Welcome to the online diary of a Central Oregon Grandmother (me) who is busy celebrating the positive portions of her everyday life ... along with her best friend husband (Cary). It is quite an eclectic diary and I try to do my best to incorporate a little bit of history into many of my posts. Your visit to our piece of American Pie is greatly appreciated. This chatty Kathy posts frequently, so coming back to visit often is highly encouraged.
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Welcome! From February 28 - March 16,
my best friend husband Cary and I went on a trip. From Eugene, we
traveled to parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. I
haven't blogged about it yet, and thought that highlighting our vacation
would be the perfect way to participate in this year's Blogging from
A-Z Challenge. My blog isn't always about travel, but for the next
month it will mainly feature travel photos and memories of our
experience.
This is my fourth time participating in
A-Z. For those of you unfamiliar with the challenge, participants post
daily during the month of April, except for on Sundays. That gives us
26 posts for the month. It is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. We
visit the blogs of others who are taking the challenge, connecting with
old friends and making new friends.
Family Farmhouse in Weddington, Arkansas:
On Tuesday, March 3, my cousins Barbara and Carolyn and I headed out to the Johnson farm in Weddington/Summers, Arkansas. We visited with several family members, and walked through the abandoned old farm house where my Dad was born.
I had been yearning to get back there since my last visit in 1976. As luck would have it, the farm had just sold. I don't know if the new people will tear it down or not, but I am sure glad that we got to go and see it on this trip. Nobody has lived there since 1979, when my Great-Aunt Mabel Johnson Henderson died. The house was very old even then. It was also our Grandma Sallie's home prior to her death in 1962.
Grandpa Delmar Johnson with his sister, Mabel,
in front of the old farmhouse in 1976
This is what it looks like now:
Carolyn and Barbara
Me and Barbara
I chose a few things to bring back home with me:
This valentine is 8"x10", and
says "Grandma, 1948" on the back.
So, that is my story, and I'm sticking to it!
Thanks so much for your visit.
Please click here to check out others
posting in the A-Z Blogging Challenge Participant List. A-Z Blogging Challenge Participant List.
I do have comment moderation on, so if your comment doesn't show up
right away, don't worry. If a word verification shows up, just ignore
it. I didn't put it on, Google did, and your comment will still go
through even if you don't fill it out.
Welcome! From February 28 - March 16,
my best friend husband Cary and I went on a trip. From Eugene, we
traveled to parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. I
haven't blogged about it yet, and thought that highlighting our vacation
would be the perfect way to participate in this year's Blogging from
A-Z Challenge. My blog isn't always about travel, but for the next
month it will mainly feature travel photos and memories of our
experience.
This is my fourth time participating in
A-Z. For those of you unfamiliar with the challenge, participants post
daily during the month of April, except for on Sundays. That gives us
26 posts for the month. It is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. We
visit the blogs of others who are taking the challenge, connecting with
old friends and making new friends.
So, here we go on Day #5 with the Letter "E", which in this case stands for The 5th Street Market in Eugene, Oregon. This is actually a post that I did in December 2011, but as I was looking through my Eugene stuff, I realized that the market really reminds me of New Orleans.
Trip Update: We flew out of Eugene at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, March 1st. That meant that we had to get up at 3:00 a.m. and be at the airport by 3:30 a.m. It wasn't really even open yet, but we followed the rules. We flew from Eugene to Denver and then from Denver to Tulsa. The weather on the east coast was horrible and over 1000 flights were cancelled that day, so Denver was pretty busy trying to reroute everybody. Our schedule remained the same though.
The night before, I called a meeting with my tribe and we all met for dinner at Papa's Pizza on W. 11th in Eugene. My kids, my sister Julie, my Mom, our grandson Casey, and my nieces and nephews were all able to come, along with one of my daughter Kari's friends. I can't believe that nobody took a picture, but that is okay too. We were living in the moment, and had a fun time.
So, here we go on Day #5 of A-Z, with the Letter "E", which in
this case stands for The 5th Street Market in Eugene, Oregon. This is
actually a post that I did in December 2011, but as I was looking
through my Eugene stuff, I realized that the market really reminds me of
New Orleans, and to be honest, it was hard to find something in my trip photos that began with the letter "E".
I grew up in Eugene. I loved growing up
in Eugene. And, I love going back to visit. I think that I'll start a
new series about it called "I Dream of Eugene". This is the very first
installment; thanks so much for joining me.
On our most recent visit, we stopped by
the 5th Street Market. Of course, I had to take a bunch of pictures,
because everything was so pretty.
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
5th Street Market
has been around since1976, when local vendors rented space for $2.00
per day to sell their wares. It has since grown into a beautiful and
unique courtyard shopping center, filled with art, shops and great food.
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Cary was the king of the food court on Saturday.
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
We ordered breakfast from the El Pato Cafe, along with good coffees. The market hosts 5 cafes and two restaurants.
There are 15 specialty stores, ranging from imports and sewing notions to an area old-time favorite florist, Rhythm and Blooms:
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews
Thanks so much for your visit!
Please click here to check out others
posting in A-Z Blogging Challenge Participant List.
I do have comment moderation on, so if your comment doesn't show up
right away, don't worry. If a word verification shows up, just ignore
it. I didn't put it on, Google did, and your comment will still go
through even if you don't fill it out.
Welcome! From February 28 - March 16,
my best friend husband Cary and I went on a trip. From Eugene, we
traveled to parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. I
haven't blogged about it yet, and thought that highlighting our vacation
would be the perfect way to participate in this year's Blogging from
A-Z Challenge. My blog isn't always about travel, but for the next
month it will mainly feature travel photos and memories of our
experience.
This is my fourth time participating in
A-Z. For those of you unfamiliar with the challenge, participants post
daily during the month of April, except for on Sundays. That gives us
26 posts for the month. It is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. We
visit the blogs of others who are taking the challenge, connecting with
old friends and making new friends.
So, here we go on Day #4 with the Letter "D", which in this case stands for ...
"Dinner on Frenchman Street in New Orleans"
There is so much more to see in New Orleans than the French Quarter, Jackson Square and The Waterfront, but we didn't see much of it. When we got into town and were trying to find our hotel, I took a few photos:
Before our trip, I was researching the lay of the land in New Orleans. I learned that the locals and the "in-the-know" tourists enjoyed hanging out at on Frenchman Street. Frenchman Street is just a few blocks away from the French Quarter, and is a destination point for many. It is supposed to be less commercial and more authentic than Bourbon Street.
On the Thursday that we were in New Orleans, we decided to go out to a nice dinner. We hailed a cab and asked the driver where we should go to eat on Frenchman Street and he suggested Snug Harbor. When we were almost there, he said that we could walk around, but to not venture off the main street, and only walk down for two blocks but not any further. Okay ... it sounded a bit dangerous, and you better believe that we did as we were told.
The Snug Harbor building was very nice, and looked like it had recently received a new paint job. I think that the owl next to the sign below is a security camera. There was one at our hotel too, overlooking the pool.
It was still early, and the place was not busy. We were promptly seated and served our drinks.
Cary wanted a steak, but didn't have his reading glasses,
so I read him what they were offering. He decided on a Filet Mignon
but, I didn't tell him how much it cost.
While eating it, he said, "This is the best
steak that I have ever had in my life!" Then he about died when the bill arrived and he
found out that it cost $34.75. I didn't feel bad.
I ordered deep fried oysters. They were delicious, and only cost $19.75. I finished them, but didn't even touch my potato I took that back to the room for later.
There were only two other tables in the dining room when we arrived. One was a table of four and the other a table of five. They were all getting ready to leave on a two-week cruise in the morning.
The ladies with the toilet paper headbands were so funny. They had met on another cruise, in the bathroom, and became best travel friends. Their husbands were with them, but they were kind of quiet, compared to their wives.
We had met two of the women earlier in the day, when were were drinking an ice tea at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. The woman in the brown hair started talking to us, and she and her ex-husband used to own property in La Pine (where we live) before they divorced. She lives in Brookings, Oregon now. As always, it is a small world. After we were done eating and Cary recovered from the cost of the nearly $90 dinner, we walked across the street to listen to some music.
Miss Sophie Lee and her band were playing. Oh, the music and her voice were so very wonderful!
They were just finishing up a set, so we only got to hear a few songs. Then Miss Sophie Lee asked me if I wanted to buy a CD, and I did. I am really enjoying it. Cary said, how much did that cost? I said, $15.00 He said, $15.00! I said, "If you can spend $34.75 on a steak, I can spend $15.00 on a CD." Just sayin'. We took a cab back to our hotel, and that was the end of our little date on Frenchman Street.
“Born and raised in the
Chicago area, Miss Sophie Lee moved to New Orleans in 2001 in search of its
rich musical and culinary culture. She
quickly found Frenchman Street and the New Orleans Jazz Vipers who along with
Bart Ramsey, collaborated with her on her first New Orleans self-titled CD in
2006.
In the Summer and Fall of
2009, Sophie, Bart and members of The Jazz Vipers (now called The New Orleans
Cottonmouth Kings) collaborated again for another Miss Sophie Lee CD, “Tallulah
Moon”. This time around there were
joined by a stellar group of New Orleans musicians including “Washboard” Chaz
Leary, St. Louis Slim, Andy J. Forest, Bruce Brackman, Charlie Fardella, Robert
Snow, John Rodli, Matt Rhody, Matt Johnson, Matt Bell, Tommy Sciple and Glen
David Andrews.
“Tallulah Moon”, named for
Miss Sophie Lee’s grandmother’s hometown in Louisiana and Ms. Sophie’s mother,
Moon Ja, features nine standards and one original tune, the title trackt, “Tallulah
Moon”, written by Miss Sophie Lee.
In August 2010 Miss Sophie Lee opened Three Muses, a popular
restaurant / jazz club on Frenchmen St. in New Orleans.
In February 2013, Miss Sophie Lee released her 3rd Album
titled, "Love Street Lullaby" with her long-time collaborators, Bart
Ramsey on Piano; Matt Johnson-Guitar; Tommy Sciple-Bass and Dave
Boswell- Trumpet. It features 3 Original Tracks and 8 Jazz and Pop
Standards."
Thanks so much for your visit!
Please click here to check out others
posting in A-Z Blogging Challenge Participant List.
I do have comment moderation on, so if your comment doesn't show up
right away, don't worry. If a word verification shows up, just ignore
it. I didn't put it on, Google did, and your comment will still go
through even if you don't fill it out.
