Now we’re at FH for a night, waiting on friends who are joining us. Tomorrow it’s Pt. Townsend, where I’ve not visited since I was a little kid, and then this year instead of going North to the Gulf Islands, we’re headed for Seattle instead. It’s weird how we never have considered doing that by boat. I think it was the right decision given what the weather is suppose to be like north of us.

Anyhow, I’m trying a couple of new things with this post. One, I am using a bluetooth keyboard with my iPad, so it’s like typing on a tiny little laptop. And two, I’m using the Blogsy app to do the post, so we’ll see how it works. I’ve had the app since I got my iPad, but I hadn’t tried it until now. If all goes well, I might try to figure out how to post pictures, because it’s soooo beautiful wandering around the PNW via boat.

FH is nice, I just stopped by the bookstore (an now reading Karen Russell’s ‘Swamplania’, so far verdict is AMAZING writer), went by the little floating seafood shop for a crab and some ahi tuna, and have a lovely chilled glass of Rosé in my hand. In short, it’s starting to feel like vacation! yay!~Janie

There are things I hate about Portland, and things I love. In the hate column is the fact that their circular crisscrossing freeways are a nightmare for someone with no sense of direction. More than once, I’ve ended up almost LEAVING Oregon again without ever exiting the freeway, something that is near impossible in most cities. In the serious love column is the shopping and dining scene. Portlandia seriously loves their handcrafted cocktails, indie brews, small farms and now micro-distilleries.

We stayed near 23rd Avenue, which is a nice little few blocks to walk along, shop and nibble. I had remarkable sea-salt caramel macarones from Papa Haydn’s, and I never thought I’d call any preparation of roasted chicken all that special, but Veritable Quandry has it down to a beautiful science.

Then it was winery time – we had time for three in a single day, Adelsheim, Lange and then Stoller. Stoller is relatively new on the wine scene, having only started up in (if memory serves) around 2003 with their first vintage. They do a nice pinot noir, and a beautiful pinot rose. Lange ended up having my favorite pinot of all the tastings we did, in their 2008 Yamhill. Delicious! We splurged on a 3 litre bottle for our upcoming anniversary, ’cause Natasha and I are both planning “seven year itch” parties, since we’ll both have been married for 7 years in the Spring. It was her idea, but she’s letting me steal it. :)

The only bad thing about a Portland trip is the drive home. The traffic is almost always terrible (it didn’t disappoint those expectations this time) and the weather here at home is a good 10 degrees colder.

Home for a few days now, before we head out to the islands this weekend to race our little boat again.

Elliott and I have been together for almost 7 years now – this was sort of like a second honeymoon, I fell in love all over again with my wonderful husband. Not that I didn’t love him before, but it’s that giddy, happy, wonderful “in love” feeling that returned so strongly when we actually got to spend time together without all of the pressures of everyday chaos.

Mostly what we did was: eat, sleep, drink, read, play cribbage, kayak, hike, play ball with the dog. I read more than I’ve gotten to read in the whole last year, with a mixed bag of fiction. It was the kayaking that I loved the most. We got these little plastic ocean kayaks this summer, and they are just so perfect for this area.

So: a couple of things….

1. E: thank you for the birthday wishes. As I told Georgette when we met for dinner before I left, it really tickles me that you always remember the happy birthday after all of these years.

2. I have news! Vamp is back!!!! I am beyond thrilled that my favorite JG reviewer of all time is back on board. We’re going to meet for dinner this weekend in Seattle to catch up. I love the way she looks at content, especially the very tiny niche kinks that I never think about. She’s totally awesome and positive. Ok, have I gushed enough?

Oh, here are some photos from the trip. We anchored for a couple of days in Tod Inlet, which is a very long, wide inlet behind the Butchart Gardens in Victoria B.C. Then you can actually access the gardens from the dock at the back, where the Japanese Gardens are. We spent a good part of an afternoon wandering there (it’s dog friendly, yay!) – Elliott’s first visit there, and my second since a highschool trip in 1985.

Anyhow, the trip was wonderful! Did a bunch of sailing, and a very tiny bit of diving. The diving, sadly, wasn’t much fun for me. I was too cold (wetsuit from the dive shop was a tad too big and I got water flow in) and the visibility was poor. I shivered the whole time and went through way more air than usual. Elliott went on two dives, but I stayed up top and had a beer with the other half of the group that opted out.

Every time we go to Mexico, we fantasize about staying there. I thought about it a bit more seriously this time, and realized that I don’t actually want to. I think the best thing would be to visit for longer periods of time (once the girls are in college) but not LIVE there. I love where we live now, grinding weather patterns aside.

So: back to serious work on all fronts: here, the triathlon training, getting my little retail thing geared up… way too much to do, and not enough hours in the day.

~Jane

On another note, I have a g-rated side project – if you’re a longtime reader and are curious, email me and I’ll tell you where it is. :)

~Jane

Anyhow, back to the trip. Lots of driving, and I was the one who did it all. Molly offered from time to time, but honestly? A drive feels even longer to me if I’m the one just sitting there, so I’d rather drive. I almost went off the road when Elliott called to tell me what our tax bill was (yes, I pretty much always file an extension) and then spent the rest of the vacation hoping the IRS wouldn’t repossess my husband. :)

So: here are a few snapshots of scenery, taken along the way:

Still catching up, so more later…
~Jane

~Jane

We are cozily ensconced at our home for the next couple of days, a room up high in the Hotel Max. I love the city lights at night, and it’s also nice that the hotel is in an area that’s quiet (relatively) after the workday ends. I stayed once in Belltown, and won’t ever again because there is so much nightlife that you can’t get a good night’s sleep until – oh, 3am or so. This hotel has the best beds – I think as good as the W, from what I remember of staying there.

Soon as we got settled, we were out walking the few blocks to Buenos Aires Grill for dinner with Natasha and Mr.N. I wore my comfortable high heels just because we knew we were walking, not cabbing. When the restaurant is a mere 6 blocks away it’s really the only option. Besides, nothing nicer after a big meal than walking, and Buenos Aires does do substantial meals. They’re an Argentinian steakhouse, with items like baseball cut steaks and family-style grill (a bit of everything meat.) They also have a couple performing tango on weekend evenings, which is my favorite part. I found out when taking tango lessons that it’s one of the most difficult partner dances to learn. Mostly because learning to follow, if that’s your part, is crucial. I’m not always good at following. heh. The tango performances got better and better as the evening wore on and the room cleared, culminating in a sultry final number performed up and down the length of the bartop. Makes a good stage.

On the way back, we stopped at the hotel restaurant/bar for a nightcap and I indulged something I almost never do anymore: my love of single malt scotch. First a tiny bit of Laphroaig, which I know to be one of my favorites, then Oban. I tend to go for the very peaty scotch, but the Oban was an agreeable deviation from that norm. I love everything about scotch, especially the smell. Oban has a light bouquet, Laphroaig is overwhelming in the best way.

Now it’s morning – Elliott is curled up in the bedding looking all yummy, and I’m considering a quick shower before room service gets here. And feeling very spoiled in my comfy robe, drinking coffee and listening to the city start to come to life for the day. Very different from countrymouse life at home.

~Jane

But, I should start at the beginning. We swapped our Mustang for a friend’s 4×4 diesel truck for the trip, since we were towing back a boat. I drove from here as far as Roseburg, Oregon – which was about the halfway point I think. Stopped at a great little pub for lunch there. Then it was on to Chico, California with Elliott at the wheel. We got into town there at 9 in the evening, a full 14 hours after we started in the morning. We decided to just drive through the main part of town to look for a hotel, and stumbled upon the wonderful Hotel Diamond, a historic building that had just been remodeled practically from the ground up 2 years ago. The hotel was beautiful, with that old feel and character that both Elliott and I love. Oh, and the bed and pillows were worthy of a hotel like the W, which was an added bonus.

I’d never been to Chico, but it definitely had the feel of many a college town I’ve visited. We went up to our room long enough to change clothes, then went walking looking for something to eat – not an easy thing to find at 9:30 at night on a holiday (the 4th), but we found a sort of upscale Mexican restaurant that was a mix of Spanish and Mexican cuisine. Great tequila list. After Patron margaritas, ceviche and paella we were both feeling WAY better. Even at this hour, it was over 100 in Chico.

Up early the next morning, we got back on the road with coffee and it was my turn to drive. We ended up, after miles and miles of fields, winding our way up through the mountains into horse country. 2 hours later, we got to our destination, a 50 acre horse ranch where our boat was currently residing. The previous owners both raced sailboats for decades, but they’re so busy with a million other things (and the one, with other boats) that this one was on the market. Still, it was odd to be getting a sailboat out in the middle of nowhere. They showed us how to rig it, and I do have pictures on the camera of this sailboat, mast up, in the middle of trees and farm equipment on the back of the trailer. Heh.

On the road again by the early afternoon, Elliott was driving this time. I know I’ll have to get used to driving with a boat in tow, but I wasn’t going to start learning on curvy NARROW mountain roads. We stopped back by Chico for lunch, and made it to Ashland, Oregon by 9 at night. I don’t know why we kept choosing that cutoff time, because it’s just late enough that it’s hard to find food and lodging. At any rate, I’ve never been to Ashland either, only read about the Shakespeare festival that they’re known for. I had no idea quite how big the town was, though. It was a beautiful town, everything was absolutely picturesque. Also, though, it was a busy town with narrow streets. Thankfully Elliott drove the whole time, my nerves never would have stood it. After about a half hour of scoping things out, we found a place to park. Then we walked around looking for dinner, ending up at a tapas place that had salsa dancing. The food was great, and watching people salsa re-inspired the both of us to start taking lessons again. We took some salsa lessons a couple of years ago, but haven’t made time for it recently.

College towns like Chico and Ashland are always a little strange to me, in that they are full of upscale boutiques that it seems college students would never be able to afford. Elliott had to remind me that it was probably the parents of said students the shops were meant to appeal to. I guess I could see that. Hrm.

That night we ended up in one of those roadside motel dives, as everything in town was full. Even there, we got the second to last room. The bed was solid as a rock (as were the pillows) but it made for good seedy motel room sex in the morning. :)

We had a couple of minor issues getting back, mostly related to the sweltering heat. You know it’s bad when, finally at 93 degrees, it feels balmy out. It’s nice to be back home where it’s mid-70s to 80 in the summer. Our boat is totally sweet looking, we can’t wait to get it splashed, rigged and take it for a sail. I have to learn to drive a tiller instead of a wheel, which I have very little experience at. But I think I’ll muddle through.

Anyhow, that’s my update. We’re back with a huge box full of California peaches, a case of Oregon microbrew and a boat. As always, I found myself absolutely grateful to have found Elliott – with all the minor glitches and cranky-making heat, we still had a good time on our little adventure. Now it’s off to get a bunch of stuff done around here so we can get back to work on Monday.

Wishing you a relaxing weekend!
~Jane