Modern Frozen Yogurt Eugene-Style: Sweet Summer Start

If there was any food category that needed a modern facelift - it was Frozen Yogurt, you know, FroYo, that delectable sometimes healthy, sometimes not desert. It's highest peak in fame came in the late 80's. Being a SoCal girl by birth I can claim to be made of FroYo just as much as corn or my paternal and maternal genetic material for that matter. Needless to say I hold a special place in my heart from FroYo, despite the fact that there are many examples of bad, bad FroYo out there. Because friends don't let friends have bad FroYo and good friends guide you directly to good FroYo, we ended up at Vanilla Jill's on a Sunday night (that's the link to their facebook page). Here's a link to reviews on Yelp of Vanilla Jill's. More onthe Fro Yo in a minute but you have to admire the design of the wee yogurt shop too. Great colors, pained concrete floors, nice graphics all together this makes for a great yogurt eating experience.

I know New Orleans has beignets, Boston has Boston Cremes, and now Eugene has frozen yogurt made from locally made organic KEIFER!!!! Yup, that's right you aren't dreaming, I know it sounds weird but it is so tasty and well I don't want to talk it up too much but it's made with Nancy's Yogurt. In Oregon Nancy's Yogurt is pretty darn famous with a long hippie past. What's great about Vanilla Jill's is that they are taking 2 already good things, frozen yogurt and keifer and making them both so much better with the addition of syrups like basil and green tea. Did I mention I had blueberry yogurt with lavender syrup and fresh raspberries on top? D-lish!!!

With Vanilla Jill's, Ninkasi and Oakshire Breweries, local wineries with in-town tasting rooms, plus the many farmer's markets, CSA's, and our growing restaurant scene (Belly being my current fave) Eugene is a wonderfully modern place to live. You can live, ride your bike, walk, or take to bus to all of these places in a matter of minutes. And if you're downtown at Skinner's Butte you might catch a glimpse of the Bald Eagle couple raising their eaglets. Good food, booze, nature, and people - sounds like the makings of an excellent summer to me. I'm so glad Vanilla Jill's is now a part of the equation. I know they've only been open about 3 months but I'm ready for the satellite shop so that I can truly ride my bike and be there in 15 minutes flat. Stay tuned . . .

Margarita Holding Area Progress: The MHAP Report

MHA progress is happening fast and furious over here and I am about 2 weeks behind Mr. Monkey. Last night we went up to the future Margarita Holding Area and held some beers - Ninkasi's Spring Reign to be exact. It was the perfect way to start a spring weekend. These pictures show Mr. Monkey and friend, Mid-west Monkey getting those posts up. They reported to me that they were very heavy. So afterwards we all scaled the ladder & those 2 monkeys had beers. I just admired the view and their hard work. We felled a tree from the backyard (it was a dying Doug Fir) to make the posts. By "we" I mean we hired someone to do it safely and without the use of beer but with the help of plenty other tools. Mr. Monkey slapped some spar varnish on the posts and voila! It's RuMo fo' sho' (RuMo = Rustic Modern)! I think before the weekend is up I'll have to get you some pictures of the incomplete staircase because it is just that cool.

In the meantime however it's frickin' gorgeous outside so I'm going to go for a run and head to the farmer's market. For those of you in the local area I saw one of the Bald Eagles yesterday on my run along the waterfront by Skinner's Butte! We've got a pair of urban dwelling Bald Eagles in Eugene - even these raptors are smart enough to know that creating higher density living spaces are the way to go! Be well, live modern!