Searching for the Roaring Twenties

As it turned out, this adventure was less like time travel and more like archaeology:
we had to dig a little, but it made a day in a local town feel like a treasure hunt.

We watched several films and documentaries to fill our eyes and ears with the sights and sounds of the Twenties, and remind us of the rapid social, political, and industrial changes that shaped the decade. My husband begged me not to make him watch "Thoroughly Modern Millie" again, a favorite of our children for many years.

So we watched The Great Gatsby, The Cat's Meow, and old Keystone Cops comedy shorts.

To really get into it we should have watched some silent movies, preferably in an old theater with an organist, but this just did not work into our schedule.

Our day in Albany was graced with perfect walking weather. We started at the Historic Carousel and Museum in the old downtown, right next to the Willamette River. Read about it here.
This organization is a shining example of what inspiration, leadership and community spirit can achieve. We were stunned by the workmanship going into creating the animals for this carousel, but even more impressed by the story.

Next we took advantage of the historic walking tour maps, toured the picturesque business district and went in search of Albany's beautiful Victorian homes. It was not hard to imagine Model Ts parked along these streets and ladies going calling in fashionable dropped waist dresses.

Choosing an appropriate restaurant was going to be a challenge, I knew. In my research about the twenties, I learned that diners and cafeterias were all the rage, and going out to eat in general had become very popular. So we chose the Sweet Red Bistro because it had a lively energy, intriguing menu and appropriately, Art Deco posters.

Finally it was time for the main event at Albany Civic Theater, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing set in the 1920s, which proved to be a whole hearted production with plenty of references to the era, including Keystone Cops for comic relief.

The next day we finished our trip in time with a family brunch, using several recipes from Vintage Cookbooks. Just reading these period cookbooks was great entertainment, and reminded me how much we take for granted the wide variety of foods readily available to us in modern grocery stores.

I chose to make the Flemish Carrots, Cream of Asparagus Soup and Strawberry Cornstarch Pudding from the Woman's World Calendar Cookbook. (The soup was a bit hit) Browsing the menus in this book helped me choose other popular dishes of the day for our 1920s brunch: open faced salmon on toast, deviled eggs, pickles, fresh fruit, scalloped potatoes and a baked ham.


Of course in the spirit of the twenties we had to have cocktails.
We found this site very helpful! 
Everyone enjoyed the Mary Pickford, and especially liked The Bees Knees.

Did we feel like we had been through a time machine into the Roaring Twenties? No. Did we enjoy a unique, memory building weekend with our family, making the most of the simple things available to us in our limited time and budget? YES! 

Building a Time Machine

We're going back in time.

To the Fabulous 1920s! This adventure has been inspired by the upcoming production of Much Ado About Nothing, being set in the style of the 1920s at the Albany Civic Theater. They promise a "Gatsbyesque" world with comedy, song and dance. Count me in!

Costumes are definitely in order, but not too over the top. We want to have a good time wandering around Albany before the show.

Albany is the perfect town for time travel, having fine historical neighborhoods and museums. It has the oldest airfield in Oregon, a Carnegie library, and a Carousel Museum. I'm sure we'll find plenty to do.

Now to build my time machine.

Keep scrolling to see the previous Oregon Staycation in "Japan"

Japan Takes the Stage

Big drums. That's all it took to get my interest.

The weekend after our failed attempt to spend a day "in Japan", there was a Japanese-American New Year's celebration and cultural fair in Portland. Why not try again?

Mochitsuki promised a full slate of performances, including two troupes of Taiko drummers. 

But first I needed sushi.

Our grown kids were eager to join us on a staycation experience, so the night before Mochitsuki we watched some Japan travelogues and went out to Tiga Sushi & Asian Bistro in Salem. Even the non-sushi fans at the table had to admit it was wonderful.

The next day we drove in a world of fog to Portland.

Driving through a cloud felt like  being in a plane.
Like magic, the minute we arrived in downtown Portland the fog cleared, and the day was dazzling.

"My" we said, "Isn't this a beautiful day in Japan?"

Ladies in kimonos heading to the event confirmed the illusion.

Mochitsuki was buzzing already when we got there. We grabbed some delicious mochi and took our seats for the dynamic "Utsuki Kai" Ritual Mochi Pounding on stage, followed by a succession of evocative performances.

The performance hall had a wood floor, and the Taiko drums reverberated through our feet. It was even more spectacular than I hoped. 

When the koto players took the stage, I wondered how my family would enjoy this softer music after the excitement of the drums, but my son-in-law remarked: "I got so caught up in the music of the kotos I forgot where I was."

We left Mochitsuki grateful for the experience. If we had wanted to continue the theme, we should have visited the lovely Japanese Gardens just a short drive away.

But one thing that impressed me in the movies we had watched during the week was the importance of family in Japan. Mochitsuki confirmed this by seamlessly including all ages.

So we drove up to visit with our other daughter. We took a walk through her neighborhood to a coffeehouse and other Portland style shops. I bought a book, a loaf of crusty bread and arugula pesto. We admired her small apartment, which reminded us of how Japanese homes make use of every space. We sat around her table and broke bread together.

Back home, we congratulated ourselves for having one of the best vacations ever.

I looked at the little book I had purchased: a  "how to draw" cartoon animals study book.

Now I looked closer and laughed. Of course!

It is by Sachiko Umoto, and was originally published in Japan.

My souvenir.

Keep scrolling to see more Japan ideas.

A Japanese Cultural Experience Part One, Plan A...

Inspired by the Salem Concert Band's offering "Postcards from Japan", I decided to put together a cultural Japanese staycation adventure.

My husband was stationed for awhile in Japan during his military service, and he remembers this experience fondly. I asked him what the people in Japan like to do on their weekends.

He pondered this. "They like nature a lot" he said.

Then it all came together.

We would begin our day outside Salem at the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, where for a few hours that morning there would be a guide from the Audubon Society to help us appreciate this wide marshland set aside for migrating birds.

Then a light lunch at one of Salem's many Japanese Udon restaurants.

Then on to an art exhibit in downtown Salem, which happened to be featuring the work of a Japanese American artist.

And to the Concert, "Postcards from Japan". The Salem Concert Band is a fine group of artists. This would be the high point of the day.

Finally, dinner at one of Salem's best reviewed sushi places. It was going to be amazing.

But then we had another one of those weeks with a family member in the hospital. ER, Intensive Care, driving back and forth every day and getting behind at work, and then bringing them back home with all the uncertainty that brings. And it was the day before our "trip".

So we watched a movie.



Neither one of us wanted anything serious. We chose one that looked off-beat, and laughed  randomly. We needed that.

"Fine, Totally Fine" brings an odd collection of hapless characters together in a artfully chaotic style. The rhythm of this film is syncopated like a nervous tic. I loved it. I like being surprised.










The next night we followed that with "Key of Life" and laughed some more. Impossible plot and plenty of nonsense. Just the therapy we needed.

Finally, something beautiful.

Adrift in Tokyo is also quirky, but the tragedy that sets the piece in motion drives it throughout.

The scenery as they walk through the movie made me feel like I had also wandered through parts of this great city. The images of home life helped me visualize the way people might live.

I loved the dailiness of some scenes: the line for a popular noodle restaurant, encounters with other pedestrians on the sidewalk.

All three movies explore the lives of young Japanese men -- juxtaposed with older men, and the parallels are intriguing.

Listen for the unseen cat. What do you think it means? Tell me if you figure it out.

And when it is over, you will want Japanese Curry. Or at least, I did.

Keep scrolling to see how Portland became Venice for a Day

How Portland Became Venice for a Day

We were so excited to spend the day in "Venice" the next morning.
I researched what to wear in Italy. Scarves are in. Check.
Blessed with perfect weather, we parked close to the waterfront.
Our agenda:

~ walk the waterfront loop. What could be more appropriate?  Along the way we chatted with some friendly fisherman along the river wall. No gondolas, but plenty to see on this popular walkway.  Here's a link.

~ choose an Italian restaurant with sidewalk seating for lunch. Piazza Italia. The entrees were great, but the bread was my favorite. Maybe it's because after walking four miles I was so hungry!

We always buy a Street Roots newspaper when we go downtown. It is a responsible way to help people experiencing homelessness, and an interesting read. Hint: tip them a dollar in addition to the price of the paper.

~ visit the Portland Art Museum's "Venice, the Golden Age of Art and Music", a visiting exhibit of paintings, musical instruments and other artifacts from Venice's era of pomp and splendor.
No pictures allowed of course, but it was magnificent.

~ go to a second Italian restaurant for coffee and dessert. Tiramisu absolutely required.
Mama Mia Trattoria was perfect.

~ find a souvenir. Saturday Market was in full swing, and I found a glass vendor who promised her earrings were made with the same process as Venice's famed Murano glass.

~ take photos of anything that looked remotely Venetian.

 Especially pigeons. In honor of the pigeons in Piazza San Marco.

Keep scrolling to find more Venice ideas

An Italian Soundtrack

After much searching, we came up with a mix of music that perfectly created the mood we wanted for our Italian experience. If I want to remember our trip to "Venice", all I have to do is play this mix. *sigh*

And keep scrolling to find a Venetian menu.
Please note: I DO NOT speak Italian! If there are lyrics that are offensive or out of place, I am sublimely ignorant. (Don't spoil it for me?)

All of these are available through Itunes -- some also available as MP3 downloads from Amazon.

Biagio Antonacci

Sognami

Album: Vicky Love or the "Best of" as seen here on Amazon

Here's a link to a full (slightly altered) version on youtube

                

Arisa

Controvento

Album: Se vedo te

 Youtube

Marco Mengoni 

L'essenziale

Album: #Prontoacorrere 

Youtube

Erica Mou

Dove Cadono I Fulmini

Album: Contro le onde

Youtube

Zibba & Almalibre

Senza di te

Album: Senza pensare all'estate

Youtube

Paola Turci
Ti amerò lo stesso 
Album: Stato di calma apparente

Youtube

Jonny Dorelli
Love in portofino
Album: 50 Italian Hits from the 50s
Youtube








Andrea Bocelli
O Sole Mio
Album: Viaggio Italiano
Youtube








Jerry Vale
Summertime In Venice
Album: Jerry Vale Sings the Great Italian Hits
Youtube

Italian Restaurant Music Academy
La Gondola a Venezia
Album: Italian Dinner Party Music
Youtube






Luciano Tajoli
Venezia, la luna e tu
Album: Music from venice - the best italian songs from venezia
Youtube

Keep scrolling to find more Venice ideas

Venetian Dining In

On Friday night it was time to try out some of those recipes at home. I'm not a great cook. My husband's forte is Top Ramen. Somehow we have managed. My husband's mantra is "just cook something so we can eat and get it over with." We rarely eat at the same time, in the same room.

But not this night!

Menu:

Venetian Sole

Mushroom Risotto

Green Salad

Venetian Spritz

Gelato

I set the table with linen and candles. Pandora provided romantic Italian dinner music; we stirred the risotto.

And stirred , and stirred. We had no idea what we were doing, but it was fun! To heat things up a little more, I created a "Spritz Veneziano". I could not find Aperol, so went with Campari. My husband preferred the sparkling wine without the bitter Campari. But it's pretty.

At the same time we made this delicious Venetian Sole. The recipe instructs to make this ahead and eat it at room temperature, but we enjoyed it served immediately. The onion marinade topping is so flavorful.

We talked about what we would do "in Venice" the next day. Tonight, we imagined ourselves to be in an opulent hotel overlooking the Grand Canal. We watched a romantic movie filmed in Venice.

And then I put on our Venice Soundtrack.

Visualizing Venice

We built our first trip around the visiting exhibit from Venice at the Portland Art Museum: "Venice, the Golden Age of Art and Music". It promised to be a rich visual experience, and Portland has no shortage of wonderful Italian restaurants!

Starting three nights before our date in Portland, we watched documentaries, travel shows and movies filmed in Venice, a combination of Netflix offerings and library DVD rentals.

It was an interesting exercise for us, saturating our eyes with a single place. We became comfortable with familiar scenes, developed an expectation of what we would find at the museum, and anticipated ways Portland could become Venice for a day.

Our two favorites:

Bread and Tulips

Bread and Tulips is an Italian film, and has that quirky random quality we love about foreign films. The characters are lovably human.

Jamie Oliver's Food Escapes- Venice

This has classic Venetian scenery, and we enjoyed watching Jamie interact with local people in his charming, down to earth manner. We wanted to try everything he cooked on the show, so we found similar recipes to make at home, and hoped to find other dishes when we went to Portland.

This clam pasta reminded me of the Spaghetti Vongole Jaime Oliver created in his video. It was wonderful!

An Artful Staycation

Oregon has more than its fair share of natural beauty, but part of me has longed to venture a bit further from home!

Then I came up with a crazy, playful, creative way to fulfill all my travel fantasies without stressing the budget or other limitations.

My husband was immediately in love with the idea. He's such a great sport!

A couple days before leaving home we would prepare our senses with:

travel documentaries,

movies filmed on location 

authentic music 

cook an authentic meal including

a beverage from that country

Then we would spend a day or a weekend in a destination carefully chosen for an event or location that could evoke some of the things we might experience in the chosen country, while remaining open to beauty that is unique to our lovely Oregon.

We would hope to find:

A place to walk

A fine restaurant or two in the chosen cuisine

An event to attend in the theme of our travels

A souvenir

We soon realized that because our trips were going to rely on our imaginations, we did not need to be limited by geography. We could choose to travel to the past or the future, or even to literary destinations! We could go to the moon if we wanted. Wherever our spirit of adventure calls, we can go.

And of course, we will

Take Pictures. Look for opportunities to photograph elements of our day that remind us of things we have seen in the movies we watched. These will help us remember what a great time we had on our creative staycation.

The Material of Memories

I once stood on the red rock floor of ancient cliff dwellings and imagined the spirits of past civilizations in the wind through the high desert pines.

I don't think about this moment until a photograph of Mesa Verde flickers across my screen saver, and I am there again, feeling the past in my present.

There's a particular musty smell that can put me right back in my aunt's beach house, and I am 12 years old with a week off from chores: a week of reading books without guilt and aimlessly walking the beach. I feel sleepy and spoiled in this memory, lulled by the sound of the waves and luxurious irresponsibility.

So much of the "why" of travel is to fill our senses with memories of magical experiences. But memory is a malleable thing, a dream can be more vivid in our recall than reality. Some of my dreams are my most beautiful memories.

One night we watched a documentary on the wilds of China, and though we had just intended to watch a few minutes to test out the qualities of our new television, we were soon completely absorbed by the stunning scenery playing out in front of us, this remote part of the world the average tourist could never reach.

When it ended we were briefly speechless to be transported back into our comfortable living room. We had just been to China, but had not suffered jet lag or security check points or lost luggage. We laughed.

Then I wondered: if an intense visual experience could do this, what would happen if we engaged all our senses? An irresistible idea.