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Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

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Portland

Need An Off-Season?

October 10, 2018 By Kimberly A. Cook 1 Comment

How does this look for fun? Being on a ship, without being on a ship. No fishing or diving. Just saying.

Is it just me or is it time for an off-season? From life! Watching two of my three NFL teams get beat this past Sunday, I pondered their talk about the off-season. When do we get an off-season? Between the news, bad weather and the major construction outside my front door, I need to re-stock the chocolate shelf. Might fill up the downstairs shower too. Can’t be too careful.

Here is a look back at Wildfin restaurant from the suspension walkway. Trot off that dessert.

But a lovely escape did happen last week, celebrating my sister’s birthday. We motored across the Columbia River to wonderful Vancouver, Washington to see the new river walk area that opened up.

You can look down at the Columbia River or out at the Interstate Bridge.

Had a lip smacking lunch at the Wildfin restaurant, super tasty. Only been open a week, but the place was jam-packed. Try visiting off-hours between lunch and dinner. The industrial vibe can get a tad noisy when the place is full. But the food is great and the prices reasonable for a river front view.

After lunch we walked outside to experience the over the water suspended walk way along the Columbia River. Very cool. Great view of the Interstate Bridge and the river traffic.

Or you can watch a tugboat push a barge through the open railroad bridge.

They are still finishing final art and landscape installations along the river walk, but you can wander at will and enjoy the view. Mega condos and apartments are also still under construction. Walkers, runners, wanderers and doggies on the prowl were all in evidence.

Or you can help me figure out why somebody parked my yacht on the Oregon side of the river when I was on the Washington side. (I know the proper term is moored, but I love to drive Navy sailors nuts. It’s an Army thing.)

Sometimes a small escape from an ordinary day gives one a whole new perspective. There is another restaurant open, Twigs, so we must go back and explore that one too.

Never underestimate the power of a lunch date escape out-of-town. The sanity you save may be your own!

Looking back at the work in progress on the Vancouver USA River walk. Pretty darn spiffy!

 

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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: barge traffic, Columbia River, dining, dog walk, Kimberly A. Cook, lunch date, Need An Off-Season?, Oregon, photography, Portland, restaurant, river, river traffic, river walk, sightsee, stress relief, tugboats, Vancouver USA, walk, Warrior Tales, Washington river walk, Wildfin restaurant

White Christmas Memories

December 26, 2017 By Kimberly A. Cook 3 Comments

by Kimberly A. Cook

Happy Boxing Day! It’s a balmy 28 degrees here in Oregon and the ice and leftover snow are still on the roofs in my neighborhood. The unexpected freezing rain on Christmas Eve turned into fluffy snow in the late afternoon.

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The glare of ice crystals on the bird bath on Christmas Eve, lit by the street lamp reflection. Birds will need ice skates!

 

Geared up with crampons on my boots and cookies and eggnog in my backpack, I hoofed it over to my Mom’s house at 2:30 p.m. for Christmas Eve eggnog and cookies. Walked carefully since one does not want to fall on their eggnog. The Army did teach me to find my feet on the ice. The walk back home through fluffy white snow and the quiet that only a holiday with a blanket of white can bring was magical.

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The bird bath on Christmas Day. Since the birdie bath heater died, it’s now an ice rink. Must get to the store to replace the heater.

 

An emergency run for take-and-bake pizza on Christmas Eve morning by my sister worked out well to pre-position food for the holiday. We went with super easy Christmas dinner this year. Christmas pizza a first for us. It was wonderful with eggnog and cookies, plus some salad thrown in for good measure. Plus dark chocolate. ALWAYS dark chocolate.

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This is the winter camellia blooming while hit by the freezing rain. Note my fabulous mini pink bunny trellis in the background. Did that this summer for color in the garden for the winter.

 

So I played with my camera and thought I’d share some pics from our little weather event. Forecast for more freezing rain, snow, sleet, locusts tonight. Something like that. So here are pics from a lazy photographer who basically stands on the front or back porch and takes photos. I blame the pizza and eggnog.

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One of the last rose blooms attacked by the ice.  Spring will come again!

 

 

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This is my laziest photo of all.  I’m a big Music Choice fan on Comcast. I love the holiday music which comes with fabulous rotating pictures. This is my favorite photo every year. Cookie conveyor! It dawned on me I could take a picture of the tv from my LaZBoy and share it. Truly the laziest pic of all. Almost Happy New Year! 

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Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: freezing rain Oregon, frozen garden, holidays, ice roses, Kimberly A Cook, Oregon, photography, Portland, Warrior Tales, winter pics, winter weather

Can You Say Snow Cone?

January 13, 2017 By Kimberly A. Cook Leave a Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

So here’s the deal. Last weekend I bought a new snow shovel because we were supposed to get a few inches of snow on Tuesday-Wednesday. The prior storm I used a round-tipped shovel to try and scrape ice and it was not an effective tool. Went to Ace Hardware and bought a square snow shovel gem for $9.99. Bargain.

Then my Mom bought new snow boots Tuesday. Next my sister and brother-in-law decided they needed a new snow shovel too and got one from Ace Hardware on Tuesday. The snow started around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. It dumped at two inches an hour. I apologize Portland!

So a foot of snow later and icy temperatures, I used that spiffy new shovel on Wednesday. A lot. I got to use it yesterday too. But the sun is out and it is a balmy 25 degrees which is hot for the past several weeks, so we’re good.

I’m not going anywhere until Monday when the monsoons come in and melt all this.There is a large snow drift outside my garage door which can just turn to rain, thank you very much.

But Nora our fabulous Polar Bear at the Oregon Zoo had a blast in the fresh snow. The elephants were pretty pumped too. The Oregon Zoo has been closed, but the animals are having a blast without us visitors. Par-tee!

Happy Quirky Friday! Stay warm!

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Filed Under: Quirky Fridays Tagged With: Ace Hardware, animals, Kimberly A Cook, Nora the polar bear, Oregon, Oregon Zoo, Portland, snow, Snow2017, snowstorm, Warrior Tales, winter

Real Books Are Still Way Cool

June 7, 2016 By Kimberly A. Cook Leave a Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

The planets aligned correctly last Friday and I combined a visit to my hairdresser and the 10th Annual Rose City Book and Paper Fair. Truly miraculous. Before I knew it I had wandered for three hours among the booths snapping up must have books and getting creative ideas and inspirations. These were my peeps!

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Original Dr. Seuss? Can you see the number of zeros behind the $? www.burnsiderarebooks.com

While I could not afford the high priced books, I could see them and be impressed. In one booth a guy practically climbed over me to get to a signed framed photo of Muhammad Ali. In another booth I noticed a first edition Ali biography bound in leather and signed by the Champ. When I learned of his passing Friday night, it touched me to have seen things he had signed. The greatest of all time.

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Speaking of greats, how about this display of book authors? www.pacificcoastbooks.net

The variety was astounding and I had a blast. The event is put on by the Cascade Booksellers Association and featured 55 booths. Vendors from Oregon, Washington and California displayed their goods. I scampered away with four books; a biography of Hans Christian Andersen from the $3 table, a $5 copy of Hardtack and Coffee, Women Marines; The World War II Era and U.S. Submarine Losses of World War II.

 

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How is this for an amazing display? Makes you want to pick them up doesn’t it? Zephyr Used & Rare Books

 

It does my heart good to see folks preserving and cherishing these books and items produced by other artists and writers. There were even relief maps built for the World War II invasion in the Pacific, including the mapmakers memories. You never know what you might find.

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Building 14 items from World War II. About $3,000.00 for the package of relief maps. www.monographbookwerks.com

Elvis was in the building and so were cookbooks and some very cool collectibles.

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Elvis is always in the building as far as I’m concerned.

I need more walls to hang art on and store books. What better past time for an adventure than to hunt for books this summer?

What’s on your book wish list?

 

 

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Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: Ali, author, book collecting, books, collectibles, Elvis, Kimberly A Cook, OR, Portland, rare books, Rose City Book and Paper Fair, Warrior Tales, writer

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