a haunt at the hot springs spa

Today was my rest and relaxation day at Carson Mineral Hot Springs Spa with my fellow relaxation-seeking friend, Jessica. It was my first time visiting this historical bathhouse in Carson, Washington. She gave me the perfect visual this morning on our drive there: “Its kind of like what you would picture a 1920’s hospital to look like.” This is exactly the feel of the bathhouse. Built in 1923, aside from some new plumbing, I am pretty certain that very few updates have been made ever since. There are cracking ceilings and floors with dramatic curvature from the many years of settling on a hilltop. The front room is filled with about a dozen clawfoot tubs surrounded by white privacy curtains and the other rooms have about the same amount of hospital style beds where you are wrapped up like a mummy after your soak in order to sweat out toxins. The men and women’s bathhouses are separated and each side has shower facilities, dressing rooms and a sauna.

Upon my entrance into  the dimly lit wooden hallway of the bathhouse today, I caught a glimpse of some kind of pink flash. I quickly turned around to see if I had missed something but nothing was there. I suddenly got the feeling that the bathhouse was haunted.

Jessica’s massage was scheduled before mine so I went straight to the soaking tub from my initial shower, where I soaked for about 45 minutes. The water was pin-prickling hot when I first got in and smelled strong of hard-boiled eggs or sulfur. It only took a few moments though before my sore muscles and crackling bones responded to the heat and minerals and started to relax. I layed there and thought about all of the women for so many years who had visited this same bathhouse in search of some relaxation and relief from pain as I was doing today. While trying to keep my mind from wondering, I kept repeating with each inhalation “be,” and each exhalation, “here.” It must have worked because for a brief moment there, I was able to escape to that blissful place of nothingness and then I started to see a lovely light purple aura (for lack of a better word) surrounding my body in the tub. Perhaps it was my own “aura.” Perhaps it was caused by the fumes of the minerals. Or, perhaps there is some other paranormal explanation. But the moment I started thinking about what it might be and not remaining in the moment, the images slipped away as quickly as they came. “Be…here..,” I started to repeat again. But I came to again from the sound of a nice lady asking if I was ready for my body wrap.

I’ll tell you, there is something so much more relaxing and fulfilling to have a soak and body wrap before or after a massage. It allows for your body to release more toxins and provides for even more time to relax. I came out of the experience feeling so much more grounded than I have been feeling lately.

Following our relaxing morning, we headed over to Skamania Lodge for a late lunch and warm tea with a view overlooking the Columbia Gorge River.

When I got home, I looked up a couple things that had been on my mind since leaving the bathhouse:

Q) What minerals are in the hot springs water and what do they do (because my achy bones and sore muscles were feeling great)?

A) Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfate (the smelly one), Ammonia, and Phosphate. Click here to find out more about what each mineral does for the body.

Q) What does a purple aura mean?

A) According to various google searches, a purple aura means that you are in a good place spiritually and that you are close to experiencing a state of equilibrium or open awareness (dang! I wish I could have kept with it longer!). Purple auras are also a sign of healing and cleansing and indicates the soothing of pain. (interesting and fitting!)

Q) Is Carson Mineral Hot Springs Spa known to be haunted?

A) According to several people online and the owners, yes.

Doner House

While running around town picking up event supplies last week, I ended up crashing a man date between Josh and Andy Paulson downtown to have a doner. I think they refrained momentarily from talking about football for my sake.

This is Josh’s favorite restaurant, which I still had not tried, and let me just say that it doesn’t get Josh’s stamp of approval for nothing. It is good! Give it a shot! And if you are a first timer, simply order the Doner. Its like a yuro but better!

Doner Kebab | 515 SW 4th Avenue

mint tea

Recently, I made a trek out to “The Couv.” That is what some Portlander’s call Vancouver, WA as if it is some kind of disease you catch. It is not a bad place, Portlander’s give nicknames like this to every suburb city just to prove that if you live there you are not a true Portlander.

The purpose of my Vancouver jaunt was to seek out some Moroccan lanterns someone had told me were there. Unfortunately, the lanterns were not what I had expected but because I had made the trip over I decided to order a pot of tea and ended up discovering a new favorite beverage! 

Mint Tea was the name of the place and Moroccan Mint Tea is what I had. I liked it so much that I bought part of the ingredients for it and picked the rest up at New Seasons today so I can enjoy it this week (it is steeping as I write this)! And because I think that good things need to be shared, I am going to give you all the ingredients too.

All I need now is a cute little Moroccan tea set. I think somehow it will make the experience more enjoyable!

Moroccan Mint Tea (serves 8-12 people one glass each)

1 full tablespoon loose Gunpowder Green Tea

3-5 Tablespoons Sugar

Handful fresh, washed mint (dried mint also works when fresh is not available)

Place loose tea in teapot, add sugar and fill with boiling water, approximately 5 cups and mix. At this point you can have your teapot on either a gas or electric stove and cook the tea for 1-2 minutes. Add mint after cooking and allow tea to steep for 5 minutes. Add water essence at this point if desired (rose or orange blossom water). To mix, pour 3 tea glasses full and return to top of pot.

another spa retreat

Next Friday, my spa buddy, Jessica, and I will be heading out to the Columbia Gorge to enjoy a day at the spa. Unfortunately, I have learned the hard way one too many times that it is extremely important to take care of my body and mind by managing the stressors that come up in daily life. And, let me tell you — it is a daily practice. Even with retreats to the spa once in a while, if I don’t stay on top of stress when things get busy, it can quickly spiral out of control.

There is a certain level of stress that can actually be healthy in our lives, but we all know our thresholds and when we have met them, it is hugely important to take a break. I read today that many researchers and doctors believe that 99% of illness is caused by stress. So, lets take care of our minds and our bodies!

To read more about the affects of stress, read the information below pulled from the CDC website below:

“Stress sets off an alarm in the brain, which responds by preparing the body for defensive action. The nervous system is aroused and hormones are released to sharpen the senses, quicken the pulse, deepen respiration, and tense the muscles. This response (sometimes called the fight or flight response) is important because it helps us defend against threatening situations. The response is preprogrammed biologically. Everyone responds in much the same way, regardless of whether the stressful situation is at work or home.

Short-lived or infrequent episodes of stress pose little risk. But when stressful situations go unresolved, the body is kept in a constant state of activation, which increases the rate of wear and tear to biological systems. Ultimately, fatigue or damage results, and the ability of the body to repair and defend itself can become seriously compromised. As a result, the risk of injury or disease escalates.”

departure

Josh and I met our good friend, Ali, his mom and her boyfriend at Departure for a last-minute night cap on Friday after watching the Blazers game. I’ve been to The Nines hotel before but had not yet made my way up to the 15th floor. Stepping into the lounge literally feels like you are boarding a spaceship  (hence the name Departure). It is built with so many glass windows all around that you can easily make believe that you are flying above Portland’s cityscape.

I missed out on the summer rooftop deck weather, but I am sure I will be there again next year. I just hope that by that time the place doesn’t turn into a complete meet/meat market to where it is so crowded that you can’t move through the bar area or find seating.

The restaurant/lounge was designed by my favorite local architecture firm, Skylab Design Group. I really appreciate their sleek designs. Rather than working with an existing space within the old Meier and Frank building, they actually added on a completely new level to the top in order to create their giant space ship.

Skylab, run by award winning architect, Jeff Kovel, has brought Portland other hot design spots such as Doug Fir (another restaurant/lounge) and Sugar Laboratories (a salon and spa). See you aboard the ship soon! (all photos in this post were pulled from the Departures website).

internal clock: time change

I’ve never been a person who  relies on an alarm clock unless I have to wake up at an insanely early hour to catch a flight or something of the sort. The only other time I set my alarm is when I know I am not going to get a full 8 hours of sleep (my internal clock changes so completely when I don’t).

Our time changed over the weekend -  we set our clocks back by an hour. Yet, my body still wants to wake up at the same time every morning and because of this, I have found that I’ve gained an extra hour for myself. I am sure I will go back to how it was before eventually as the days continue to grow shorter, but I have to say that I am certainly enjoying the relaxed nature of my earlier mornings.  This experience got me to thinking that if we could all just plan a little time when it is quiet – no phones ringing…just you and your thoughts, it might do wonders for our psyche. 

Try it out! I dare you – wake up an hour earlier (on a night when you will get a full 8 hours), and see how it might alter your day.

halloween and football…whhhaaaa?

driving south on I-5 toward Eugene

Over the weekend, Josh and I drove out to the McKenzie Valley to visit his folks. Saturday was a big Oregon Ducks game. Football is Josh’s thing, not mine.

While waiting for the game to start on Halloween, Gary built us a lovely fire to enjoy outside.

Char and I sat in folding chairs by the fire drinking wine that we poured from the wine pedestal (all of the outdoor furniture is put away for the season).

We watched Gary rake up the fall leaves and chatted each other up about the meaning of life….we often pontificate this thought together.

When Josh woke up from his pre-football watching nap, he joined us too.

Good times were had…I caught the first part of the game, then Belle and I walked up to our beautiful apartment we get to stay in while visiting and proceeded to pontificate the meaning of life some more. I have not figured it all out yet, but when I do, I will let you know.

I hope you had a nice Halloween weekend!

pumpkin time!

We are now in the thick of fall, and when I say “thick,” I am referring to the inches of leaves accumulating in our yard. Josh and I spent yesterday afternoon walking around Hawthorne and came home with two pumpkins ready to be carved. He made a “Ralph” pumpkin (from the Simpsons) and I made a lopsided owl. It was a fun and relaxing way to spend our saturday night. I wonder though if a trick to carving pumpkins might be to clean them out one day then wait overnight for them to dry out a bit before starting the actual design. Something to try next year I suppose.

One other picture I wanted to share with you was this one I took when leaving the Portland Art Museum on Friday night:

Portland Art Museum

I love when they hang lanterns in the sculpture garden area.

experiencing montessori as an outsider

Beautiful Sun Montessori -- In Aruba

As many of you may recall, after visiting our dear friend Julie (a Montessori teacher) in the British Virgin Islands and having the opportunity to observe in her classroom, I came home with a new drive to become a Montessori teacher myself one day. I applied to Montessori Institute Northwest and was accepted for this fall’s program but ended up deferring enrollment until Fall of 2010. I did this because going back to school at this point in my life to pursue a completely different field is a huge investment and I wanted to take the time to do more research and observe more classrooms in Portland to be sure this was absolutely the right decision for me. At this time, I still have not made a definite decision, but still have plenty of time to decide.

I have had two observation days – one at Providence Montessori and one at Childpeace Montessori. The two schools though utilizing the same foundation definitely had a different feel depending on the teacher or the environment, but I found both experiences to be quite touching. I thought I would share with you some of my notes so you can see why I am so intrigued by the Montessori teaching philosophy.

So, here you have it – my notes from my observation days at both schools! I just jotted down things I found to be interesting or little details that struck me as being uniquely Montessori. I hope you will enjoy them. The overall element I took away with me is that the teachers (called Guides in the Montessori classroom) approach the children and give lessons to the children in a manner that is thoughtful, respectful, and calm. It is clear that the children respond to this by acting the same way in the classroom and most likely outside the classroom environment as well.

The experience is so different and so peaceful compared to walking into a regular pre-school/kindergarden environment. Keep in mind that the age levels are mixed in the Montessori classroom as opposed to separating students depending on age. The ages I observed are considered “Primary Ages” from 3-6 years old. This age is the crucial foundation point for the rest of a child’s life.

photo taken by Benjamin Brink for The Oregonian

Providence Montessori Observation Day:

• Upon my arrival, the lights are dim and calming music is playing (perhaps to keep the students from becoming stressed to enter the classroom environment).  I sit in the observation chair on one side of the room – to keep from disrupting the normal activities of the classroom, I have been asked to quietly observe and not engage any of the children. It seems the children are used to this…aside from a few curious kids who know not to talk to me but keep looking over, most go about their work and don’t pay any attention to me. I avoid eye contact to help abide by the rules.
• I notice that the children are finding activities for themselves without the instruction from the teacher. They pick up materials in which they have already been given a lesson on.
• The children are very careful and thoughtful about their particular activity
• I observe two children, ages 4-5, carrying lesson materials over to the same area. When one sits down, the other stops in his tracks, gently states the girl’s name and then says”I was going to sit there…” The girl smiles says “oh okay,” and then moves over to the next table. The whole thing just seemed so mature to me.
• When a child completes his/her activity, there is not always someone nearby to praise them — it is the child’s own satisfaction that they are learning something new.
• If the children want a snack, they ask the assistant teacher and then the child gets out their name card to use as a place setting at a child-sized kitchen table, then they pour or serve their own snack (again, ages 3-6). When they finish, they clean up their area themselves and put their name card away.
• Most all lessons in the Primary Age classroom are one-to-one with the teacher (Guide) and student. However, I notice that when the teacher begins a lesson, from time to time, other kids nearby may show an interest, stop what they are working on momentarily and quietly observe the lesson as well.
• I notice one of the older students in the classroom teaching a younger girl how to tie her shoes.
• The children all seem to be very kind and gentle with one another.
• There are many plants and living things in the classroom and the kids take pride in being able to take care of them.

Childpeace Montessori Observation Day:

(At Childpeace, I visited two separate classrooms)

• A little girl is chopping onions with a “real” knife (being very mindful and careful) – she is so completely focused on this activity.
• Another girl is grating potatoes with a grater. This must be a new activity because she really seems to be enjoying it.
• A boy is making applesauce from scratch — the teacher must be focused on cooking at this time.
• Another boy is laying on the floor laying out numbers in order that are printed on wooden boards (1000, 2000, 3000, etc.) When done, he carefully stacks the numbers and puts them away, then rolls up the mat he was using and puts it away.
• Everything in the classroom is child-height.
• The teacher is giving a lesson with the sandpaper letter boards. She traces an “h” with her fingers, then makes the “haaaah” sound, and then asks the child to tell her some words that start with the “haaaaah” sound. Horse, House…She does this three times, then asks the student to try it.
• All of the sudden, one child who was carrying a glass container drops it on the ground. The teacher calmly asks him not to touch any of the glass and to grab one of the dust pans (there is a bin with several dust pans and mini sweepers next to where I sit). He pulls one out and the teacher shows him how to clean the glass up carefully without touching any of it himself….now THAT is not something that would happen anywhere but here. Because, when do you teach a child about these things if you freak out and take charge of something that could be turned into a lesson. Nice job!

Second Classroom Visit at Childpeace:

• A child is quietly reading a book to himself.
• The teacher gives a sandpaper letter lesson to a child with “oy.” This child understands the sound, so the teacher takes it a step further and shows her how to write it in cursive on a small chalkboard as well. The child does this with the teacher observing, then once she leaves the child tries this with other sounds as well.
• After one girl finishes painting, she walks over to the sink, gets up on the stool, and washes her hands…no one asked her to…she just did it on her own (maybe 4 years old).
• The boy finished reading his book is asked if he is ready to start writing a story about Farm Animals. The Guide walks with him over to a shelf and pulls out a piece of paper with space at the top so he can illustrate a picture  of the animal he decides to write about.
• At this point, I stopped taking notes and  teared up as I watched a little girl, possibly the youngest in the classroom, try her hand at a block tower. It takes her 2-3 tries, but she finally succeeds at putting them in order from largest to smallest at the top and she is so pleased.

To learn more about the Montessori philosophy, I would highly recommend reading “The Absorbent Mind,” by Dr. Maria Montessori.

the comfort of pets

 

It is a bit strange that we (we who have domesticated pets) live with these animals that roam around our houses while we are away and follow our every move while we are home.

If I do so much as to get up to use the restroom, Belle gets up with such purpose and follows me as if she needs to use the restroom herself. It’s good to feel so loved. And, she looks up at me with the most desperate and sincere pug face I have ever seen, as if to say, “do you still love me as much as you did a minute ago? Okay good, just making sure.”

I realized today while hard at work in the office that my dog forces me to pull away from what I am doing and relax, even if only for a moment…as mentioned before, I have been very busy at work lately, so seeing a cute puppy face or hearing a snoring pug beneath my office chair is a nice way to come back into reality.