INSPIRATION
07 /
May 2012
Thursday night on Oregon Art Beat there was a feature on a young ceramic artist, Corrine Vetger. At the end of the feature it was announced that she would be one of the participating artists at the Oregon Potters Association’s 30th Annual Ceramic Showcase, May 4,5 & 6, 2012 ath the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, the nations largest show of pottery, sculpture and other works of clay featuring over 150 artists. I was intrigued and had always wanted to attend this event, so I took the time to make this the year that I followed up on that interest and went. Following are some of the highlights from my day.
Since it started with the feature on Corrine Vegter on Oregon Art Beat, I took the time to visit her booth first. The biggest benefit of this type of show is to meet the artists and get to discuss with them their creative processes. Corrine, Dusty Dog Studio.com, was a very pleasant person who truly loves her creative work, which is inspiring to see and makes me want to bring that same enjoyment and enthusiasm into my work.
Raven pasta bowls (or cereal, or soup or ice cream??), handcrafted by Holly Gonnella were a great find. Holly works out of her studio near Ashland and was very enjoyable to talk with about her art work and I especially appreciated her comment that food tastes better in handmade pottery. A clam linguine may be the ultimate test for these bowls and Holly’s statement.
A live demonstration by Alissa Clark, Whimsical Footed Creations, gave an opportunity to hear about and watch art being created.
Samples of some of the art
A very whimsical piece, titled “Farmony”
In conjunction with the Ceramic Showcase were exhibits featuring beading, fabric art, woodworking and fine art jewelry. Shannon Miranda was one of the featured jewelers whose work resonated with me. As her card said, “jewelry that inspires and reminds us of the beauty in the world and in ourselves”, we live in an amazing place and are surrounded by beauty. Sometimes we just don’t take the time to witness or appreciate it. The Ceramic Showcase was one such opportunity for me this weekend. Hopefully you will have a chance to attend the show in 2013.
Grace Milagro Pendant by Shannon Miranda has a back story, each piece has a meaning in its creation and then a transfer of that energy to the buyer or recipient of it.
I hope that you enjoyed some of what I shared about the Showcase and that you can attend in the future and continue to support our local artists.
27 /
April 2012
What happens when you take two people, one cup of coffee and one camera? Recently while having coffee with a friend I offered that we take pictures of my cup of coffee using the same subject and camera.
One persons view
may be totally different from another persons view.
And both views are correct.
Both people are looking at the same object and have the same means to record what they see, but each will see it differently. Truth of the matter is that the difference is in perspective, and that perspective can come from completely different life experiences which creates our unique world view. The difference in perspective is what makes us unique and it’s what we can appreciate about each other. We are different and we might see things differently, but it’s appreciating and accepting those differences that makes us and our world better. Celebrate life by celebrating and accepting the differences!
24 /
April 2012
Cooks Pots and Table Tops had another great cooking class, bringing in The King Of Salt (my title!!), Mark Bitterman, the author of “SALTED, A MANIFESTO ON THE WORLDS MOST ESSENTIAL MINERAL, WITH RECIPES” and owner of The Meadow, a Salt, Chocolate, Drink and Flower shop in Portland,OR and the West Village in NYC.
Mark Bitterman, Selmier at The Meadow was a very knowledgeable and entertaining instructor. His knowledge of salt was amazing, only slightly less than his spot on impersonation of Julia Childs. It was worth the price of admission!!
The stand off between Keith Ellis of Cooks Pots and Table Tops and Mark Bitterman was brief and after light banter between them, the class was off and running. The first part of the class was focused on learning about salt, focusing on three foundation salts and three fun finishing salts. It was great to learn about the foundation salts and to appreciate the nuances between the different salts. FYI, Fleur de Sel is a great all purpose finishing salt Kauai Guava Smoked salt goes great on popcorn and vanilla ice cream!!
The second part of the class was the food demonstration, with Mark showing how to prep on both a cold and a heated Himalayan Salt Block. Keith prepped the salmon and had everyone suffering from knife envy when he pulled out his Shun Reserve knife and did the honors. To be honest I think his knife skills would have made a butter knife look good. The demonstration showed how easy it is to prepare and cook food on the Himalayan Salt Blocks
The first course was mozzarella and green apple on the cold salt block. It was amazing how quickly it soaked up the salt flavor and how easy it was to prepare a great starter.
Next we had fresh caught Chinook salmon, purchased at Newman’s Fish Market, cold cured on the salt block then served with fresh wassabi paste. I do have to put in a plug for Newman’s Fish Market here in Eugene, it is about as good as it gets. If you haven’t been there I highly recommend you stop and shop, they are friendly and knowledgeable, which makes for great shopping and great eats!!
The hot salt block demonstration was seared scallops, also purchased at Newman’s, and a flank steak sliced and seared. Like the salmon and the scallops from Newman’s, good meals begin with quality ingredients and Long’s Meat Market is as good on the turf as Newman’s is on the sea. Like my pitch for Newman’s, I have to highly recommend Long’s Meat Market for your quality meat products for quality meals.
The evening ended with a chocolate fondue cooked in a salt bowl … so decadent and so easy to prepare, life this good seems like it shouldn’t be this easy!!
Thank you Mark Bitterman, Salted, The Meadow, for an outstanding informational and entertaining class. You know the teaching is good when you can replicate the lesson and my salt block seared scallops were as good as I’ve ever prepared!
Thank you Kathy and Keith at Cooks Pots and Table Tops for providing another great class and thank you Rosa for the outstanding help in making the class go as well it is does. If you love cooking, love food or both, then I highly recommend taking a class at Cooks Pots and Table Tops. I can almost guarantee that you will not be disappointed!!
08 /
April 2012
Today was the first day of the 2012 Eugene Farmers Market/Saturday Market, the 43rd year, and you couldn’t have picked a nicer day. With mostly clear skies, no rain and very little wind, it was perfect weather to open the market season.
The Farmers Market/Saturday Market is as much a social event as it is a market event. Marking the end of Winter, it provides an opportunity to get out and shop, to see friends, make new friends and enjoy the comfort of familiarity of being a part of the community. Watching the stands being set up, getting my favorite treat ( a potato donut from Hideaway Bakery), checking out all of the current in season produce and of course seeing and hearing Eagle Park Slim was like comfort food for the soul. It’s a new season and life is good!
It was a great day for the opening offering familiar sights, smells and sounds … with familiar feelings.
I hope that many of you were able to attend the opening day and if you have never gone or have friends visiting from out of town, it is a Eugene experience not to miss!
Welcome back Farmers Market/Saturday Market!
Setting up, I enjoy the busyness before the Market opens.
Early Market is my favorite time, beating the rush and crush of the crowds.
Early shopping gets you the opportunity for first choice in selection. (Or second, or third or …)
The carrots were especially stunning in the sunny morning!
Picking up flowers to take home is always a treat, giving them away is an even better treat!
Hmmm, the harmony was palpable!
And of course Eagle Park Slim tied the event together!
Welcome back old friend, Saturday Market, you don’t look a day over 42!!!
08 /
April 2012
Have you ever witnessed greatness? Have you ever stood in the presence of something so awe inspiring that all you could do was stare in wonder? We live in a world of greatness, from the daily sunrise and sunset, the blossoming of daffodils, the singing of a bird, the sound of a laugh or the gentle touch of a hand. Sometimes we get an opportunity to experience greatness in creation, like art or music, sometimes we get to witness greatness in performance like an athlete or an actor, and sometimes we get to experience greatness through the kind and caring words and actions of others.
I hope that you can find the opportunity to appreciate the greatness that surrounds you in your life and if you ever think there is no greatness in your life then take a breath … it’s a great thing to be able to do!
Dale Chihuly
Georgia O’Keefe
Mark Rothko
Paul Strand
03 /
April 2012
Have you heard that “America Runs on Dunkin“? I know that Boston does.
I know that every time I visit my daughter in Boston that I have to stop by for my New England size of Dunkin Donuts coffee, and unlike most in New England … I take mine black!!
03 /
April 2012
I recently had the good fortune and opportunity to take a cooking class “All About Roasting“, taught by Molly Stevens at Cooks Pots and Tabletops.
Molly literally has written the book on roasting (see above picture for proof) and she was an incredible teacher in sharing her secret and not so secret knowledge about roasting. The night was filled with good teaching, good wine and most importantly … GOOD FOOD!!
Molly Stevens
Molly was a joy to watch cook. It’s always a pleasure to watch a professional work, but even more so when they sincerely enjoy what they do and do it with a true passion. Molly is one of those people.
The menu was mouth watering, as you can see listed in the picture above.
The starter was Polpettone Braised in Tomato Sauce, which were veal and riccota meatballs. Delicious!!
The main dish was plated after much anticipation, the aromas making the mouth water and then there was no disappointment when it came to the tasting!
The Brown Sugar Roasted Pineapple served with Lochimead Vanilla Ice Cream was an unexpected treat. If there waso nly one thing I could make from this dinner, this dessert course would hands down be my choice!!
Then with a flourish of the pen and the flick of a page the evening ended with another great cooking class experience provided by Cooks Pots and Tabletops and a signed cookbook by the amazing Molly Stevens. I would strongly encourage anyone who loves to roast and prepare great family comfort food to keep an eye open for any future classes taught by Molly and for a great lesson in cooking to check in with Cooks Pots and Tabletops. I would almost guarantee that there would be no disappointment in either!
28 /
March 2012
On March 20th I attended a class at Pepperberries on Roll Your Own Sushi taught by John Bridgens
Sushi is considered an art form, ingredients range from simple to complex and inexpensive to expensive.
The class covered equipment needed, ingredients and the how-to of rolling your own sushi. It taught that making sushi is fun, creative and most of all unique to you!!
John was an outstanding teacher and Pepperberries was an outstanding host. I would highly recommend this class in the future for anyone that would like to learn the joys and experience the pleasure of making your own sushi at home.
The following weekend I made a miso soup, cone sushi and three different veggie sushi rolls and the fun was as good as the flavor … so the class really was a learning hands-on experience that worked!
Sushi Class John prepping before the class
View from the Miso Soup level
Cone sushi, so easy … and oh so tasty?
The talent portion of the program, made to look easy and taught to be as easy as it looked!!!!
08 /
March 2012
Children’s tooth decay is not a thing of the past according to a recent article in The New York Times.
The number of preschoolers requiring extensive dental work suggests that many parents are making the mistake of not knowing the risks of tooth decay or how to prevent it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted an increase, the first in 40 years, in the number of preschoolers with cavities in a study five years ago. But dentists nationwide say they are seeing more preschoolers at all income levels with 6 to 10 cavities or more. The level of decay, they added, is so severe that they often recommend using general anesthesia because young children are unlikely to sit through such extensive procedures while they are awake.
Dentists’ Tips for Healthy Baby Teeth
Dentists suggest a number of tips for parents to prevent the decay of baby teeth:
Take an infant to a dentist before the first birthday for an assessment of cavity risk, even if the child has only a few teeth.
In general, brush the teeth of children 2 or younger with a bit of fluoride toothpaste twice a day. At 2, start to use a pea-size dollop.
Reduce snacking. Eating any starchy or sugary food causes the pH level in the mouth to drop sharply, leaving teeth awash in an acid bath — murder on enamel — for 20 minutes until saliva normalizes the pH. The frequency of exposure to acid is more important than the sugar content of food.
Do not share utensils with a child or “clean” a pacifier in your mouth, then give it to your infant.
Research has shown that parents or caregivers with active tooth decay can pass cavity-causing bacteria via saliva.
Brush preschoolers’ teeth for them. “They are not in a position to effectively brush their teeth until they are 7 or 9,” said Dr. John Hanna, the director at the pediatric dental surgery clinic at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.
CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS
07 /
March 2012
SMILING EYES, HONESTY, TRUTH, FRIENDLINESS … CHARMING!!
CHARM comes from the Greek notion of charisma, that compelling attractiveness certain people have that inspires devotion, or as Albert Camus believed gets you to the position of “yes” without having actually asked the question.
“Charm is being written out of modern life at a time when we have never needed it more. It’s being destroyed by an increasingly risk-averse generation of managers with an agenda to do the impossible: turn maximum profit while pleasing as many people as possible.”
Charm is effortless but it’s also a responsibility, it requires a degree of honesty and integrity and it’s something that can’t be faked. Charm is entirely human-it’s about character and individuality. Charm is about conviction-having an opinion,following an instinct, feeding a passion. The internet does not have charm, even though this is a charming statement.
Charm is unquantifiable, which is why many overlook it, yet it’s arguably the most important factor in securing repeat business. It’s fragile too, not something you can buy,takes time to nurture and requires safeguarding because, once lost, it’s near impossible to reinstate.
Charm is a special quality, a set of attributes fed by doing things based on human feelings. Honesty, integrity, simplicity, durability, tactility and charm are words that help businesses to thrive but can’t be taught because you have to genuinely possess those qualities. My staff possesses charm … And that is the difference.
1. Smile … A small gesture transforms transactions and makes them matter.
2. Be Honest … Be proud of qualities that can’t be faked.
3. Be True … Have an opinion. Don’t workshop your vision and values.
4. Be Friendly … We all want a bit more warmth.
5. And … Charm is not measurable but can definitely be powerful.
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