Well it has been a few weeks since my last post, and I have been really busy, entertaining guests out here in lovely Portland. As I indicated previously, my parents came to see me in all the way out here in Portland. They arrived on July 16th, and took a red eye flight home that left Portland at 12:00 AM on the 21st. I was able to work some the weekend before so I could take the Thursday and Friday off to enjoy the company. On Thursday, I decided to take them to the Oregon Coast. I have heard it was really beautiful and to me it didn’t disappoint. It was really cool and overcast when we got to the coast, but during our drive south it cleared up really nice and the sun was out. We stopped at Cannon Beach and walked on the beach, and through the city. I of course bought some saltwater taffy from the local candy store. It was a nice quaint little town with many bed and breakfast places just off the beach. I would definitely go back. After driving south, we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. It was very crowded. I think I read that they get over 1,000,000 visitors per year. They have an observation deck where you can watch them process 50lb blocks of cheese and package them into 1lb blocks. The automation is really fascinating. In addition to the observation deck, they have cheese samples which are really good, and they make really good ice cream as well. On Friday, we went to the 9:00AM IMAX showing of the new Batman Movie. I thought the movie was great, but maybe 15 min to long. That afternoon, we went to check out an apartment on the River. I figured we could do some advanced scouting before Adrienne comes out. On Saturday, we got up and went to the Farmers Market. We bought blackberries and raspberries and blueberries, and also bought some baked goods for breakfast. After the market, we decided to have another travel day, as we went to Mt. St. Helens. We had been previously in 1992, and my parents were there again in the late 90’s. I decided to take them to a different observation point than the one we had been to previously. I think it gave a much more direct view of the mountain crater, but not as much perspective on just how devastating the eruption was. It was really neat to see areas that had been planted at the same time, because all the trees were equal height, and all the trees seemed to have branches level with other trees. This gave a really neat optical illusion. Saturday evening we made Blackberry Jam (I don’t think I can get enough homemade jam) Sunday was a day of relaxation, as the only real thing we did was go to my office, and up to the Rose Test Garden. All in all an extremely enjoyable weekend for me, and when my parents came the fridge was empty, but when they left if was full of leftovers, which fed me for days.
My next visitor Nate, a buddy from when I lived in Cincinnati, flew into town late on Tuesday the 22nd. I was unable to get any time off for his visit, but since he had spent some time in Portland before, he knew his way around town and also had another friend in the area which was a teacher. On Wednesday, after work we went to see a free street show in downtown. It is really neat, as they shut down a city street at 5:00 on a Wednesday, and throw up a stage and let you drink and listen to music. After the show, we went to a local bar for a few more drinks. (we received an offer on our house on this day, but more about that later) On Thursday, we went to of Timbers (the local soccer team) game. It just so happens that they call it thirsty Thursday when the timbers play on Thursday and have great drink specials. It is always a good time, as the atmosphere at the timbers game is always really fun on thirsty Thursdays. On Friday, I was able to get out a little early, and we made our way down to the Portland City Grill. It is a restaurant on the 30th floor with great views of the city and surrounding area. After we had our happy hour food, we decided to make our way to the Portland Brewfest. It is at the waterfront park, and this festival has about 70 varieties of local and regional microbrews. It was a blast, as there were tons of people but it never felt really cramped unless you were in line. We sampled 8 different beers, and my favorite was a raspberry wheat variety. On Saturday we made our way up to Trillium Lake near Mt. Hood. It is supposed to be one of the only places your get a really nice view of the mountain, with water which gives a great reflection. The wind was a little bit strong to get a good reflection in the water, but it was very picturesque nonetheless. Sunday started with breakfast at the tin shed (really great food) and then we went out to the gorge and hiked triple falls. It was a 5 mile hike that took us by four different water falls, and ended at triple falls. At the top, there were many places to go out and sit in the river and relax before heading back down the trail. I think it was one of the better hikes I have been on in the gorge. That evening we went to a local bar called Laurelthirst. It was really crazy, as the band we saw on Wednesday was playing when we arrived, and the place was really hopping. After they were over, the place cleared out a bit and got real calm for the show that we went to see. It was a conglomeration of musicians that came together to play a few small shows in Portland. I guess the most notable artist would have been Paul Simon’s son. Monday was Nate’s final day in Portland, and he decided he wanted to spend the evening in the NE. After work, we met up in the NE and went to a great Creperie, another bar, and then went on back to the Portland City Grill to see the city at night. So as you can see it was an action packed week with Nate, and I went to bed really early last night to recover before my next guest (my lovely wife) arrives on Thursday.
Back to the house on Tuesday the 22nd we received our first offer to purchase our house. We countered that evening, and the buyer accepted. The only drawback to the offer (other than the dollars) was the date on which the buyer wanted to take possession August 15th. I am really excited, as I get to have my wife here in Portland with me a full month before we really expected. I think it will add some stress to her life since she will have to take care of most of the stuff, all the while dealing with the stress involved in finishing a PhD. It will all be worth it, because we get to live in Portland together. Now, much to my relief, we get to pick our Portland apartment together, instead of me having to pick something and her agreeing from pictures. All in all, this is a great thing for us and I can’t wait to have her here with me enjoying the great summer weather. I foresee lots of hiking and small trips in our very near future.
So it has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for me, and I only have until tomorrow when my next visitor (Adrienne) gets here. I think we are going to go coffee shopping this weekend, and check out various coffee shops in downtown. Hopefully we can find a good one where she can spend lots of time writing in an effort to finish that PhD and start her job in October. One thing we will be doing is going to the Flugtag competition (http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com/Portland2008) this weekend at the waterfront. We will also check out a few apartments, and just relax. It has been two months since I have seen her, so I am much excited for her to be here in Portland with me. Not only that, I forget some times that she only spent 2 days in Portland, so it will be fun to play tour guide and explore the neighborhoods to find a place to live.
