Imagine my surprise when I discovered both while enjoying an evening out with friends at the Old Lompoc Brewery. We shared a basket of calamari and the waitress asked if we wanted any hot sauce. Little did I know that I’d be stumbling onto one of Portland’s best kept secrets. Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce.

This hot sauce definitely brings the heat, but the flavor is so good, you keep pouring it on. It hurts so good. The label says it’s a unique Caribbean, Tex-Mex hybrid made with flavorful Habanero peppers and roasted tomatoes. And who better to bring all of this together than Scotland Barr, the original owner of Portland’s beloved Salvador Molly’s Restaurant. Scot is also a member of the popular band Scotland Barr & The Slow Drags.

Why is it called Secret Aardvark? According to Scot who grew up in Delmar, California, it’s a nostalgic nod to his past. Delmar sent out a flyer with the 25 things that constitute a gang. Scot and his buddies filled it out as a questionnaire and even made up a gang name—Secret Aardvark. When Scot sold the restaurant 8 years ago and started with 12 hot sauces, he eventually ended up with 2 favorites and decided to resurrect the Secret Aardvark name.

Hot sauces can be made with any variety of peppers. Jalepeno, Chipotle, Cayenne and Habanero and all sorts of other things including vinegar. This sauce is one of the best I’ve tasted in a long time. I’ve tried it on scrambled eggs, tossed it in corn chowder, sprinkled it on mac and cheese. It’s all good. I asked Scot what his favorite food to eat with Secret Aardvark. He paused and said…Pizza!

Secret Aardvark is made locally and part of Keep Portland Weird, a group that showcases local businesses that make Portland a more unique place to live. Locally, the only place I’ve been able to find it is Nature’s Grocery Store on Lombard. My 10 ounce bottle disappears quickly. I’m trying to locate a large jar like the one I saw at Lompoc’s that fateful night.

The Burnside Writer’s Blog and Plant Dreaming Deep both have write ups on this sauce. However, if you’re not sure, then visit Stumptown Vegans where you can sample Secret Aardvark. The photos of the food here will make you hungry. Bon Appetit!

Words are powerful. A well crafted turn of phrase has the power to impact lives. Too many becomes a bunch of noise. My friend Britney from Turn Loose The Art shared a fun site that will randomly select words from your blog and create a word cloud. Can words become art?

Wordle

Continuing with my theme of Cinematic Wisdom, I recently found inspiration in the movie The Life Before Her Eyes.

William James once advised “Begin to be now what you will be hereafter“. One might ask how? Our deepest guide in our beginning to be is imagination. Our ability to project and mold our future selves from the myriad possibilities before us. To imagine takes courage and effort. But it gives us hope too. Hope that we can author our own destinies. Hope that the rightness of the decisions we make now will be born out in the future.

As much as we can be overwhelmed by the world, we can also draw hope from it, from beauty, from promise. From the simple fact that we have the talent to imagine our future selves from all the possible lives that pass before our eyes. We must imagine our lives well. We must engage our conscience. Conscience is the voice of God and the nature and heart of man.

How have words inspired or impacted your life?

I do, I do, I do
Want my own Professional Wedding Day Hairstylist. Describe the Wedding Day hairstyle you’ve always dreamed of. If selected, you’ll win your own professional Wedding Day Hairstylist compliments of Biolage, the official sponsor of the summer blockbuster Mamma Mia!

Enter to win here. Best of luck! Contest ends October 1, 2008.

Hey, you never know, right? What have you got to lose? You can’t win if you don’t enter, so if you’re a bride, take a minute to enter this contest.

Professional hair and makeup can make all difference in the world on your wedding day. It makes you feel and look your best and that confidence comes across in your photographs. A professional knows how to apply makeup that looks natural and photographs well. One of my favorite makeup artists locally, is
Nicole Wagner Makeup.

Here are a few recent brides who invested in professional hair and makeup on their wedding day. Just look at how beautiful, natural and radiant they are!

Life from the Ruins: This from a series of personal work that I’ve been doing this year. The process of observing, growing and subsequent change.

Living Your Dream: This continues to inspire me and is one of the most syndicated posts on my blog. Thanks to Sean Kelly for sharing his thoughts and allowing me to use them.

Senior Album Designs: It’s always amazing to me seeing my work graphically designed by Sarah. It brings the images together and breathes new life into them.

RSS in Plain English: You want to follow your favorite blogs and be notified whenever new content is posted. You know it has something to do with RSS feeds but have no clue as to what the heck RSS is and why you should be using it…well look no further.

Ambassador for Change: The idea that if we all tried to make one change in our life to help the environment, then collectively we could change the world. Still not using plastic water bottles.

It’s a Groove Nation: The beginning of my push towards doing more personal work. Taking studio lighting equipment on location and pushing myself creatively.

Amber, Michael and Jackson: It’s hard to pick out a wedding favorite. First of all, I truly do love all my couples. Singling out one wedding is fraught with difficulty. I don’t want anyone to feel slighted, but this event easily rises to the top in recent memory. A destination wedding at a spectacular outdoor location. Reuniting with a couple who’s wedding I photographed years ago and their family, the amazing Judd Grossman and his music and a colleague living in Jackson, Wyoming that I rarely get to visit.

The day the General came to town: The day Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace came to town.

Seasons of Change: Yes it’s true, change is inevitable, but what a difference a haircut makes.

Happy Father’s Day: Vintage photographs keep you humble.

My Life. My Card: Funny story about my youngest daughter. According to my web stats, this post continues to be the single most hit entry on my blog.

Did I miss one of your favorite posts? Let me know!

Amber had change thrust on her in a big way. Little did she know a year ago that a storm of change was brewing with her name on it. Through it all, she has become a woman capable of far more than she would have ever imagined.

The burned out remains of this space seemed the perfect place to create a series of images of Amber. There are many metaphors about this space and how it relates to her life, but I will leave those discoveries to you, the viewer.

Looking and seeing. Similar, yet completely different. The art of photography requires technique. Giving voice to an image requires something deeper, more personal. This process of discovery requires dedication and patience. Learning to listen to your spirit and trust your inner voice.

The one thing in life we can count on is change. Sometimes by choice, often by the random surprise of life. This building was changed by fire. A space of transition. I felt oddly comforted as I explored the walls and familiar objects changed by fire. What is the metaphor and beauty in this disaster? I had an idea to explore. Images to follow very soon!

Art is everywhere. It’s an awareness. Even everyday objects hold innate beauty. These images are part of a series I’m shooting this year to push myself creatively and see in new ways. A creative spirit walk. Just me and my camera.

While in Seattle, I had the opportunity to visit my friend Mat Hayward. A talented photographer who shoots weddings, sports (Seahawks), contributes to a stock agency, volunteers at the zoo, manages McGrath’s Fish House, in addition to raising two daughters and being married to a beautiful woman.
(you may remember her sister) He’s a very busy man!

We were discussing how fortunate we felt to earn a living doing something that we enjoyed so passionately. I laughed and asked him to define earning a living. I was humbled that he could do so much with his life and manage his time. He shared his dream of becoming a photographer full-time—that it was the hardest way to make an easy living. This made me think… is living your dream only for a select few or can we all realize our dreams? I’d like to think that we can all live our dream. Here’s six tips to help you live yours.

1. Create a Great Purpose – The greater the reason you have to live your dream the greater your motivation. Think of those who have achieved greatly in their lives. Their purpose wasn’t limited by a personal agenda but by a purpose which was far greater than themselves. A few years ago I had the honor to musically lead Sir Bob Geldof into a conference. During his keynote speech he spoke about how Live Aid began. He said, our goal was to raise $75,000 to help feed people in Africa. Now millions and millions of dollars later we’re still doing it. Create a great purpose for your dream – world abundance, world peace, feed the world, make poverty history or whatever resonates deep within you, almost as if you were born for this purpose to be realized.

2. Explore Your Dreams – What are your talents and gifts? What are you deeply passionate about? What do you love? Everyone has talents and gifts. Everyone has unique contributions to make to our world. However, if we just follow everyone elses lead hoping to be liked and approved of, we may miss our calling. Ask yourself, what do you truly love doing? Do you lose track of time when you’re doing this? Would you do it even if you never got paid?

3. Create a Vision – Get a blank sheet of paper. Now imagine anything is possible. Draw a vision for your ultimate dream, one that feels absolutely fantastic! It’s the feelings that will energize your vision into reality, so let them soar! Put that vision somewhere you will see it daily and reconnect with those feelings as if your dream is already true.

4. Take guided action – There is an intelligence within the universe that keeps the planets in their orbits, ensures the sun rises daily and can also manifest your dreams. What do you need to do? Let go of the need to figure how your dream will happen, trust the infinite intelligence of the universe and watch for opportunites that arise. These opportunities may come to you, or your intuition may urge you to take guided action. Whichever way they show up, gently seize these opportunies!

5. Give Thanks – A thirteenth century philosopher, Meister Eckhart once said if the only prayer we ever said in our lives was thank you, it would be enough. Never cease to feel gratitude for the manifestion of your dreams. Your feelings of gratitude are the energy which fuel the magical manifestation of your dreams. No matter how slow or fast the progress, celebrate every step of the way!

6. Your Greatest Gift – Finally and most importantly remember that even if your dream doesn’t come true, be forever grateful for the greatest gift of all, the gift of your precious and unique life. And know that this world is a better place because you have dared to live your dream!

posted with permission by Sean M Kelly B.Sc Dip (Appl.Sc) Mast NLP

May your most fulfilling dreams come true…