ich Kalliope

Seasonal Shuffle

Our move to Boston was filled with contrasts - exciting and exhausting, joyous and sorrowful, familiar and foreign.  Our instinct told us we needed to get ourselves here, and as instinct works... it was right.  We've been "home" here for a little over a year, and have fallen in love (((again))) with the beauty of New England - place and people.  Full-on, transparent, honest, in-your-face, bold and proud surrounds us, as only Boston and those of us who call it home can be.

Summer was glorious, hot, sunny, humid and long.  I will miss you summer, as I do every year.  This Greek girl likes "hot and sunny" best of all, but Fall in this neck-of-the-woods cannot be ignored, and why would you want to.  Yesterday it became official.  Flip-flops and beach chairs OUT... boots and winter coats IN, as we did the seasonal shuffle from storage to closets. 

With my trusty iPhone in hand, here's a bit of what we saw on a recent drive to pick some apples, smell the earth and see the beauty of the changing seasons.  If summer has to end... what better way than in this glorious splash of color that is strictly New England. 

 

          

 
     

     

Mind the Gap

I had known my sweet husband just over three months when I met his family for the first time at their home in Germany.  In a small, beautiful village next to a mid-size town, by a good size city a couple of hours away from Munich.  This was over twenty-one years ago and I have been in love with all of them ever since.

The strength of family shores me up.  It always has, it always will.  But my support system just got one person smaller, in a big way. 

  With the passing of my dear father-in-law, there is a gap today.  It is the first time I am here, in this small village without him.  He embraced me, my country and my family from the get go.  I was never an outsider.  I was family.  A daughter, and I hope a friend.

There were language barriers I'm sure, but I don't remember any.  There were cultural differences, but I can't recall anything specific at the moment. There was distance, from a few kilometers to thousands of miles, but it never felt far.  Two families.  One Greek.  One German. It felt like one during those lucky times when I was blessed with both sets of parents in my midst. 

Yes there is a gap that I need to mind.  Bigger than language, culture or distance.  There is a gap in my heart. 

Lieber Schwieger, danke fuer alles. 

Construction Zone

 

The roadtrip continues in Boston.  I am in a major construction zone. 

Arriving on the 4th of July, the city put on a tremendous fireworks display in our honor.  One of the best we've ever seen.  It's the official start of the "beginning", and the well-deserved chance to catch our breath and settle in.  It's all a work-in-progress, as life should be.

At the moment kalliope is feeling like the photo on the left, when she would much rather feel like the photo on the right.  Who wouldn't?  But isn't the image of the construction zone, with electric orange and flashing lights much closer to what a work-in-progress looks like? 

As I long for the road of smooth sailing, I am working on getting more comfortable with the construction zone.  The excitement, change, unknown, adventurous and riskier road.  Not the warning, caution, don't go there image that it usually invokes. 

Working towards that day when both images bring on a sense of comfort.  When both images are a welcome sight before me.

Still my home sweet Oregon home

Oregon has been our home for 13 lucky years.  We've come a long way, Oregon and me.  From having to look on a map to see exactly where Portland was located before our first visit, to that familiarity and comfort of a longtime relationship, it has been hard to say goodbye.  Crossing the state line into Idaho on our roadtrip to Boston, with Oregon in the rearview mirror, it was emotion filled to be sure.  Of course it was! 

We arrived in 1998 knowing one person.  It is the only home my sweet husband has ever known in the United States.  It felt like the wild west (((still does sometmes))), and people were way too friendly (((still are sometimes))).  The drivers were so polite (((turns out they're lousy drivers))), the landscape was breathtaking (((still is))), and you could make a difference (((still can))).  The fashion sense left much to be desired (((still does))), and dogs seemed to outnumber people (((they do now))).  The wine region was amazing (((more amazing now))), and when the sun was shining, there was no more beautiful place anywhere.  They wrote about the salmon as much as they did the citizens in the local paper (((never understood this))) and neighbors would be up-in-arms when an osprey nest was in danger of being relocated (((you get the picture))). 

When we left this past week we had friends who became family.  We had a neighborhood that became a community.  We were regulars in our favorite restaurants.  We had things we loved and hated about the place.  It was home.  It still is.

In the rearview mirror, I saw Oregon getting further and further away, and the tears fell (((and fell))).  It wasn't sadness for leaving it behind (((well, maybe a little))), it was for the blessing of taking it all with me. 

I will miss seeing you everyday sweet Oregon home.

Boxed In

Eventually, there comes a time in a move, when all your precious things end up in boxes.  And if you're lucky to have help with your move, some strangers show up at your door, and spend your last full day in your home with you, packing up your precious things.  They leave, you stay one last night, boxed in. The last time my beautiful home looked like this was when we moved in.  Sigh.

As I spend the night surrounded by boxes of every shape and size, drinking my wine from a paper cup, I choose not to think about the beginning, or the end, but all the in-betweens.  The evenings with family and friends, cooking, laughing, drinking great wine and of course schnapps and grappa.  Wonderful neighbors, a special golden lab, and watching a neighborhood grow around us.  Evenings on the couch watching Dancing with the Stars and yes... even The Bachelor from time to time!  Fun times with our parents, listening to music, dancing, grilling and relishing the time together.  A surprise visit from a brother for his brother to celebrate his first fifty years.  Holidays with friends, over-eating, leftover sandwich making contests and potlucks.  We do seem to eat and drink a lot!

So here's to the special "in-between" that we spent in this wonderful home, and to ALL the "in-betweens" to come.  Cheers Portland!  Cheers Boston!

Paying Tribute to the Distance

As I've come to learn, change is exciting, it's the transition that's tough.  From the ending of something to the beginning of something else, there is an important in-between, the transition. 

The in-between isn't always easy, and that explains my tendency to want to speed through these times.  Keep moving, look forward, don't let the engine rev in neutral, put it in gear... now go!

This time it's different.  The engine is warming up gently in the in-between.  It's been getting a lot of TLC from many sources, more than just a tune-up.   It's getting ready for the roadtrip, paying tribute to the distance, and preparing for the journey.

As we get closer to the actual moving day... the hit the road, your body is moving to Boston, the car is shifting into first gear... we will be making this journey in our sweet Porsche.  We will pay tribute to the distance.  A roadtrip across the beautiful United States.  Simply getting on a non-stop flight to Logan Airport, landing a few hours later, is not the transition my dear husband and I long for. 

We want to extend the in-between just a little longer.

So we will start with our feet in the Pacific at Cannon Beach, Oregon facing east... and we will drive until we dip our toes in the Atlantic.  Yes, I will be looking in the rearview mirror from time-to-time, but most importantly I will be taking in all that surrounds me along the way. 

As much as we love our car, it is a 1996 993 C4... we are 1957 and 1958 models, and we will most certainly be looking for a good chiropractor and masseuse once we "land" in Boston.  Recommendations are welcome. 

Parting Signs

I'm not sure if I can still authentically call myself a "blogger".  Certainly, if the definition is by regularity, I'm out. 

It's not for lack of desire, or need to express and I'll never use time as an excuse for my absence on these pages.  It has more to do with a lack of clarity, vision and quite simply a timeout. 

A timeout that went a little too long, that got a little too lost, that didn't think enough about the connections lost, and those not made during the timeout.  My sweet husband even missed reading it, and for better or worse he is privy to most of my ideas, dreams and thoughts!

During my timeout from ich Kalliope, a lot was going on in our non-virtual life.  A major decision to leave the beauty and familiarity of the Pacific Northwest for a new adventure on the other side of this beautiful country, Boston.  Driven by a deep desire to get closer to family, to a bigger city, and to new adventures. 

Change. 

You all know I'm all about change right?  Well... actually... maybe... not so much!  Partings are not so easy for this Kalliope.  They never have been.  I never wanted to leave home and I still don't.  I didn't want to go into the second grade, because I liked the first grade (((( my mom helped me then, and she's helping me now )))).  I'm the middle age woman who gets weepy before a business trip... because I would prefer to stay home (((( until I get to where I'm going )))).  But as you know, I did make it to the second grade, and on those amazingly, fantastic trips and am blessed with family, friends and experiences that connect and ground me everyday.  All because of change.  All because of not getting stuck.

This time around, I got stuck, big time.  Fear of change was winning, and as plans proceeded, and moving companies provided estimates, and dates confirmed I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.  Clicking my heels, saying there's no place like home, there's no place like home... and wishing to stop all the change or the impending partings (((( let me stay in the first grade ))))! 

But yesterday, in the midst of clouds (((( on a rare sunny day in Portland )))), there came another kind of parting.  One that brought clarity to one stuck Kalliope.  My patient husband reminded me of our mantra, "home is where WE are".  We like to shake things up, to explore, to experience, and we like to plant roots.  That's what we've done and what we'll do again, together. 

And just as I was quoting a dear friend, he called.  An intervention, I am certain of that.  My husband was witness, and boy was he relieved it came!  He needed some backup, some support!  Sensing the "stuck" in me, he reminded me of what it meant to keep changing, to write new chapters and not to stop.  Bless his direct NYC heart, he also told me he wouldn't want to be my friend if I ever "settled down"!  I am in wonder of the timing of his call, and am so very grateful for it. 

Partings. They are sweet sorrow.  They are beautiful.  They are scary.  They are change.  They are clarity.  They are new perspectives.  They are life. 

 

Giving Thanks

 
Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Celebrating this holiday anywhere is wonderful.  Celebrating it here in the United States is something everyone should have on their Bucket List.  It is a holiday for everyone, from everywhere, and is simple in it's meaning - give thanks. 

I am blessed with much and therefore thankful for much more.   And yes, it is a holiday filled with traditions, old and new, and lots of eating and drinking.  The wonderful flavors of  Thanksgiving will soon be on our table, got to get to cooking. 

Cheers to all!

 

I'm Falling

Fall is in the air.  It's not just the weather, sunny days, cool nights and occasional red leaves on the trees.  What's stirring is the desire to start to cook some comfort food AND talk politics.  Oh yes, I'll be going there again to be sure. 

It does create a couple of challenges for me around self-control.  

My diet for sure.  Fall cooking is hearty, the wine is redder, and staying inside cooking and drinking with friends and family is oh so attractive, especially when the rain starts. Also the need to control my frustration at the current trend of many wanting to give the political shovel back to those who dug us into this ditch in the first place. 

But I'm going to start with the food first (of course!), after all, one will need some great new recipes and some old reliable ones to stomach the fall political season.

The temptations are great, and here in the Pacific Northwest the bounty is rich.  Yesterday while shopping at one of our favorite neighborhood grocery stores Zupan's I picked up the latest issue of their complementary in-store magazine Indulge, which was filled with reminders why I love fall.  Beautifully shot, on a paper stock that feels as if you should collect them, and packed with amazing recipes that inspire me to let go of the precious summer.  

We're heading out to Cana's Feast winery in Carlton, Oregon today to pick up some of those reds that will keep us going too.  Their Sangiovese Reserve is one of my favorites, paired with the Moroccan Chicken recipe from Zupan's, it might just be an alright fall.  No tea parties planned here.

Top Ten Reasons...

   

As pretty much an optimist, I look at the glass half full.  So upon my return from the most fabulous vacation, EVER, and as my longing for and missing of Greece did not diminish... I challenged myself to name the top 10 reasons I'm happy NOT to be in Greece. 

I'm thrilled to report that it was not that difficult, in fact the list easily reached twenty.

10. Show off the recipe for Watermelon + Feta salad I learned from my dear friend.

9. Complain about the Oregon weather.

8. Live in a world of fantasy, swim in a saline pool and pretend it's the Aegean.

7. Choose another beer other than Amstel or Fix for my afternoon Radler (beer + sprite)

6. Don't have to decide which taverna to have dinner, there aren't any.

5. Finally know what it's like to desperately miss a beach.

4. Make the best Greek salad in the neighborhood... hell, SW Portland!

3. Being in the safety of my own home when I heard Bristol and Levi were back together.

2. Smile when I still find sand somewhere.

and the number one reason I'm happy NOT to be in Greece...

1. I can flush TP down the toilet again!

   

Once Upon a Time

It all started in Greece, and it started again in Greece, and so on, and so on, and so on...

Exactly two years ago I had a sabbatical.  That absolutely amazing time, off from work, where for the first time in my life, I officially tried "to find myself"!  I'm a baby-boomer, so finding yourself, was never a legitimate option to press the pause button, and figure it all out. But in 2008, I decided to take a good chunk of my sabbatical in Greece.  Yes, to enjoy the sun, the sea, the wine, tsipouro, feta, olives, read a stack of books, spend time with my dear husband and rest.  Also, to ground myself where it all began, the birthplace of my grandparents, my foundation and stock up on all that came before me.  

A change was coming, and I wanted to be ready. 

Μια φορά κι έναν καιρό ... once upon a time, this Kalliope was planning a change.  After a long awaited, much deserved sabbatical, where she saw blue sea and blue skies in every direction she looked.  She returned to the same job, at the same place, but as any good story goes... she wasn't the same.

It took almost two years, but what started in Greece in 2008, has played itself out, and 2010 was a year of tremendous change.  Finding yourself takes time!  Getting grounded, finding strength and believing in all that came before you as your trusted guide planted the seed.

The summer she stood in the church in Elatos where her yiayia was christened... sat in the square in Agios Andreas that her sweet papou told her about ... read Greek coffee grounds with her yiayia's niece and family... and discovered the street in Gardiki where her papou's family still live and which bears the family name, nothing would be the same when she returned.

We're heading back to Greece again this summer, to the same wonderful place, where I can see blue sea and blue skies in every direction I look.

Ritual of Excellence

 

In just four short weeks, I have developed a new Saturday morning ritual that I absolutely love.  It's very simple really, but relies on absolute excellence, greatness actually.  No compromises, and no mediocrity.  A lofty order, but one I can commit to with head and heart. 

It includes a great cup of coffee.  Black, so the spoon in the image is for effect only.

An excellent computer, in this case my beloved Apple iBook G4. 

President Barack Obama, and his weekly internet (a.k.a. radio) address, which is truly the new must-see-tv.

So grab a great cup of coffee, your computer and listen to excellence, www.whitehouse.gov

SooooooooHo Lovely

This amazing loft was featured in the NY Times this past week.  I find it absolutely amazing, livable, and could imagine moving in, in a New York minute!  A few details may slow my move down, like the price tag, $6.9 million pre-renovation, and 7,200 square feet... I'm into smaller spaces these days.  But there is much inspiration to be had in this beautiful space designed and inhabited by architect Natalya Kashper, partner in DUB Studios, and her family. 

The woods create a warmth that is glowing and natural.  I can just picture it filled with friends and family, cooking, drinking, and with a corner big enough to practice tap dancing.  Heck, could be a tap studio.

Ultra-modern yes, with a high-dose of cozy.  I could call this place home.  Agree?

Cherished Book

Last month I added a sidebar here on my site with books I think are great.  One that didn't get mentioned, but admittedly is #1 on Kalliope's Bestsellers is FACEBOOK.  And there is no indication that it will drop in the ratings in the near future. 

Facebook has allowed me to connect with so many friends, near and far.  Unlike the privacy and relative anonymity that my blog ich Kalliope offers me, Facebook gives my friends a glimpse into my day and me into theirs. 

Reconnecting with lost friends, deepening connections with those closer to me and staying in touch with family, Facebook gives me what the best of intentions, the most updated address/email book and love of travel never could - an easy way to do it!  Sometimes the connections are more deep, sometimes it's just a quick read of what my friends are up to at that moment.

Where else could I learn in the course of a day that:

An old friend was running her first half-marathon

Another was considering getting a teeny, tiny tattoo, which I had been considering too

Someone I hadn't seen in twenty years liked the same music and artists I had listed as my favorites

As I sat drinking a glass of wine, another friend cracked open a bottle too, cheers!

My friend's husband wasn't sharing the guitar with her when they played Rock Band on the Playstation

And so it goes, the little things, and sometimes the big ones too!  This is one book I'll be carrying with me for a long time, no matter what city I call home.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

Wishing all the readers of Ich Kalliope the happiest of holidays, and may the new year bring us much HOPE, JOY and most of all PEACE throughout the world.  Particularly in the United States, January 20, 2009 will be the real start to the new year.  With possibility, trust and respect as the cornerstone of a new foundation, replacing the one that has crumbled.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!  "Getting to know" so many of you has been a wonderful highlight of 2008.  Thank you all.

Ritual + Holiday + Snow

 

One of the things I look forward to over the holidays is digging into the New York Times Magazine "Year in Ideas".  It usually takes me the whole break to read every entry, it has become a ritual.  It's distributed with the Sunday paper, the second week in December, but I don't usually crack it open until I'm officially on holiday vacation.  Another ritual.  The link here, will get you to the web version, but I prefer to camp in front of the fire with the magazine, highlighter and bookmarks in hand.  And yes, I read it in alphabetical order, one more of those important rituals.  A glass of red wine or sherry is good too, if it's after 3 pm... somewhere.

This year it has been made so much easier by the record amount of snow we're getting here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and the fact we can't get anywhere.

Here's to new ideas and tradition!

City of Dreams

  As long as I can remember I wanted to live in the city.  I think that this urban living seed was planted back in the early 60's when Marina City opened it's doors in Chicago.  I remember seeing it for the first time, the two petal-shaped cylindrical towers sitting directly next to the Chicago River, and it began my fascination with round buildings and urban living. 

The concept was amazing to me back in the day.  Hearing that people could live and work in those buildings and never have to leave them, was pretty cool.  They had a grocery store, book store, bowling alley, theatre, auditorium, parking, boat dock and groovy pie-shaped flats.  As the snow blankets much of the midwest this year as every year, I still think there's a place for Marina City.  A City-within-a-City is how it was marketed.

Designed by the Bauhaus trained, Chicago born, architect Bud Goldberg, the innovative structure was part of a growing landscape of amazing architecture that continues to find it's home in Chicago.  The concept of Marina City was much more than just amazing poured concrete and glass buildings.  It was meant to slow the exodus to the suburbs.  It was sustainable and green, before sustainable and green were cool.  Like many innovations, it was ahead of it's time.  Just like the ideas of designer Buckminster Fuller are earning their well deserved second act, and in the exhibit Massive Change by Canadian designer Bruce Mau he says the future of cities are vertical, Marina City stands today. 

I am living in the city now, granted a smaller, much smaller urban environment.  But as I pulled my car into the garage this cold December evening, realizing that I may not have to drive for at least the next two weeks, my dreams of a groovy flat in Chicago's Marina towers were awoken.

         

         

Extreme Inauthenticity

I did it.  December 2008.  An artificial Christmas Tree stands in our home.  There I said it, put it out there, went public.

This wasn't an easy decision.  I have been struggling with "should I? shouldn't I?" for months, ok weeks... actually a week.  And even now, I'm not exactly sure why I chose to go with an artificial tree, which I said I would never have.  When my parents first went with an artificial tree many years ago, I didn't like it.  Not at all.  Let them know it too. 

So here I am, with not only a fake tree, but an extremely fake tree.  It's black.  Shiny black.  Imagine the silver trees of the 60's only black.  And I love it.  As my husband says, "wenn schon, denn schon".  Hard to translate from German, sort of like "go big, or go home!".

  

   

Any recommendations out there for a high quality, artificial, pine tree scented candle?

On the side

Thanksgiving dinner has got to be one of the best meals anywhere, ever.  The menu, with the blending of diverse flavors, is as much fun to prepare as it is to eat.  Well almost...

Here's a glimpse of what was going on in our kitchen yesterday as we made a few of our favorites to take to the home of our dear friends. 

Cranberries, sweet, tart, and without this, the meal is not complete. 

Cornbread stuffing, with chantarelles, dried apples, raisins and chestnuts.

Sweet potatoes, boiled, mashed, mixed with eggs and bourbon, topped with a bit of light brown sugar and baked.

Apple strudel, raisins soaked in rum until they are practically grapes again. 

Need I say more?

Add turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, corn and brussel sprouts. 

Heaven.

So thankful.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is truly the most wonderful of holidays, for so many reasons this particular year.  It brings the words of Charles Dickens to incredible relevance.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way."   Charles Dickens "The Tale of Two Cities" (1859)

Here are just a few of the many things I find myself thankful for this Thanksgiving.

For family and friends near and far, we are very blessed with people whose care for us and others is truly inspiring. They live and breathe the words, "I am my brother's keeper".

For living in a country who stood up and voted for respect, intelligence, compassion, diplomacy and promise. Thankful for President-elect Obama. 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."  Declaration of Independence/United States of America/July 4, 1776

For health and happiness, and the many gifts I am blessed with.  For a year to remember.

For the best husband in the world.

For turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, red wine and apfelstrudel. 

For all the new connections that I have made through this wonderful world of the blogging.

Happy Thanksgiving all!!!

Waking up...

... to thank Indiana, you did it too!!

FALLing for it

       

   

I've been holding on to every ounce of summer possible, for as long as possible.  Can you blame me?  Sabbatical, endless sunshine, Greece, connections, hot and dry weather for as long as I choose to remember.  Flip-flops only, great books, great times, great memories.  I've been holding on a little longer than normal. 

No I'm not walking around in late October, in the Pacific Northwest in sandals and sleeveless dresses... that ended in early October.  But I did press the pause button, and tried not to think of the impending Fall, leading to Winter.  That ended officially this weekend.  Fall has always been my favorite season, and I'm sorry for trying to ignore it for so long.  I'm sorry Fall!

I took my camera out this morning to capture the color that is surrounding me.  You might ask how I could have ignored the season with such glorious reminders all around me.  Beautiful.  As good as New England, this year... well almost.

It's time to cook indoors again, taking a break from the grill and Greek salads we have enjoyed for the past months.  Our friend and neighbor invited us for dinner Sunday evening, and if there was any question that Fall is not to be ignored, the meal made it official.

This is how we do Fall in my neighborhood!

_Butternut Squash and Green Apple Soup, spiced with cinnamon and sage
_Pan roasted vegetables, red potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots and onions with fresh rosemary
_Pork tenderloin with a sauce of raisins soaked in red wine
_Green salad, with fresh orange slices, onion, walnuts and gorgonzola
_Pumpkin pie, with fresh whipped cream

   
 

This is how we do it

 

 

It's really pretty easy to create this wonderful dinner.  It takes about a day for us, but we've got the time.  Here's the recipe in case you want to try this one out!  Readers of my blog know the basic ingredients so I won't go into too much detail here, what's really important is the order in which you prepare!  Start early, in our case we began at noon.

1. Visit the local butcher.  The one you can trust to give you the best and the freshest cut of meat.  The one who is patient enough to listen, as you try to explain in Greek what you want.  In this case, ask him for 6 lamb chops.  He pulls out a large piece out of his walk-in fridge, slams it down on the butcher block, smiles and says only 6?  OK, make it 10.  Chops 10 nice size chops, and throws in a few extra small pieces that we all know are the best at the end of the grilling process.

2. Buy wine.  In this case, because we trust and now love our butcher, we ask him about the wine he has on the counter.  It's local, and is bottled in 1.5 liter plastic pop bottles.  Not exactly what we would normally buy, but he recommends the red NOT the white. Says he drinks it himself. And we believe him.

3. Buy vegetables.  Stop at a road side stand for tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers.  In this case, stop at the stand of an elderly couple selling from, most likely, their garden.  Pick out a bag full, and they charge you 1 Euro, for all of it.  We give them 2, because we feel guilty.  You speak to them about the weather, because there is actually a cloud in the sky on this particular day.

4. Marinate the lamb.  This is the hard part, so pay attention.  Prepare the lamb chops with salt, pepper and oregano, ON BOTH SIDES.  Marinate in lemon juice and olive oil, place in the fridge.  Don't let this intimidate you.  You can do it!!

5. Go to the beach.  Spend the better part of the afternoon and the early evening at the beach.  Since you want to let the lamb marinate for at least 4 hours, you've got plenty of time.

6. Open that bottle of wine.  In this case, unscrew the plastic top.  Taste the butcher's choice wine, in this case a dark rose, that is amazingly delicious.  See all that a good butcher can add to your life? We decide we need to find a butcher at home.

7. Prepare the salad.  Make it a typical Χοριατικι Σαλατα (village salad).  Tomatoes, cucumbers and sliced green peppers.  Place a couple of good size pieces of feta cheese on the top.  You're done.  This is the absolute easiest and best salad on the planet.  No bias here!

8. Fire up the grill.  Grill the lamb chops.

9. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Yes, it was a long day.  The process took time, it is nearly 10 hours after we started.  Although I tried to include as many details as possible, there were many other things that we needed to do throughout the day that took up a bit more time.  For example, applying and reapplying sunscreen, can take a good chunk of time out of your day.  Finishing that beach novel before the sun goes down.  Stopping at the local bakery, to pick up fresh bread and κουλουρια (cookies).  So plan accordingly!

Kαλη Ορεχη!!  Guten appetit!

Getting my Greek on!

As I've written here before I do consider myself a foodie, although I am seriously contemplating the validity of tagging myself that.  The reason for my doubt and insecurity is that in reality, I use about five ingredients consistently.  Olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic... ok four ingredients.  SIX if you count salt and pepper.  Let's count them!

We're lucky to be spending about 2 1/2 weeks in Greece this summer.  So as I prepared my shopping list for the grocery store upon arrival it looked like this:

• Olive oil, direct from the source
• Lemons
• Feta cheese, which I can eat for three meals a day, and do. 
• Olives, any kind, preferably in a can which you can't find often here in the US.  Olives are my favorite, and they've gotten me into some trouble in my past.  The only time I ever got into hot water with my yiayia, was over an olive incident when I was 12 or 13, but that's for another post.
• Greek bread, although you don't have to ask for Greek bread, just bread.  Crusty, covered with sesame seeds, and never eaten with butter, and accompanies the feta cheese in 2 out of the 3 meals.
• Tomatoes
• Red Wine
• Oregano

As my friend wrote me in a sweet note before I left for sabbatical, it's time to get your Greek on! More like putting into overdrive.  As luck would have it, I found authentic Greek olives, in a can, at my grocery store down the street. 

The ingredients above went into a fresh yogurt cucumber mint dip. Perfect with meatballs or veggies.  Olives on the side.  There will be no incident, I promise! 

Contemporary Cute

Is there such a thing as contemporary cute?  During the holidays, I do my best to keep my decorations tasteful.  Not too kitschy, but the cute factor comes in big time, cause I LOVE snowmen. 

It's hard to do a sophisticated snowman, but I always give it a try. 

The White Album

For the first four decades of my life, home was a place where it snowed.  A lot.  Chicago, Boston, Munich.  I know that accelerated climate change has affected snow patterns, and that these places may not be getting the same levels of snow as in the past.  But they do get snow this time each year, and cold, really cold, and ice.  And as I sit here in the Pacific Northwest, temperatures in the mid-40's F, yes I'm dreaming of a White Christmas.  I begin to look at all things white as a sign of the season.

Ein Lichtlein brennt

One light is burning. 

It's the first Sunday of Advent.  I relish this time.  Time to cozy up, spend time with friends, cook wonderful meals, drink great wine, volunteer, connect with family, listen to holiday music, and look back on another good year.

Instant Gemuetlichkeit

We moved into a new home about a year ago.  It's a wonderful place.  New construction, a sustainable building, LEED certified Gold.  In many ways it's very innovative, minimizing carbon footprint and decreasing dependency on oil are fundamental to sustainable architecture.  Water and energy conserving features like rainwater harvesting, energy-efficient appliances, eco-roofs and more.  It's smart, modern and comfortable.

Except for a funky looking gas-fireplace, with fake logs, fake glowing cinders, and a fake brick backwall with fake soot.  Yes fake soot! 

Our previous home had a wood-burning fireplace, and it was lovely.  Crackling fire, the smell of the wood, all that.  So I was leery of the new gas fireplace.  Skeptical of flicking a switch, instant "gemuetlichkeit" (cozy, comfortable, warm).  I'm ok with it now.  Looking at the flames, and feeling the warmth radiating, it's authentic gemuetlichkeit.  Not having to tend a fire, and being able to use it more often and easily, sounds pretty lazy, it is.  But I'm happy to have it.

I still find my designer self staring at the fake logs and fake glowing cinders and ask myself why does it have it be this way?  New technologies, new innovations, and modern approaches to everyday living, also need modern interpretations not mimicry.  There's a business opportunity here.

Modern Gemuetlichkeit.

 

Deserving

A gift is given, a greater gift has been received. 

Our Home Aid project is complete.

I was given a sharper perspective on what it means to help.  To not stand in judgement.  To give from the heart.  To keep my eyes on the prize.

4 families, donations of time and money
+
25 volunteers
+
400+ volunteer hours
+
Corporate matching funds
+
Amazing donations
=
A young boy whose life is a little sweeter, who knows he's cared for.  Who deserves to be surrounded by comfort, beauty, fun and oh yeah... LOTS of red and blue!

Bringing out the Best

Helping just brings out the best in us.  Every person involved in the Home Aid project has been so grateful for the opportunity to participate.  Carpet installers, electricians, window cleaners, designers, volunteers from home improvement stores to painters to furniture salesmen, have all come together with our group of friends to help a family out.  Many are complete strangers, with one shared goal in mind.  Make the life of a family, and specifically one deserving young boy, a little easier, a little more comfortable and a whole lot sweeter. 

Two days down...two to go. We've had fun, good coffee, surprises, laughs, blisters, music, bad coffee, pizza, singing, pounding, beer, falling off ladders but most of all commitment.  Focused commitment to our goal.  Still lots to do, but the end is in sight.  I hope!!!

Bringing out the best in all of us.

Helping Helps

In so many parts of life there is a feeling of helplessness isn't there?  Usually on the macroscale, because I consider myself truly blessed.  A few heartbreaks along the way, but all in all - I'm blessed.  "Pfth, pfth, pfth".  I'm talking about helpless to really make meaningful change.  Our Home Aid project which started in earnest yesterday maybe small but in the scheme of things, helping helps. 

A sense of accomplishment at what you're doing.  The peace of mind and joy of knowing what this will do to improve the life of someone who truly deserves it.  And being able to stand back and look at the work, and know one made a difference.  Not to mention, the tangible payback of walking away and saying I painted that room.  I admit, that often, days end without really being able to say what was accomplished.  That will not be the case for me and some dear friends over the next four days!!

O'zapft is!

Translation... it's tapped!

The official start of Oktoberfest was today, it will continue until October 7th.  I LOVE Oktoberfest, and I have a difficult time being anywhere else on this opening weekend except in Munich.  I'm not in Munich... as you will soon learn.

I went to the official Oktoberfest website to see the latest live shots from the Wies'n, and the tears started.  Oh geez.  So I went downstairs, so that my sweet husband wouldn't see me crying.  He always feels responsible when I cry homesick for Munich. 

Actually he should feel responsible.  If I hadn't met him, fell in love, and moved to the city he called home for 20 years, I wouldn't be missing it today, and in this state of despair, yes despair! 

Missing friends, the energy, my goddaughter (who was born on opening day in 1994), the beer (Augustiner Edelstoff), the grilled chicken (yes, chicken), the obazda, the pretzels, the schnapps, the beer.  So what's a girl to do when she's thousands of miles away.  Well here's what this girl did in pictures.  It helped. 

Prost! 

Home Aid

Help is on the way.  I hope, I know that is what one family is feeling today, as they prepare to meet some strangers who will help make their lives easier. 

My husband and I, together with 6 very special and talented friends, will help a family who has not had the time, mindspace or means to keep their home the comfortable, sanctuary a home should be.  They are a family whose time, mindspace and means has been focused on something much more important then how comfortable their home is.  They are caring for their sweet son who is disabled. 

That's where we come in.  Lovers of the show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, our dream was to do a project together, that would allow us to combine our professional passions with our personal passions, and a lot of elbow grease.  Come together, find a family, and put our magic to work in what will be a "Not-so-Extreme Makeover", but more of an "Extreme Facelift" or "Home Aid".

Step 1: Idea

Step 2: Fundraise

Step 3: Find a family

Step 4: Meet the family and tour the home

Step 5: Go!

We are at Step 4 today!!

I have mentioned here previously I have struggled with incredible sorrow everytime I see a child who is disabled.  And so I made it my personal goal to find something that would bring me closer to these children in a way that would help me understand their world.  Volunteering for the Special Olympics was a first step. Home Aid is a further step in that direction.

Having such special friends that share my husband and my passion of paying it forward, the benefit of many of us working for a company who matches our donations dollar-for-dollar, combining that with incredible talent, we all come out better for all of this.  Most importantly the child's whose life we will help make better by giving them a comforting place they call home.

We are always looking for more people power on the weekend of the renovation.  Lots to do, and the more hands the better!!  Join us.

Cruisin' to WLIV 100.3 Chicago

I travel quite a bit.  I tend to take most adventures of travel in this day and age pretty much in stride.  I still enjoy long flights, if I'm in business class of course, and can pretty much handle most of the detours and speed bumps along the way in most places, in the US and beyond. 

The one challenge that I continue to have, and have had for most of my life is any travel that has the word "O'hare" in it.  As in "change planes", "stop in", "drive out of" or "drive to".  You see, this airport is where I need to go if I want to see my family.  The adventure doesn't stop here, after flying "into" O'hare, one must "drive out of" O'hare to NW Indiana.  This includes a fun drive on the toll road and then a short (mileage-wise, not time-wise) on the Borman Expressway.  Then of course comes the "drive to" O'hare for the return trip.

During my most recent trip I discovered a radio station that actually made the drive pleasant, almost easy.  OK... not easy.  It was 100.3 FM WLIV.  My kind of station.  If I'm going back to the place I grew up, listenting to what I think is still the best music in the world, it makes for a nice homecoming.  100.3, LOVE fm, Classic Dance and Motown.  It doesn't get better than that.  There aren't radio stations like this in Oregon, Massachusetts or Germany! 

A couple of months ago I attended a seminar titled "Music and the Brain", and the doctor speaking said that the music you grew up with, and were your favorites, between the ages 14-21 is the music that you will respond to most positively throughout your life.  So now there is even scientific proof why this music made the drive from O'hare to Hammond so SWEET!

Between the music and a good Vienna Red Hot I might grow to like O'hare, ok that's pushing it.

Found objects

Just look what I found at my neighborhood market last week!  Yes, that's right, my neighborhood market.  After many years of dreaming, wishing, hoping and planning to live someplace where I could walk around the corner to buy a few essentials, it has happened!  A bit of that lifestyle I so missed since leaving Munich, and I might go as far to say maybe even better... can that be?  Not to mention just a few stops on the streetcar on Saturdays to the Portland Farmer's Market, a smaller but totally local version of my beloved Viktualienmarkt.  Making choices, really finding what matters, and making that happen, if one is so blessed as I am to have the choice, is so important. 

Bunny Hop

My friend Birdie blogged a few days ago about Easter Rabbits and the icons of Easter.  Of course, coming from a Greek family, icons of Easter conjure up some other visuals for me, but I like those of which Birdie speaks too.  Here are a few snaps I took at Easter time last year in Munich.  The decorations go from the simple, to the modern to the classical.  These icons are of the bunny and egg sort, with a few very cute hens thrown in.

 

Thanks Santa

Merry Christmas! 

It's the afternoon of the 25th, and my husband and I promised each other we would have a relaxing, stress-free Christmas Day.  We bought enough food to last us awhile, a long while!  It's not even as though there's the slightest chance we might get snowed in here this year, or any year for that matter!   But if we do, we are prepared.  Good stuff too.  Smoked salmon, caviar, beef tenderloin, fancy cheeses and lots and lots of wine. 

We will be cooking today with some new friends, and hopefully some old ones will join us along the way too.  And so far, absolutely no stress.  None, zero.  I'm getting stressed out, because I'm not stressed out!!!  What the @#!*#@! is up with that??? 

My sweet husband is busy in the kitchen at the moment, making some soup and some appetizers.  I just asked him if he was feeling stressed out, he calmly said "no".  I think he means it!

     

As I'm sitting here (still a little stressed cause I'm sitting here), the most delicious scent is coming from the kitchen.  There's beautiful music playing on the stereo throughout the house.  Now my husband just brought me a nice glass of wine to enjoy while I'm blogging.  What's going on?  Can it be that easy?  A Christmas Day that is exactly what we wished for.

Now if I can only sit here and finish this glass of wine, enjoy the music, the smells and the pure bliss of it all.

Thanks Santa, I am a lucky girl! 

It's that time

Here's this year's version, ready to go for the first Sunday of Advent.  Taking a very modern, minimalistic approach this year.  It's all about chrome for me at the moment, so why not on our Adventskranz?

I'm a week early with it though... as it usually falls on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  At first when I looked at the calendar and counted back from Christmas I was a bit disappointed.  I was ready, with a Stollen, and holiday music, some new, lots old all loaded onto my Ipod and ready to go for this Sunday morning.  Actually, I'm happy to have another week.  It all goes too fast anyway doesn't it? 

It takes two

I had the absolute honor of visiting the Charles and Ray Eames House and Studio in Santa Monica, California last week, otherwise known as Case Study House #8 built in the late 1940's.  After seeing photos of this home for more than 25 years, being in the actual space, having lunch on the lawn just like Charles and Ray did, working in their studio for an entire afternoon, my respect for the vision and accomplishments of these two design talents grew even deeper.  Their understanding of space, proportion, livability, flow, color, materials and finishes in architecture and product remains at the top of my list.  I believe their partnership, their ability to inspire and support each other, was the power behind their genius of creating personal objects, big and small.  Sometimes, it takes two.

Visiting the home I had the feeling that my husband and I could move in immediately, and make it home.  I'd cleanup a bit, Ray was a collector and I'm a bit more of a minimalist.  I loved their choice of books too, would leave those exactly as is.  They had a taste for a good drink now and then, including one of my favorites Williams, a pear brandy. 

It was nice to dream about living in a piece of history, that feels today as modern as it was more than a half century ago when it was brand new.  Thanks to the Eames Foundation, generations to come will be able to come and dream just like I did on that sunny, warm November day in southern California.  It just takes two.

Well, maybe one thing...

Immediately after saying that there wasn't one thing I could remember not liking about Munich, !boom!... I thought of something, wouldn't you know it.  The subways get pretty (really) stinky in the heat of summer, that is when there is a summer.

As soon as it's warm out, Muenchners like to get naked, in public.  I never got really used to that. The English Garden is a favorite spot.  On my first visit, at first glance I thought that "beige" was the trend color in Munich, until details came into focus.

Just one more, the bus drivers are very nice, except when you ask them a question about bus stuff, like times and stops.

That's not bad, I can count the things that I don't like about Munich on one hand.