Wow, it's been a whole week since I posted last. Despite my days of leisure (still not gainfully employed), I can still manage to not write a darn thing for seven whole days. Way to go Brasilliant! In the past seven days, very exciting things have taken place. First, someone put carved pumpkins outside of our apartment building and they haven't been smashed to pieces. I love our neighborhood and can't wait for Halloween.
Second, Jesse brought the car in to have the oil changed and asked the mechanics to look at our stuck temperature knob. I was terrified when we got a phone call about 2 hours later and Jesse started laughing on the phone. I thought maybe the repair was so insanely expensive that he was going into hysterics to deal with the pain. In reality, he was laughing because the problem was so ridiculous. Remember that digital conversion box that I installed way back in 2008? Well, somehow from moving the cord around to plug in our iPods, it had wrapped itself around the internal gears, causing the knob to get stuck. It cost $80 in labor to have them pull out our stereo unit and unwrap the cord, but it was worth every dime for the relief I felt knowing that we wouldn't have to sell all of our possessions to pay for the fix.
Third, I tagged along with Jesse for a business trip in Seattle on Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately, it poured for 48 solid hours and I didn't feel like taking any photos. I did get to hang out with Jesse's cousin and his wife in their new neighborhood -- I'd totally live in the Fremont area if we moved to Seattle -- and Jeremiah made a tasty tortilla soup that he shared with me for lunch. On the Seattle trip, I also found out that our cruise control was actually not broken. The secret-hidden-bonus cruise control button had just been turned off for 10 months. I think this confirms that I am not worthy of owning a car. (Neither is Jesse, since his knee turned the dimmer knob for the interior lights all the way down and we both thought the electrical system in the car had failed for a couple of hours while driving around town.)
Fourth, I went to look at a 2-bedroom apartment yesterday and submitted a rental application. I didn't mention it to anyone (except my Mom) until after I put in the application, for fear that I would jinx the whole thing. The apartment building is only about 4 blocks from where we live, which is perfect because, again, I love our neighborhood. We contemplated renting a house on the east side, but after looking at several places, nothing seemed quite right. It's one thing to buy a fixer-upper, it's another thing entirely to rent one. Also, I would truly miss having our grocery store, PGE Park, and favorite bars all within a 10 minute walk. Exciting things about this apartment? It's twice as big as the one we have now. It has a hallway (yes this may seem minor, but it makes me want to jump for joy). And it has a washer/dryer AND a dishwasher. We might actually get to live like real live grownups. You know, with a living room that doesn't also double as an office and guest bedroom. Perhaps this is fate's way of lessening my disappointment over the fact that we truly won't be able to afford to buy a house for another year or two.
I'm trying not to get too excited about things looking up, but I have to admit. It was a pretty good week.
Yesterday's weather was gorgeous. Despite all of the sunshine, I stayed inside for a good part of the day. After reading a little in the morning for my class, I poked around on the internet to see what kind of houses were available for rent on the east side. I found a couple of addresses that seemed promising and around 3pm, convinced Jesse that he needed to drop all of his work and take a bike ride to Southeast Portland. It didn't take very much arm twisting, he'd had a pretty full day already and needed the exercise.
We coasted down the waterfront and landed at our first destination, a small house just south of Ladd's Addition. I had high hopes for this one, given that it was so close to downtown and in an awesome section of town. It, however, was a total let-down. It looked like a place that had been rented to college students and even by just peering in the windows, I could tell that it wouldn't do. The next place was equally as disappointing, as it looked like a storage locker with a front door (no wonder neither of the landlords posted photos).
With one more house left as our only hope, we rode all the way out to 57th Avenue near Mt. Tabor. It's a lovely neighborhood, quite perfect in every way -- cute house (just look at those windows!), nice back yard, beautiful street, right in our price range, and down the street from a nice park. The only down side is that it is located on top of an impossibly steep hill. That means that it would be sweet for commuting to work by bike, but kind of a drag to get home. However, the streets just west, from 51st (at the foot of the impossibly steep hill) to 39th seem to be our "sweet spot."
I still need to do a little more research on the area, like where my local grocery store might be, or what restaurants we might frequent, but as of our bike ride today, I'm sold. I just have to keep my eyes peeled for any other houses that might come up. On our way home, we both realized that we were starving, so we stopped in at our favorite Thai place, the Pad Thai Kitchen on Belmont. I'm always looking for a good excuse to ride out there, because their food is pretty awesome. Jesse got his favorite, the pumpkin curry, and I ordered drunken noodles. It was the perfect end to a pretty good afternoon.
Yeah, I totally spaced out on my blogging duties for the past few days. It certainly wasn't because I lacked material. We were incredibly busy this weekend (in a good way). This activity was due in part to the fact that I couldn't think of enough excuses to get me out of cleaning the apartment, and also, it was a holiday weekend with an abundance of beautiful weather.
Saturday morning I was feeling antsy and having a hard time figuring out what to do. Jesse suggested a bike ride, which at first sounded horrible, but once I was out in the cool breeze I couldn't get enough. Our initial destination was a bakery on Division Street, but about a mile into the ride, I decided that I wanted to make an afternoon of our excursion. We never made it to that Division Street bakery, but found something just as good -- if not better. The bike route headed down to Sellwood and by the time we arrived, I was ready for lunch. So, we stopped at the Grand Central Bakery for snacks. With two sack lunches in hand, Jesse and I made our way to the waterfront park and splayed out in the grass. It was great. My chicken salad sandwich (with fresh tarragon and asparagus) was outstanding. Jesse's turkey, cheese, and sweet chutney sandwich was also top-notch. Feeling refreshed and re-energized, we turned back for home with a slight detour in the Clinton/Division neighborhood. On the way, we met up (fortuitously) with our friends Anna and Brian (and their son) on an afternoon stroll. After walking them to their car, we continued with our bike ride to 62nd Avenue. In case you're wondering, our round trip ride on Saturday clocked in right around 21 miles. It was tiring, but surprisingly, I was not very sore.
Sunday was all about cleaning. I don't want to talk about it anymore. However, the apartment looks really spiffy and ready for the oncoming wave of guests in June.
As a treat for cleaning all day on Sunday, I decided that we needed a special outing on Monday. We decided to take a loop around Mount Hood (about 160 miles round trip). It was mostly a drive to see what's out there, since we've never really been any further east than 122nd Avenue in Portland. Our trip yesterday was stunning and surprising. Surprises? Well, people were skiing. Skiing in May? Absurd! Mount Hood is incredible, however, I learned that I probably will never feel comfortable driving there before the end of May.
These two photos were taken near the top of Mt. Hood at Timberline Lodge. The lodge was built by hand by WPA workers between 1936-37 and is a National Historic Landmark. Look familiar? The exterior was also used to film the movie, The Shining. I really enjoyed walking around and ogling the interior spaces outfitted with timbers, giant iron gates, and hand made furniture and textiles (also planned and executed by WPA workers). I know I'm a giant dork, but the huge snow piles still make me gasp. OMG! The snow is still up to the roof in May. Unbelievable.
After Timberline Lodge, we continued around the west side of Mt. Hood and made our way back home. We stopped off to cross the Bridge of the Gods into Washington and checked out a potential destination, the Walking Man Brewery. There doesn't seem to be much to do in Stevenson, WA other than walk around the 4-block downtown and sip some brews next to the Columbia River. That's ok though, the Bonneville Dam (also a National Historic Landmark) is just down the road and a totally awesome way to spend the afternoon. Two NHL's in a day? My total geek fantasy trip.
Wow, I totally sound like a lame travel website, but really, the Bonneville Dam might have been the highlight of my whole day. I was almost giddy at the raw power harnessed by the Columbia River, not to mention the underground viewing area to watch live salmon swim upstream on the engineered fish ladder. Seriously, I saw fish that were at least 2-feet long and nearly flipped my shit (along with the surrounding 5-year-olds) when a gigantic steelhead whisked into the viewing area. It was amazing and I can't wait to go back when the salmon are spawning. I might have to take a sedative before I get there though, so I won't jump up and down and scream at the sight.
On our way home we decided to take one more detour (which proved to be our undoing). The sandwiches ran out at the dam, but I couldn't resist the prospect of experiencing one of the most spectacular vantage points in all of the Portland area at Larch Mountain. Unfortunately, the access road to the picnic area was closed at the 10-mile-marker due to snow. SNOW! We would have had to hike four miles (up hill both ways heh) in snow in order to see five of the most outstanding peaks in the cascades including, Mt. Hood, Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams, and on a clear day (it was spectacularly clear) Mt. Rainier. I guess that will just have to wait until next time.
We hopped back in the car and headed home totally exhausted. It was an awesome trip and I can't wait to explore the area further when we have guests in town. I've already reserved a couple of books on the Oregon Trail at the library so we can scout out a few of the existing portions of the trails left in the area. I can't wait to trade Jesse for a buffalo hide to survive the long, cold Oregon winter.
Saturday was absolutely gorgeous. The sun was shining and the air was crisp. Jesse suggested that we ride our bikes out to the farmers market, but I was having a little trouble motivating myself to shed the pj's that early in the morning. So, we both had a hearty breakfast and made plans to bike up to the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland. The initial plan involved stopping for an afternoon snack once we got there and then on our way home hitting a new brewery for an afternoon pint.
We rode our bikes on the west side of the Willamette River along the old industrial area that I've never seen before. Further south, there are tons of abandoned warehouses with funky old signs and a rusted out railroad track that leads to nowhere. As you ride north though, the area is still pretty vibrant, with lumber storage, a glassworks, and tons of oil and gas storage sites. The hill leading up to the St. Johns Bridge is a pretty steep climb, but we took our time and stopped for a picturesque view of the bridge. It is really quite breathtaking. 
St. Johns is pretty far north of downtown and until 1915 was an independent city. I got that feeling about five seconds after we crossed the bridge. Immediately, we heard the sound of a high school band and old car horns honking. We picked the perfect day to experience St. Johns, just in time for the 47th Annual St. Johns Day Parade and Carnival.
It was quite an experience. A lot of people refer to the neighborhood as charming for it's small-town feel. I'm not sure if charming is the first thing that came to mind. It seems like nice quiet neighborhood -- I can certainly see why some people really love it there -- but it's just not for me. We hastened our exit shortly after having a pretty sub-par pastry from the local bakery, and saw that our lunch destination, The Big Kahuna BBQ, had become a drive-through burrito joint. Knowing that after first half of our bike ride we both would need some grub, I was ready to high-tail it out of St. Johns to more familiar territory.
The ride down the east side of the river was really beautiful. The area between St. Johns and the University of Portland is lined with lovely old trees and has a really nice feel. We coasted down the road and enjoyed the afternoon. Final stop? Amensia Brewing on Mississippi Avenue. I had a delicious veggie burger and Jesse enjoyed a giant spicy bratwurst with sauerkraut. We ate our afternoon meal in their outdoor seating area that reminds me a lot of a biergarten. My only complaint? Well, except for the seasonal brew (Belgian-style) and a lonely porter, every beer on their menu is a pale ale. Dude, Portland, I get it! You love your hops, but cut a woman a break! Porter in the summertime is not very refreshing. Branch out just a little? Please?
I'm so glad the weather is improving and we are able to explore the city a bit more by bike. I'm looking forward to our next neighborhood adventure.
Wow, it's been a whole week since I posted last. Despite my days of leisure (still not gainfully employed), I can still manage to not write a darn thing for seven whole days. Way to go Brasilliant! In the past seven days, very exciting things have taken place. First, someone put carved pumpkins outside of our apartment building and they haven't been smashed to pieces. I love our neighborhood and can't wait for Halloween.
Fourth, I went to look at a 2-bedroom apartment yesterday and submitted a rental application. I didn't mention it to anyone (except my Mom) until after I put in the application, for fear that I would jinx the whole thing. The apartment building is only about 4 blocks from where we live, which is perfect because, again, I love our neighborhood. We contemplated renting a house on the east side, but after looking at several places, nothing seemed quite right. It's one thing to buy a fixer-upper, it's another thing entirely to rent one. Also, I would truly miss having our grocery store, PGE Park, and favorite bars all within a 10 minute walk. Exciting things about this apartment? It's twice as big as the one we have now. It has a hallway (yes this may seem minor, but it makes me want to jump for joy). And it has a washer/dryer AND a dishwasher. We might actually get to live like real live grownups. You know, with a living room that doesn't also double as an office and guest bedroom. Perhaps this is fate's way of lessening my disappointment over the fact that we truly won't be able to afford to buy a house for another year or two.
