December 2024 Check-In's

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Ron Steen Jazz Jam At
Clydes Prime Rib, Portland, Oregon
Sunday, December 1, 2024

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Music & Free Member Wine Flights At
Maryhill Winery Tasting Room & Bistro,
Vancouver Waterfront, Washington
Monday, December 2, 2024

Our Master Bedroom View
Vancouver, Washington
Wednesday, December 4, 2024

This is our view from the bed in our Vancouver home master bedroom.

In the photo of the wall with the video screens, the center one is our 85" big screen TV. To the left is a screen showing views from 8 of the security cameras around the house. This security system was already installed at our home when we purchased our home. The security system monitor was inside the bedroom linen closet but I extended it to a larger screen in our Master Bedroom so that we could keep an eye on things from our bed, including any cars in front of our home and anyone at our front door. To the right is a screen showing a NEST camera view of the driveway at our Anaheim Vacation house. We can set this to any of several Nest cameras at either our Anaheim Vacation house or our Vancouver home but we usually keep it on our Anaheim Vacation house driveway.

In the middle photo above are our two computer work desks, the one on the left for Barbara and the one on the right for me. The Master Bedroom in our Vancouver home is huge and has room for our office unlike our Anaheim Vacation house where our office is in a separate room. The photo above on the right shows the door to our Master Bathroom which is quite large also. Not only does this doorway lead into a walk-in closet, but after moving in we created a doorway through the wall of the walk-in closet into the front room that now serves as a gigantic storage room. Thus, we can walk directly from our Master Bedroom into the giant storage closet without going into the main part of the house.

Devin Phillips At
The 1905, Portland, Oregon
Wednesday, December 4, 2024

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Heathen Brewing, Vancouver, Washington
Friday, December 6, 2024

This brewery is just down the street from my Vancouver home. The closest crossroad to my home is NE 119th Street and this brewery is located at the corner of NE 119th Street and NE Highway 99. I got there at about 5PM on a Friday. The place was packed! I parked at the one remaining open parking space and I sat at the one remaining seat at the bar. There was a birthday party going on, but that only accounted for a table or two. I asked the person next to me and he said it is usually about this busy on a Friday after work hours. In addition to full pours, they also offer flights of 4 ounce pours. I ordered four 4 ounce IPA pours plus one other non-IPA. There was only one IPA that I really liked.

Mystic Mama Band At
The Spare Room Restaurants & Lounge, Portland, Oregon
Friday, December 6, 2024

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Introducing Pineau des Amis:
A Limited-Edition Collaboration
between Suzor Wines & Westward Whiskey
At Westward Whisky, Portland, Oregon
Saturday, December 7, 2024

Dinner & Free Member Wine Flights At
Maryhill Winery Tasting Room & Bistro,
Vancouver Waterfront, Washington
Saturday, December 7, 2024

Mama Mia Trattoria Italian Restaurant
Portland, Oregon
Shelli, Lanita, Barbara & Stephen
Monday, December 9, 2024

I found a parking space right outside our window at the restaurant.

Shelli, LaNita, Barbara and Stephen

Eggplant Parmesan, Vegan Spicy Italian Meatballs, Sauteed Baby Spinach, Cannoli and Apple Cheesecake.

Many restaurants that only serve pizza and pasta call themselves Italian Restaurants, but they are not. There are also many Italian Restaurants that only serve Northern Italian Cuisine with few or no dishes with marinara sauce. That is not my type of Italian cuisine. By contrast, Mama Mia Trattoria serves many Southern Italian dishes that I'm used to finding offered in Italian Restaurants such as Eggplant and Chicken Parmesan, Chicken and Veal Scallopine Marsala, Lasagna, Manicotti, Gnocchi, and of course, Spaghetti & Meatballs! It also serves Italian desserts like Cannoli and Italian Gelato as well as many Italian wines like Chianti, Prosecco, and even the dessert wine, Grappa! The service was excellent and the food plentiful and delicioius! We'll definitely be coming back to this restaurant.

Winter Wonderland Holiday Lights
at Portland International Raceway, Portland, Oregon
Monday, December 9, 2024

Christmas On Franklin
46th and Franklin, Vancouver, Washington
Shelli, Lanita, Barbara & Stephen
Monday, December 9, 2024

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Christmas Ships Watching Event At
Maryhill Winery Tasting Room & Bistro,
Vancouver Waterfront, Washington
With Live Music, Wine and Buffet
Tuesday, December 10, 2024

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Fenix (Sax) Rising Band At
The Blue Diamond, Portland, Oregon
Thursday, December 12, 2024

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Indian Buffet Lunch At
Indian Namaste Cuisines,
8303 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, Oregon
Friday, December 13, 2024

This is the biggest and best tasting Indian buffet in the entire Portland / Vancouver region. The Sandy Blvd location is open Tuesday through Sunday (closed Monday) while the Lloyd Distric Location is open 7 days a week. Both are open from 11 AM until 9:30 PM and both charge $20 per person all day.

Deep Dive Class & Distillery Tour At
Westward Whisky, Portland, Oregon
Friday, December 13, 2024

We started off with a complimentary version of the Westward Whiskey Manhattan Cocktail followed by a complete tour of the whiskey distilling facility and process by Johnathan. We were served Westward Whiskey samples all during the tour, including a test of the wort (beer) that is used to make the whiskey and "White Lightning," a clear whiskey before it has been aged. That was followed by a tasting of 6 Westward Whiskies: the Original Westward Whiskey, a Westward Whiskey aged in Pinot Noir casks, Westward Whiskey aged in stout beer casks, then single barrel versions of the same whiskies. Our favorite was the Single Barrel ared in Pinot Noir casks and we purchased a bottle of that.

Bridgetown Sextet At The 1905, Portland, Oregon
Sunday, December 15, 2024

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Karaoke & Open Mic At
Cascade Bar & Grill, Vancouver, Washington
Sunday, December 15, 2024

The Portland / Vancouver region is the home of dozens of fantastic craft breweries, taprooms, vineyards, wineries, wine bars, and live music venues including jazz and blues. Washington State is home of Elysian Brewing, the brewers of my favorite brew: Space Dust IPA. However, you do have to get used to the far left cuture of the area with the LGBTQ Rainbow Flag and Black Lives Matter Signs posted at many venues such as the Cascade Bar & Grill. However, if you travel just a little outside the urban areas you'll find yourself in MAGA country with many venues, homes and pickup trucks displaying the American Flag, Trump Flags, and even Gagsden "Don't Tread On Me" Flags.

Lanita Birthday Celebration At
Caro Amico Italian Cafe, Portland, Oregon
Tuesday, December 17, 2024

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Ragdoll Christmas Celebration At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Saturday, December 21, 2024

Barbara won the very first gift drawing:
Christmas handtowels and Christmas handsoap.





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Christmas Eve Dinner At
Tutto Fresco, Orange, California
Linda, Jodina, Nick, Barbara & Stephen
Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Christmas Eve With Trailer Park Flamingos & Citizen O'Kane Combined Bands At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Linda, Cheryl, John, Barbara & Stephen
Tuesday, December 24, 2024

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Christmas Indian Buffet Lunch At Masala Bae, Orange, California With
Cheryl & John, Jason, Rumei & Dylan Lopez, Jodina & Nick, Sherica & Brian, Barbara & Stephen
Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Christmas Day At Jason & Rumei's Home With
Linda, Jason, Rumei & Dylan Lopez, Jodina & Nick, Sherica & Brian, Barbara & Stephen
Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Weekly Red Wine Flight At
The Twisted Vine, Fullerton, California
Thursday, December 26, 2024

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Sonoramics At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Dave Fruth, Cheryl, Barbara & Stephen
Thursday, December 26, 2024

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Sonoramics At
The Tartan Room, Orange, California
Linda Lopez, Barbara & Stephen
Friday, December 27, 2024

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Celebrating Hanukah With Our Daughters
At Our Anaheim House, California
Jodina, Sherica, Barbara & Stephen
Saturday, December 28, 2024

This was followed by our traditional Hanukah Dinner at Benjie's Jewish Deli in Santa Ana, California,
with Linda Lopez, Jodina, Sherica & Brian, Barbara & Stephen.

Mexican Dinner At
Anchus Southwest Grill & Bar, Riverside, California
With Scotty, Gael, Barbara & Stephen
Sunday, December 29, 2024

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Early New Year's Eve Celebration With
Tony Guerrero Quintet featuring Lia Booth & Others At
CampusJAX, Newport Beach, California
Tuesday, December 31, 2024 7:30 - 9:30 PM
Betty, Linda, Barbara & Stephen

We brought a bottle of one of our top level wines from our house.
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New Years Eve Celebration With
The Trailer Park Flamingos Country Rock Band At
The Fling Cocktail Lounge, Santa Ana, California
Dave, Joanne, Christina Fruth, Cheryl & John, Linda, Barbara & Stephen
Tuesday, December 31, 2024

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