Portland loves me, and I think I love it back!

Took a quick weekend trip to Ptown (Stumptown, the Rose City, whatever you like) to visit the new home of brotha' Dave. Even though he's still fishing off the coast of Ventura right now, braving 30-40 ft. swells, we felt compelled to see it without his presence. It's a nice place in a nice neighborhood (not counting the crazy drunk across the street - but he's harmless, we think). We met some of his neighbors and took many walks.

Dan met up with us and we visited with the best hostess and tour guide in Ptown: Deb. On Saturday night, she took us square dancing at the Norse hall, but we didn't get in because it was SOLD OUT! Well, she did (with some desperate pleading of which I have not seen the like of since a Dead show), but we were surely barred from entering and told to go sit in the bar until 10pm. With all my heart, I went to go square dance, but sitting in the bar is easier. Not to mention that there were a couple bluegrass groups jamming in there. So Mel, Dan and I ordered up some whisky and tapped our feet while Dan impressed us with his official membership to the fraternity of the Moose.

Every time I go to Portland, I am increasingly tempted by the food choices there. I generally wrap my visits up in a blanket of comfort food. This time was no different: breakfast at Beaterville, culinary coffees at Sohbet, Flying pizza... Its all good. Another find was the Stumptown coffee tasting room. Here they will freshly grind and brew a single cup of any one of their fine roasts for you to enjoy, meanwhile filling your head with fun facts and trivia about coffee. In Seattle I go to Vivace for good java, but in Portland I am tittilated by Stumptown. Actually, I need to give credit to Sohbet - they serve Stumptown coffee, but serve it in various cultural ways: Cubano, Vietnamese, New Orleans (or you can skip the java and get Mate instead). Thanks Portland, you never let me down.

I read the signs "Keep Portland Weird". Nothing is weirder than a neighbor who puts up a "Tree of Shame" and a "Bush-Cheney wall of death" in his/her front yard. While I really dig the artistic theme, I have to admit its a bit creepy seeing The heads of state (pun intended) hanging from a dead tree. Art is so subjective and you've gotta take the good with the bad with the strange. I did notice that the adjacent neighbor was trying to sell the house.