No, I haven't moved and I haven't forgotten how to blog. I'm here now, with an update!
The Man came to visit in mid-July and we were Oregon tourists! We hit a new to us McMenamin's: John Barleycorn's in Tigard. The option of course was to get a big juicy hamburger but we were good and each enjoyed a really good salad instead. Ok, and a side of fries because I couldn't resist. This McMenamin's was built for them, instead of using a pre-exsisting building. However, we could have sworn we were in an old church! Really well designed and I loved the details! Check out these details...
The light fixtures are awesome, the wood ceiling is cool, I love the arch over the bar and they even did some wood inlay details.
And being that it's Craft Beer Month, The Man enjoyed a Purple Haze. It's made with boysenberries and he said it was good. Not what he'd reach for normally, but good for a change.
Friday was tourist adventure in Portland day! We hit the International Rose Test Gardens in the morning. It was so beautiful! I will now overwhelm you with pictures of roses that caught our eyes.
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This was in the Shakespeare Garden, a wonderful courtyard. |
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I think these are astilbe in front of a hydrangea. I love this grouping! |
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Look at the colors! Red, white and blue! |
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This is the rose we loved. Secret, a hybrid tea rose that has a wonderful scent and a beautiful shaped bud. |
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This is a bit over-exposed but you can see the shape of this rose. Love the pink with yellow. |
Another view of the gardens from above. |
Check out that fuschia bush! This is up by the tennis courts and that path leads down to the gardens. |
After a morning of sunshine and flowers, it was time to find some food. Feeling brave, I suggested we hit the food carts. Unfortunately I didn't note just where this was other than downtown, in a parking lot with a whole bunch of other carts. My two tacos were soooo good! And The Man enjoyed a carne asada burrito. Not San Diego quality, but still satisfying.
Tourist time continues! We did the Underground Portland Tour at 2pm. This was a lot of fun and we learned quite a bit about the history of Portland including the Shanghai Tunnels. We walked around the downtown area and along the riverfront before going underground. I would recommend this tour to anyone!
After an awesome pizza from Pizzicato Pizza and a late day Starbucks run, we did the Beyond Bizarre Ghost Tour at 10pm. With an Electromagnetic Field Meter in hand, we headed back into the Underground to contact Mary Ann. She interacted with me! It was amazing! Then we walked around downtown, including the Benson Hotel and experienced more EFM readings. I loved this tour! A VooDoo Donut was even included. The perfect ending to a late night out!
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Rice crispy, peanut butter swirl over chocolate frosting. Oh yes. |
Sunday morning was breakfast out and I picked Sassy Onion! Ok, The Man did not argue as their breakfast is AWESOME! I treated myself to a Marionberry Blintz. Oh. My. Word. Two pieces of French Toast with berries and cheese inside then topped with more berries, powdered sugar, and crunchy toppings. Oh, and the bread is homemade too. With a side of pepper bacon, I was having a food-gasm. Yes, in public. Soooo good.
I even squeaked a trip to IKEA in while he was here. Bwahaha! His flight out was delayed three hours and he said we could hit IKEA while waiting for a bit. Woot! And of course, I found this cool cabinet that reminds me of a metal medical cabinet that I think would be a very cool new china cabinet. It's about as tall as me so the picture is only of the top part so I'd remember the name and price of it for my future shopping adventures.
Up next? I'm heading out there for a five-night motorcycle ride including two nights in Taos, NM. Oh yes, I am excited for this trip! I will take pictures and share!