OK. . . I know that title is wildly random and would capture even the slightest intrigued person to peruse through the post. . . so I hope not to disappoint.
But since I really didn't want to use the 'Odds 'N Ends' Part 3' as my post title-- because. . . well, at this point it would be so cliche. . . and since I have just a tad more random stuff to catch up on--I thought I'd put them all in the same title.
That way--if you are looking for info about autumn or winter weather or polish sausage--I've got all bases covered.
Now then---we'll start with Fall:
Fall is my most favorite time of year. I love the cooler weather, the changing color of the leaves, the back to school for the kids, football games, and of course--those fun caloric holidays that fall always brings: Halloween and Thanksgiving. . .
This year, for Halloween, my daughter outdid herself finding clever costumes for my grandsons. They went as giraffes--BOTH of them! And I am pretty certain you could not find two cuter giraffes on the planet.
Although Max was not too sure about this 'going up to stranger's houses thing'--He DID enjoy seeing candy put into his little pumpkin.
And Sam, of course, was a natural at smiling with those big baby blue giraffe eyes and saying the expected 'Trick Or Treat' at each and every home. He always gave the customary 'thanks' afterward as well. (although, he'd still gaze up at you with those big wide eyes--which seemed to plead: 'Please sir, can I have some more?')
Needless to say--they got a TON of candy this year and did quite well for themselves.
Next on the list is WINTER. And oh my--as of this posting we are right in the middle of our first major snowstorm--which has the kids really happy because the schools are all closed. . . and many folks are happy too because some businesses are shut down. . . so of course we have taken advantage of this opportunity to go sledding with the kids, walking, traipsing and tripping through the ice and snow, putting chains on our car and driving around just for the sheer excitement of it (and to see who else enough is foolish enough to go out in this weather) and other dumb stuff. . .
Before the 'arctic freeze' set in--and while it was only cold, and rainy and miserable (without the snow and ice yet) we went and checked out the 'Holiday Express' with dear daughter and her family:
The little grandsons were REALLY excited to be on a train--ANY kind of train--never mind how old or decrepit it was:
I would post pictures of the rest of the family--but they don't show the same enthusiasm as the grandkids. . . however I did manage to snap a photo of my daughter and her husband when they were looking somewhat pleasant:
The highlight of the trip was when Santa came to visit and passed out candy canes to the kids and sang with them. Sam was heard to exclaim (after receiving his candy cane from Santa): 'My GOSH! These are bigger than the church ones we got. These are the kind I like, baby!'
Now for the 3rd and final thing I wanted to post about: POLISH SAUSAGE!
I know what some of you are thinking--what does polish sausage have to do with anything, and why would anyone post about it?
To answer the first question--Nothing! To answer the second question--Because I actually had a great time eating it, that's why!
Here's the scoop:
A couple of months back, dear hubby and I went with some friends to this little spot in downtown Portland called: 'Grandpa's Cafe And Polish Deli' because these friends had been to the Polish Festival on several occasions and tried out this cafe and deemed it: 'Good and cheap eats' and that was enough to get dear hubby motivated in this slumped economy.
Amazingly it did not disappoint! This place served authentic polish cuisine with such items as:
Pierogi (dumplings)
Golabki (stuffed cabbage rolls)
Kielbasa I Bigos (sausage and hunter's stew)
Nalesniki (crepes)
Placki (potato pancakes)
Flaki (tripe soup)
Chrusciki (angel wings)
And the stuff was GOOD! And PLENTIFUL! And yes, CHEAP! The most expensive thing on the menu was 6 bucks!
Grandpa's Cafe sells also meats, kielbasa, over 100 products from Poland, and about 15 different kinds of Polish beer:
The place is not much to look at--it sits underneath an old dance hall and library--but the atmosphere is warm and friendly--and the food is very good.
It was one of those unexpected surprises and if you are in the Portland area--you gotta try it out at least once. Oh--grandpa is nearly retired now, so it's only open when he's working--which is Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. . . otherwise he's napping or resting or gone fishing. . .
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