McMinnville Air Museum with Tom and Nancy Lea

Our friends Tom and Nancy Lea came over from Boise for a quick trip. Carla and I went to the College of Idaho with Nancy and she married Tom a number of years ago. Tom is a retired professional photographer with a fantastic blog called Boise Style. I picked his brain for the whole visit; he gave me tips both on taking pictures and on editing them. He uses Adobe Elements; I've had a hard time with it until he gave me some pointers. I'm torn between that and Aperture.

On Saturday we headed over to the Evergreen Air Museum in McMinnville so we could get a look at some planes and I could practice some picture taking.

Nancy and Tom in front a small part of the Spruce Goose

When Tom was a professional photographer, he often went up in helicopters like the one below. They'd take off the side door and he'd dangle outside connected by a harness. He would go up with two cameras; he also had an assistant on board whose sole job was to load film into a camera and swap it for one that just got a fill of pictures. Not much need of that these days with digital photography. Nancy was a writer for the same company as Tom and would also go up for the flights.

Nancy and Tom in front of a helicopter they used to ride in for work 

I was tickled that the museum has an F104 Starfighter. My dad was an instrumentation engineer on this plan back in the 50's when we first moved to Palmdale, CA. They were fast, dangerous interceptors. They were made for supersonic flight and handled poorly at slower speeds (like taking off and landing).  I knew a couple of girls in first grade whose father was a test pilot who died flying one of these.

 After our time at the museum we headed into downtown McMinnville for a bit. There are lots of cool little shops.

It was a too short visit; Nancy's daughter Meghan was home from college for a long weekend and they wanted to get back to see her. We had a blast; we've GOT to get to Boise soon. Don't know if we'll be able to squeeze it into our busy summer. Maybe in the fall.

Nancy and Tom in front of the house as they were leaving

Comparing Photo Editing software

Nancy and Tom Lea came over to Portland for the weekend. Tom is a retired professional photographer so I like to pick his brain when we get together. A while back I purchased Adobe Photoshop Elements Editor from the Apple App Store. It's hella complicated and I gave up on it after a bit. But Tom uses it quite a bit and showed me how to get a lot of use of it pretty easily.

Here are three versions of the same picture. I took this picture of a hamburger at Dea's In & Out with my Canon PowerShot S100 back in January. I made the mistake of not resetting the white balance after taking pictures in the house. I had the WB set for tungsten lighting but the lighting at the restaurant was flourescent. Here's the original photo

Original photo; lots of blue tints

I edited the file with Aperture, working on the color, shadows and highlights, as well as blurring Jay's hand in the background.

After adjustments with Aperture

Much better I think; the french fries that I really wanted to capture look crispier; like they really did at the restaurant. Jay's hand and the receipt just to the left of the burger have been blurred a bit.

Then I used Adobe Photoshop Elements

I especially like two features of Adobe Photoshop Elements.

1. The ability to identify something white (or black or gray) on the photo; click on it and adjustment is made to the whole picture
2. The ability to select a part of the photo and then blur the selection, Or, invert the selection and blur everything not in the selection. 

So, I made those two adjustments, then pulled them back into Aperture. I actually like the color of the middle (Aperture) photo a bit better, but like the blurring in the Elements.

The biggest problem with Elements is that the App store version is only the editor and does not have the Organizer. So, I downloaded a test version of the full Elements. It integrates well with the editor, but I really had a problem navigating photos in the organizer. So, I really worked this morning on figuring out how to transfer pictures from Aperture to Elements and back again. 

Oh, wow. I just noticed that the Elements version transferred back to Aperture is quite a bit smaller. I'll have to figure that out. I just tried a new way of saving (Export from Aperture instead of drag-and-drop). Here is the result (with just a bit of editing; not a lot of work)

Burger Project - Helvetia Tavern

Jay picked this week and we got to go to Helvetia Tavern. We had high hopes for this place and we weren't disappointed. It's a bit of a drive; probably as far northwest of Portland as Dee's In and Out is east. But we live on the west side so no problem.

Our wives wanted to join us for lunch to see what it was all about I suppose. Who were we to say no; I mean, most people looking at the lot of us 5 guys walking in  would be surprised we are married at all, much less to such awesome women. Terry also took some pictures and posted about her experience on her blog.

As soon as we pulled into the parking lot I knew we were someplace special. There was a classic old RC Cola sign. Even though there were satellite dishes flanking the sign, it reminded me of the kind of sign we'd stop for on a Route 66 trip.

Paula, Jay, Mary Ann, Terry, Ray, Karen, Carla, Norm, and John

Ramrodding 10 people is a bit of a task; we had a keystone kops moment when we sat down at two tables, then got up because we thought there was a larger table in the other room, then came back and had to find different tables because other people came in behind us.

Some said it was over my head, but I discerned a theme at work in the decor.  They looked a little more dust-free than the pennants at Stanich's

Hundreds of hats covering every bit of ceiling except for the lights.

And some interesting signage. You know going in what to expect.

They clearing set expectations!

It's interesting to watch the reactions people have to the Burger Project. We spend a lot of time discussing the menu and then commence to taking pictures of everyone and everything. People sit back and have the "WTH" look. Then when we throw down our awesome cards, they .. well they still look at us with that "WTH" look.

Our card: designed by Terry Grant

 Our waitress was pretty skeptical about the whole deal and didn't want to pose for a picture. But John has a way with people and quickly changed her mind.

Our waitress gamely posed for a picture.

Nice looking grill work!

Similar to Stanich's this is a tavern, not a malt shop. So, no milk shakes, but there was lots of good beer.  We all ordered and the plates looked great. We were seated in front of some big picture windows with a lot of glare; so, I wasn't able to get decent pictures of everyone. But I did get a nice picture of Paula and Norm.

John had a cheeseburger with onion rings

I had a bacon cheeseburger with fries. Look at that melted cheese!

The only decent interior shot of our group. Norm had the Super Burger. Looks like Paula had a bacon cheese burger.

These hamburgers were fabulous.

Did I mention Helvetia Tavern is out in the country? Across the street was a pasture with a big ram and some donkeys. I decided to take a few quick shots of the wildlife to get me prepared for our trip to South Africa next month.

 I hope I don't get this close to a rhinoceros or lion next month.

Ratings

Comments

Burger

John (Cheeseburger)

This was a very good burger. The patty was about medium-cooked and juicy.
All the condiments were good, except for, perhaps, the dreaded shredded lettuce. The
bun was of the sesame seed variety and fresh and moist so held together well.
This was one of the best I've had so far in our search for the perfect burger.

Ray (Bacon Cheeseburger)

This burger came close to perfection. The meat was tasty and not overshadowed by numerous ingredients. Lots of very crispy bacon extending from the side of the bun. The bun was perfect - fresh and substantial. I think they had toasted the bun so it would provide the necessary structural foundation. The sauce was very good. They used just the right amount to add tons of flavor but not overwhelm the burger. It was nice and moist, but not sloppy. Only required two small napkins.

Howard (Bacon Cheeseburger)

A great hamburger. The real test of a hamburger is that first bite. This one had it all; a soft-but-not-soggy bun, melted cheese, perfectly cooked bacon, perfect patty texture, and a wonderful creamy sauce. I had to stop for a minute to fully appreciate that first bite; then I wolfed it down!

Norm (Jumbo Burger)

I had the  Jumbo Burger. It was around  $9 but worth it,.   Two patties, not too thick,  very tasty and moist.  Good sauce but not too much of it, plus all the usual goodies.  The bun was very large and this allowed me to maintain control of the burger down to the last bite,  unlike previous large burgers I have sampled elsewhere. 

Jay

Burger had great flavor. Bun fresh and appropriate size. The lettuce was fresh, but shredded.  The Secret Sauce added flavor

Side Dish

John (Onion rings & fries)

The rings were tasty. Crispy and not greasy. Fries were okay. My preference is thin, crisp fries. These were good, but a bit thicker and greasier than I like.

Ray (Fries)

These are the type of fries I love. They appeared to be made from scratch and cooked just right. They were large and were crispy on the ends. The color was great. Stanich's could take a lesson. I think these are the fries that McMinnemans is trying to achieve, but the H Tavern got them just right.

Howard (Fries)

Perhaps the biggest "take away" from this project is that there is a wide range of views on the perfect french fry. My perfect fry is a thin, crispy-not-burned sliver of goodness. Other people like thicker cut fries that bring out more of the "potatoiness" of this classic side dish. These fries were very good for what they are; but not a perfect fry for my tastes.

Norm (Fries)

The fries were thick, lengthy and not greasy.  I also appreciated the fact that they had NOT been overly salted....allowing me to put just the right amount of salt on myself.   The color was good and there were not a lot of  short ends at the bottom of the basket.

Jay

Hot, greasy, soft in the center, just the way I like them.

Drink

John (IPA)

Lagunitas I.P.A. is a great pairing with a burger and sides such as these. Hop forward with floral, citrus notes and a great finish. (who am I kidding - it's beer, right?)

Ray (Ninkasi IPA)

beer is beer. Cold and on tap.

Howard (Ice Tea)

Another week where we hit a tavern and not a classic burger joint. That translates to no milk shakes, so I went with my backup of ice tea. It was good tea.

Norm (Drifter Microbrew)

Beer always rates high with me.  The price was a bit on the high side but pretty much in line with other places.  (However nowwhere near the $2.50 we paid last week at Stanich's Tavern in Portland)

Jay

The Lagunitas is one of my favorite IPAs.  It was served cold in a clean glass,

Ambience and Atmosphere

John

They have cleaned this place up a bit so I'm rating it a 4. If they would have left it
in its old, funky state I might consider bumping it up. I think some might have actually
vacuumed the hats on the ceiling in the last few years. Bad form.

Ray

I really liked the atmosphere in this place. It has been there for a long while and it looked like the decor had evolved with time. A place like this is probably kept alive by lots of loyal locals, which is reflected in their approach to atmosphere and service. While old, it seemed very clean. Like most bars, there were a number of TV's broadcasting sports events. The seating area is fairly small and there was not a table large enough to hold all 10 of us. We had to sit in two separate booths.

Howard

A classic spot, the ceiling filled with ball caps is a hoot. Nice bar and cooking area. Across the street was a pasture with some donkeys and a ram.  All in al this is a fantastic country tavern.

Norm

I would actually rate this a   4.5. The Helvetia Tavern has been around since prohibition ended.... in the same location in rural Washington County.  It's been spiffed up several times over the years  (perhaps with some professional help in the decoration, a point disputed by some of my crowd yesterday) but one look at the printed menu, and the "This Ain't Burger King" sign above the grill, and you quickly realize this is a one of a kind place.   The atmosphere is friendly and the patrons range from just plain folks, to Bikers, both engine and human powered.   It's sort of  a  Washington County version of  Stanich's, the place we visited last week.  Everything was neat and clean, including the restrooms.

Jay

This is a perfect established local burger place.

Service

John

"Friendly, efficient and let Howard take her picture. Don't care much for the 'automatic'
inclusion of the 18% gratuity for a table full of people who happen to know one another.
That seems easier than dealing with five separate tables, Just me I guess.  "

Ray

The waitperson was working hard and she got everything right. She could have communicated a little better. For example, I wasn't sure she heard us as she didn't provide feedback. And we couldn't figure out if they had added a tip to the bill. Also, to our surprise, they don't take plastic, only cash and checks. The wait for food and beverages was not bad. They had lots of customers, but they seemed pretty used to a Saturday lunch rush.

Howard

Nice service. Handling a group of 10 is a challenge. But they didn't come by to top off my iced tea.

Norm

Service was good,  very prompt and efficient.

Jay

Service was prompt and accurate.

Overall

John

Always like the place. Great food, comfortable surroundings. I guess as part of the ambience, they even have some burros,or donkeys or whatever those were, along with some sort of lazy ram kind of animal lounging about in the field across the road. Now that I think about it, he never did get up the whole time we were there! I may never go back.

Ray

I would definitely recommend the tavern and their burgers. If lived closer, I would probably hang out there regularly.

Howard

Loved it! This is close to having it all; great food in a great place. I'm holding back on an "Epic" rating until I get perfect fries and a hard ice-cream milk shake.

Norm

A very good experience.   And you'll be thanking those  bureaucrats who came up with the Urban Growth boundary for a chance to drive through bucolic rural Washington County on the way to the Helvetia.  Don't forget to check out the pasture across the road for the  horned Ram and his friends.   A couple of notes...the Helvetia does not take credit or debit cards,  and your server will add  a  gratuity  to larger parties.  Not a big problem but something you should be aware of.  It was a bit chilly when we visited but I noticed what seems to be a  fairly new deck  on the back of the tavern, looking out over the green fields. Loks like a great place to spend an afternoon.   The main part of the tavern is off limits to minors, but the other side of the building has plenty of room for families and kids

Jay

This is a classic burger place.

Burger Project - Stanich's

Saturday April 28, 2012


John was the picker this week and he picked a spot that is near the place he grew up on the east side. We were just a couple of blocks away from the house he grew up in.

 If I remember the story correctly, Stanich's was built in the late 40's and was originally knows as "10 to 1" as in "open from 10AM to 1AM".  As Jay says, it is a "burger dive joint"; a bar that service really, really good hamburgers.

John, Jay, Norm, and Ray. We couldn't find anyone to take our picture so I was behind the camera

As we walked in the grill was just to our left.

Busy cooking!

Our waitress was a hoot; we really liked her. She's been working there about 14 years and says she started a couple of years after the original "Stanich" owner passed away. It's nice that they kept the name.

Our waitress and head bartender

We found a nice table for the 5 of us, which is sometimes hard to do.

Ray and John

Jay, Norm, and Howard

There were lots of choices for burgers but no milk shakes; the other guys had beers; I opted for iced tea, which I really enjoyed. Norm and John  had "The Original" which is billed as "The Worlds Greatest Hamburger - Includes Fresh Ground Chuck, Cheese, Ham, Bacon, Egg, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Onions, Etc" With all that, I'm not sure what "etc"means. The other three of us had the "George" AKA bacon cheeseburger

The Special. OMG that's a big burger

The George.

We loved the burgers. We all rated them as either 4 or 5. I was especially fond of the secret sauce which I think was some sort of reddish burger relish. YUM.

Notice the chips on the plate. They are Ruffles, and I love Ruffles. Instead of all of us ordering sides of fries we got one big basket for all of us. We were not fans of the fries. 

Under cooked in grease that was probably there when it opened in 1949

Ratings & Comments

I'm trying something different today. I'm putting the ratings altogether and then add the comments down below. If you get frustrated trying to follow my rating and comments section, please bear with me while I find out what works best. If you like one format more (or less) than another, let me know.

Bottom line, we loved the burgers, atmosphere, service; and it ranked well overall.

The only rating that doesn't track is Jay. If you like fries cooked the way Jay likes them, you've found your place.

Hamburger comments

Ray

Very good burger. The sauce successfully enhanced the ingredients. Could have had a bit more bacon, but the meat was cooked medium and the bun was very good - soft, fresh, and suitable to the sandwich.

John

This is a great burger. The bacon, sauce, pickles, lettuce, bun, fried egg, tomatoes, cheese, patty, ham and onion and whatever else was in there, were all good. The bun was moist, and big enough to hold this monster together pretty well. The patty was
cooked to order (everyone got a 'medium' ) and was juicy. The thing was nice and sloppy,
just like I like.

Howard

Excellent hamburger. Good condiments and I loved the hamburger-relish sauce.

Jay

Juicy tasty paddy, medium done, with whole leaves of lettuce, sliced tomato, secret sauce, and a fresh bun. Perfect.

Norm

Self proclaimed as the World's greatest hamburger... it was pretty damn good... but not quite epic... and priced at $6.50! Everything seemed to be fresh... and the lettuce was NOT shredded. I especially liked the Egg. The meat was substantial and good, as was the sauce and the bacon. I don't know about "World's Greatest", but it was one of the best we've had on our Burger Quest.

Fries comments

Ray

I love good fries, and these left a lot to be desired. To start with, the color was offputting - dark grey. The outside was soaked in oil and the inside was barely cooked. They were soft and floppy, not at all crispy. No seasoning, not even salt. I hope Howard posts a photo of them.

John

The fries were way too greasy for my liking and they were an odd brown shade, like they were cooked in used motor oil. They didn't taste too bad, however. I was surprised at these fries, considering the burger was so good.

Howard

Worst. Fries. Ever. Gray, limp, greasy. We got a large order to share. I should have just stuck with the Ruffles potato chips which come with the burger.

Jay

Cooked in really old grease to give fries a burnt black look. Over cooked and greasy. Just the way I like them.

Norm

Horrible is a pretty strong term, but the next rating up is "not the worst ever" and they were. I'm not a french fry expert, but these were soggy and dark, suggesting to me that they had been fried in oil well past its prime. Sizewise, they were ok, for the most part... but when we got to the bottom of the basket there were a lot of fry fragments... the little dribs and drabs that should have been culled out somewhere along the line. I can't imagine these fries were meant to be this way. If so, I'd like to know the thinking for this style of cooking. I suspect its more likely that someone dropped the ball somewhere along the line.

 

Drink comments

Ray, John, and Jay had the Total Domination IPA. Norm had the Widmer Drifter. Howard had iced tea

Ray

Beer is beer...pretty good choices though.

John

Ninkasi 'Total Domination' IPA. Yum. No opportunity to get a shake here, although you can get a soft drink, iced tea etc.

Howard

No milk shakes; but they do have beer. I'm a bit of an iced tea aficionado; this was excellent ice tea. They must make it from real tea bags rather than instant

Jay

A really good IPA

Norm

Its beer so it would have to be a number 4. I should say that there were no milkshakes on the menu...and we decided not to have coffee or tomatoe juice. Important note: Microbrews for $2.50!!!

 

Ambience and atmosphere comments

Ray

I liked the atmosphere a lot. Clearly a lot of history here. Lots of wood and hundreds of college banners hanging on the walls. It appears to be more of a bar than a restaurant, but a very old classy bar.

John

Neighborhood sports bar. Family- friendly with lots of team pennants on the walls and some old coin-op video games. Comfortable place with many years worth of 'patina'.

Howard

Funky bar. I enjoyed all the sports pennants covering the walls

Jay

This is a perfect dive bar. I haven't always been old enough to dine/drink here. However, they do serve kids all day long.

Norm

The atomsphere was NE Portland friendly. Stanich's has been at this spot for 63 years. It was definitely not a stainless steel franchise operation but it was warm and welcoming, like putting on an old shoe. We enjoyed ourselves

Service comments

Ray

The waitperson was very friendly and got everything right. She was a pro. It took awhile to get our food, but the place was pretty busy.

John

Friendly and efficient

Howard

Liked our server; service was good but, slow.

Jay

Our server got into the research thing. Service was a tad slow, but friendly.

Norm

Unlike the fries, our server was pretty damn good. Knowledgable, prompt and with a great personality. She treated us well.  

Overall comments

Ray

Lots of fun and an excellent burger. Would certainly return, but would skip the fries.

John

I like this place. Great burger, not so great fries.

Howard

Great hamburger; terrible fries; no milk shakes but very good iced tea. If the burger hadn't been so good, this would have rated 2 tops.

Jay

I like this place and the burger was almost perfect. It is one of the best we have checked.

Norm

Doing the math it would have been a 3.4. But I nudged it up to a 4, in spite of the fries. But be warned...unless we just got a bad batch! Bottom Line, everything great except the fries.