40 Dates
Date 1- December 28, 2010
Brunch at the Reedville Cafe. Annie had Dungeness Crab Benedict with hash browns and I had the Reedville Skillet with poached eggs. We spent the meal planning how we were going to celebrate our 4oth wedding anniversary. We ended up deciding to celebrate by planning 40 dates for the coming year. This is the final report on our 40 dates.
Sunday NFL football at Buffalo Wild Wings. Annie and I went here to mark the end of the regular NFL football season. We have been making our weekly picks for 16 weeks and this was our final set. Michael Ended up winning the entire football pool from among 30 participants.
Date 3 - January 4, 2011
Artists Repertory Theater - "Superior Donuts" a play by Tracy Letts. We took in a pre-show meal at Hotel deLuxe, in the Driftwood Lounge. It was still Happy Hour so prices were half the regular amounts. Michael had Gløgg for the first time. We shared a gorgonzola cheese savory cheese cake with wine reduction sauce, baked garlic and tapenade. Annie had a crab cake sandwich and I had a small burger. All choices were spectacular.
The play was very well written. This was the preview performance, so the acting was a little uneven, but the lead roles were strong. There were lots of clever lines, and although the general story line was somber (a small donut shop, past its prime struggles to survive in uptown Chicago) there was a great deal of optimism as well.
Date 4 - January 21, 2011
Chocolate Fest at the Portland Convention Center, a benefit for the Western Forestry Center. The Western Forestry Center is a non-profit whose mission is to educate and inform people about the world's forests and trees, and environmental sustainability. And, since chocolate comes from cacao trees, what better fund-raiser than a chocolate tasting festival?
There were around 75 vendors, from 'A Little Bit Sweet' to 'Wallowa Lake Fudge Co.", each with platters of sweets there for the tasting. The vendors also included a few wineries and one station that was serving chocolate martinis.
We bought some hand-made marshmallows, a chocolate fondue mix and some great chocolate squares from Coco Tutti.
After a couple of hours of tasting and shopping I noticed that Annie was beginning to talk a bit faster than normal, then I noticed she was walking a lot faster than normal, and hands were fluttering like a hummingbird. She was in chocolate overdose! Luckily, she calmed down after a couple of hours and was back to her (naturally) sweet self.
Date 5 - January 27
Imaginary Invalid at Portland Center Stage. Portland Center Stage was our prime theater group before we moved to Washington DC. We bought season tickets for several years and saw a wide variety of plays, all staged at the Portland Center for Performing Arts. The group now performs at the Gerding Theater in the old Armory Building in the Pearl District downtown. This was our first visit to the Gerding Theater and we thought it was very striking and a great place to see a play.
The Imaginary Invalid was a written by Moliere in 1673. It was written as a comic farce skewering the practice of medicine. Ironically, Moliere died soon after the play was first performed on stage.
The performance we saw was a modern adaptation of the original play. The characters and basic plot were the same in Constance Congdon's updated version, but there were plenty of modern references, including a bumbling fool of a suitor who bore a great resemblance to George W. Bush.
We saw the play at a noon matinee on a Thursday in a theater full of retirees and high school students (apparently on a cultural field trip for school.)
The senior citizens were uproarious, especially at the none-too-subtle double entendres and sexual quips.
Date 6 - January 25-Feb 3
The Week of Many Movies. We never seem to get to the movies. For years we've tried to at least see all the Academy Award nominees for Best Picture, but never managed to see them all. We were no better during the rest of the year. Movies are fairly expensive ($10 a ticket for an evening show) and it's always hard to choose a movie that A) both of you want to see and B) doesn't stink.
With that in mind, we decided to spend a week trying to get as many movies in as possible. Our schedule was as follows:
Monday- Inception (on DVD)
Tuesday- Tangled (Evergreen Cinema), Red (on DVD)
Wednesday- True Grit (Movies on TV Cinema)
Thursday- The King's Speech (Fox Tower Cinema)
Friday- Winter's Bone (on DVD)
Saturday- The Fighter
Sunday*- The Black Swan/ No Strings Attached
* We did a 'split bill' at the same theater. Annie was pretty sure she did not want to see Black Swan and I was just as sure I didn't want to see No Strings Attached, so we fount a theater where they were both playing at the same time, hit the theater and joined up after the movies.
Date 7 - January 31
OMSI Science Pub. The Venetian Theater's first pub offered the discussion topic, "Epigenetics: The Merger of Nature and Nurture," presented by Lisa Sardinia, PhD, JD. Sardinia, associate professor of biology at Pacific University.
When I was in college most of the genetics was relatively straightforward. Genes were small amount of DNA that coded for a single trait. The genetics Gregor Mendel discovered in the 1860's was still the basic model of how we viewed the inheritance of traits in living things. The picture is now much more complicated. Genes are influenced by a wide range of external and environmental factors. Dr. Sardinia presented a number of studies that detailed how environmental exposure to certain conditions had a significant effect, not only on offspring, but sometimes extending for a dozen generations.
One example was a study in Scandinavia where young people in rural agricultural communities who experienced just one year of bountiful harvests and plenty to eat, had must higher than average obesity in their grandchildren!
This is NOT he way genetics is supposed to work, but more and more evidence seems to point to environmental factors important in gene expression.
Whew! A lot of thinking for a date! On the upside, we did get a chance to enjoy the libation of our choice as we listened to the great lecture.
Date 8 - February 15
Birthday dinner at Andina, one of Portland's best restaurants. This was a combination treat as we used a gift certificate we received from Heidi as a Christmas present in combination with celebrating my birthday. The staff at Andina does a great job on service and food, including a great birthday dessert with 'feliz cumpleanos' written in chocolate on the plate.
Date 9- March 5
Movie at The Living Room theater in Portland. This was our first visit to this theater, which features six screens showing independent films and a great restaurant that serves in a glass-enclosed eating space or you can have your meal while you watch the movie. One movie we missed in our 'week of many movies' was the animated feature 'The Illusionist'. We were big fans of 'The Triplets of Belleville', the previous work by director Sylvain Chomet. We were amazed at how finely drawn the plot was, given that there was nearly no dialog. We had drinks in the Living Room lounge before the show and a light dinner at Jake's after the show.
Date 10 - March 10
Spring Training Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels. We travelled to Phoenix, AZ to spend a few days escaping the endless rain at home. We stayed at cousin Billie's house for the first half and the rest with my sister in Chandler. High on the list of things to do was to catch a spring training game. Nearly half the major league baseball teams train in the valley, all within 30 miles of each other. We attended the game at the Peoria Sports complex, home of the Mariners and the San Diego Padres. The scale of the park is small and it made for a very intimate view. Maybe the best news of all was the final score, 10-5 for the Mariners.
We enjoyed spending some time in the sun and the relaxed attitude from both the players and the fans.
Date 11 - March 13
Civil War Battle re-enactment, Picacho Peak State Park, AZ. We have visited a number of Civil War battlefields when we lived on the East coast, but never took the chance to see one of the battle re-enactments. We finally got to see one in a location few people would associate with the Civil War. In the Spring of 1862 a series of battles took place in what was then the Arizona Territory.
In addition to the battle we were able to see a number of demonstrations and exhibits in the camp area where the participants were living in 1860s fashion. This included everything from bullet making to fashion shows.
Date 12 - March 14
MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) , Phoenix, AZ.
The Musical Instrument Museum is an amazing structure and collection. A $250 million project, the building covers about 190,000 square feet on 20 acres in an area of north Phoenix. The groundbreaking took place in February 2008 and the MIM opened in 2010. The Founder of the MIM, Bob Ulrich, is a former CEO of Target. The collection presents musical instruments from all over the world and presents them in a cultural context. A wireless system allows the visitor to hear the sounds of each collection while standing nearby.
Date 13 - March 28
OMSI Science Pub at the Hillsboro Venetian Theater. Music to Your Brain: How Music Improves Brain Function and Aging. With Larry Sherman, PhD, is a senior scientist at the OHSU Brain Institute. This was the second Science Pub in our series of dates. Another very entertaining and informative session by Dr. Larry Sherman. He made the point that learning new things, such as playing an instrument, has a very positive effect on the human brain.
Date 14 - March 30
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry 'After Dark'.
"Treat yourself to child-free, brain-building science fun at OMSI After Dark! Check out live demos, new featured exhibitions, and old favorites. Sample tasty snacks and sweets along with beer and wine, and talk to regional food and beverage artisans about the science behind them. It's geeks gone wild!" We had a great time looking at the theme exhibits on The Science of Sugar, as well as some of the regular OMSI exhibits, including a great exhibit on Ancient Egypt.
Date 15 - May 14
The Portland Cello Project, Walters Cultural center.
About the Portland Cello Project
Since the group's inception in late 2007, the Portland Cello Project (or, PCP, as their fans affectionately call them), has wowed audiences all over the country with extravagant performances, mixing genres and blurring musical lines and perceptions wherever they go.
No two shows are alike, with a repertoire now numbering over 800 pieces of music you wouldn't normally hear coming out of a cello. The Cello Project's stage setup ranges from the very simple (4-6 cellos), to the all out epic (which has included 12 cellos playing with full choirs, winds, horns, and numerous percussion players).
Date 16 - June 20
Movie, Midnight in Paris
Finally, a Woody Allen movie that is watchable. This was a great story, centered on a Hollywood (hack) screenwriter on vacation in Paris. He goes for a midnight walk and is magically transported back to the 1920s, the Paris of Hemingway, Dali, Picasso and a host of others. Just the type of fantasy I've always had. When we were in Paris the last time I did a similar thing, touring some of the houses and neighborhoods Hemingway lived in while in Paris.
Date 17 - June 28th
Dinner with Denise Creech, Park Kitchen, Portland
Dear friend Denise was in Portland attending an ACS Regional meeting. She had a somewhat free afternoon, so after attending sessions in the morning, we went downtown to the Pearl District for a lunch at Isabel's and then out to our house in Hillsboro for a visit. In the evening we drove back into the Pearl and had a lovely dinner in the Park Blocks at Park Kitchen. We had four small plates and two large plates, all shared with 'bites'. Wonderful catching up with Denise and sharing a terrific meal.
Date 18 -September 3
Art in the Pearl
We haven't had an official date for a while, but we had a great Saturday, stopping by the Portland Farmers market and then on to the Art in the Pearl. This is an annual art festival in the Park Blocks of downtown Portland. They had around a hundred articles from all over the US and Canada. We saw a number of various pieces we liked a lot. I ended up with three small paintings by Pat Condron. One of her other pieces is shown at left. The ones I purchased are similar, but have a short section of guitar string sewn across the middle.
Very cool looking works of art.
The other amazing art we really liked was the work of an Oregon violin and cello bow maker, Ken Altman. You can see some of his work at the top of this entry. He makes everything that goes into the bow, except for the horse hair. Totally amazing craftsmanship.
Date 19 -September 13
The Oregon Symphony with Pink Martini and Storm Large.
This is how the Oregonian billed the concert, "Portland rocker Storm Large steps into the shoes of band singer China Forbes, who's out for a year with vocal surgery, for three Pink Martini shows with the Oregon Symphony. Large has been subbing with the band all summer to rave reviews, so expect a fluid show with sexy tunes and a couple of guests, including National Public Radio's White House correspondent, Ari Shapiro. A graduate of Beaverton High School, Shapiro grew up in Portland and first sang with the band at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009 in front of 18,000 people. He also sang on Pink Martini's two most recent albums, "Splendor in the Grass" and "Joy to the World."
The concert started with a crazy latin tune, amped up to 11 on the volume dial and ended with half the orchestra and most of the audience joining in a conga line that both brought down the house and closed the show. Amazing.
Date 20 - September 15
The Art of Cello Making
We have been to a number of excellent lectures at the most unusual venue you can imagine, the Cornell Estates senior center. So there we are, surrounded by books, with a squadron of walkers parked around the room as we heard about the history and art of making violins and cellos. The talk was given by Chet Bishop, a local self-taught luthier. Studying mostly from books, Bishop taught himself the craft by jumping in and trying stuff. At one point he bought 70 broken instruments on eBay and set about learning how to repair them. After Bishop's excellent presentation that detailed his construction of a cello (a copy of the Stradavari 'Davidov') we listened to several selections by a quartet from the Hillsboro Symphony, all playing Bishop instruments. The players included Marshall Tuttle, Nancy Vink, Sharon Ogden and Todd Anderson.
Date 21 - September 16
The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra
The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra was responsible, in part, for me picking up the cello and learning to play. A couple of years ago I thought I had an interest in playing the mandolin. It has such a happy sound and seemed like a good challenge to learn. I mentioned this to Annie, who bless her heart, kept this in mind for some time. Much later, she surprised me with tickets to a concert she thought I would like. She was taking me to a performance by the Portland Cello Project, having confused my interest in the mandolin with the cello(?). At any rate, the PCP concert was fantastic and peaked my interest in learning to play. Like F.Gump said, "life is like a box of chocolates..."
The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra has approximately thirty members and is comprised of mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, and double basses.We caught them at the Walters Cultural Art Center, closing one circle, which opened many others.
Dates 22 & 23 September 18
The Portland Art Museum and Artists Repertory Theater "The God of Carnage"
We wanted to see the most recent travelling exhibit at the Portland Art Museum from the first week it was installed. That was at the beginning of the summer. We finally did make it, but not until the final day of the show! The Allure of the Automobile is the first exhibition to consider the stylistic development of cars in the context of prominent design movements such as Art Moderne and Postwar Modernity. It featured contrasts between European and American design, the influence of decorative arts, and the significant changes in automotive styling and engineering before and after World War II. Maybe most impressive of all, many of these were hand-made. Hard to imagine how such beautiful works could be so perfect.
One of our favorites was this green Jaguar XK SS that was owned at one time by Steve McQueen. He bought it for $5,500 and modified the glove box to hold his sunglasses.
After a great light dinner at the Driftwood Lounge in the Hotel Deluxe, we went on to our first play of the season, 'The God of Carnage', at the Artistists Repertory Theater. This 2009 Tony winner for Best Play, "tells the story of two sets of parents who meet to discuss a bullying incident in what they hoped would be a “civilized manner. “ As the evening wears on that intent goes awry, and the play turns ferociously hilarious, shocking and disturbing, as the parents battle for ethical superiority."
The message is, 'what happens when people no longer play by the rules of polite society, such as being honest, having empathy, being willing to forgive. All these things go out the window in 'The God of Carnage'.
Date 24 - September 21
Artists Repertory Theater-"The Real Americans"
"We are a divided country, and the chasm separating small-town experience from big-city life, heartland from coasts, red states from blue seems to be widening. To try to understand the sources and meaning of this polarization Dan Hoyle traveled from the safety of his liberal San Francisco enclave into the center of the nation. A journalist, playwright, and an actor, Hoyle presents his findings in “The Real Americans,” a fast-paced, imaginatively crafted one-man show."-the Oregonian review of the show.
The total production consisted of four hats, a chair, a guitar and one actor. This is not to say this was really a one-man show, as Dan Hoyle channeled a dozen various characters, most of them were impersonations of some of the people he met in his travels. His performance was amazing, as he seemed to sprout a pop-gut for one character and an arthritic shuffle for the next. We didn't feel like he found much good to report about the natives of middle america, but his skewering of the tea party simplespeak went right to the heart of the heartland.
Date 25 - September 27
The Oregon Museum of Contemporary Crafts
We like this museum and we were especially excited to see a new exhibit from the Oregon Manifest Project. The Constructor's Design Challenge: A Competition to Design and Build the Ultimate Modern Utility Bicycle. This is the second of the biennial competitions. We attended the first event in 2009 and were blown away with the creativity of the custom bike builders. Pretty amazing to thing there are still innovations possible in a machine that has, more or less, been 'perfected' a half century ago.
One of our favorite entries was the Campus Bike, designed by a student team from the University of Oregon. It featured an integrated support stand, built-in lock, solid-core tires that didn't need air, and a large read rack for books and supplies. It had a very cool look and was very high tech. Amazing what a group of innovators can do with a century old product!
Date 26 - October 1
The Hood River Railroad Mystery Train
We have been involved in a few 'Murder Mystery evenings over the past couple of decades. I had a memorable introduction during the summer of 1985 while I was at the University of California, Berkeley for a chemistry Institute. A dozen or so of the participants gathered at the home of one of our leaders, Truman Schwartz, and proceeded to an evening of role playing parts we had studied for a week or so. Everyone had part of the story, but no one had the complete story. It all turned out to be great fun, with lots of improvisation and ham acting. A few years later we hosted another murder mystery for teacher colleagues and it was also great fun. People really got into the characters they were going to play.
So, we sort of knew what to expect when we made reservations for the Hood River Railroad Mystery Train. The trip included an excursion from Hood River to Parkdale, a distance of 20 miles or so each way. We had a nice dinner and after a brief stop in Parkdale the drama began. A half dozen crew members played out various parts in the murder mystery as they made their way up and down the the train cars. We were in a section of the car with some wild and crazy passengers who made the whole evening an adventure. They capped off the evening with dancing in the bar car, which turned out to be a real test of both rhythm and balance.
Date 27 - October 5
Portland Center Stage - Oklahoma
In 1967 Sequim High School staged a production of the operetta 'Oklahoma'. Sequim HS was a small school and we only had about 100 kids in each grade level. So, everyone did almost everything the school offered. In the fall that meant playing football. In winter it was basketball and in the spring, track or baseball. There was also yearbook, various clubs, newspaper, pep dances and the like. So when they decided to put on an operetta most everyone showed up.
That included my brother and me. While my brother got a part with a name (Slim), I was relegated to 'Dancers'.
In our 1967 Yearbook 'The Graywolf', the production was hailed as the, "greatest musical success Sequim High School has ever seen!" I'm not sure that impartial critics then or now would be quite so lavish in their praise, but we did have a lot of fun during the production.
When I found that one of the presentations for our current season with Portland Center Stage was a new production of Oklahoma, I was very interested. I hadn't seen a stage production of it since we performed it in high school. I could still sing many of the songs, even after 40 years.
One twist was that the PCS production featured an all African American cast. This was quite a departure from the original (not to mention our SHS production) but is based on the historical facts that up to a third of the cowboys on ranches in the plains were black, and there were a number of all-black towns in the region, with the largest being in Oklahoma.
The production brought back a lot of memories and I did find myself singing along with almost all the numbers. I tried not to hold a grudge that this cast could actually sing and were superb dancers, unlike most of us 40 years ago.
Date 28 - October 9
Artists Repertory Theatre - No Man's Land
This was the second play in our season ticket series at the Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland. "No Man's Land" is by English playwright Harold Pinter. It deals with two old friends, former college roommates, now late in life. Both had careers as poets, but one was much more successful than the other. Both have been ravaged by alcohol and it is much in evidence during the evening the actors spend together during the play.
William Hurt lives in Oregon and has been in several performances at Artists Repertory Theatre. He was terrific in his role for this play, making great use of his nodding, ambling shiftlessness he brought to a number of his film roles.
We started the evening with a great meal at the Irving St. Kitchen, a new place for us. I had gravlax and hangar steak, Annie had bibb lettuce salad and salmon. All delicious. Definitely NOT no man's land here.
Date 29 - October 12
The Wild Life
Gathering food has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Most of us get our food from grocery stores and local markets. Most of these markets get their food from farms and food processors. Fifty or a hundred years ago there would have been a much greater portion of our diets that came from local sources, either from local farms or from household gardens. In many regions there was a reliance on wild sources, both from fishing, hunting game, and gathering wild fruits.
For most of us this 'wild' source of food has pretty much gone away. The closest most of us get is when we buy wild-caught fish at the market.
We've been pretty blessed this year with wild food. Our daughter Hilary and her family went wild huckleberry picking for the second year in a row and we were grateful recipients of a few quarts of fresh berries.
This week Annie and I had a date in the wood to hunt for the legendary wild chanterelle mushroom. I've been a big fan of the wild chanterelle since I was in college. I remember a memorable spaghetti dinner with chanterelles in the sauce, served to us in Coos Bay. They are illusive prey, usually coming up after the first big rainstorms in the fall. This year we were lucky and had a nice haul at the end of a beautiful hike in Oregon's coast range. Now, it's time to cook.
Date 30 - October 17
The Corn Maze at Sauvie Island
Monday started out as a crystal clear day, with perfect blue sky and a crisp feel to the air. Not much question that fall is here in full force. Annie has been talking about doing a corn maze forever. We had some friends from Washington DC who had walked one in Pennsylvania and had a great time. Monday seemed like the perfect time to check one out.
Sauvie Island is the largest river island in the United States. It is about ten miles from our house, at the junction of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. It is primarily agricultural and nature preserve lands. We used to go to the island during the summer to swim at one of the beaches.
This was the first visit for us since they installed a grand new bridge over the Multnomah Slough on the south side of the island. There were a couple of mazes withing a mile of so of the bridge.
We chose one that was styled after the Portland Timbers Major League Soccer logo, which was incorporated into the maze design.
The actual maze was cut into the rows of corn, which stood green and verdant, eight feet tall.
There wasn't much to go on as we tried a number of various paths through the maze. Luckily the designers placed a number of quiz sign posts throughout. If you answered a trivia question correctly it gave you a hint about which way to turn.
I found myself midly amused by the pathfinding, but also somewhat irritated by not being able to navigate efficiently. Of course I kept telling myself what a dumbhead I was for feeling lost in an amusement that is supposed to make you feel lost, but there I was. At least I stopped short of pulling out my iPhone and gps unit.
When we finally rescued ourselves and found the final exit we spent a few minutes shopping in the farm store and picked up some fresh produce for dinner. I have to admit a feeling of well-earned revenge when we were munching on the delicious ears of corn on the cob that night. "Take that, stupid corn maze."
Date 31 - October 30
Vermont Fall Foliage
We were in New England for work, attending the National Science Teachers fall conference in Hartford, CT. We extended the work trip for a few days so we could travel to Vermont, the last of the 50 states we've visited. We had a grand tour, taking in Burlington, Shelburne Farm, Lake Champlain, and the village of Stowe. The fall colors were a bit past their prime, but we got a good sense of the beauty of the state.
Date 32 - November 18
Elizabeth Cook at Mississippi Studio
Elizabeth cook is a hip/funny/talented/beautiful singer-songwriter from Nashville via Florida. She comes from a long line of trailer trash rednecks (her description) and this family background figures in a number of her songs. Her dad got his degree in Welding from the Atlanta Federal Prison system (for running moonshine). She commemorated this in her fourth album 'Welder' that came out in 2010. It includes songs like 'My Heroine Addict Sister' and 'It Takes Balls to be a Woman.'Her voice is clear and ringing and she belts out the tunes with an easy grace that reflects the fact she has been performing most of her life.
We mostly chose this date to check out the Mississippi Studio, a great club in near Northeast Portland. It is very hip and intimate, and luckily lacks the typical beat up frat house grunge that so many clubs seem to feature. At any rate, they were very friendly and helpful and the crowd was mellow and ready to listen to music. We will be back.
Date 33 - November 19
The Oregon Symphony with Alban Gerhardt
Everyone seems to agree that going to the symphony makes you smarter, so here is a bit of evidence as to why this might be true. The the opener for this concert was Christopher Rouse's Phaethon. It is based on Greek mythology and the story of Phaethon, the son of Helios. To prove to doubters of his god status he beseached his father to allow him to ride the wild horses that pulled the sun across the world daily. Things went wrong and Phaethon ended up crashing and dying, sort of like the Greek economy in modern times.
All this in the first ten minutes of the concert! The guest artist was German cellist Alban Gerhardt. He performed a Prokofiev piece that was so complex and FAST that it was hard to take in. At times his left hand was moving in a blur and the notes just came pouring out.
I'm not sure which was the most inspirational part, the virtuoso Gerhardt or the 15 or so young cellists playing in the lobby prior to the concert. Watching them saw away at 1/4 size cellos was worth the price of the whole evening.
Date 34 November 29
Curling with Evergreen Curling Club
We signed up for the Evergreen Curling Club Open House session for an introduction to curling. Everyone associated with the Club was very helpful and friendly. After learning the basics we had a chance to practice in a practice game. Trying to judge the line and distance for throwing each rock is very difficult takes years of practice to perfect. Getting the right velocity (called weight in curling) is trying, as is aiming at the bullseye (called the button) 150 feet down the ice.
I doubt we will ever be expert curlers, but when the next Winter Olympics rolls around i 2014, we will be watching the Curling with brand-new eyes.
Date 35 December 1
First Thursday Art Walk
First Thursday is a monthly gallery walk that features openings and previews for the downtown art scene. This event is a cultural touchstone for Portland for the past 25 years. We've attended sporadically over the past, but with Annie's increasing involment in art, it seemed like a perfect date. If we were smart, we would have done a First Thursday during the summer, but no. We were fortunate to have a cool dry evening to hit as many galleries as we could. Annie's first stop was the Elizabeth Leach Gallery, which featured the type of encaustic (hot wax painting) art that she works with.
We followed the well-bundled crowd to the Portland Museum of Contemporary Craft and viewed a great exhibit that featured the design process through a project by high school students in North Carolina. Their task was to design and build a new farmer's market building for their home town. Their models and sketches were works of art in themselves. After a few more galleries and dinner at the Gilt Club we sated our appetite for art and body.
Date 36 December 13
Salt Grotto
One of the first ideas Annie had for one of our 40 dates was to go to the Portland Salt Grotto. Lamentably, it ended up being one of last dates for our year. Which doesn't mean it wasn't worth waiting for. According to their web site, "Salt grotto is the first artificial salt cave on the West coast of the United States offering a modern method of health enhancement – the Halotherapy. Halotherapy ["halos" in Greek means salt] is a drug-free and completely natural way of treatment. It occurs in a controlled air environment that simulates a natural salt cave microclimate."
The artificial salt cave is line with tiles of salt from Pakistan and Poland and the floor is covered with six inches of Dead Sea salt.
I went in as a skeptic, but I have to say the feeling in the cave is palpable. I felt a general tingling sensation that was very pleasant and quickly fell asleep for our 45 minute session. While it may have been due to the darkened lights and the warm humidity, it was very refreshing. Perhaps if we knew it was so invigorating we wouldn't have waited so long!
Date 37 December 13
Mercy Corp Action Center
Mercy Corp is an amazing organization. Its mission is "to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities." It carries out this noble mission through a wide range of programs all over the world.
We visited the Mercy Corp Action Center in downtown Portland to view a new exhibit, "Innovate: Design for the Developing World." This was a collection of low-cost inventions designed to help solve problems in the developing world. some 4 in 10 people on this planet live without a toilet. 1.3 billion people need glasses. A billion people lack access to clean water.
One of the Innovate inventions was a pair of Do-it-Yourself Eyeglasses. The lenses were filled with silicon oil. The shape of the lenses can be adjusted with a dial that adds or removes more silicon oil to the lens, which changes the focus.
Other innovations included fuel-efficient stoves, water purifying straws, and single use toilet bags.
Not the most romantic date of the year, but perhaps the most moving.
Date 38 December 16
Workout at Shute Park Aquatic and Recreation Center
It would be wrong to wrap up our year of 40 dates without including at least one workout. We've been working out for an hour a day, Monday through Friday for nearly the whole year. Three days a week it is 'Boot Camp' with instructor Danielle, and two days a week it's spinning (stationary bike) workout for me and swimming for Annie.
So, while it isn't an unusual date, it is a good one to include and celebrate. We've been dedicated to a daily workout after reading so much about the positive effects to brain function, body health and overall happiness. What better way to spend time together?
Date 39 - December 28
Winterhawks vs Victoria Royals Hockey Game
In our planning for our forty dates we tried to focus on activities we always wanted to do, but had never taken time to pursue. I don't know if hockey was on our wish list, but it was something we've never taken time to attend. The Portland Winterhawks are part of the WHL major junior hockey league. They are mostly young players hoping for a shot at the NHL.
The action was fast and furious and hard to follow. I thought it might be easier to track the puck when we were at the game in person, but it was just as hard as following it on TV. The skill level was a little uneven, with lots of dropped passes and missed pucks, but also some flashes of brilliance. A fun date to close out our year of 40 dates.
Date 40 December 29
Reedville Cafe Recap
One year later celebrating our 40th anniversary with 40 dates is the best idea we've ever had for reminding ourselves how happy we are together. It gave us a good chance to try some new things and better yet, a chance to plan things on purpose to do together.
The response from people who heard about what we were doing was uniformly positive. Everybody thought it was such a good idea. The only shame was that it took us 40 years to think about it!
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