Curry Shack #2

Yet another unmitigated success in the curry department!

The Curry Shack was warm on a chilly night. We cooked again over the gas grill by the light of candles and Christmas lights.
We had made rice earlier in the day so that was out of the way, and I made a Rasam that I thought came out a little dodgy. Passable but not quite what I was shooting for.

The meet up was set between two and three in the afternoon for a soccer game and a try on the swings at the middle school in Ladd's Addition. I had the feeling this would happen, but due to the last minute announcements and a seemingly complete disinterest in spending part of a perfectly good Saturday running about after a ball, I was the only one there! I shot baskets and scored a personal best 6 for 51 then split back to get cooking.


Folks wandered in in ones and twos and we got the ball rolling. First up I made a Chicken Korma which was lovely. My housemate Carla made Dall and we re-heated the Rasam. I made another rich chicken curry this one based in tomatoes. Carla got started on a veggie green Tai curry. All in all we had two rice dishes, four curries and sides of veggies and fried tofu.


The Curry Shack in it's full blown glory.

Girr.

Casey Neill beginning to show early signs that he will be successful in getting into character to sing Shane MacGowan songs at the big St. Pats day Pogues tribute show at the Doug Fir.

This Curry Shack instigated a new free sticker scheme.

Maria and Carla.

With the propane out, bellies full, and the temperature tumbling the troops retreated inside and carried on.

John and Casey

Carla and Missy.

Cheers gang!

Curry Shack Adventure #1

Sunday saw the the start of the cunning Curry Shack nights, promising at least one good meal a month to PDX Metro goers.
The weather may have kept folks away from the planned appetite inducing kick around, but Amber and Carla made it and we had fun under gray skies out on the fields.


After bagging all that running around and kicking the ball we walked to the house and threw open the garage door and began the festivities. I started with a completely successful Chicken Korma, and Carla whipped up veggies and mushrooms.

All in all we would have two rice dishes, one non-curry veggie dish, and three curries; two Indian and one Tai.

Candles gave the Curry Shack a warm glow.

Carla and I disagreed on my green curry. I found it to be a failure due to it's heavy, dull taste. Everyone else maintained it was fine. Enjoyable even. I think though that they were just being nice though I did notice though that no one actually died after eating it.

Sasha enjoying dinner in the Curry Shack.

We cooked over a gas grill which proved to be tops!

Jeff and Orna sprung an odd song and dance routine on us.

Carla with green curry...

and Susan with dinner.

My last dish was a rich and successful Indian curry with chicken and veggies...

which Jeff approved of.


The plan is that come spring this wall will be completely full of oil stained, smudged, and almost burned up recipes.

Oaks Park Picnic Adventure

We had a lovely adventure last Sunday spending the day along the river and down at Oaks amusement park.

After meeting at OMSI we walked the Springwater trail south the three and a half miles to the old amusement park.


After passing the concrete factory the trail passes into Oaks nature preserve. The Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge is a 160-acre wetland in south east Portland along the Willamette River. Part of the park is built on a sanitation landfill consisting of 400,000 cubic feet of construction waste material layered with soil. yikes!



Oaks Amusement Park, which was known as the Coney Island of the Northwest, opened May 30, 1905. It's one of the 10 oldest amusement parks in the country. Admission is free and we were on for a picnic lunch.

Not only were we on for lunch, but the entire state of Iowa was having a holiday too.

We even had a Nessie sighting in the parking lot.


Sad really, how the mighty have fallen.

We found the door to the old dance hall was open and snuck in for a look 'round.

The wooden carousel horses seemed old but there wasn't any information on them. They stood silently in mid-leap in the corners. The walls of the dance hall were covered with historical photos of the park but there wasn't any information about them eather. I took pictures of the framed prints in hopes of sussing out the history later.


These cool old street lamps date from the Lewis and Clark expo in 1905.


Check out the beautiful detail of the wooden dance floor.

The view from the front door across the dance hall. I'm sure that the original ceiling still exists above the crappy hanging one.

Claire and Dan after lunch on the banks above the river. Dan is an amusement park historian and a great guy. He took us 'round pointing out some of the history of the place.

It was sad that way in the corner behind the toilets and plastic sink...

...were some of the old bumper cars and train engines. They were beautiful but in need of some care and love.


This is the old original entrance on the south end of the park.


Orna had herself a snowcone sort of thing, and we stood in line to ride the Lewis and Clark Trail.





The roller skate rink at oaks is pretty cool. It smells a bit like 100 years worth of feet, and is as popular as ever.

This lovely old contraption hasn't changed a bit since the 50's.

The rink is home to one of the biggest and oldest Wurlitzer organs in the country and on Sunday's you can watch this excellent fellow play the afternoon away.


Clown noses curtsey of the good folks from the State of Iowa picnic.