Trip Day #2: PDX (Beer in the Cheese, Spanish in the Coffee, and Voodoo in the Doughnut)

Day #2 dawned cool but not rainy. Actually, I should clarify at this point that it never really did rain during my stay in Portland. It misted, my shirt got some water spots, but there was never any full on downpour. It is kind of like being in a cool sauna. You feel hydrated and your hair starts to curl but really, it is just moisture.

Although should the rain ever decide to soak the place, I'm pretty certain that Portlanders would just pull up their hood and carry on. For the most part, everyone seemed sporty and for some reason handy. I had the definite sense that even if a big rain did materialize and the deluge turned Burnside into a roaring river, your average Portlander would reach into his pocket, pull out a pouch and with a few deep breaths, fashion a kayak to continue on their way. I bet that kayak would have a holder for their commuter cup of coffee too. I do love that about the Northwest -- coffee stores on every corner and the coffee is good.

But back to day #2. After enjoying all my NEW toiletries, I conceded to the weather and wore the one long sleeve shirt I had packed. I headed over to Mallory/Mamy's, stopping for -- you guessed it -- coffee on the way. Speaking of hydration, this was when I met a new friend:

Sigg #3 has joined the family, thanks to M & M! In addition to being the 1 litre size, #3 matches both my toenails and my car. Not something I ever aspired to, but serendipitous nonetheless.

Caffeine now coursing through our bodies, Mallory and I set out for the farmer's market, conveniently located in the park area near her house. It felt well attended to me, but Mallory said the "rain" was keeping the crowds down. Oh, and the parade happening a few blocks away. Beautiful flowers, fresh vegetables, preserves, pizza, wine, bread, and many of them unique. Peonies were just coming into season and the masses of them were beautiful.

I had a lavender infused caramel truffle with sea salt on top. Yum. No picture because it didn't last long enough for auto-focus. We tasted Lavender-Raspberry-Chipotle jam (quite a lingering kick) and Mango-Pepper jelly over goat cheese. But all paled in comparison to what we found around the corner -- a cheese stand.

But not just any old cheese. A row of boxes lined the table and little signs proclaimed the wonders inside: Lavender Cheddar, Garlic Cheddar, ROGUE STOUT Cheddar. Yes, beer infused cheddar. Well we definitely had to have some of that. "Squeeze the tip." Um, excuse me? "Squeeze the tip," intoned the vendor as he pulled a toothpick out of a little canister and stuck it into the beer cheese morsels. Sure enough, this was a man who believed in recycling -- one toothpick can serve hundreds, if we were just smart enough to squeeze the tip of cheese. We were that smart and I tried both the lavender cheddar (you wouldn't think it would work, but it did) and the rogue stout cheddar (a meal! Cheddar appetizer with a lingering stout finish. Super yum). Now we were ready for breakfast -- a homemade giant biscuit with shiitake mushroom gravy. A few samples of apple wine and we were quite full.

Thus fortified, we returned to home base to review the many options for the afternoon. Craft markets, boat races on the Willamette, and heaven knows what else. We opted for a short drive to the outskirts of town for a visit to Edgefield Manor.

Edgefield Manor is another property in the McMenamin chain and well worth a visit. Originally, the site was the Multnomah County Poor Farm. It eventually became a nursing home, closing down for good in 1982. The McMenamins purchased the site in 1990 and have turned it into a hotel with many attractions, including a winery, golf course, distillery, glass blowing studio, gardens, and live music concerts. (Sadly, I was a few weeks too early for Billy Idol. Story of my life.)

Mallory and I toured the gardens before grabbing a bite and a brew in the pub. The flowers were luscious and the birdhouses were no vacancy:

Even more interesting are the paintings inside the hotel. Every door, wall, pipe, and fixture is decorated with a one of a kind painting. Historic figures, scenes from the work farm and the nursing home, and all manner of images entertain you from floor to floor. I was way too busy enjoying the paintings, so I only took a few pictures:

Go, have the beer sampler platter, say hello to Billy for me.

We headed back into town to prepare for the next adventure and I managed to sneak in a 15 minute nap before heading out for the evening. [Yes. That's why I was late to dinner. I'm a catnapper.] Good thing too, as we still had comedy, flames, and magic ahead. But more on that in Day 2, Part 2.

Tell all your single friends, Beware! Smitten is showing her vacation slides.

XO, JamieSmitten