Norwitz Notions

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Entries from September 2008

Multnomah County Central Library (Portland, OR)

September 28th, 2008 · 2 Comments

I’ve lived in cities with large central libraries before (like Boston) but the locations I’ve lived recently tend to have smaller ones (with access to more books via inter-library loan).  Portland has one of those old-fashioned but refreshing monuments to reading.  A library where you actually want to spend time, not just kill it. Multnomah […]

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Categories: Libraries · Places to Go
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Mt Shasta Area/Panther Meadows (California)

September 28th, 2008 · 1 Comment

Our first day of travel from Petaluma, CA to Vancouver, BC was our worst.  We took I-5 and, despite keeping the A/C on recirculate and me being on oxygen, I got pretty sick from the pesticide exposures driving past all the agriculture.  Miriam was in even worse shape.  Screaming, tantrums, and two episodes of extreme […]

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Categories: Campgrounds · Parks · Picnics · Places to Go · Travel
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Champoeg State Park (Oregon)

September 24th, 2008 · 1 Comment

Unlike our misadventure of the night before, our two night stay at Champoeg State Park, just south of Portland and north of Salem, was peaceful, quiet, and medically uneventful.  We arrived with concerns.  Since it was a weekend, and we were only booking a few days in advance, there were just two campsites left.  I […]

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Categories: Campgrounds · Museums · Parks · Picnics · Places to Go · Travel
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Indian Mary Park (Merlin, Oregon)

September 23rd, 2008 · 5 Comments

The first overnight stop on our road trip from Petaluma, California to Vancouver, Canada, was in Southern Oregon at the Indian Mary Campground in Merlin. By Google Maps, it’s 410 miles and a 6:30 hour drive. With extensive stops, it was more like 9 or 10 hours. Indian Mary Park Uninc Josephine County, Oregon 7100 […]

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Categories: Campgrounds · Family Life · Health · Parks · Picnics · Places to Go · Playgrounds · Travel
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Chili & Cornbread Casserole

September 17th, 2008 · 1 Comment

This dish takes a fair bit of time to make, but it’s one of my favorites for a hearty meal to serve to company.  I’ve been making it for a while but it wasn’t until recently when I made it for friends in Canada that I took pictures. I’ve adapted this recipe from: Chili and […]

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Categories: Book Reviews · Cookbooks · Food · Food Books · Main Dishes · Recipes
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India Bistro (Vancouver, BC)

September 16th, 2008 · 2 Comments

While visiting the Vancouver area last month, we stayed with friends in Burnaby, a suburb to the east of the city.  Some other friends from New Brunswick overlapped their stay with ours then went to a hotel in downtown Vancouver for a convention.  On their last night, we met up with them for dinner. Finding […]

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Categories: Canadian Restaurant · Food · Restaurant Reviews
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Xiang Cuisine (Burnaby, BC)

September 14th, 2008 · No Comments

Michael and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary on August 21st (and 12 years of being together).  I was ill for our first wedding anniversary, and our second was a so-so dinner with Miriam after a doctor’s appointment, so we were determined to have a romantic dinner alone this year.  We were in British Columbia […]

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Categories: Canadian Restaurant · Food · Restaurant Reviews
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Riverfront Park (Salem, Oregon)

September 13th, 2008 · 1 Comment

This huge and beautiful park is worth the couple mile detour for anyone travelling along I-5 in Oregon.  Our first stop was the picnic area.  They have a large covered section of tables, which was taken when we were there so we ate at a table in the sun (during a heat wave unfortunately). The […]

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Categories: Carousels · Parks · Picnics · Places to Go · Playgrounds
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A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village (Salem, Oregon)

September 12th, 2008 · 2 Comments

While driving north on I-5 through Oregon, I paged through an Oregon tourist guide looking for a good place to stop for lunch.  We decided on Salem, with the fabulous Riverfront Park next to a children’s museum. A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village http://www.acgilbert.org/ 116 Marion St. NE, Salem, Oregon 97301 503-371-3631 or 1-800-208-9514 Admission is $5.50 […]

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Categories: Indoor Playspaces · Museums · Places to Go · Playgrounds
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Homemade Applesauce

September 10th, 2008 · No Comments

On a recent trip to Vancouver, Canada, I admired my hosts’ towering apple tree, as well as the superior taste of the apples.  When I found out they simply composted them, I vowed to turn them into something useful. First, I collected 24 hours worth of fallen apples. Next, I cut away the bad parts […]

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Categories: Desserts · Food · Recipes · Snacks · Spreads & Dips
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