If only *my* father's office was this cool

We all have that person we call or email when we need a food recommendation. But what happens when you're the food person and you need a recommendation? Well, you turn to Jenny, who should have a food blog but doesn't. But she reads this blog. So that makes her cool but doesn't change the fact that she doesn't have a blog. Point being, she's a foodie's foodie.

When Jenny recommends a place you don't walk, you run over to it. So, when we were casually talking about the new Father's Office, she mentioned that the burger at the Culver City location is just as good as the Brentwood location. My ears perked up. Now, I haven't had the burger in Brentwood but this intrigued me.

Since it was Monday and the start of Rosh Hashanah, I thought Steve & I would have a good shot at a table at the Culver location. Although I was right, I was incredibly surprised at the number of people there. It was crowded, not in a can't-move sort of way but more of a what-are-all-of-you-doing-here-isn't-it-a-holiday-and-isn't-the-country-in-an-economic-downturn sort of way. But, we got our table and easily placed our order and we were happy.

Ok, I'll warn you, the burger ain't cheap. This isn't some cheesy bar burger. This is good stuff. And you taste it. OMG. I'm bringing everyone who digs burgers here. I'm taking all of my meat eaters here and not at the same time. I would totally come back again & again. When I say I don't eat fast food burgers because its a waste of my calories, this is what I'm talking about. People, don't diet. Give up crap, eat healthy as a general rule and then when faced with a great meal, enjoy it.

So yeah, go to Father's Office during non-peak hours (you couldn't pay me to go when it should be crowded) and order a burger. It'll make you a better person.

As the Robot Turns...

I have these friends, we'll call them k8 & mrk, 'cause you know, no one would have names like that, and they like robots. And, they have a fabulous daughter, who we'll call Mina, who also likes robots.

So, what would a person make for a certain person (Mina) who's turning 1 year old?

Hmm...

Lets think about this...

A robot?

Might be a stretch.

Unless you happen to read Craft Magazine....

Except that the pattern isn't available in the magazine. They just have pictures of Jess Hutchinson's fabulous robots.

Here's my Mina-friendly version:

I felt bad that I couldn't get him exactly like the ones in the picture. But Mina didn't seem to care...

When did this turn into a craft blog?

Whatever, probably more interesting than posting videos from my cell phone (high quality!) of my dogs rolling around in the grass. Or maybe not.

Anyways, a few of you were curious to what I bought at the Knit & Crochet Show. Wonder no more. I present you with the Basket o' Portland Goodness!

We'll start with top center, the red paper looking stuff. This is a Habu linen (3 skeins). This stuff is so magical that Regina had to talk me down from buying about 9 skeins in 3 colors. And by talking me down she told me to work with it and if I needed more she'd bring it back from her next NY trip. That's a good friend.

That multi-colored stuff was free in our gift bag. Its Red Heart Heart & Sole with Aloe. Yes, yarn with Aloe. I'm not creative enough to make this up.

Next is that lovely purple cone...Habu silk & stainless steel. Of course now that I'm reading the description, I might need a second cone.

Next we have a thingy (technical term) to attach snaps. Bolt had the cutest purple cowgirl style snaps (which got buried in the picture) but as Regina pointed out, how am I going to put them on anything. So yeah. There's a snap application thingy. And, since I had the snap application thingy, I then found more cute snaps at Knittn Kitten.

The lime green yarn was in our Knit & Crochet Show gift bag. Coats & Clark. And that's all I have to say about that.

Fabric is a vintage cowboy print from Knittn Kitten.

Zippers from both Bolt & Knittn Kitten.

Pink tomato pin cushion from Knittn Kitten, 'cause you know, I needed a pink tomato pin cushion. Apparently there was a blue one. But I didn't see it. So that makes the blue tomato pin cushion a rumor.

Multicolored skeins of yarn are all Dicentra sock yarns. The BRIGHT fuchsia is also Dicentra but its not sock, just lace weight. And for me.

In the middle, below the Habu linen paper we have a purple Habu skein in either cotton or bamboo. I can't remember.

On the needles (Size 0!) we have Habu cashmere and under that are all the needles I bought (sizes 1, 2, & 3) from Village Spinning & Weaving. Seriously, they had every circular needle ever thought of by Addi. I'm sure they had other needles as well, but the BOXES of Addi were busy overwhelming me so I didn't notice.

Not pictured as it was in my work craft bag (for lunchtime) is my turtle WoolPet. I'm working on him right now. But hers is cuter. But I think I'm ok with that as she does this as a living and this is my very first needle felting project. So, there's that.

Yup, perfectly restrained in my Portland shopping.

Hmmm, maybe that video of Dick rolling around in the grass would have been more interesting.

I'm not sure if my stitches are sublime

but the patterns sure are cute!

Last year I got the bright idea to embroider everyone kitchen towels as holiday gifts. I'd do really stupid things like dancing vegetables and cupcakes and monkeys and stuff. 'cause you know, everyone needs monkeys on their kitchen towels. And, I found stacks of flour sack towels on sale at Target in these great colors like burgundy and tan and a deep green and a great yellow. (Sorry I can't find anything similar on the website or else I'd link.) Then, for whatever reason, I made soap instead and called it a day. But, I still had all the embroidery patterns, towels, tools, etc... And, for whatever reason, I've been in the mood to embroider later. Pretty lucky for those who have a birthday right now, eh?

heh.

Here are my recent creations.

One of my poor co-workers was the lucky recipient of these:

Now, I love these guys. They just make me smile every time I see them. My mom even smiled when I showed them to her and she hasn't drunk the craft Kool-Aid I've been drinking for the past few years. Usually, if something passes the mom test, then they're acceptable for modern society. But sometimes I just wonder what people think of these things I come up with.

But I'm not overly concerned with this next one...Ever wonder what to get that cowboy in your life that has everything he could ever need? Wonder no more...

That's right kids. Kitchen towels with guns on them!

And, since you need more six shooters in your life, here's a close up:

I'm quite pleased with how these came out. I am hardly an embroidery master at this point (and thanks to these pictures I can see some of my errors) but I did actually try different stitches for this project and I don't think it totally sucks.

You're looking at four, that's right four different stitches in one gun. Not that the recipient will notice (or care) but I'm always all proud of myself for trying something new especially when it something scary like embroidering $.50 towels with $.05 floss.

Wow, I live on the wild side!

Out of control!

Someone stop me!

Portland - Saturday/Sunday

Saturday began with a fairly disappointing breakfast at Burgerville but was redeemed with Coriolis Sock Class with Cat. The techniques this woman comes up with are amazing. If you knit socks and you want to step up your game, go see Cat. She has this new technique called Houdini that's available on Twist Collective and she says she's going to write a new book and include that (or was it about that anyways...) so if you're looking for yet another way to knit a sock, now you know.

Though, I have to confess, we might have allegedly missed a bit of the afternoon class. As luck would have it, our class was sold out and several of the women in there really wanted and needed Cat's help. And, Cat was going to go over everything she did in the morning class in the afternoon as well. Armed with our class handouts and one of Cat's sock books we hightailed it out of downtown and off to our Aberta Street & Knittn Kitten adventure.

We had about 30 minutes between shopping and our dinner date at Bay 13. The dinner itself as well as the company was outstanding. After dinner we went somewhere for dessert. Before we could get to dessert, our dates had to go home. But, this turned out to be a good thing. As they drove us back to our hotel we passed Powell's. I had never heard of this place but as I learned its a book lover's fantasy land. Apparently the biggest bookstore, period.

Our original plan was to relax for the rest of the evening. I mean, work had been crazy for both of us this week, we got to our hotel after midnight on Thursday, we were out partying with Jim on Friday and now, here, we have downtime. I sat silently in the car as we rode back from the hotel trying to gage how far we were staying from this place.

Yeah, right, downtime. Once we got back to the hotel I hopped on the computer to see how to get to Powell's. Sure it was 9pm. Sure, it was in a part of town that could be a smidge sketchy late. Whatever people! We're talking books here! And, once I saw the map and saw that Voodoo Donuts was ON THE WAY to Powell's. Yeah. That was easy.

We downloaded directions from the Google and made our way to the Skidmore Fountain Max station and up to the bridge. As luck would have it a fairly cute, fairly scared looking female crossed our path and we asked how to get to Powell's. She pointed us in the right direction and off we went.

** Public Service Announcement ** Ladies, do not do this alone at night. During the day this area is fine. But, at night, there was a reason that fairly cute girl looked scared. You should not be walking around here alone.

After a brisk 10 block walk, we made it to Powell's. Wow. I spent about an hour in the knit & crochet books. That was followed by general crafts and Halloween. Wow. Other than picking up a random book as a gift on my way back from the bathroom, I was able to (mostly) control myself. I picked up 2 knitting books, 1 gift book, 1 reusable tote bag ($1) , a tshirt (gift) and a mug (gramma gift). Serious restraint!

On our way back we stopped at Voodoo. Though, I must confess, we were still so full from dinner we simply admired our donuts until the next morning.

As you can see I opted for the Voodoo dude and a traditional chocolate cake donut. Though my chocolate cake donut originally had the anarchy symbol on it, the frosting smeared on the way home. I'll be honest, the chocolate cake donut isn't anything to write home about. I wasn't my favorite. The Voodoo dude was quite tasty. As you might guess it had a raspberry filling inside. This serves two purposes, a good visual for a voodoo doll and keeping me to just eating around the filling thereby keeping me from getting sick from eating too much donut. (I'm not a filling kind of girl.)

Regina got the other donut they're famous for...

That's right, the maple bacon. Like my chocolate cake donut, she also got her own buttermilk bar 'cause she just likes those. I didn't try the buttermilk but holy crap the maple bacon rocked my world. Like chicken & waffles work together, so does the maple bacon donut. Yum! If you're ever in Portland and you don't happen to be a vegetarian, I highly recommend it!

Full from a healthy breakfast of voodoo, we went back to Powell's for a brief run around of all the sections we missed the night before. Though I can't say we saw all of it, I was able to hit the cookbooks (xmas gift), the pet section (more xmas gifts) and travel. So, I didn't feel like I had missed anything. I didn't see it all, but there wasn't anything I would cry if I didn't see it.

Now, our original Sunday plan included Crafty Wonderland. However, nothing in Portland, other than Powell's, opens before 11. And, with a 1:30pm flight, that doesn't work very well. So, we had to save Crafty Wonderland for our next visit.

I left Regina at the hotel since my flight was a few hours before hers, enjoyed a very healthy lunch, and was home by 4pm.

In case you're wondering, we've already started planning a trip in the spring.

Portland - The Actual Trip - Thursday/Friday

Regina & I flew in to Portland separately on Thursday night meeting up in baggage claim (carousel 10 for those keeping track at home) around 11:30pm. After locating luggage, we hopped into a cab and made it to the "official" hotel of the show, the Doubletree in downtown Portland. Other than having to pay $10/day for wifi, I was incredibly impressed with the hotel. The staff was friendly ("Thank you for staying at Doubletree. Here's a cookie. While you stay with us, anytime you want one, just stop by!"); the rooms were nice. I was a little concerned that they sold Pepsi products (don't judge me for my Diet Coke habit) but overall, it was a nice hotel, the Knit & Crochet show got a great rate & it was central to everything we needed.

Friday morning we got up stupid early as I had to get some work done and Regina had to get her packet. If you ever attend the Knit & Crochet show remember this. Like the spice, your packet is life. You're no one without your packet. Luckily Regina knew this and not only called earlier in the week to alert the show people to the packet malfunction but we got to the show early so she could pick up a new one.

As we were leaving the hotel we realised that we had no clue to where the show was. I had all sorts of maps to Voodoo Donut, Collage, Crafty Wonderland, but the one map I didn't do was the one to the show itself. Awesome, right? As luck would have it a delightful woman with a Ravelry bag was leaving the hotel the same time we were. We followed a nice lady with the Ravelry bag to find the show as we figured anyone with a Ravelry bag is our kind of people. Nice lady with Ravelry bag and her friend were very nice to us as we made our way to the show. Later, we formally met her when we went shopping at the marketplace.

While Regina learned about hairpin lace, I took Magical Mobius with Cat Bordhi. One thing about Cat. She really thinks about knitting. She's a student of the art of knitting and you really feel this in her class. She's incredibly patient and answers every question. She teaches the class in a variety of ways from talking & demonstrating to us as a large group, then breaking us down into smaller groups to show detail and then comes around to every individual to answer questions and see progression. If there is something specific that you want to learn and Cat is teaching it, take the class and you'll leave with a solid understanding and ability.

During our lunch break we wandered away from the convention center and stumbled onto Burgerville. From an L.A. point of view, Burgerville felt like the Portland equivalent to In'n'Out. The food was fresh, the line was long and when I almost cried because all of their Diet Coke fountains were giving me only water, the replaced one immediately. I was in love.

In my afternoon class, we were lucky enough to have a visitor. Annie Modesitt. If you've never met her or had a class with her and you have the opportunity, run, don't walk to the class. Not only does she have a wicked sense of humor but she knits like nothing you've ever seen, ok, nothing I've ever seen. Lightening quick with this combination method....it was outstanding. And, all of these topics I have no interest in like knit embellishments and learning to love lace and not hate charts now sound good to me. I mean, I would toss a few small children aside for a chance to actually learn her combination knitting technique and would toss a few adults aside for the cable sanity class. Seriously, if I go to the show next year, I'm stalking Annie. You've been warned.

After our afternoon session we ran back to the hotel to drop our stuff and to meet up with Jim. Jim & his wife Karol whisked us away to Beaverton to what was probably one of these best meals I've ever had. If you don't read Regina's blog you're probably wonder what fabulous restaurant they took us to in Beaverton. Well, it wasn't a restaurant. They took us to their son's house where he made an unbelievable meal. Mushroom soup, smoked scallops on a bed of spinach, salmon with sides I ate so quickly I can't remember, home made ice cream and all the best local wines you could drink. Unbelievable. And, he did a beer tasting of beer he brewed and bottled himself. And, we saw the hops he's growing for a new batch. And, to have two interweb peoples in your house in addition to the rest of the family you're entertaining...it was too much hospitality. Its been a week and I'm still overwhelmed. Regina & I are trying to figure out how to be adopted. I'm not kidding. Since we didn't drive ourselves to dinner, Regina wasn't able to take Diplohooktius Jimbosei with her. Though, don't think she didn't try.



AND, like the night couldn't get any better, Jim gave me a hook. I carry it around with me. Seriously. Next time you see me ask to see the hook. That's how much I love it. I carry it with me. Daily. And, just to torture me, he has an auction of TWELVE hooks up right now. If you crochet or you know someone who crochets, you need one of these hooks. They are works of art. And, they actually work. I mean, how often can you carry around and use a work of art in your life.

Had enough? Ok, me too. Saturday & Sunday next...

Portland, OR Crafty Shopping

Everyone says that Portland is a really cool town. And its not that I didn't believe them its just tough for me to imagine a city I've never been to. I don't know...one of my personal issues I guess. But, I can admit that I had the same reaction to Portland that I had to Minneapolis.

Who knew this city was so cool?

I heart Portland.

I know, I know, get in line.

When I was surfing around looking for crafty places to shop, there was an abundance to say the least. Therefore, we limited ourselves to Alberta Street and Knittin' Kitten.

The trip to Alberta was inspired by Natalie & her adventures there. We took the bus from our hotel in Downtown to Alberta Street. Right about the time we were thinking that we should have rented a car, we got there. And there was a street fair. And right about that time we were thankful we took the bus and didn't have to drive or park.

The street as well as the street fair itself was a hoot. There were the usual unusual vendors like the political kids and the tie-dye kids and some really cool tshirt kids, and a plus-size apron chick and these kids who painted knitting needles. Then, the parade was incredibly random featuring, well, anyone who wanted to be in it. There was a British style double decker bus, people walking on stilts, a dude riding a bike with his kid, people in random make-up. If you've ever dreamed of being in a parade, sign up and do it next year. Seriously. Anyone can.

We limited ourselves to shopping only at crafty spots. As Regina & I are certified shoppers (kids don't try this at home) we felt it best to just set goals. First up, Collage. If you're into paper and paper crafts, you need to go there. I'm not into paper or paper crafts and I was seriously considering starting. Her stuff was incredible and fun. What a buyer...I really enjoyed the shop.

Next, Bolt. This is a super cute shop. And the ladies who work there couldn't have been any nicer. Natalie covered the merchandise wonderfully so I won't go over it again but if you're in the area, you really should stop by. They had these really cool HUGE wooden buttons. I sort of wish I had added a few to the pile o'stuff I bought. Also, they had EVERY Sublime Stitching pattern, the usual ones, the limited edition ones and ones I had never even seen or heard of.

Close Knit. Cute and CROWDED which is awesome. When have you been to a neighborhood yarn shop on a NON-sale day and its been crowded? But, they were crowded with good reason. They had a great selection of small local brands and the big brands we all know and love (manos, Rowan, etc...) as well as a good selection of books, bags and random items for sale. If we weren't at a knit/crochet show with vendors to match, this would have been much more of a temptation.

Last, I must mention the food. Any search on Alberta Street will bring up the various restaurants and bars. But, that's not where we ate.






When you're walking down a crowded street full of shops and restaurants, how do you walk past this? I can answer that. You don't. It was awesome...a taco truck on a vacant lot with tables and chairs. And, judging by the number of people getting orders to go, I'm guessing this is a fixture and locals grab food and take it home. And for good reason. Yummy and cheap...my favorite combination.

All in all, Alberta street was fabulous.

But we weren't done.

Oh, no. Now that we had food and drink we had the strength to move forward. By the way, did I mention that prior to the shopping we had been in class from 9am - noon? And that after we did the majority of the Knit & Crochet Show vendor shopping that I talked about yesterday? Oh, I didn't? My bad. Moving along...

We took the bus back to our hotel and Regina immediately walked up to a cab and asked how much to get to Knittn Kitten. I'm not sure exactly who, but one of Regina's people knew of this magical place. A vintage craft store? We HAD to go.


And we went.


And it was fabulous. We bought fabric and patterns, pin cushions and patches. Next time I go to Portland, I'm bringing stuff to sell her. (The owner said that the majority of her stock walks right in the front door.) From what I understand from the Portland kids, it can be hit or miss. But, if you've never been its a treasure chest. They have vintage patterns from the 50s through present...power 80's suits anyone? or a 60's mini dress? Vintage magazines ... all sorts of fun stuff. We learned that they were featured in the last issue of Craft (the one with the dude and the weaving on the front.)

Next up, food and a smidge more shopping...

Knit & Crochet Show - Shopping

Ok, we'll get to the great classes, teachers, people, blah, blah, blah....lets start with the important stuff, the Portland shopping.

Since we were in Portland for the Knit & Crochet Show, we'll start there...

The vendors were incredible. Seriously. Lets say you know about Village Spinning & Weaving. And, lets say you don't live in California and you really want to go to Village Spinning & Weaving. Ok, here's a solution...if there's a show that they're a vendor at, its like going to their store only with more books and less roving. Their booth was overwhelming. Among the non-Californians, Village Spinning & Weaving was referred to as "the book people." Everyone loved the book people. They were my personal needle source (more on that situation later).

My favorite individual vendor (non-store) was Lisa with Dicentra. That's her baby and she does it all herself. Holy crap. And, her stuff is AMAZING! For your sake, I hope she gets her yarns & roving listed on etsy 'cause she has a fabulous sense of color. On Friday I was able to buy NOTHING...except from her. I was able to resist all but her.

So Regina & I wandered off to lunch between classes on Friday and saw The Naked Sheep car parked on the street.

And, I'm pleased to report that the people who own Naked Sheep are as friendly as you would think people who own a light yellow beetle with their logo on the car would be. I mean, how can you be mean when you have sheep on your car. Even though the lady in front of me in line at their booth was buying about 10 times the amount I was, they treated me exactly the same and rang me up just as quickly. I've added them to my list of interweb vendors to shop from and people to visit on my next visit to Portland.

**Ed. to add - If you're interested in seeing a picture of their booth and a write-up of everything The Naked Sheep had to offer at the show, go check out their blog. I was completely taken with the Wool Pets (as everyone else seemed to be by the buying frenzy) and the hand-spun yarn was just incredible. And, I've now learned through the blog that it was Cheri and Bradley who were so nice! So people of Portland, go shop there. And send me a tote bag, ok?

Ok, next on the list is a company any knit aficionado has heard of and I've heard about their yarns but I wasn't ready. It didn't matter how much you warned me, I wasn't prepared.

Habu.

That's right, I said it. I even went out and bought size 00 needles so I could knit with their yarn, and you're talking to the queen of size 9. I don't do small. But I do for them. The yarn was overwhelming and wonderful. Who knew silk & stainless steel could be soft or that someone would make a yarn from African plant fibers.

And, last but certainly not least was the friendly crew Abundant Yarn & Dye Works. I wasn't planning on buying anything Sunday. We were just stopping in to see what was going on before I left for the airport. But they were so nice and excited about the yarns they carried and how they were from sustainable farms and local and all this really cool stuff. And then I found it...a yarn named with my middle name so obviously I had to buy it.

I mean, duh.

*Poof* (Knit & Crochet Show)

Yup, that's the sound of my head exploding yet again.

One of the reasons I love what I do for work and I've stuck with it now for 7 years is that every day is different and every day I learn something new. And, that's one of the reasons why knit, crochet, dying and embroidery have held my interest as well. There is an endless amount to learn.

Though I do have a walking encyclopedia at my disposal, not to mention my personal library full of books and magazines, nothing quite prepared me for the Knit & Crochet Show. Sure on the surface its a bunch of knitters and crocheters descending upon the Convention Center. There are classes and vendors and I was ready for all of that. What I wasn't ready for was the amount you learn and the people you meet in this long weekend.

Here are the people I met this weekend, in no particular blog order:

Drew.
Annie.
Cat.
Jim.
Jennifer.
Laurie.

Here are the people who now have my paycheck:

Dicentra.
The Naked Sheep.
Habu.
Village Spinning & Weaving.
Abundant Yarn & Dye Works.

And I'm not even talking about the nice people in my classes or the vendors who don't have my credit cards or the other people I met whose names I've forgotten or blogs I didn't write down or shops I visited in Portland or the nice people I had dinner with. I just need to put my head back together and I'll start breaking it down.

More to come in my next post....

L.A. County Fair

Sorry for the radio silence last week. We had a sick dog (she's fine...she's back to chewing on her brother's head and stealing food) and without blogging about work, 'cause I don't blog about work, that's all I have to say about that and then I was off to Portland with Regina.

But yeah, L.A. County Fair.

Ellen was super nice about it. But Ellen is super nice. Its why we love her.

I'm not nearly as nice. That's why you like me. But, I will tell you that the company I had was fantastic! But the fair itself...to me it felt like a Hollywood set director decided what a County fair *should* look like....which is incredibly L.A. and oddly appropriate if you think about it. There were corporate sponsorships and sets and really it was quite pretty.

But the food.

I had a better corndog last night at PDX than I did at the fair. And that's wrong I tell you. Fairs should have the BEST corn dogs. And they shouldn't be from Hot Dog on a Stick. They should be from mom'n'pop vendors that do fairs and really bad for your food really well. This sums up my feeling about the food at the L.A. County Fair. Seriously people, I came home, went to Gelson's and ordered a Wolfgang Puck pizza. I should come home and roll around the house for DAYS full from the fair food. I shouldn't be hungry and sad.

But, there was one glorious and wonderful thing about the fair and it wasn't the chocolate covered bacon (which, by the way, isn't nearly as frightening as you would think...its like a chocolate covered pretzel) it was Dr. Bob's Ice Cream. Oh. Mi. Gawd. For the sake of your waistline do NOT eat this stuff. It is great ice cream. Fabulous. I hope to never see it in my grocer's freezer or else I may be forced to buy it and eat it and that's BAD.

You've been warned.

Where was I?

Oh yes, food at the fair...

After enjoying our "Veggie Fries" we made our way to visit with all of the crafts and veggies on display. (No, not in the same building, in case you were curious...but they are across the street from one another.)

As you would guess, Minnesota takes their crafts very seriously. The sheer volume of knitting, crocheting, felting, weaving, etc... is something to behold. With my trusty cell phone in hand I tried to get a few of my favorites as well as demonstrate the volume. Lets see how successful I was.

That's a lot of blankets. And that's just one case.

Its about 90 degrees out. Need a hat? Perhaps a scarf?

Ok, here's my favorite item displayed. Obviously, I wasn't the only one who felt this way.

If you want to see more of my fantastic reflective shots of the crafts, feel free. I'm getting hungry so lets move to the veggies.

Giant pumpkins!

As you can see in the background, its a whole room of veggies. There area behind the pumpkins are all the largest varieties. On the outer band of the room are all of the best of winners. Todd was impressed by the volume of varieties of pepers. Yes, he's easily amused. Of course, this is coming from the person exicted by the angry granny TP cover, so really its all relative.

Enough with the healthy stuff. Our next new culinary taste were the always popular cheese curds (from a different vendor...we live life on the edge people!). I really wish someone would rename cheese curds 'cause to a west coaster, that just sounds bad. But really, there is nothing bad about deep fried cheese. That is all good. Next was the porkchop on a stick. Not new to the fair by any means but we had never had it before. Apparently we didn't go to the stand that made these famous but ours was pretty darn tasty.

We also had the Nitro ice cream (always a favorite of mine) and Todd tried the Bell Pepper rings. As you would guess, instead of onion rings, they're deep fried bell peppers. Sadly, they're not on a stick but Todd liked them.

As a take home bonus I did a bucket o' cookies. They load up the bucket above & beyond so you can't close the lid. Here's a suggestion to all of you dropping cookies or feeling that you HAD to eat a dozen in the first five minutes to shut the lid...grab a plastic bag from one of your earlier purchases. That way you can take the excess cookies, put them in the bag and then close the lid on the bucket and eat at your leisure. I know this doesn't sound all that ground breaking but you didn't see the chaos with the cookies. It was cookies everywhere...cookie anarchy really. So with our $1 all you can drink milk we enjoyed the overflow of the bucket and I was able to bring home cookies to mom and the nice people here at work who are moving me from cube to office.

See, with cookies and tshirts and a sweatshirt, you can take the fair home with you!

Off to the Fair!

One of the myriad of reasons I go to Minneapolis over Labor Day weekend is the State Fair. Unless you've been there or some other farming state's fair, you've never seen anything like it. You and your closest 100,000 friends in one place. Though, because the fairgrounds are so large, you're not in any long lines or get pushed around too much.

We usually park in the front yard of one of the houses along the fairgrounds in St. Paul. For $20 you drive up, hand them your keys and walk right into the fair. No shuttles, no walking blocks and blocks to your car...just drive and go. Because of obvious traffic concerns, this year we decided to try something different and take the shuttle near Todd's house. $10 for the two of us round trip. And, oddly, as advertised, we walked onto the bus, and left about 5 minutes later. When we took the bus back, we walked onto it, and left about 5 minutes later. It really couldn't have been easier. And, we skipped all the traffic we usually sit in to get near the fairgrounds. Though, the rumors that you get discounted fair admission for taking the bus are false. Don't believe them. They lie. Admission is still $11. I'm just sayin'.

Because we took the shuttle we entered at a different gate over by all the live stock.

(By the way, that isn't the full fair map. I cropped it. There's more.)

Even at 9:30am, just a half hour after opening these areas were crowded. People here take their livestock very seriously....just so you know. First stop...corn dog. I mean, what says healthy state fair breakfast like a corn dog. Because we entered at a different gate, we got our dog at a different vendor. Usually we do Pronto Pup, this year we did Poncho Pup. I know, super exciting right? But, until you've had a corn dog at the fair, you haven't had a corn dog.

After our first food tasting, we did the swine barn. They pigs and sheep were very cute, despite my trying to figure out how to use the camera in my new phone.

Most of the sheep were either wearing their hoods and coats to keep them clean before they were shown, or had just been sheared. I thought it was mean to take pictures of them in their hoods (they look like unofficial members of a certain cult and really, I'm sure the sheep don't want to be seen in that light) or without any fleece. They looked so naked...cool, but naked. So here's a little guy with no hood and with his fleece just chillin'.

Here's the top boar:

I thought I got all of his stats in one picture but obviously not. As you can see Squeaky was quite content, taking in all of the attention.

Next we headed to the cattle barn and watched a few minutes of the milking demonstration. (I got bored when they hooked up the cow to a machine. Wow, watch the machine milk. Milk, machine milk. Not that advances in farming aren't fantastic. They are. Its just not super exciting to watch the machine milk.) We went inside and visited with the nice cows. I had no idea there were so many different kinds. It was cool to see them by category all in the same area..definitely gives you a good appreciation for what cattle people do and the size of these animals.

Outside of the cattle barn were the nice Alpaca people. They had alpacas and yarn and items made locally like scarves and hats and mittens. Everything was just beautiful. I chatted with Pat Hansen who owns Pure Country Alpacas. They doing a farm tour at the end of September...if I were in the metro area I'd totally go. I learned all sorts of things about alpacas and their fleece and the mill she uses the co-op she belongs to. It was pretty fantastic. Of course I had to buy a little yarn for myself, milled from her Alpacas! And, I bought a bit of hot pink roving from one of her friends who gave her roving to sell at the fair. Both are incredibly soft and if I weren't on such a spending spree that weekend I would have bought more. She had both hand spun and mill spun yarn. I'll admit, I went with the mill stuff but it wasn't for the quality. The hand spun was some of the nicest I've ever seen. But, how do you say no to 200 yards of lime green alpaca yarn? I'm so excited to have met the person who cares for the animals it came from.

Here's a (bad) picture of the alpacas they brought to the fair:

After the alpacas we went in search of more food. I mean, we had been at the fair for almost 2 hours at this point and only a corn dog to sustain us. My goal this year was either to eat stuff we hadn't had before, or, if we were going to repeat, like the corn dog, get it from a different place.

While looking for food, and for Raven, we stumbled upon "Veggie Fries." It was their first year at the fair.

As part of our food strategy, we opted to share everything so that we wouldn't explode, er, would be able to try more stuff. As you can see Todd is getting a jump start on the "Veggie Fries." Maybe it was just me, but it reminded me of vegetable tempura. But, it was darn tasty, on a stick and deep fried so it met all of the fair requirements.

Now might be a good time to let you know that Minnesota takes "on a stick" very seriously...and not just their food. I have Change on a Stick for Barack Obama that I got at the fair. They really like their stuff on a stick and take it just as far as they can.

Ok, I'm getting hungry...more food & fun tomorrow.

Minnapolis and a wee bit of shopping

Well Labor Day weekend means one thing to all of us...Minneapolis! What, you didn't go? I thought everyone in California went to the Midwest for the long weekend. Huh.

Anyways, I spent the weekend in beautiful Minneapolis. I kept saying, and I meant it, if it weren't for the (winter) weather, I could totally live there. If you haven't been and you have the opportunity, you really should. They have an incredibly vibrant art scene...plays and musicals and music and modern art and Russian art and all sorts of stuff. I've been traveling out there for 3 years now and haven't even seemingly scratched the surface. And, then there's the shopping. There's a three story Off Fifth right in the middle of downtown, not to mention the Super Targets and boutiques and all of the craft and yarn shops.

Normally, I don't shop in Minneapolis. I confine my spending to food and stuff at the fair. But, the February issue of Lucky recommended several shops in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Oddly, I was able to cut out and keep the page with the recommendations (so not like me) and even remembered to bring it with! I took this as a sign. But, being the level-headed shopper that I am, I immediately crossed off sever shops from my list for this trip...no craft or yarn shops as Regina & I are heading up to Portland in two weeks. Also, no trendy boutiques as I can find that stuff here. That left about four shops I really wanted to hit.

As timing allowed I was able to stop in two, Hunt & Gather and Design Collective. Hunt & Gather is about 3 blocks from the significant other's house. I've driven by this place about 100 times and always wondered about it but never had a reason to go in. So, we kidnapped, er, took his mom's dog for a walk and headed down the street. Todd and Brown Dog hung out outside in one of the many Adirondack chairs while I ventured in.

Hunt & Gather is not for the faint of heart or the claustrophobic. If you're a collector or someone who's looking for that diamond in the rough, this is the place for you. The store is divided into different rooms on two floors separated by the various vendors. Talk about Midwest and honest, when you're walking around this store you are definitely on your own to, well, hunt and gather. No sales people looming over you, no pressure...just wandering through thinking about your grandfather's attic and all the cool stuff you could find there. I didn't find anything I couldn't live without but there were several people having quite a fine time finding their own treasures.

Design Collective was described as off the beaten path in the Lucky article. Uhm, if you mean, one building up from a MAJOR street, one that Todd takes to work everyday, just past the busiest part of Uptown, then, sure, yeah, really off the beaten path. Its a small shop, but the polar opposite from Hunt & Gather. Everything is merchandised beautifully and despite the size of the shop, you never feel too closed in.

The shop has the clothes organized by designer with a little bio at the beginning of the rack. Other than the tshirts, everything was pretty much one of a kind. The shop feels like the various small designer sample sales you find in L.A. And, that's a compliment. The clothes are original and very well made. But, if you're not the size on the hanger, tough luck. There was one plaid skirt, very 50s that I liked but it looked to be about a size 8. So, no need to be a sample size, you just need to be lucky. I will say that if you're in the area and you need a gift or a fantastic card, go here. The cards are incredible and the tshirts, purses, jewelry and odds and ends would make a unique and fabulous gifts. I had to talk myself out several cards as well as some arm warmers. 'cause, you know, I really need arm warmers. So, Todd bought me a very nice tshirt and we continued on our merry way.