We spent a long weekend with Dennis and Abby last weekend at their place in Winnetka, California. We flew in on Saturday, Abby's parent's, Lanie and Terry, were there when we arrived from the airport and had Abby's salsa and Dennis' BBQ steaks and chicken for dinner. The next day we went to Oxnard for an 80th birthday for a family friend. MaryJane has been Cleo's friend since they were little girls and we were so happy to have been invited to the party. It was so fancy! Almost like a wedding except we sang 'Happy Birthday' instead of hearing vows. We spent Monday with Dennis and Abby around town, then back to Oxnard and spent the day with Bob and Cleo and Jimmy. Wednesday, Dennis went in to work, while we were still in bed, we met him for breakfast, (you should have seen the crepe and pancake choices!) and then Abby had the duty of occupying us until Dennis got off work. She took us for a drive through the canyon, ending up at the ocean and we walked around in the tide pools. A PERFECT place for me! I have some fantastic pictures of pelicans, seagulls, sea stars (my new name for them, thanks to Abby), shells, mussels, waves, sand, you name it! A really really nice day, then we had dinner out and were dropped off at the airport. Heading back to PDX, we had to stop in San Francisco...well, as our plane was coming in for a landing, the wheels were down, then suddenly, we heard them go back up and the plane started rising up, the captain came on and said that he had lost visual with the airport and we had to circle. It seemed perfectly clear out to us, maybe just a little cloud or two, but anyway, we landed and then waited and waited at the gate. Finally the captain came back on and said we were waiting for somebody to bring the ramp way over to the plane. In the meantime, we missed our connection!!! So we got to spend the night at an airport hotel and made it home the next morning. In spite of that we had a really really great get away.

Happy belated Valentine's Day! John's two sisters and one nephew spent a 4 day weekend with us. Mary and Danny drove over from Fruitland, Idaho and met up with Martha, who drove up here from Port Orford. We have not seen each other in a couple of years, so it was a nice meeting up point for everyone, especially us, since we didn't go anywhere, but got to enjoy seeing them. We went shopping, I bought some clothes that were not LOFT for the first time since I went to work for LOFT a year and a half ago. I am normally not a shopper, which was part of the reason people were amazed when I announced I got a job there. Going from not shopping, to being in a store for hours at a time was kinda strange for me when I first started. Anyway, we went shopping and out for lunch and did more shopping two days in a row! We had long visits in our pjs while we drank coffee in the mornings and topped it off with an excellent dinner out to Tad's on Valentine's Day. Actually, we kinda forgot it was Valentine's when we decided it would be nice to all go out for dinner. We showed up with no reservation, but only had to wait a tiny bit and had a fantastic table by the window to see the river as the sun set. On the drive there, we were treated to a beautiful vivid double rainbow! Danny was riding up front with John driving and so I tossed Danny the camera and he snapped off a couple shots while John kept on driving.

I've been back to my outdoor workouts...going for walks outside is so much better than the treadmill...for one thing...once you are half-way out there...you have to finish...you can't just hop off the machine and go do something else. I have not been taking my camera with me because there just isn't that much to take pictures of this time of year. But the other day...there in the middle of the road was the cutest little salamander! I was so much wishing for my camera...but then I realized I DO have a camera with me...my cell phone! I pulled it out and got some shots...not too bad for a cell phone, huh?

I also have to tell about the most fantastic dinner I made the other night. Well, fantastic to me...John was not impressed. Chicken Pot Pie...it is awesome! I am so glad he was not thrilled with it because that gave me plenty of left-overs. I had some for breakfast yesterday even and then had it again for dinner last night. There are two more servings left and I can't wait to have them!

Just in case you want to try it, here is the recipe:

CHICKEN POT PIE
Filling:
1/4 cup butter
2 3/4 cups chicken broth (I use water and bouillon to make my own)
1/2 tea. pepper
1/2 tea salt
1/3 cup flour
a chicken breast or two, cooked and diced up (depends on how much chicken you want in it)
1 10 oz. package frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cup chopped celery
one large potato, diced up

Pastry:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
3/4 tea salt
4-5 T. cold water

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat, add the flour, stirring until smooth. Cook a minute stirring constantly. Gradually add the broth, using a wire whisk and cook over medium heat stirring continually until the mixture is thick and bubbly. Stir in the salt and pepper, chicken and vegetables. Pour into a 12x8x2 inch baking dish. In a bowl, combine flour and salt, cut in butter until it resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle in the cold water and mix until just moistened. Shape into a ball and then roll out into a rectangle to fit the top of the baking dish. Place over the mixture and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

I prepared it all in the morning before I went to work, covered it with a towell and then when I got home, it was sitting there all ready to bake.

OK! Time to go have breakfast...mmm...pot pie, here I come...hope there is time for a workout when I'm done.