Welcome Back Fall

Today seemed to be the quintessential fall day in Portland -- gray, cool, and rainy. It was a perfect day to lounge around the apartment, dreaming of good (warm) things to cook. My absence from the blog over the past week has been due almost entirely to the fact that my sister was in town visiting. I had such a nice time having her around that I forgot entirely about updating. Thankfully, I didn't forget to take photos!

The week was packed full of things that I felt were essential to getting to know "my" Portland. We went out to Fabric Depot to hunt for new project fabric and found inspiration for a Halloween costume. On our way home, we stopped by Burgerville, the local fast food joint that serves up very tasty burgers and sandwiches (and sweet potato fries). Friday was very sunny and warm, if a little hazy, so we drove up to the Pittock Mansion for one of the best views of Mt. Hood. Before heading out for our excursion, we stopped at Kenny & Zukes on NW Thurman for tasty sandwiches.

After the Pittock Mansion, we stopped to smell the flowers at the International Rose Test Garden. The sun was perfect and Katie got a lot of great shots of the final blooms for the season. On the agenda, of course, was one of our favorite happy hour spots, Bridgeport Brewery. Most every evening was ended with a round or two of games, so I was in heaven.

While it was tempting to sleep in and lounge around most days, we got up early and out the door for a full day of bike riding on Saturday. After renting a bike for Katie, we rode around town on a 17.5 mile tour. One of our stops was at Stumptown Coffee where our good friend, Brian, gave us a tour. Then, we had an outstanding lunch at Por Que No. Between the bike ride, Mexican food, and tasty margaritas that we made in the evening, Katie said that she'd never slept better!

Overall it was an awesome week and I hope she comes back soon!