Long-awaited PNW Meetup!!

#51

Thank you all for a wonderful evening. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you, and to break bread with you. I truely enjoyed every moment.

The 411 - we met at the park blocks as planned then adjourned to Higgins an hour early. It wasn't abysmal outside, but it was threatening. And there was no place to sit together as I had thought. The park benches had all been separated far apart. But the bar at Higgins had exactly four seats for us proving that once again I have good angels. That hour passed very quickly until our res time with introductions and personal anecdotes.

We were seated in a cozy corner with zero distractions. The staff were cordial and personable. Three of us had the salmon plate, and BoB had a pasta dish of some kind. Who knew that turnips and gnoches paired so well with salmon! We chattered like birds on a branch all through dinner and a dessert for the next two hours plus. It couldn't have been better.

It was a fabulous break from my last few months. I am sincerely grateful to W4 for suggesting this, and to BeastofBourbon and Duck Dodgers for joining us. Enjoy the Tillamook cheese curd, and those tee shirts are not too big. They're 100% cotton, and will shrink a bit after washing. You'll have a permanent reminder of our time together.

Again - Thank you so much!

#52

Oh, that's wonderful news. I'm so glad.

Maybenaut · #53

#54

#55

duck dodgers · #56

And thanks especially to you for putting this together, BoB and I had a great time getting to know you and Whatever4!

bill_g wrote: ↑Sun Apr 21, 2024 12:41 am Thank you all for a wonderful evening. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you, and to break bread with you. I truely enjoyed every moment.

The 411 - we met at the park blocks as planned then adjourned to Higgins an hour early. It wasn't abysmal outside, but it was threatening. And there was no place to sit together as I had thought. The park benches had all been separated far apart. But the bar at Higgins had exactly four seats for us proving that once again I have good angels. That hour passed very quickly until our res time with introductions and personal anecdotes.

We were seated in a cozy corner with zero distractions. The staff were cordial and personable. Three of us had the salmon plate, and BoB had a pasta dish of some kind. Who knew that turnips and gnoches paired so well with salmon! We chattered like birds on a branch all through dinner and a dessert for the next two hours plus. It couldn't have been better.

It was a fabulous break from my last few months. I am sincerely grateful to W4 for suggesting this, and to BeastofBourbon and Duck Dodgers for joining us. Enjoy the Tillamook cheese curd, and those tee shirts are not too big. They're 100% cotton, and will shrink a bit after washing. You'll have a permanent reminder of our time together.

Again - Thank you so much!

Kendra · #57

I am late to this conversation, and not sure if there's time, but I highly recommend a day trip through the Columbia River Gorge, at the very least a stop at Multnomah Falls, but lots of waterfalls and easy (or not so easy) hiking trails. I think I saw a mention of liking art, so if there's time a trip further east and then cross the bridge and visit the Marysville Museum of Art, plus the replica nearby of Stonehenge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryhill_Museum_of_Art

The gardens with the peacocks wandering around. That gorgeous old house. The exhibits. The views of the Gorge and Mount Hood. The winery "next door".

jcolvin2 · #58

Maryhill Museum. It is housed in a mansion built by Sam Hill (he of “Where in the Sam Hill is that?” fame). It houses an odd set of collections, including the personal effects of the last queen of Romania. The Stonehenge replica is 2/3rd size. It is pretty trippy.

Kendra · #59

jcolvin2 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 21, 2024 7:41 pm Maryhill Museum. It is housed in a mansion built by Sam Hill (he of “Where in the Sam Hill is that?” fame). It houses an odd set of collections, including the personal effects of the last queen of Romania. The Stonehenge replica is 2/3rd size. It is pretty trippy.

The wiki link has a photo of Queen Marie's room and furnishings at the museum. I believe she was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria if my

memory is still working, also a connection to the Romanovs. Very cool.

Sam Hill also was behind the building of the historic highway. I seem to recall that after he built that big huge mansion in the middle of nowhere (really, nowhere), his wife came from back east, took one look and went back east for civilization.

#60

Kendra wrote: ↑Sun Apr 21, 2024 7:14 pm I am late to this conversation, and not sure if there's time, but I highly recommend a day trip through the Columbia River Gorge, at the very least a stop at Multnomah Falls, but lots of waterfalls and easy (or not so easy) hiking trails. I think I saw a mention of liking art, so if there's time a trip further east and then cross the bridge and visit the Marysville Museum of Art, plus the replica nearby of Stonehenge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryhill_Museum_of_Art

The gardens with the peacocks wandering around. That gorgeous old house. The exhibits. The views of the Gorge and Mount Hood. The winery "next door".

Oh W4 got her tourist on while she was here. By the time we had the meetup on Sat evening, she was nursing some blisters. IIRC she left Sunday going north to visit some friends in WA. This week she'll head south into Cali. She's returning to Portland late this week to catch the second half of the opera. I'm not certain which day she'll fly home.

I've never visited Maryhill, but I've been to Sentinal Peak a number of times. It's right behind the mansion a little bit higher. And there is a whole lotta nothin out there from up there. It's fifty miles to anywhere. But, you can see a lot. These were taken in Aug 2004 right at the beginning of the fire season that year, and about a decade before the wind gens dotted the landscape horizon to horizon. This is what Mrs. Hill would have seen.

The ground is covered in lichens and the occasional sage bush. The constant wind, and overall arid conditions prevents anything else from prospering up there. OTOH, in Spring the crocus blooms. For a few brief days the entire area is purple and pink. It's beautiful. Lower down the ridge lupine and low growing sunflower (with multiple heads) populate the open land offering a late season splash of color.
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Kendra · #61

Wow. Thanks for sharing. It's amazing out there.

#62

You're welcome. This is where the tribes made their lives, and what the pioneers had to cross to establish a new home. They had another 70 miles to go to reach someplace hospitable. Those snow peaked mountains above are part of a range that scrapes the moisture from ocean air. West of the range it's green green green. To the East it's brown brown brown.

You can see the transition in The Gorge driving east from Portland. Cascade Locks and Hood River are on the rain border. You can see it in the hills as the tree and ground cover species changes dramatically. Vegetation in general becomes sparce. Trees only grow in crevases and ravines. So does the population. County census numbers dwindle from serveral hundred thousand to less than two thousand people. There is a lot of less than one person per square mile country out there.

It has it's own beauty, and an appeal that takes a bit to appreciate.

#63

duck dodgers wrote: ↑Sun Apr 21, 2024 6:54 pm And thanks especially to you for putting this together, BoB and I had a great time getting to know you and Whatever4!

I'm glad I scrolled up. I almost missed this.

You are very welcome DD. I enjoyed our time together. And it was my pleasure to come up with a rally point and meeting place that we could all reach easily. Dinner was pretty darn good. The part that amazed me was Higgins is kitty corner to The Oregonian building. I've been through that intersection a million times, and never noticed that restaurant. It was kind of a mind blower for me.

#64

Lovely photos!

#65

It is gorgeous, but you can see why the US Govt thought it was far enough away from population to develope the first quantities of fissile material out there. The Hanford reactor is just a few hours north and east of where I was standing. I've been there a few times too, but they discourage photos.

The Columbia makes a dog leg and heads north towards Canadia forming the border between Warshintun and Iduhho. Hanford is nestled along the river on the WA side in a flood plain. They buried the waste in barrels. But, being the gift that keeps on giving, the barrels have degraded, and the govt has been mitigating the site a bit at a time. (sigh)

In that picture above the river was over a mile wide. It presented a huge challenge to the pioneers to cross. Still does. There are not a lot of bridges. Each one is 15-20-30 (or more) miles apart. Some are broad and you can zoom across at 60 no problem. Most are narrow with low speed limits. You worry about clipping oncoming traffic. Some are free. Some are tolled.

Bit it too is damn pretty. Pay attention to the horizon. You can see the curvature of the Earth.
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#66

So, W-4, did Duck Dodgers wear his cape to the meetup?

jemcanada2 · #67

Tiredretiredlawyer wrote: ↑Mon Apr 22, 2024 5:53 pm So, W-4, did Duck Dodgers wear his cape to the meetup?

Yes! We didn’t get the fashion report yet.

duck dodgers · #68

To paraphrase Edna Mode from the Incredibles: "No capes."

Tiredretiredlawyer wrote: ↑Mon Apr 22, 2024 5:53 pm So, W-4, did Duck Dodgers wear his cape to the meetup?

#69

#70

(phew) Good thing I didn't wear my formal flannel.

If I had known there was supposed to be a runway, we could have arranged something with the Art Museum. Their really long wheelchair ramp on the Park block side would have been perfect. They are having a showing of stylish athletic shoes. aka - Nikes with serious bling. Adidas with swagger. We could have followed their theme with a Fogbow twist - all entries must involve birds.

Water under the bridge.

#71

Whatever4 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 11:06 pm Well, a mini meetup. I’ll be in Portland Oregon (The Other Portland^TM) on Friday April 18 all day, Saturday April 19 to 5:00, and Sunday April 20 all day. Also, Saturday April 27. So a 1-day extravaganza would be awesome.

Any takers?

Mornin W4 - Have you got your Sat Apr 27 extravaganza planned out yet?

Whatever4 · #72

I’m not ignoring everyone, I’m just not reading/responding to anyone because I’m still on the Left Coast. This time I’m at Phoenix520’s aerie in the way-too-sunny Los Angeles area. Seriously, how do people live in all this sunshine?

#73

You missed all the protesting. Drats! Tis the Season, though a tad early. Global swarming.

Slim Cognito · #74

Sounds like a wonderful time was had by all. Wish I could’ve made it.

#75

Gilda is amazing!