Thanksgiving Week in Portland

Since Lauren moved to Oregon to attend law school six years ago we have celebrated Thanksgiving and the girls’ birthdays (both born on November 29^th two years apart) at her condo in Portland (technically, Lake Oswego, which is a swanky little community ten miles south of downtown). It was a near-perfect Martha Stewart Thanksgiving this year with the house decorated to the hilt, a loving family gathered together round a beautifully-set table, and a traditional turkey dinner.

Turkey place card with trivia feathers

There are challenges with entertaining in small spaces that go beyond limited floor space, although that is a primary concern. Our group of nine this year outgrew Lauren’s small dining table for six (eight was a squeeze last year; nine impossible). We found the perfect fix online…a 3-foot square game table. A little furniture rearranging and we had one long table to seat everyone together. Verne and I worked our magic in her small kitchen with very few cross words (I did have one small melt-down we won’t discuss, but that has become the norm). It helped to have made (and preserved) several components of our dinner a few weeks ahead. After all, I am the queen of food preservation! And finally, my crafty daughter had decorated her home beautifully with a “Give Thanks” banner, a Thankful Tree with the names of family and friends written on each leaf (it looks a bit like a Peanuts’ Christmas tree), and adorable paper turkeys with trivia questions written on each of five tail feathers. Fortunately for all of us the answers were written on the backs of the feathers. We switched our tradition of “giving thanks” to after dinner (last year dinner was cold after an hour of sharing and weeping). There was still plenty of weeping this year, but at least it was on a full stomach. Before I move on to the rest of our week in Portland, I want to share one of the small-kitchen, single-oven tricks I learned this year. Our sausage-sage stuffing was cooked in a slow cooker! Not only did it free up oven space, but the dressing was better than usual and stayed hot for second servings. Thank you, NY Times daily blog!

For years (pre-Verne Moser) I prided myself in stretching a turkey for four or five days. Day one hasn’t changed much with the bird and all the fixings. Day two was re-heated leftovers (always tasted better the second day with a fraction of the work). Day three was turkey tetrazzini. Day five was a French (I really don’t think it was very French) onion soup made from turkey stock. I don’t remember what I did on day four, but I’m sure it was equally delicious. All that changed 30+ years ago. Verne had a tragic experience on Christmas Eve when he was a teenager. The man who had raised him for much of his first 15 years, Sig Hanson, died. For days after Sig’s death neighbors and friends brought food to the family…turkey! Verne has always used the association of a holiday turkey with Sig’s death as an excuse for limiting his consumption of turkey to two small pieces on Thanksgiving. That’s it for the entire year! So I have given up on getting creative with turkey leftovers. I buy the smallest of birds and give the rest away with the carcass and giblets a holiday treat for the barn cats. All that as a prelude to our Friday night dinner, which wasn’t turkey leftovers…

Thai Peacock dinner

One of the first “favorite” restaurants we discovered in downtown Portland is called Thai Peacock. It’s directly across the street from Powell’s Bookstore, another fave. Just a side note, Powell’s takes up a city block and has over a million books, new and used. They claim to be the largest bookstore in the world and I believe it. I carry a map of the store so as not to get lost. As for Thai food over the holiday weekend, why not? For our “Asian-at-heart daughter” Thai food is always a perfect choice. I call Lauren that because during a visit to a friend’s home the girl’s mother watched Lauren masterfully use her chopsticks and said, you are more Asian than my own daughter born and raised in China. Lauren discovered a dish called Pad Se Ew while she attended UC Berkeley. A few years later, during her stint at Lewis and Clark Law School, she served a summer (law) internship in Laos (and traveled to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam). Her summer adventures, documented in her blog (Adventuresof a Book Worm Abroad), included a one-day cooking class where she learned to make all the food she loves, Pad Se Ew, Tom Yum soup, curry, and mango with sticky rice to name a few. Lauren made suggestions for our order and as we enjoyed several courses of delicious Thai food, we reminisced of her 2010 trip to Southeast Asia. As parents, the worries were burned into our memory…civil war breaking out in Chaing Mai the day Lauren left on her trip, cultural immersion week at a refugee camp for young women, dengue fever, foodborne illnesses. The list is long. For Lauren, who has no qualms of traveling to third-world countries, it was probably the best three-months of her law school experience. 

Scott and Ini at Thai Peacock

Birthday Girls at Thai Peacock

Verne and Andy at Thai Peacock

Jana and I are the tea drinkers in the family and she ordered a pot of Jasmine green tea for the two of us to have with our food. We commented several times during dinner that it was the best Jasmine tea we’d ever had. We ordered a second pot and continued to discuss it to the point of being annoying to the rest of the fam, which only served to encourage us to continue with our accolades (LOL). As we were leaving I noted that the brand was Smith Tea. We googled it and lo and behold we found that Smith Tea headquarters and tasting room is located in Portland. Steven Smith, who died a few years ago at the early age of 65 (hope it was not due to drinking tea), was the teamaker and cofounder of Stash teas and the tea shaman of Tazo. Based on the price of the tea, which I ordered, it is definitely “uncommon…with a curated line of flavors like nothing else in the world.” In other words, it’s a snooty tea for serious tea drinkers and definitely a step up from Stash and Tazo. By Sunday, all of the family had left to go home and we were alone to run a few errands and complete a DIY project in the afternoon (replace Lauren’s garbage disposal).

DIY garbage disposal

We had an errand in northeast Portland that took us very close to the Smith Tea tasting room. All it took was for Lauren to say she would really like to find a tea she likes (she is historically a tea teetotaler) and we were off to experience Smith Tea. And what an incredible experience it was! We spent an hour sipping and slurping a flight of teas. Yes, slurping. We learned that slurping aerates the tea and enhances the taste. This was an experience we will repeat as often as we’re in Portland. What fun!

Smith Tea, a flight of four

Slurping

Beautiful fall day in front of Smith Tea

Have I mentioned that Portland is a “foodie” town? Lauren’s mission has been to scout out new restaurants for us to try during our visits. The real challenge has been to get us to try them. We have so many favorites and our trips are rarely more than four or five days. This particular trip was longer than most giving us an extra couple of dining opportunities.

The first, which occurred before Thanksgiving, was truly amazing. Verne and I arrived in Portland on Tuesday afternoon while Jandy (Jana and her boyfriend Andy) arrived very late Tuesday night. We all met up at Lauren’s house on Wednesday mid-day and decided to head out to try one of these new eating establishments that Lauren had been raving about. She suggested Laurelhurst Market, a combination butcher shop and restaurant in southeast Portland, as the perfect place for our group and so we called to make reservations. At the time, it seemed unfortunate that the restaurant only had reservations at 4:30 pm when they opened, but in retrospect it was perfect (fewer people meant more attention from the wait staff and less noise for the hard of hearing – everyone but Lauren – in our group). The restaurant is beautiful and quintessentially Portland. Menus with local seasonal selections were passed around and it was immediately apparent it would be challenge to order as everything on the menu looked delicious. We decided to begin by sharing some starters – a pickle board with about 6 different pickled vegetables, each pickled in a unique manner and served on an actual board, an order of fried oysters, and two bowls of French onion soup. These hors d’oeuvres were impeccable, each more delicious than the last. As we feasted, our waiter decanted the wine we brought and then poured it out for us. We sipped and sampled our way through this first course and then began to think about the main event. As I mentioned above, Laurelhurst Market is a butcher shop/restaurant and focuses much of its menu on steaks. Each cut of beef is served in a unique style and our waiter was on hand to discuss each in depth. He asked questions on our preferences, inquired about our previous experiences with steak and then made recommendations. The result was an amazing meal for each of us – steak frites for Verne, a flat iron steak with a golden raisin vinaigrette for myself and Andy, a coulotte steak with a Thai hazelnut sauce for Lauren, and grilled shrimp for Jana. This is to say nothing of the sides – Yukon potatoes with aioli, smoked wild mushrooms, and mac & cheese with a potato chip crust.  In the end, we spent about two hours relaxing and reveling in a glorious meal and outstanding company. Our waiter was incredible, always ready with a recommendation and refilling our glasses of water or wine before we realized we needed it. We ended the meal with fresh beignets and an untraditional “carrot cake.” As we left the restaurant we all agreed it was one of the best meals we have eaten in Portland and Jana declared it better than almost all restaurants in LA as well (high praise indeed!). 

Our final new restaurant experience in Portland occurred on Sunday evening after the others had left. Verne, Lauren and I went to Nicoletta’s Table in downtown Lake Oswego, an Italian restaurant Lauren had been interested in trying for the past year. It’s located in a small, inconspicuous shopping center and is right next door to Lauren’s Mexican food favorite, Senor Taco. Well, Nicoletta’s Table is simply fantastic. The restaurant is beautiful and includes an open kitchen plan so that you can watch the chefs cook as you eat. What more could you want than a show with your dinner? We started with Nicoletta’s famous mini meatballs in red sauce and they were perfect. As we ate, our waitress brought us a small rustic bag filled with fresh focaccia bread and a large delicious cracker. A bottle of olive oil on the table provided a perfect dip and each bite proved better than the last. For the main course, I sampled the lasagna (which proved unique and delicious), Lauren tried the spaghetti Bolognese (another winner), and Verne ate a classic, spaghetti and meatballs (wonderful). We all agreed that we had found yet another favorite to add to the list and that Jandy must accompany us to Nicoletta’s on their next visit.

Let the Celebrations Begin

I’ve resisted for years, but finally bought into the idea that the holidays begin in October. Commercially, Christmas music and decorations are present everywhere by the end of October and with the big whoop-de-doo made over Halloween, October is the month it all begins. The final quarter of the year just melds into one big celebration, although I always feel Thanksgiving doesn’t receive its proper share as it’s largely overshadowed by Black Friday and preparations for Christmas. Whatever! We’re off and celebrating.

The Fam at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

We spent the last weekend of October in SoCal at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, followed the next day with a holiday dinner at our old favorite, the Old Spaghetti Factory, and then the grand finale, attended Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas at the Hollywood Bowl on Halloween Eve. Three light-hearted, perfect days with daughters. We arrived in Los Angeles Thursday evening and kicked off the weekend with dinner at Rick Bayless’s restaurant, the Red O. We’d driven all day and Jana had had a harrowing day at work, but after several margaritas, all was good. This was the second time we’ve eaten at Red O and once again found the food to be exceptional. Not so for the service, however, and it took threats of calling Rick to finally get a little attention from the servers. I think they actually believed we have a direct line to him (Rick Bayless, the owner), because the manager visited our table three times that evening and we enjoyed a complimentary round of margaritas and the best cake I’ve ever eaten. We didn’t let the poor service spoil our evening…just laughed and embraced it and drank more margaritas. Jana and Andy picked Lauren up from LAX later that evening and went back to Andy’s home in downtown LA…soon to be Jana’s new home, too. We stayed in Jana’s apartment on Wilshire with her cat, Izzy, and resisted the urge to begin packing her belongings as she was scheduled to move the following week. Andy assured us he would pack and move her (she’s hopeless when it comes to packing and moving). This was good news, but it was still hard to just sit by idly knowing the work involved after having moved her every year since we shipped her off to college in 2002. Yes, that would be over a dozen moves.

We’d been watching the weather forecast the week leading up to our trip and it continued to show rain on the days of our two big outdoor events. We awoke to a wet Friday morning, but by the time we were all ready the sun had broken through the clouds and we were left with little evidence of the rain, just a few puddles that only added to the ambiance of Harry Potter World. We’ve all read J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, listened to the audiobooks, watched the movies in theater, and own DVDs to re-watch. The final movie in the series released about five years ago was a big event for us with the girls buying us t-shirts (Verne designed his own with a picture of one of the story’s villains and words that say, “Bellatrix Lestrange is Afraid of Me”) and opening-day tickets to the movie. We’re all Potter fans so it should be no surprise that we’ve been anxious to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in LA that opened this past summer. It was incredible to see the Hogwarts castle (perfect in every detail) and visit all the shops of Hogsmeade. 

The Three Broomsticks

Ollivanders

We rode the Flight of the Hippogriff, a rollercoaster ride that had us all screaming, and the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, another ride that simulates flying on a broomstick, that left us all feeling queasy the rest of the day. We drank butter beer (a butter-scotch flavored non-alcoholic drink with a frothy head) and pumpkin juice at the Three Broomsticks and Lauren bought an interactive wand at Ollivander’s. Of course, anyone who has ever read the books knows that the wand chooses the wizard, not the other way around. However, Ollivander helps with the process by offering a wide variety of wands made from wood (not really) with different attributes. After reading about every wand, Lauren chose hazel wood. We went to the first “interactive” spot on a map that’s furnished with the wand and she cast her first spell (or was it a charm?). Nothing. She tried it again and again and nothing happened. A faulty wand??? Finally, Verne grabbed her wand, made the gesture, and spoke the incantation. Success! We all laughed…the wand had chosen its wizard and it wasn’t Lauren. 

Lauren trying to use her wand

We had one final unforgettable experience at Universal Studios. We walked through The Walking Dead set (one of our favorite series). Actually, we ran and screamed all the way through it. It was fight or flight and we chose a speedy flight. It. Was. Terrifying!

Gand Central Market

Jana and Andy at the Einstein's bagel shop

Lauren kicking back at Andy's condo

Over the next few days we walked the Grand Central Market, just a couple of minutes from Andy’s home, visited a couple of Jandy’s (that what I call Jana and Andy) favorite breweries (drinking beer and playing games), had lunch at Wurstkuche, a favorite restaurant from our chemo trips of 2015, and met up with Verne’s older SoCal daughters at the Spaghetti Factory in Fullerton Saturday night. We’ve been celebrating birthdays and other occasions at the Spaghetti Factory for over thirty years. It’s not the best Italian food we’ve ever eaten, but it’s familiar and unchanging. It’s kid-friendly. And, we can be as loud and noisy as we want. Each of us has a favorite order, only changed over the years by the addition of broccoli with mizithra cheese. As always, the evening with all four daughters and their families was perfect. 

Grandsons Matthew, Sam, and Logan at the Old Spaghetti Factory

After a bit of catching up, talk gravitated to our Harry Potter experience and by the time we left, each of us had logged on to the Pottermore website and determined their house and patronus. If you haven’t read the seven Harry Potter books (you should), those terms might be confusing. The sorting hat (that’s another story) assigns students to one of four houses at Hogswarts (school). Each house values different virtues. A patronus is like a spirit animal in form that possesses characteristics from a person’s personality. My patronus is the weasel and Verne’s is the wolf. Curiouser and curiouser. I read a little about weasel characteristics…smart, clever, and charming. Three attributes I can accept. But, also mentioned, manipulative and untrustworthy? In my defense, I live with a wolf!

Although Sunday’s weather forecast no longer showed rain, much of the day threatened with dark clouds. This was a concern as the Hollywood Bowl is outdoor seating (17,500 seats to be exact) and typically doesn’t offer events past September. This was the second and final year for the musical performance of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas with the original cast, including Danny Elfman, who composed the music and lyrics. The evening was perfect. No rain until the final curtain call, making the evening even more magical. Amazing box seating, no need for binoculars (we’ll never be able to go back to grandstand seating). An enthusiastic crowd, especially our daughters who have loved the movie since it premiered in 1993. They could not contain their excitement, cheering, clapping, and singing along with the cast. They know every word to every song. An unforgettable performance ranking up there with our all-time favorite, Elton John and Billy Joel in concert. It was a perfect end to our weekend together and beginning of our 2016 holiday celebrations. I’ve included the original poem by Tim Burton below with a few of the pictures we took that evening. Such creativity, both the poem and art, is only equaled by Danny Elfman, who brought The Nightmare Before Christmas to life with his music.

Joyce and Lauren with Jack Skellington and Sally

The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hollywood Bowl

We left Monday morning and drove home by way of Santa Barbara, where we visited our close friend, Sally Simms. We spent all afternoon, evening, and until mid-morning the next day talking. We never seem to run out of conversation with Sally. Her health could be better, but, as she reminds us, she’s got a memory like an elephant. Never forgets a thing.

Breakfast at the Boathouse, Santa Barbara

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 

It was late one fall in Halloweenland,
And the air had quite a chill.
Against the moon a skeleton sat,
Alone upon a hill.
He was tall and thin with a bat bow tie;
Jack Skellington was his name.
He was tired and bored in Halloweenland,
Everything was always the same.
"I'm sick of the scaring, the terror, the fright.
I'm tired of being something that goes bump in the night.
I'm bored with leering my horrible glances,
And my feet hurt from dancing those skeleton dances.
I don't like graveyards, and I need something new.
There must be more to life than just yelling, 'Boo!'"
Then out from a grave, with a curl and a twist,
Came a whimpering, whining, spectral mist.
It was a little ghost dog, with a faint little bark,
And a jack-o'-lantern nose that glowed in the dark.
It was Jack's dog, Zero, the best friend he had,
But Jack hardly noticed, which made Zero sad.
All that night and through the next day,
Jack wandered and walked. He was filled with dismay.

Then deep in the forest, just before night,
Jack came upon an amazing sight.
Not twenty feet from the spot where he stood
Were three massive doorways carved in wood.
He stood before them, completely in awe,
His gaze transfixed by one special door.
Entranced and excited, with a slight sense of worry,
Jack opened the door to a white, windy flurry.
Jack didn't know it, but he'd fallen down
In the middle of a place called Christmas Town!
Immersed in the light, Jack was no longer haunted.
He had finally found the feeling he wanted.
And so that his friends wouldn't think him a liar,

He took the present-filled stockings that hung by the fire.

He took candy and toys that were stacked on the shelves,

A picture of Santa and all of his elves.

He took lights and ornaments and the star from the tree.

And from the Christmas town sign he took the big letter C.

He picked up everything that sparkled or glowed,

He even picked up a handful of snow.

He grabbed it all without being seen,

He took it all back to Halloween.

Back in Halloween a group of Jack’s peers,

Stared in amazement at his Christmas souvenirs.
For this wondrous vision none were prepared.
Most were excited, though a few were quite scared!
For the next few days, while it lightninged and thundered,
Jack sat alone and obsessively wondered.
"Why is it they get to spread laughter and cheer
While we stalk the graveyards, spreading panic and fear?
Well, I could be Santa, and I could spread cheer!
Why does he get to do it year after year?"
Outraged by injustice, Jack thought and he thought.
Then he got an idea. "Yes...yes...why not!"

In Christmas Town, Santa was making some toys,
When through the din he heard a soft noise.
He answered the door, and to his surprise,
He saw weird little creatures in strange disguise.
They were altogether ugly and rather petite.
As they opened their sacks, they yelled, "Trick or treat!"
Then a confused Santa was shoved into a sack,
And taken to Halloween to see mastermind Jack.
In Halloween, everyone gathered once more,
For they'd never seen a Santa before.
And as they cautiously gazed at this strange old man,
Jack related to Santa his masterful plan:
"My dear Mr. Claus, I think it's a crime
That you've got to be Santa all of the time!
But now I will give presents, and I will spread cheer.
We're changing places! I'm Santa this year.
It is I who will say Merry Christmas to you!
So you may lie in my coffin, creak doors, and yell, 'Boo!'
And please, Mr. Claus, don't think ill of my plan.
For I'll do the best Santa job that I can."
And though Jack and his friends thought they'd do a good job,
Their idea of Christmas was still quite macabre.
They were packed up and ready on Christmas Eve day
When Jack hitched his reindeer to his sleek coffin sleigh.
But on Christmas Eve as they were about to begin,
A Halloween fog slowly rolled in.
Jack said, "We can't leave; this fog's just too thick.
There will be no Christmas, and I can't be St. Nick."
Then a small glowing light pierced through the fog.
What could it be?...It was Zero, Jack's dog!
Jack said, "Zero, with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
And to be so needed was Zero's great dream,
So he joyously flew to the head of the team.
And as the skeletal sleigh started its ghostly flight,
Jack cackled, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
'Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas, and all though the house,
Not a creature was peaceful, not even a mouse.
The stockings all hung by the chimney with care,
When opened that morning would cause quite a scare!
The children, all nestled so snug in their beds,
Would have nightmares of monsters and skeleton heads.
The moon that hung over the new-fallen snow
Cast an eerie pall over the city below,
And Santa Claus's laughter now sounded like groans,
And the jingling bells like chattering bones.
And what to their wondering eyes should appear,
But a coffin sleigh with skeleton deer.
And a skeletal driver so ugly and sick,
They knew in a moment, this can't be St. Nick!
From house to house, with a true sense of joy,
Jack happily issued each present and toy.
From rooftop to rooftop he jumped and he skipped,
Leaving presents that seemed to be straight from a crypt!
Unaware that the world was in panic and fear,
Jack merrily spread his own brand of cheer.
He visited the house of Susie and Dave;
They got a Gumby and Pokey from the grave.
Then on to the home of little Jane Neeman;
She got a baby doll possessed by a demon.
A monstrous train on tentacle tracks,
A ghoulish puppet wielding an ax,
A man-eating plant disguised as a wreath,
And a vampire teddy bear with very sharp teeth.
There were screams of terror, but Jack didn't hear it,
He was much too involved with his own Christmas spirit!
Jack finally looked down from his dark, starry frights
And saw the commotion, the noise, and the light.
"Why, they're celebrating, it looks like such fun!
They're thanking me for the good job that I've done."
But what he thought were fireworks meant as goodwill
Were bullets and missiles intended to kill.
Then amidst the barrage of artillery fire,
Jack urged Zero to go higher and higher.
And away they all flew like the storm of a thistle,
Until they were hit by a well guided missile.
And as they fell on the cemetery, way out of sight,
Was heard, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."
Jack pulled himself up on a large stone cross,
And from there he reviewed his incredible loss.
"I thought I could be Santa, I had such belief"
Jack was confused and filled with great grief.
Not knowing where to turn, he looked toward the sky,
Then he slumped on the grave and he started to cry.
And as Zero and Jack lay crumpled on the ground,
They suddenly heard a familiar sound.
"My dear Jack",said Santa,"I applaud your intent.
I know wreaking such havoc was not what you meant.
And so you are sad, and feeling quite blue,
But taking over Christmas was the wrong thing to do.
I hope you realize Halloween's the right place for you.
There's a lot more, Jack, that I'd like to say,
But now I must hurry, for it's almost Christmas day."
Then he jumped in his sleigh, and with a wink of an eye,
He said, "Merry Christmas!",and he bid them good bye.
Back home, Jack was sad, but then, like a dream,
Santa brought Christmas to the land of Halloween.