International Adventure Grandma

Dear Liza,

Since you moved to Denmark, I have been studying about your new country so I can feel like I am visiting you. Denmark is a lot smaller than the United States. It is even smaller than the state of Oregon, where I live.


Don’t get me wrong. I really, really, like that Denmark is small. It is like Peter Pan’s Neverland, so it is never too far from one adventure to another.

The story is about an imaginary YOU and an imaginary ME traveling around Denmark, from Copenhagen to Horsens. The current title is “International Adventure Grandma”.

I have looked at a bunch of maps and websites, and have followed streets and bike paths with Googlemaps. I have found fun things to do and gotten us involved in interesting disasters.

And after four months of working away and lots of help from friends and family, I felt almost ready to share. But something was missing. It needed pictures.

I am not an illustrator, but have decided to do the pictures myself and learn as I go along. Here are some very rough ideas. I haven’t even decided if the pictures will be water colored, colored pencils, collages, or some other media. I am still learning.

But I promise it will be done by the time we visit in the spring!!

Love,

Grandma Judy

A White, Slushy Christmas

Dear Liza,

By some freak of nature, we had grey clouds and snow on the ground for The Winter Solstice, and you, in Denmark, had clear skies and sun! It snowed a few days before Christmas and, though it got a bit soft and slurpy, the snow was still with us December 25th.

I had to get out and see it! I put on as many layers as I could, including long underwear and gloves that were gifts from Auntie Christy, and headed out. Traffic hadn’t started yet. I stood in the middle of Stark Street and enjoyed having it all to myself.

I love how everything looks magical with a layer of snow! It’s like we live on a plain cake all year, and then “Whoosh!” it’s someone’s birthday and here comes the frosting.

I walked carefully, planning my steps to avoid landing on my rear end, and headed for Laurelhurst Park.

Just as I suspected, kids were in the ravine with their sleds, even though the ground was clearly visible through the icy cover.

And most of Firwood Lake was frozen over! This wonderfully weird blue-grey sheet of ice chased the ducks all the way to the east end, where the inflow pipes keep the water moving. The whole flock paddled there, keeping each other company and grumbling a bit.

Soon, I headed home to get some feeling back in my toes!
Love,

Grandma Judy

Freezing Outside, Cozy Inside

Dear Liza,

December 21st is always a special day for us. It is the day Grandpa Nelson and I got married! It is also officially the first day of winter, and the longest night of the year. This year, it was also the coldest.

When We Three stepped out to catch our Lyft ride to La Moule for our anniversary dinner, it was near freezing! The Christmas lights on all our neighbors’ balconies sure looked pretty.

The driving was safe, but only because it has been so DRY that there was no water to freeze on the roads.

Our dinner was incredible, as usual. The waitress even brought us glasses of champagne for our anniversary! I had a radicchio salad and moules (mussels) served with buttery garlicky sauce and crusty baguette, and Auntie Bridgett had escargot served on focaccia bread with a creamy, yummy sauce.

Grandpa had pommes frites (French fries) and a fine glass of Merlot.

We shared and laughed and had a great time. It was a fine way to celebrate 48 fun years!

We got home and lit the candles for the fourth night of Hanukkah while enjoying the Christmas lights. Never miss a chance to celebrate!

Happy Everything!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Mt. Tabor Bread’s New Location

Dear Liza,

Way back in 2018, in what we now refer to as “The Before Times”, (before the Covid Pandemic) I wrote a blog about a local bakery called Tabor Bread. We often stopped by on our long walks up Mt. Tabor, picking up drinks and substantial snacks to hold us on our hike.

It had a real brick oven and baked wonderful breads in the old-fashioned way.

So imagine my horror when we heard, mid-pandemic, that because of the lack of in-person business, the bakery was closing its doors. Tabor Bread was more than a place to get muffins and sandwiches; it was a Portland institution!

Fast forward to this summer, and Grandpa Nelson found an article in the Willamette Week newspaper that said that Tabor Bread is re-opening! Hooray!! And that their new location is on Belmont Street, just a mile up from us! Hooray again!!

And just last week, as Auntie Bridgett and I were walking to deliver an item for “Buy Nothing”, a local sharing organization, we just happened to pass right this new location. We stopped in.

We found an impressive and delicious collection baked goods, and picked up something for everyone. A buckwheat blueberry muffin, a cardamom bun, and a molasses cookie later, we strolled home to enjoy our finds. Even with out their old brick oven, they were all delicious!



Also, lined up on long shelves, were many bags of different kinds of baking flours. I am always interested in trying new flours. Between the baking and the eating, of course, we will be heading back soon.

Always something new to see, find, and eat!

Love, Grandma Judy

Peacock Lane, All Lit Up

Dear Liza,

One of our favorite Portland signs of Christmas is the lighting of Peacock Lane.

This four block section of SE 40th Avenue between Stark and Belmont is, for most of the year, just a pleasant neighborhood. But come Christmas, the homeowners pull out all the stops and invite the city to visit.

The other night we joined hundreds of other folks out for a very chilly (37F) walk to enjoy the lights and being out in the community.

The decorations ranged from the homey and cottage-like to the Interstellar antics of Jedi Knights.

Some seemed odd, almost ironic, as if to say “What is Christmas, anyway?” But it was all pretty and entertaining.

It’s nice to be out in the world again, even when we need to bundle up.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Christmas Treats from TV Chefs

Dear Liza,

Christmas is a time for sweets, for sure. The Great British Bake Off, along with other fine chefs, have nudged me into new territory.

This year I made my first boiled Christmas pudding! Friend Jofish Kaye gave me my first taste years ago, and chef Jamie Oliver walked me through the process via YouTube this week. You can find Jamie’s YouTube directions here. https://youtu.be/w96fi9SqYpU


It will sit in the fridge, wrapped up tight and soaking up a bit of whiskey, until Christmas.

Last year, I also made the fancy sort of braided loaf that Paul Hollywood expects his bakers to create. With the help of a YouTube baker named Bincy, I made this lovely (and delicious!) thing! Her very detailed YouTube directions are here:

Auntie Bridgett’s favorite Bake Off chef is Nancy Birkewhistle, whose mince pie we so enjoyed last year that I am making it again.

I hope you get inspired to make some yummies for Christmas! Remember, even the ‘failures’ are delicious.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Klaus: A New (to us) Christmas Movie

Dear Liza,

Every Christmas, we watch our favorite holiday movies. From “Miracle on 34th Street” to “The Muppet Christmas Carol” and “Charlie Brown’s Christmas”, we watch and enjoy over a dozen films.

We are fussy about our movies, of course. We don’t count “Die Hard” or “Bad Santa.” We like sweet, old fashioned stories where no one gets shot.

And this year, we found a new one! In looking over lists of movies online, I found 2019’s “Klaus” listed. From the minimal description and reviews, it seemed like a good bet. And it was!

“Klaus” is a delightful animated story about an exiled prince given a seemingly impossible task in order to regain his father’s favor. It is told with humor, slapstick comedy and suspense, with just a whisper of romance. Produced for Netflix, Klaus features voices by Jason Schwartzman, Joan Cusack, Rashida Jones and J.K. Simmons. It made me laugh out loud and was judged “Popcorn Worthy” by Grandpa Nelson.

So, go see Klaus. You won’t be sorry, I promise.

Love,

Grandma Judy

First Meringues!

Dear Liza,

Watching all theGreat British Baking Shows in re-runs gets me inspired, I hunted up a new recipe online and gave it a go. I found a yellow cake recipe, with eight (8!) egg yolks and I figured I could add some cocoa into some of the batter and it would be a fine marble cake.

Well, between several false starts (like forgetting to put the sugar in at the right time) and chocolate batter that was like concrete, it was a terrible cake. It is, however, a cake. So I ate it, though I didn’t ask anyone else to.

All this lead to eight homeless egg whites in the fridge. So, what else was I to do but try my hand at meringues?

Eight egg whites and half a teaspoon of salt, whipped to soft peaks, can welcome a cup of white sugar a bit at a time, and then a touch of vanilla and food coloring. Whip for ten minutes, tops, and you have lovely, sturdy, pink meringue! I was stunned.

I got the piping bag and made a few different shapes to see what was most successful. Baked at 120 F for an hour and a half, then left on the sheets to cool in the oven, they were ready to eat. Tiny kisses were easiest get off the sheets, and tight spirals were mostly successful.

More fragile shapes shattered and got eaten on the spot, but little kisses and swirls were bagged up for neighborly gifting.

I love kitchen experiments. Even the failures are usually delicious.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Fetching Lala Home

Dear Liza,

After Auntie Bridgett got the house decorated, it was time to get our Christmas tree. We headed down to our favorite Christmas tree lot, just 15 blocks away at 48th and Belmont. The folks there are always helpful, fun, and all their trees are from farms in Molalla, just a few miles from Portland.

We named our new tree Lala, after her hometown, as we named last year’s tree Molly. Yes, we name stuff.

Getting her home was easy, and we even had a plan to get her upstairs to the house without tracking needles up the stairs.

A long rope, a bosun’s knot, and a couple of good pulls, and up she came, from the front patio up over the balcony railing and into the front room.

But of course, she wasn’t really home until she got decorated.

So now she is home, and our home is ready to start the 2022 Christmas season. Happy Christmas!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Littering Leaves

Dear Liza,

It is leaf season in Portland! After hanging around on trees all summer, tons of photosynthesizing bits are giving up the ghost and decorating our neighborhood.

We are now at that magical, all-to-short period between green leaves on the trees and slimy, slippery leaf mulch in the gutters. It makes me so happy that I dash about like a squirrel, taking pictures of the lovely, pre-mulch mosaic.

The city of Portland has major infrastructure dedicated to collecting these masses, and most (but not all) of our neighbors are very good about clearing them away. We appreciate this, even as we watch the color drive away, because wet leaves can really trip you up. No one wants to start winter off with a busted hip.

The Fall brings so many changes. Green leaves become brown and yellow. Brown branches, now blooming with moss, become green. Colorful flowers die back and are replaced by Christmas lights.

Transitions are sweet, kissing one season goodbye and welcoming another. Happy Fall.

Love,

Grandma Judy