It's All Coming Back

So the past few days have been spent visiting as many of the Portland area landmarks as possible. We were all pretty pooped on Sunday so we rested, only venturing out for a late, late lunch and a trip to VooDoo Doughnuts. There were some really interesting flavors like bacon and pepper. I liked the name "Old Dirty Bastard" so ordered that, which turned out to be chocolate glazed with crushed Oreos and peanut butter. It's no more than a hole in the wall, but there was a line out the door. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait too long as the workers really rush you in and out. No chit chatting; order and get out. Honestly, the doughnuts are nothing to write home about in terms of taste, but it was fun regardless, walking the few blocks to get there. We passed some interesting folks, a couple of gay bars and someone smoking weed right there on the street.

The girls were real troopers as we traversed the Japanese Gardens and International Rose Test Gardens (so beautiful!) on Monday. I remember going to the Rose Gardens. Rows and rows of gorgeous roses, each one more beautiful than the next. And the view of Mt. Hood is amazing. If you click on the picture of the girls standing on the bench you should be able to see Mt. Hood in the background. I didn't have my camera and had to take pictures with my cell phone. It was a super clear day and you could see for miles. Everyone was commenting on how clear it was. Evidently, that kind of weather is infrequent in the summer.

Today, Larry didn't have to work so we ventured out to Lake Oswego and 2 Mozarteum Ct., , which is where I lived back in the early 70's and honestly, the place looks exactly the same except for the color of the door. The trees have all grown up and it was hard to recognize the neighborhood, but as soon as we neared the street it started to come back to me. We stopped by the Rec Center and met my best friend, Jill, from elementary school, who I haven't seen in 33 years. As soon as she stepped out of her car I knew it was her. How wonderful to see her and meet her daughter, Cassidy, who became fast friends with my Sarah. We even stopped by her parents' house, which looked as I remembered it. I loved going to their house when I little. Her parents are doing well and I loved looking at all of the pictures on the walls of their home. I've always wanted to reconnect with her and now I can say I have and hope our friendship will be rekindled. She got a huge kick out of Larry's southern accent as do most folks who meet him who don't live in the south. I hope we get to see each other one more time before we leave Thursday.

Our next stop was Multnomah Falls, another spot I visited as a youngster, but have little memory of now. It was beautiful but crowded. One of the first spots that we've been to that felt like a tourist attraction. Not Disney World crowded, but still lots of people taking pictures in the same spot. We walked up to the bridge, not wanting to take on the mile and half walk to the top of the falls. Katie said she was "terribly afraid" of heights, but I think she was terribly afraid of hiking. We were going to venture out to Mt. Hood, but it started raining and the top of the mountain was obscured by the clouds. Instead, we came back to the hotel and enjoyed 'cocktail hour' in the lobby and then went swimming. Tomorrow's our last day and I don't know what's on the agenda. This week has flown by but I feel pretty good about our mini vacation before heading over seas. We also just got an offer on our house, which if all goes well, will be a HUGE weight lifted. Keep your fingers crossed...