Hesses Madhouse: This Week's Date

May 31, 2013

Week #23 Date

This week's date has been provided by the alumni of Sunset High School.

I've been on a bit of a history kick lately and have been looking into the past of the town I was raised in, Beaverton, Oregon. As I started doing this, I was directed, by a friend, to my high school's alumni Facebook page. She said there was a lot of reminiscing going on there.

I'm in LOVE!
Haven't seen this little guy
since I was a kid.

People were discussing various businesses around the area through the years. I brought up the old Fryer Tucks restaurant that sat on Walker Road near Cedar Hills Boulevard. Other people put their two cents worth in as well, and within a few comments, someone mentioned that there still is a Fryer Tuck in the Portland area. WHAT?!

So, the Warden and I are off to fulfill a craving I've had for more than 30 years. They have what they call "Little John Spuds" that are amazing, but you can't eat those potatoes without the dip. Oh, that dip! Honestly one of the most wonderful things I've ever had. I'm dreaming of it. It's been WAY too long since I've had it.

I contact my brother to see if he and his wife wanted to join us. He told me that he'd been there. WHAT?! No way! He's been there TWICE! But, he said the chicken wasn't as good as he remembered it being. He added, though, that the spuds and dip were pretty close to what we had as children.

YAY! Who cares about the flippin' chicken. Bring on the spuds...No, bring on the DIP!

Can't wait!!!

NOTE: Just read the reviews on Yelp!, and it sounds like maybe I'm excited for nothing. We shall see. I'll give you a review here after tomorrow night. I think we'll get our food to go and go have a picnic. We always had it to go when I was a kid because, as I recall, there was not place to sit--everyone had take out.

So hoping not to be disappointed, but maybe this'll finally be the thing that kill that craving. I figure it'll either kill it or re-ignite it. We shall see.....

***

May 24, 2013

Last week's date snuck up on me. In hindsight, I wish I would have written about it before it happened. As we were driving home, I thought what a shame it was that many of my friends missed it.

We went to the Evening of the Arts at the Old Church downtown. From what I understand, this is an annual event and is sponsored by the Oregon Association of American Mothers, Inc., but I had never been before.

In short, it was FABULOUS! Oregon's current Young Mother of the Year is a concert pianist who has played in places such as Carnegie Hall. She's amazing. I think she played four numbers that night. There was such a range of musicians from popular to classical and everything in between. It really was great.

There was visual art displayed in another room and the artists were all there. It was really something! All that talent in one place. Amazing!

The only think I wish was that we'd been sitting in a different location. I wish I could have seen Liz Caswell's hands as she played that piano. They were just flying. It was like nothing I've ever heard in real life before.

So, when this event comes up next year, I'll let you know. Seriously, it's a not-to-be-missed experience.

***

May 17, 2013

Week #21 Date

The Warden and I try hard to go on a date each week. A few years back, I got tired of climbing into the car, putting on my seatbelt and having the following conversation:

"So, where are we going?"
"I don't know. Where do you want to go?"
"I don't know. Where do you want to go?"

Well, after weeks of this, I got a bit weary, so I decided to take on a new challenge....52 weeks of date ideas. All I had to do was go to the week number and voila, we were off and running. In an attempt to make life easier again, I have recreated, and (I hope) improved upon, the list.

We live in the Portland, Oregon, area, so this may be more helpful for others who live in the same general vicinity, but if you live elsewhere, you can maybe use these ideas as a jumping off point. There may be similar activities in your area.

The other requirement for these dates is that I try hard to keep costs down. Every so often they may be a bit more spendy, but for the most part, I try to keep them free or very inexpensive. Dates, after all, shouldn't be about money spent but about time together, right?

Here's this week's date....