It Ain’t ALL Cold and Wind and Wet!

07 Monday Jan 2013

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First and foremost, I have been absolutely utterly terrifically negligent in getting around to the fun stuff… please accept my abject apologies for leaving a gaping hole here between pre-Christmas and post-New Years : ). I hope you and 2013 are off on the right foot.

Just found this on my camera from last week at the Delta behind the hotel, and was reminded that (Oregon being Oregon) even in the middle of a stretch of gray, a sweet spot will appear.

…which seems like as good a thought as any for the first post of a new year and so I’ll hush right there.

Christmas Eve Drawing!

23 Sunday Dec 2012

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Today would be a very good day to hop on over to the Columbia Gorge Gateway Facebook page and hit that Like button. 😉 

Drawing Christmas Eve(ning) for lovely collections of twelve (yes, twelve.  Imagine.) of the Columbia Gorge Gateway installation Mirrors  bound in handy dandy calendar form with numbers appropriate to the coming year. 

2013 Calendar

There is a rumor floating about that, it being Christmas and all, there could possibly be a Secret Additional Drawing.

You never know about these things.
Enter here.

2013_Jan

 

2013 Calendar back

Magic at the Troutdale Tree Lighting

12 Wednesday Dec 2012

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Tree lighting

The rain cleared for the evening, and the tree lighting and song from Reynolds’ Expressions Honor Choir (plus a visit from Santa, of course), made for a magical opening of the holiday at Troutdale’s First Frday.

Troutdale tree lighting festivities video!

[Apparently I am incompetent at video embedding, so I’m shipping you off to the West Columbia Gorge Facebook page, where they know what they’re doing, to watch.  Take a minute,  it’ll make you smile.  Promise.]

Well Done! [aka Better Late Than]

27 Tuesday Nov 2012

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Shortly on the heels of the single picture posted a couple weeks ago, I got a slew more from Doug Trice, the coach we see most often with athletes at the hotel.

So in the spirit of better late than never… great job, athletes!  Coaches, thank you.  All, we love having you here.

– Loree and all the staff

First Friday Troutdale December 7th _ The Mirror Project At Infusion!

26 Monday Nov 2012

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Troutdale’s First Friday Art Walk for December includes the community Christmas tree lighting, artists out, in, and about the local businesses, great food in the restaurants. and the perfect place for Christmas shopping without a department store in sight.

Loree Harrell will be the featured artist at Infusion Gallery, exhibiting The Mirror Project, including limited edition prints, artist-crafted jewelry from the Project, and notecards.  Percentage of all proceeds goes to the Gallery’s support of Adult Learning Systems.

Head on up and enjoy!

First Friday Art Walk
Friday, December 7th
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Businesses and restaurants open

Infusion Gallery
305 East Historic Columbia River Highway
Featuring The Mirror Project

Happy Smiling Faces :)

13 Tuesday Nov 2012

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I got a picture in my mail this morning.  I love pictures. 

Loree here is a pic of the Union County Special Olympics Swim Team taken the morning after a good nights rest at your facility on our way to competition.

Athletes Left to Right: Stephanie Johnson competing in the 25m Breaststroke & 50m Breaststroke, Equipment Manager Cliff Young, Justin Bowling competing in the 15m Flotation & 15m Walk, [Danny Castillo of our front desk team], and Remy Spangler competing in the 25m Backstroke & 25m Freestyle.  
 
Sweet.
 
 

Keeping Kids In Music

11 Sunday Nov 2012

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We were delighted to have members of Going Second in the house while they were in our area on the Music Makes Music Tour.  They called us to see if we would be willing and able to donate rooms for the team while they worked with four middle schools.  Always happy to help a great program that helps kids.

MUSIC MAKES MUSIC

MISSION
Music Makes Music is a non-profit organization that is designed to Inspire, Motivate, and Educate students through music.  MMM brings inspirational musical events that highlight the importance of being involved with music, staying in school, and living a drug free life.

GOALS
~ Raise awareness of the importance that art and music play in overall education.
~ Demonstrate how music can be a powerful tool to motivate audiences toward positive change.
~ Reinforce to teens the importance of completing their education.
~ Empower students to get involved with music by providing information on school and community resources available.
~ Serve as drug-free role models that teenagers can both identify with and emulate.
~ Enhance the overall education experience and morale of every participating school.
~ Work with administrators to target student life and educational needs.

It was a pleasure and an honor, gentlemen.

More about Music Makes Music here.

_____________________________________________________
Restaurants, Hikes, Events, Shopping…
tabs at the top of every page (with more coming daily)!
_____________________________________________________

** Looks At Calendar And Gasps…**

07 Wednesday Nov 2012

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So.  It’s November (almost 8th).  Which means one week from (almost tomorrow), it will be November 15th.  Which means one week (exactly) after that will be November 22nd.  Which is?

Right.  Thanksgiving Day.

REALLY?
Yes.  Thanksgiving Day.  Two (almost) weeks (exactly tomorrow).

Wow.

Here’s what’s up for you around and about…

Larch Mountain Country Artisans Show & Sale
Friday November 16th – Sunday November 18th
Glen Otto Community Park, Troutdale

                

This is an annual tradition around these parts and a great show and sale (which, not incidentally, benefits Corbett Schools, Troutdale Parks, and Vista House).  You’ll find everything for everyone on your list among the more than three dozen juried artists and artisans participating.  Hit the site link above to start browsing now, and plan to be here next weekend!  You can have everything wrapped and tucked into the closet before the turkey even comes out of the oven. : )

Black Friday
November 23rd

If Thanksgiving is November 22nd, then November 23rd is Black Friday.  While I’ve personally never felt driven to set the alarm for 4 a.m. to go get 2-for-1 socks (or is that the day after Christmas?  That might be the day after Christmas.  Still…), it is my understanding that there are Deals To Be Had and it is therefore Notable.  We will be delighted to send you off in the morning with a bag full of Sustenance so you don’t fall on your nose before you have attended all the needful sales.  We’ll even help you map out your route.  [yes, this is a suggestion that you stay at the hotel when the shopping bug is calling.]

Troutdale Christmas Tree Lighting
December 7th

The Christmas Tree Lighting happens in historic downtown Troutdale in conjunction with the December First Friday Art Walk!  Make the short run up the hill to browse through gifts from local artists and artisans, and enjoy the lighting of the tree.  Don’t eat before you go – our great restaurants will be open!

At Edgefield
[quoted from McMenamin’s website]

… and at Edgefield, our in-house bakery makes gingerbread rabbits to hang from the tree in our Black Rabbit Restaurant. The bakers also will be assembling a massive gingerbread house that resembles the Edgefield Manor. This is an annual tradition that fills our front lobby with delicious ginger spice aromas. Add to that the roaming Dickens carolers on select weekend nights at Edgefield or Grand Lodge, and a pint of our seasonal ale Kris Kringle or one of our signature holiday cocktails, and you’ll be caught up in the spirit of the season in no time.

I love gingerbread.  I’m going.

Breakfast With Santa – Edgefield
Saturday and Sunday, December 15th & 16th

Breakfast.  Santa.  Edgefield.

What more do you need to know?

YOUR Christmas Tree!
Is a day driving out to those wonderful places on the outskirts of civilization to track down the perfect beautiful tree one of your family’s holiday traditions?

No?  It should be.  While the best tree is always the one farthest from the car (sorry, Dad), there’s something magical about traipsing around in the mud trying to remember where the last good one was and knowing – just being absolutely certain – that the PERFECT tree is just two rows out and four rows over.

It’s a good day.  We’ll point you in the right direction.

Borrowed From A Friend…

06 Tuesday Nov 2012

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I borrowed this post from The Mirror Project page, because we wound up with a couple spots on the walls needing a sparkle after we installed the new art in the public spaces last week (math not being my very best thing) (don’t tell Jatin, I think he believed I could add before he handed me his hotel to run), and Mirror 539 was one of the eight additions delivered today.

I had to have Steph hold the print up and then back off ten steps to tell if it was upside-right or not, because, frankly, at 16×24 size on top of my desk,

it was just a bunch of leaves.

It’s not.  Can’t wait to see this one framed and hanging. : )

—————————–

Mirror 539 reminded me of how elusive / changeable / fickle the beings in the middle of The Mirror Project images can be. With the caveat that you are undoubtedly not going to see the same as I do, watch this…

I see a princess (lonnnng curly locks, slight 5:00 shadow, hint of a tiara) on the back of a possibly winged, and clearly friendly, lion with perfectly defined eyes and muzzle.

However, one click larger…

The lion is still there, but the princess has become a slightly crazed warrior-type.

One click bigger, and…

The lion has now become a rather handsome native in war paint and full regalia. The crazed warrior is still a crazed warrior (sneaking up on the rather handsome native and about to ruin his day). (No worries, the rather handsome native always wins.)

And, big…

It’s pretty much a bunch of leaves.

It’s a fascinating world, isn’t it?

[Sandy River Trail, October 31st, 2012]

I Don’t Care What Anyone Says…

05 Monday Nov 2012

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… or how wet I get in the middle of it.  It is an absolutely beautiful fall.

Maybe it’s just some oddly skewed perspective on my end, but I don’t remember the color being quite this [abundant saturated almost iridescence] in most other years.  By the time I get out to the woods in the evening, it’s teetering on the edge of dusk, and still there is this…

and this…

Sandy River Trail, 10.31.12

and a bit of this.

Sandy River Trail just after the rain, just before dusk

Sweet.  Very sweet.  Don’t be put off by the rain – get out there.  It’s all lit up from the inside out.

– Loree