Arrival -- Saturday Afternoon Through Sunday

The house is great – having done everything about this over the internet we were nervous. The neighborhood is ideal. Within 24 hours, two different sets of neighbors have stopped by to introduce themselves. A few minor hiccups (no shades in the bedroom mean waking up at sunrise, and, the kitchen stove could have been cleaner). But, we’re settling in.

The house has two floors plus a finished basement. Upstairs, we’ve unpacked into the master bedroom and I’ve got a desk in the second bedroom, looking out at tall trees, cherry blossoms, and the house next door. On the main floor, a huge eat-in kitchen, a dining room that we’ll probably never use. Living room with three chairs, a sofa, and a fireplace. And, beyond it, a sun room with TV, two more sofa’s, and a desk that Maxine has claimed as hers. (It works for us to each have our own space, not close to each other, especially since neither of us goes into an office.)

Reed College is 1 ½ blocks away, so after settling in, we take Cassie for a walk on their large lawns. It’s a stunningly beautiful day in the mid-70’s. On the walk Cassie barks at one student and I apologize, joking that “college kids scare her”. He assents. He’s heard it before?

Steve Jobs of Apple Computer gave a very interesting commencement speech a few years ago mentioning what he learned attending Reed College:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

Sunday we drive 6 miles to downtown Portland and the Saturday Market (on Sunday, the Saturday Market. Yes. It runs both days each weekend). It is a ‘sight’. People selling homemade soaps, tie dyed clothing, wind chimes, wood carvings, crocheted pot holders, leather belts, vegan leather belts (they looked like leather), and various food stands (with and without meat). Rather than let Cassie get scared and maybe stepped on by the large crowds, I carried her for the two hours we were there. She got dozens and dozens of cooing sounds and smiles from people who saw her. One teen girl came over and asked to pet Cassie and when I warned that Cassie wasn’t friendly, she wistfully replied, “Well, she’s beautiful…”

Sunday night Maxine and I went to an organic brewpub, Roots, for dinner and beer (http://rootsorganicbrewing.com/blog/our-beer/). I’ll confess that I find a lot of the Portland environmental/organic emphasis silly. But, I respect people who fully walked their talk. At Roots, they buy the beef for their burgers from an organic farmer who delivers the meat himself. They compost 98% of their waste.

Beer-wise, I started with a “Woody IPA”, which had a nice tang from the hops. Not excessively bitter, which was good, but it also didn’t have much of the piney aroma from the dry hopping. I also had a “Island Red” which was surprisingly good. I think of that style as having a bite, but not much flavor. But, Roots’ had a great malty taste.

Maxine had an Alameda Brewing Black Bear Stout, a “guest tap” (http://www.alamedabrewhouse.com/beers_house.html) that was terrific. Dark, smoky, creamy, smooth, soft mouth feel.

Our waiter was more than fantastic. He poured us free samples of three other beers. And, knowing we were visiting, he wrote up a list of seven more brew pubs he recommended. If the food and beer experiences in Portland are all like this…