Caution! Wet Paint!

There's a new graffiti mural going up behind the Asylum, looks pretty cool so far. Check it out on Free Street between the Asylum and the parking garage.

The Notebook

Diverging a little from the subject of Portland, I love the movie The Notebook. Have I seen it? No. Do I plan to? Heck no. But all of my co-workers have seen it, and they tell me how they were not just teary eyed; they were sobbing for two hours afterwards. Or they had to bite their hand to keep from crying aloud in the theater. Or how they get weepy thinking about it. So, I'm a fan, because every time I hear about the movie, I get to snicker at the person who saw it and cryed. Hah!

Moxie Festival

Some people will make an icky face when I wear my Moxie shirt(s) around. But the other 2% love it. If you're one of those, head up to Lisbon Falls tomorrow morning (July 10) for the Moxie Festival. If you want Moxie t-shirts, Moxie Ice Cream, Moxie taffy, or anything else Moxie, this is where you would find it. The 5k is at 7:30, the Parade is at 9:00, and the chicken chucking contest starts at 8:00 am [uses rubber chickens].

Outdoor Movies

Well first of all there are the "Movies in the Park" which are shown in Congress Square, up across from the art museam (more like next to the Kitchen, a lunch place with excellent eggplant parmesan subs). They have 4 movies on their schedual:

7/19

E.T.

7/26

Casablanca

8/2

Superman

8/9

To Kill a Mockingbird

8/16

Forest Gump

It is organized by the Downtown District, along with some other things including the music in Monument Square that KB mentioned.

Second of all, and this is more exciting or at least less advertised and because of that has no crappy slogan, there are movies on top of some parking garage somewhere in Portland on some Sunday nights (the third of the month? maybe? also, maybe the Free St. garage?). Now I just heard about this and don't have any more info, but I'll be looking for posters and if I find them damn but I will tell you.

Strawberry Picking

My boy and I picked some strawberries on Thursday morning, out at Maxwell's Farm in Cape Elizabeth. It smelled really good. Also really good: Strawberry shortcake, with homemade shortcakes and whipped cream with Smiling Hill Farm's heavy cream. damn.

Shortcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup plus buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add butter mix in thoroughly with your hands. Mix in most of the buttermilk, and add the rest if the dough is too dry. Cut/form the dough into 6 shortcakes, 1/2 inch thick. Bake them for ~13 minutes (until golden brown on top).

The season just started on Monday or so, but it doesn't last too long, so go get 'em!