal deli food.  In the summer outdoor seating graces all of these restaurants.

In spite of all these choices we are seeking out the sushi more and more.  Within less than a six mile radius from our front door we can choose from 5 or more different Japanese restaurants.  If we travel a little further and go to down town Hillsboro, one of the best izakaya (sake) style bars in the region is located in the basement of an old Carnegie Library.  Syun Japanese Restaurant happens to be rated as the Best of City Search.  When you visit the bar, you can purchase your own bottle of sake and the bar will store it until your next visit.  We know of people that come out to Hillsboro to drink out of their very own bottle of sake and have dinner when they visit from San Fransisco!  The fact that the sushi is some of the best only adds to it's charm! 

On the City Search site mmorely2 wrote about other Izakaya (small bites) bar locations in the area.  His list of 5 locations includes Syun: 

Portland's small plates scene is changing, moving on from Spanish-style tapas to embrace izakaya, a sort of Japanese drinking establishment where free-flowing sake is accompanied by savory foods. Bites range from hand-cut ramen served in steaming broth to salty smoked anchovies and prawn meatballs. You can find this new trend taking place everywhere from a rehabbed old library building to a slick lounge, and best of all, it's cheap.

You will usually find a sparkling clean restaurant, some with rotating bars featuring small plates choices.  Many are strickly vegetarian if you prefer your food with no raw fish.  Dipping sauces are included.  The trademark for the senior life style is finding a great value.  When you add the fact that this way of eating is very healthy,  it just seems to me sake bars or Japanese restaurants should be a natural choice.  My husband and I love them.

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More about our Orenco Station Condo

Breakfast in the Sun...Park Model Living

My husband and I ate breakfast in the sun this morning. While our small park model does get the morning sun through the windows, lawn chairs on that side of the house are protected from the breeze so we eat there. You really cannot imagine how quiet it is here at that time of day. The air is cool (mid 50's) but the sun is very warm.

We are located on one of the large washes here in Tucson. Pantano Wash runs for miles through the city and we are told it can be a raging torrent in the summer . Wild life is a very real part of our life and we live in peace with Road Runners, Rattle Snakes, Humming Birds, Cactus Wrens and Javalinas (Peccaries). Desert rats are a problem for vacant houses so we make sure they stay on the outside where they belong. Taking a kinder approach to those things that are dangerous or dirty is not easy for us. But we do try!

The weather is getting cooler everyday. In spite of what those that live in colder climates believe, we do dress in blue jeans or long slacks most of the winter months. There is just enough of a chill in the air and the temperature lingers in the low to mid 60 in the day light hours. As soon as the sun falls lower in the sky our desert chills returns immediately. The only people you will see in shorts are tourist or snow birds that are new to this experience. Our nod to warmer weather is the absence of coats in our closets. Light jackets are enough most of the time. If it gets too cold, we just wear everything we own!!!

We grow flowers here in the winter. My front flower bed has petunias and melon sage interspersed with agave and cactus. Most things that grow naturally here have thorns so we love plants that don't bite back. Our flowers are a great source of enjoyment for us. My husband even has a tomato plant that is blooming. The plant tried blooming when we first bought it 5 weeks ago but the Javelina's dined on it one night while we were sleeping! That plant has gone through more than is necessary to provide us with patio tomatoes!

We will eat fish at the Elk's Club tonight. It is almost expected here in Tucson that you will eat fish on Friday nights. Seniors vacated the park at supper time to head out for their favorite restaurant. I smile at the quirky things we do just because everyone else does. In Oregon we would never do the fish thing on just one night of the week. But when in Rome....

So life goes here in our RV park...The Waiting Room for Heaven! Have a lovely day and do come down to visit sometime!

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