Portland recap: Or why I need a vacation to recover from my vacation

Can I just say, I’m falling in love with the west coast? When I arrived in Seattle, I stayed at an independent hotel. I asked if there were any restaurants nearby, preferably not a chain. The woman behind the desk cheerfully supplied several suggestions – all within walking distance, all independently owned, and didn’t give me any funny looks. And for the most part, the restaurants I visited the rest of the week (which were chosen simply because they were within walking distance) listed the sources of their beef and had decent vegetarian options.

After the work meetings, my husband flew in so that we could spend the weekend in Portland visiting my cousin. The first night we spent in Seattle, and we went to a place called Mc Menamins, which we later found out is a chain that buys up old spaces and rehabs them into brewpubs. The beer is so so, the food is so so, but the concept is great.

Before we left Seattle, we also visited Pike’s Place Market. I didn’t get any photos, but I did see the flying fish. Everything looked so fresh. DH and I agreed that we would definitely eat more fish if we had a market like that in Michigan! Also, I was drooling over the fresh asparagus. They are ahead of us by a couple of months. We have a few more months until asparagus is ready

Then, on Friday we drove to Portland. My cousin Tom is a brewer, so we got a tour of his equipment and had some samples. We also walked the city, and my cousin’s wife April pointed out all the brewpubs and great places to eat. Yes, Portland is a foodie paradise!

On Saturday we attended the blessing of the sake’ at SakeOne, where they make sake’ on site. It was fascinating, and a good reminder that so many of our beverages have come from religious communities.

Of course, the blessing ended with a toast. Great sake'!

We toured a few of the local wineries to end our day.

On Sunday I spoke in a church, and it was great meeting new people. The pastor there is a great-Uncle of mine, so that was a neat connection. After church April took us to the gorge. It was breathtaking scenery, and we didn’t mind getting rained on. Too much.

DH

Afterwards we stopped for a pint at a local restaurant that features local, sustainable ingredients.

Had a delicious mushroom quesadilla

And a wood-fired pizza

We finished our time in Portland by visiting a microbrewery for dinner, of which I don’t remember the name. They all start to blend together.

You can see DH and my cousin drooling over their brew equipment.

It was a very fun vacation, and all too short. The time change, plus mounds of laundry to do, a refrigerator to clean out, meals to plan, are making me not so motivated today. But I’d better get moving, for it’s back to work tomorrow!

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