Zoo lights

zoo
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen.

It is the 20th year of Zoo lights. We went to see the lights last night. It was a cold dry night. Lots of families were there enjoying the zoo all lit up. The lines were long for the train which is an extra fee in addition to zoo admission. The train ride has light display that can only be seen from the train, like dinosaurs. It was delightful looking out from the ramp at all the lights all over the zoo. I saw old favorites like the giraffe putting a heart on a tree. The zoo keeps adding to the light displays. I laughed at the crocs on the lawn. It was fun to see parents taking pictures of their kids in front of the gingerbread house. Everything is covered with lights at www.oregonzoo.org

Peacock Lane

One of my favorite Christmas memories from my childhood is going to look at the Christmas lights on Christmas Eve and then coming back to my grandparents and finding out that Santa had been there. It was very exciting evening for me. I was fairly old before I caught on that one or two adults stayed home and didn’t come with us in the cars to see the lights. Peacock Lane was always one of the lighted streets that we went down. It is still one of my favorites. I like to stroll down the street enjoying the lights at a leisurely pace. It is going to be cold so bundle up to see the lights.

December 15 to December 31, 2007 from 6 pm to 11 pm. Peacock lane is between SE Stark and SE Belmont just east of NE 39^th. Take Tri Met bus 15 Belmont to the lane. Parking is hard to find and there is always a traffic jam.

www.peacocklane.net

Fabric Depot

I stopped in Fabric Depot to check out the fabric selection before the 40% off sale. I saw that they have new quilts hanging from the ceiling. A couple of them looked pretty and easy to make. They have lots of stocking stuffers for sale, cute pop up cards, imported candy and jams and lots of useful notions. They have a good selection of Christmas fabric. The 40% off sale is this Friday December 7 and December 8, 2007. The 30% off everything sale continues until next Tuesday. www.fabricdepot.com 700 SE 122nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97233 Phone: 503-252-9530 Toll Free: 888-896-1478

Sheridan Fruit Company

On this wet windy rainy day I stopped into Sheridan Fruit on SE MLK. They carried my purchases to my vehicle, which was a nice touch in all this rain. It has been my favorite place to go shopping for a long time. They have the widest selection of produce around. A huge wine selection, including Oregon wines that are hard to get any where else in town. The meat department is has a real butcher who will cut you meat any way you want. I have had them trim and cut up chuck roasts just the way I wanted. There is a deli with yummy foods. An olive bar with a huge variety of olives. The largest section of bulk foods around. A large variety of pastas and cheeses. They are also a wholesaler and can get you just about any thing you want for that special meal. Also you can order fruit baskets and gift boxes. They now have a online store. www.sheridanfruit.com 408 SE third ave, Portland OR, 97214, 503 236-2114

Holiday Ale Festival

The snow isn’t sticking and the wind hasn’t started up yet and there is still time to go to the Holiday Ale feast today. Tomorrow Sunday the Ale feast starts out with a Brewers Brunch for $30. From 10am to noon. 21 and over, you must have ID. The menu includes: Hair Of The Dog Fred, Scaldis Prestige, Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse , St. Feuillien Triple beers, and cheeses, pastries and fruit. The rest of the festival continues on until 6 pm. It is a very popular festival and very crowded. We went after work Friday with what looked like the rest of Portland getting off work. The beer lines were long. I didn’t want to get back into the long line. Instead of tasting beers like I wanted to I got a mug of beer. Then I found a less crowded place to drink it. I discovered that there were venders selling very nice looking arts and crafts. I drank my beer by the sculptures then left. Mugs are $5, tickets are a dollar each. Tastes are one ticket, mugs of beer 4 tickets. Get great deal but not as cheep as happy hour. Pioneer Courthouse Square 701 SW Sixth Ave Portland, Oregon 97204. Take MAX it stops on both side of the square. www.holidayale.com

Evergreen Vineyards

The tasting room is located in a sun lit corner of the Evergreen aviation museum. Evergreen Aviation started purchasing vineyards in the early 1990’s by 2003 they were ready to release their first pinot noir. They have added more varieties over the years. The vintages now offered are: 2004, 2005 Spruce Goose Pinot Gris, 2005 Jardiniere Rose Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2006 Spruce Goose Riesling, 2006 Spruce Goose Chardonnay, and a wide variety of Pinot Noirs, 2004 Spruce Goose Pinot Noir to 2005 Del-Mar Private Reserve Pinot noir. We liked the dry Riesling best. Evergreen Vineyards 3850 Three Mile lane McMinnvilee, Oregon 97128 866 434 4818, www.Evergreenvinyards.com

Evergreen Aviation Museum

Spitfire
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen.

Wow what an impressive museum. We have often driven past it on the way to the beach. This time we made it our destination. I am glad the we finally stopped in. I wish we would have stopped there sooner. There are three buildings, one houses the Spruce Goose and other airplanes, the middle building has the IMAX Theatre and the third building will house the new space museum. Every where you look, on the grounds, in all of the buildings and above your head there are airplanes. Along the back of the building there are tanks that look like they are guarding the perimeter.
The Spruce Goose is bigger than I pictured. I knew it was large but not that large. I realized how big it was when I tired to take its picture and could only get a little bit of the plane. The Spruce Goose is made out of birch not spruce. The press named Howard Hughes Flying Boat the Spruce Goose.
Also in the museum are Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, Titan Missile, Sopwith Camel, Douglas C-47 Gooney Bird and Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat. It is a great place to explore on a rainy day. Admission $13 with a dollar off for AAA members. Open Daily from 9am to 5pm, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Easter.

500 NE Capt Michael Smith Way, McMinnville, OR 97128, 503 434 4180, www.sprucegoose.org .