Red Hills Market — What a Treat!

Hooray! finally got to Red Hills Market in Dundee. For those of you not familiar with Oregon, Dundee is situated in the Wine Country of the Willamette Valley, hence the name, Willamette Wine Country. Clever how that works. While I am in Dundee regularly to catch up with my the hair guru, once I am back on the road heading home, it’s hard to get me to stop. Silly I know considering Red Hills Market is less than a mile from my hairdresser! But that’s who I am -- a homing pigeon, of sorts.

An Orchard of a Certain Age

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted here — seems like time is running at a break neck pace these days. And, honestly, I was (am maybe still am) having a bit of blog burnout tossed with a heavy dose of the winter blues. That being said…I think I am back…at least for the day!

Inspiration: Irises, a Ferry & Fields of Life

It’s true. I no longer walk by or through Bergdorf’s, Bendel, or Barney’s on a daily basis. After all of these years of not living in New York City, while I do cherish the joy and inspiration  those activities lent me; it seems so far in my past, it is almost as if I dreamed it and didn’t really live it. This morning as I went about my Friday list of errands I was once again reminded of how different my life is here in the Willamette Valley and, surprisingly, how much it feels like home these days. If you asked me ten years ago if I thought this would ever feel like home I would have had a good chuckle, looked at you like you were nuts and “never” would have most likely been my speedy reply.

1895, A Glorious Home & Goodies Galore

It seems that the days I leave the studio and drive out to Dundee for a cut, color and chat with my hairdresser/kind-of-niece always turn into something quite unexpected. Today was no exception. If you follow my blog, you know that the twenty mile journey wends its way through farmland, hazelnut orchards, nurseries, hops fields and pastures. Every time I drive past French Prairie Gardens and the glorious house that shares the property I always make a note to stop in on my way back. How many years have I driven right past “on the way back” and not stopped? Well, way too many to count. Today, I broke my pattern and pulled into the parking lot. Can we hear an “amen?”

Halloween, Cairns & Love

Sometimes in life, if we're lucky, we have the great fortune of sharing our path with a few incredible spirits. For the last thirty years I shared that path with Janice…the first twenty from a distance and the last ten in each other’s backyards as sisters, of sorts. For me, these pix of Beatrix and Janice’s Missy, celebrating Halloween in their own special way, will always remind me of the loving, silly and sometimes sad times I shared with Janice.

Tess Comes to Stay!

The older I get the more I have come to realize just how fragile life can be. We flippantly quip that “life changes on a dime” – in reality, it’s quite true. Last week, our family grew by one. Bea and I opened our home and our hearts to Tess, a friend’s 12-year old Brittany Spaniel. Sadly, just three weeks after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Velma, Tess’s forever mom, left this place. Beatrix and I had made a promise to Velma that Tess would join our family when life changed as we knew it would. Promises made and promises kept.

Inspiration: Craftsmanship, Heritage & Detail

I drive past this house a couple times a week while doing errands. Today I decided to stop for a few minutes, take a few snaps with the iPhone to share with you, and then go about my business. What I didn’t plan on was my getting lost in the glorious details in every square inch of this Queen Anne Victorian home. 

The Robins are Back! The Robins are Back!

My favorite part of having a hawthorn tree in my backyard is the fact that it feeds a ton of robins during the bleak months of winter. This week, with the temperatures hovering in the teens, the robins came back in droves to munch on the berries. Having so many of these beautiful birds in my yard almost makes me forget about how many times during the warmer months that damned tree caught me with one of its lethal thorns.

Meet Obi-Wan

Big day at the Becks -- Obi-Wan, a new rescue came to stay while he waits for a new family. Cute, 5-year old Cairn -- really social, loves chasing the ball and is having a blast chasing around with Beatrix and Missy on the farm. He has a big ol' crush on Bea -- thinks she is really cute and Bea...just wants to be friends. Isn't that always the way?

Hops and Elephant Eyes

"The hops are as high as an elephant's eye..." -- oh, where are Rodgers and Hammerstein when you need them? I guess if the musical "Oklahoma" had been set in Oregon, then the lyrics would reflect the hops crops, instead of corn. Well, thinking about it, I guess the musical would not be titled "Oklahoma" it would be title "Oregon" and I am sure would be a wee bit shorter since it doesn't take as long to spell O-R-E-G-O-N. My head is spinning.

A Trip Into Wonderland

I took a break from work today and Beatrix and I drove over to Bauman Farms just outside of town to pick up some fresh fruit and veggies and visit with the animals. While I could pass on the animal visiting, it is the best part of the trip for the Beaster; although the last time we were there she got her nosed pecked by a turkey. A humiliating experience at best.