Vancouver Vacation & Portland Pals

The lovely Tai turned me loose in a Portland park on Memorial Day, and Amy rescued me minutes later from smelly cigarette wioman.   Amy was my first college friend and is fun, fascinating, sharp, brilliant – awesome!   It was just like old times as we picked up her man, went out for a Zells brunch, and played spades into the afternoon.

Sochetra  (awesome former college roommate) and Jeff made it back to town in time to catch the end of REI’s monster sale.   I met up with them while they shopped and spent two more fun-filled  days with them in Vancouver (just north of Portland).   I got to meet the cats, spend time in their beautiful, light-filled home, tour Sochetra’s handiwork that’s turned their backyard into a little paradise, make awesome meals, and get schooled at scrabble.   I definitely recommend the lovely hikes and walks we did along the Columbia in Vancouver near Patterson (!!!) Air Base and Capitol Hill in downtown Portland.

Also amazing was the pulled pork and Trivial Pursuit night at the neighbor’s (I proudly held my own in spite of competing against others who were actually alive when the game came  out).   The only rain we got was during our delightful meal at ‘Por Que No?’ – perfect!   My most interesting discoveries, at the gorgeous Rose Garden, was that purple roses are by far the strongest, and that smelling rich roses leaves me feeling strangely full – as in not hungry.   What gives?

Sochetra  had to go back to work Wednesday, so I was on to round two with the amazing Amy.   She lives in St. Helens – a great little community 30 minutes north of Portland – and commutes for her jobs in Portland.   We spent the afternoon playing spades and lounging, and then it was off to the Old Spaghetti Factory where she waitresses part-time for extra cash.   I was delighted  to get to partake in the pasta mecca by way of their gluten free options.   And of course I ate all my ice cream and Amy’s, too!   After meeting up with her rad friend Lydia and her man Robert, we hit up the Ambassador karaoke scene.   It was perfect!   Not very many folks, plenty of silly routines, so much fun!

The next day, I got to go into work with Amy for her other job – a volunteer coordinator at a cool non-profit.   In between internet-ing, I set out on an adventure to find more of the special travel shampoo.   I ended up lost in the hills above Portland in fancy neighborhoods next to one of the fancy colleges.   It was a great self tour, and it only cost me a tank of gas and one delicious Laughing Planet lunch.

Thursday night I was flattered  to get my wish for a Portland meet-and-greet.   A childhood friend of mine is getting married this summer.   The stage is set  for an awesome wedding, and I saw an opportunity to get to know the numerous  P-town folks who will be in attendance.   Chris and his fiance, Julie, hosted a killer evening.   Their friends are amazing as were the  to-die-for dishes and libations!   Afterwards, Amy and I tackled the commute back to St. Helens  together – it was really fun getting to be a part of her life!

At the Chris & Julie fiesta, one of my high-school-best-friends was in attendance, and we arranged a weekend reunion.   Deb’s man-friend, Jesse, collected me from Amy’s care on her way to an out-of-town  music fest.   Together Jesse and I got lost and then found until we finally ended up at Deb’s work.   After a lovely dinner with a friend of Deb’s, our prospective plans with Chris turned into my prospective plans as work-week exhaustion set in.   I inappropriately complained about our lack of posse for awhile (Julie packing for a trip, other friends either staying home or at clubs) before settling down and enjoying an awesome evening.   We  dabbled in  creative cocktails at an establishment serving a plethora of infused liqueurs and liquors before making fun friends at the rooftop bar that we ended up closing down!

I was grateful to have Chris and Julie’s guest bedroom as my unexpected resting place.   Too many Sake Margaritas made the “gentle” (*earsplitting*!) setting on the early alarm a bit painful.   I managed breakfast in Multnomah  Village with the same crew from the night before.   Then Deb, Jesse, and I met up with the capricious and wonderful Ben Carver – another college friend of mine.   The afternoon was perfect with found free paints, yummy mid-day mexican, and life-size Jenga.   Everyone else retired, and Ben and I rode bikes downtown to shop, grab food-cart Thai, and people watch pre-Rose-Fest-Starlight-parade.

That night, Garrett sent “his people” for me.   He’d just finished the daunting CFA-II exam as mentioned in a previous  blog, and had been celebrating  ever since.   His friends Tom and Sermine  (who, as the six degree rule would have it, are also friends with Jeff and Sochetra) were hosting him.   The four of us met up with Deb and Jesse at the infamous Papa Haydens for some out-of-this-world desserts.

The next day at Deb’s I finally got a good swing in on my fight against vacation poisons (too much celebrating, not enough moving).   We had a glorious run at the track nearby, explored Powells  (why can’t I quit buying books?!), and braved the line at Voodoo Donuts (mmmm Maple Bacon Bar!).   In the morning Deb was off to work, and I was off to my next vacation destination – Detroit Lake and “the cabin”!