FUN IN CANBY

It felt like home to get back to "our site" at the Dopp's house in Canby. Luna was particularly happy to be back and free to roam about. I took this photo on our first evening there, as we enjoyed happy hour on the deck before dinner.

I strolled through the garden as soon as we set up, looking at the many changes in the three weeks (is that all??) since we left. It definitely is near the end of the season, but new bean plants have come into flower, the single zucchini plant has tripled in size, and the cucumbers that almost overtook us in August now look tired and ready to give up.


Odel rose EARLY this morning to head to the golf course with Richard. After I had a leisurely breakfast, I hopped in the passenger seat with Marlene at the wheel, and had a chance to be a NON-navigating passenger for a change. Marlene's interests are so similar to my own that I figured I'd enjoy wherever it was she was going.

First stop: Penzey's Spices, a fabulous retail outlet of a catalog store that sells every imaginable spice. What I LOVED was that, sitting next to just about each spice, was an apothecary jar with at least a cup of the spice in it, ready to be studied and sniffed. I ended up with a few spices I knew I needed, and a few more that will need "research" before I find the right use for them, but they smelled irresistably good.

We made a quick stop at a small natural foods store, then on to Bob's Red Mill, the mothership of natural grains and stoneground flours. They ship worldwide, and this is the company headquarters.

Wow, what a place. Row upon row upon row of bins and packages of beans, grains, flours, nuts, dried fruit... plus a pleasant cafe and outdoor patio. We took a little coffee break and did a little shopping.

Browsing around, I found a teeny, tiny little grain ("the world's smallest grain") called Teff. For some reason, I had it in my head that I had read about Teff on a foodie's blog, so I bought a package, intending to write to her to learn how to use it. Well, I was wrong... no mention of Teff on her blog. So, I Googled it, finding very few entries and even fewer recipes. Turns out it is primarily used to make an Ethopian flatbread. Hmmmmm.

Fortunately, there are a couple of recipes on the package - for a breakfast cereal and a pudding - so maybe I'll get some use out of it. Perhaps a potluck dish of Teff porriage at the next SKP function?? I doubt that anyone else will be bringing it. :)

We still had a bit of time before the golf game ended, so made a couple more stops. At the last, an independent book store, we both bought the same book, Grub, Ideas for An Urban Organic Kitchen - got the last two copies - and I read recipes aloud to Marlene while she drove home... Citrus Collards with Raisins, Cinnamon-Dusted Sweet Potato Fries, Tropical Corn Dumplings with Maple Syrup and Star Anise (darn, why hadn't I pickup up any star anise at Penzey's!). We realized we were HUNGRY!

As soon as we got home, we all four jumped back into the car and rushed off to Wong's King Seafood, a Chinese restaurant in Portland reputed to serve excellent Dim Sum. I originally read about it on our friend Padraic's blog, and "lifted" this photo from there. Turns out Padraic got it off another site, the Portland Food, Restaurant, and Market Guide, a thorough discussion of the food scene in Portland. WHY didn't I find this site sooner???

Our friends Diane and Frank came to meet us at Wong's for Dim Sum. They had met the Dopps last spring in Stockton at an SKP gathering, so no one was a stranger and we had a tasty and unusual meal together.

Tomorrow we say farewell to the Dopps and continue on towards the coast (with a short stop in Eugene). It was definitely good fortune for us when we answered their posting for garden sitters... we made two good friends who we will look forward to seeing again.