The past week I’ve had several occasions to be in town and am reminded how much I love this place.  All of it – the sweet little town, the wilder places just outside of town, and my beautiful river.  You can have the Columbia – I’ll come look at it, walk by it once in awhile, delight in that magnificent approach to PDX over the mountain, but the Sandy River has my heart.  I lived on it for four years, drive by it every day, walk to it 300+ days a year.  Love my river.

Anyway, Troutdale this past week.

The West Columbia Gorge Chamber Of Commerce is moving from the house by the arch just across and down the street to 107 on the historic highway.  I went in to see Marcia last Wednesday, and she was her usual gracious self, with only a slight underlay of Frantic (moving will do that to you).  I was able to get in a couple hours helping her haul stuff Thursday and Friday, and am seriously in love with the house as studio / gallery space.  If I win the lottery tonight, it’s all mine.

Photo Rip Caswell

Stopped by the Caswell Gallery to take a look at Rip’s Nimitz sculpture on Wednesday. His son was working on the shoes, which are incredibly more detailed than in this earlier pic.  It’s an impressive piece, and worth the stop to watch work in progress.  Article on the Pearl Harbor installation is here.

Gulled, my cohort from the hotel across the highway, met me for lunch yesterday at Ye Olde Pub.  We talk about having lunch once a month, and it works out to about three times a year.  Philly sandwich,  fish and (onion-rings-substituted-for-) chips and good conversation.  Some of it about work.

Parris sold four more pairs of the Mirror Project earrings (yay!) at Infusion Gallery on Friday, so Gulled and I dropped in, since he hadn’t seen the gallery yet, and I needed to talk to her about more inventory.  It is looking SO great.  The (big!) workshop for Adult Learning Systems is ready to go, kitchen and art supplies and all, the ALS art is hung (you have to go in to see the new collage work – I’ll get the artist’s name, my brain is its usual sieve).  Grand Opening is February 7th, but don’t let that stop you from stopping by prior.

SOLD! : )

Bunches more, but I have to go pick up the pups from their night in the woods, so will post the rest shortly.
Rock your day!
Loree

6:45a P.S.  Pups are home and fed and passed out…  whooboyhowdy is it foggy up there today – hate it when it’s so dense the highbeams just kick back glare, but gotta use them or you can’t see the inevitable deer in time.  (They are beautiful but stupid and slightly suicidal – had to brake hard for only two this morning.  Look both ways before you cross the road, dear does!).

Terri Clark image taken (I’m guessing), sometime in the summer and when the sun was up.

The only good thing about getting up early to drive in the 5 a.m. dark to pick up dogs, is that shining light in the black as you come into Springdale.  Next drive up that way, make sure you stop at Liz’s Coffee Cabin.  I’ve been driving eight miles out of my way to work to get the Big Train Chai latte.  3.50 for the huge one and so so good.  Cool thing, too – the punch card isn’t for free coffee.  When it’s full, she donates 4.00 to the Corbett Cardinals to support the kids.  How hard does that rock?