A Night on the Town...

Riff and I met Ron and Carol at the airport on Friday. They were on their way to Alaska and had a layover in Portland for a couple of hours. We grabbed a table, drank some smoothies and got caught up. Was good to see them and we wish them a wonderful vacation. Kevin had come over from school, so we dropped him back off and wandered around downtown Portland for awhile. We had made reservations for dinner at a place called Harrison. We haven't spent much time in Portland, so weren't sure if we should just play it by ear or if we needed reservations. The place we chose was pricey and didn't have much for atmosphere. Walking around after dinner, we spotted several places that we would much rather have eaten at. Ah, well, next time...

I had also made reservations at a motel that I had been told was right downtown. It was not. Not far, but not exactly where we wanted to be. Saturday morning we walked down the street to a neighborhood coffee shop. It was a cute little place, so we had coffee and a bagel and read the paper for a bit. From there we went to a shop called "Rejuvination". Go to http://www.rejuvination.com/ to check them out. They specialize in rejuvenated antiques, clawfoot tubs, etc... They also salvage old buildings and homes so have almost anything you are looking for when re-doing an old house. We found a new/old door for our back deck/kitchen door. It is a wooden muli-paned french door. It is going to look so nice and really open our kitchen up. I am so excited to get it refinished and up!

From there we drove to Kevin's apartment, parked in his lot and walked down to catch MAX, the city transport train. We rode out to the Burnside Bridge where they have the Saturday Market. It is incredible and huge! I was a little surprised (and disappointed) that it is all "crafty" type items and no produce or locally grown stuff. Don't get me wrong, the handmade items are beautiful. They have two large food courts and live bands playing on both ends. Very impressive.

When we left there, we decided to walk up to the campus where the actual Farmers Market is held. Ah, that's more like it! I bought baby potatoes, swiss chard and cucumbers. I didn't go crazy because we weren't headed straight home. You could buy all of your produce for the entire week there, plus bread, cheese, chocolate and sausages. YUM!

We made a few other stops on our meandering way back home, the best of which was for dinner. We had read about a place in Forest Grove that is owned by the McMenamis (sp?) brothers and is known as the Grande Lodge. Riff knew right where it was, so we decided to stop for a snack. We wandered from the parking lot onto the grounds. It is a beautiful park like setting with a pub sitting in the middle. Picnic tables were scattered around and a band was playing some fun old rock and roll. We both had burgers and fries that really hit the spot. We decided to check out the lodge and found that it is absolutely amazing! Right inside the side door, stairs lead down to the bottom floor that holds lodging rooms, a spa, a soaking pool, a billards bar and a wine bar. Both bars have separate menu's for your snacking pleasure. Back on the main floor is more lodging rooms, a gift shop and another(!) restaraunt. Upstairs is a movie theatre that plays recent releases and serves pizza and beer.
The place is incredible. It used to be a Masonic retirement home and orphanage. The orphans "cottage" can be rented out for weddings and such. I have decided that we need to stay there sometime. What a neat place with a lot of history in it!

We really had an enjoyable weekend. Back home to work on the house on Sunday. Stripping 9 layers of paint off the kitchen cabinets. I need to work fast and get that done so that I can get my new door put up!!

Shilo has had a rough week. Her and her boyfriend have broken up and she is taking it pretty hard. I try to give advice, but only time will help in matters of the heart. I feel bad for her.

Dustin earned his keep yesterday by primering his bedroom walls and ceiling for us. By afternoon, he had decided that painting really isn't alot of fun, but he finished and did a good job.

May you be blessed with good burgers and unbroken hearts....