Let the Party Begin!

The drive to Edgefield was not a long one. No longer than half an hour later we had arrived at the place that would later be referred to as the Adult Disneyland. The weather was beautifully hot and sunny, especially considering that is was already October. It is not often that you are able to get away with a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops and still be hot in the Fall. It was a welcomed surprise considering the weather we battled on the way down last year.

As we pulled into the parking lot I also spotted my dream vehicle...the Toyota FJ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_FJ_Cruiser)!! A couple months earlier I had read a self help book about making your dreams reality, and they recommended acting and thinking like you already possess whatever it is that you want in life. Now I don’t know how often people would pose for pictures with a vehicle they already own, but that is what I decided to do. I was happy to see it and if me showing my appreciation towards it will bring me closer to driving one of my own sometime in the future, what’s the harm J. One more happy picture to include in the Dirty Thirty Bday Album!!

Once the parking lot photo shoot concluded, we shuffled on over to check ourselves into the hotel. I do not know if it has been mentioned yet, but the first night’s accommodations were a bit old school. Because we were not able to book far enough in advance to get each couple their own room we had to improvise and go with what they still had available.

The only accommodations that were available were his and her dorms for 3 out of the 5 couples. Two couples shared one big room and the other three were to split up for the night and retreat back to his and her bunk beds strangely reminiscent of the summer camps that we used to attend as school children. Oh the nostalgia J.

Before we made it to the check in desk we ran into one of the couples that we were to spend the weekend with. The others were not supposed to show up until later but we were not going to let that get in the way of us having all the fun we could until they arrived.

I suppose our friends had a similar idea in mind because they had anticipated our arrival and had a couple of ice cold birthday beers waiting for us. What a lovely surprise! I also do not recall if I had previously mentioned this, but Edgefield is a big piece of property owned by the McMenamin brothers. They own the entire plot of land so therefore once you arrive you are allowed to wander anywhere you choose with no restrictions. How this works with the drinking of alcohol is they will give you to-go cups for your beer or the cork for your bottle of wine and you can walk anywhere you want.

At this particular moment we decided that much like in Alan Jackson’s song “Where I Come From” to do some front porch sittin’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV292aZuYEo) while we consumed our first drink of the day and damn was it good!! Nothing like sipping a cold beer on a hot day while lounging in a rocking chair on a nice big front porch. Life was good and it was only going to get better J.

After catching up a bit and inquiring about each other’s journeys, we started to think about what was next on the agenda. We decided to do first things first, and check in. Checking in was a bit different than what we are usually used to, since we did not have our own rooms. So we decided that we would get our keys, claim our beds but leave our stuff in the car until we needed it.

With that out of the way we then set our sights on something a little more extravagant. We had already sampled some of the beer up for offer but now it was time to class it up a bit and give our palates the opportunity to show their sophistication. We headed down to the wine cellar to be impressed by their extensive wine menu (http://www.edgefieldwinery.com/).

I believe their wine selection has grown in the year since we last visited because I do not remember them having so many to choose from. The white wines were divided into two different samplers, as were the reds, and they also had a dessert wine option. With so many different options we were faced with the decision of whether we should all pick the same one so that we can experience them all together, or should we all do something different so that we, as a group, could get a taste of everything they had. In the end all strategies were thrown aside and we all just ordered what we liked best lol, why complicate matters too much!!

And so the wine tasting began. Many props to the woman working the bottles at the bar, she was quite generous, not only with her pours, but her memory of how many glasses she had poured for us. It was the same woman that Shannon and I had met the last time we were there. She had not seemed like the friendliest of people but I think this time around we realized that she had a sarcastic sense of humor and lacked telling facial expressions. Sadly, these types of people often get unfairly judged and are often get undeserved bad reps as being no fun. I am glad that we were able to get to know her better and discover that our initials attitude towards her was inaccurate. She soon became one of our favorite employees rather than one that we thought was giving Edgefield a bad reputation.

As the drinks flowed our moods started to transform from pleasant, relaxed, and happy to party mode. Not that conversation was awkward with our friends but atmosphere has a tendency to loosen up even more, no matter how loose it was to begin with, once the alcohol starts to pour...probably why alcohol is the first guest invited to many parties, no matter how important some of the other guest might be.

 I also find that sharing a few drinks seems to speed up the reacquainting process no matter how long or how short the time since you last saw your friends. Well this situation was no different. We were each other’s best buds again in no time and just as things started to wrap up with our tasting, they rest of the crew was set to arrive. The timing could not have been any better!! Once again we were headed back to the front porch to welcome the rest of the crew with open arms.

Now it was officially party on! We said our hellos and birthday wishes, and shared stories about what sort of trouble we had gotten up to the night before. The other three couples had also spent the night before in a hotel, though they were in Seattle and we were in Portland.

After everyone was caught up and the other couples did the check in thing, we all headed down to the restaurant for some lunch/dinner. It was at this meal that we discovered the house garlic aioli sauce....soooo good!! The rest of the meal was good as well but the aioli really caught our attention.

One of the things that is fun about eating at Edgefield is that much of the food they serve is made fresh and is grown, either on sight, or close by, and it is grown specifically for the McMenamin establishments. Fresh home-made food is a reason to get excited, in our opinion, and excited we were!!

Once our bellies were full and our lovely meal had reached its conclusion, we decided to take in some post meal beverages on the back patio. It was less of a patio and more of an outdoor restaurant but there is no need to get to technical. All you need to know is that we were outside enjoying the heat as the sun started to set. It is not often you get such a chance once October rolls around and we wanted to soak up as much of the experience as we could.

As the sun started to sink down behind the trees that encircled the patio we figured it best to move the party up to the distillery/club house where we could make a tee time for one of the two 9-hole par 3 golf course that runs along the edge of the property (http://www.mcmenamins.com/881-edgefield-pub-course-home) while sampling some of the fine spirits that are concocted on-site.

Our first order of business was to make a tee time for the following day. It was a bit of an ambitious task considering how late in the day it was by this point. There were a few available tee times to be had but none that really suited our schedules. No one showed much keenness for an early morning round and Shannon and were the only ones not embarking on a journey home the next afternoon, so our options were few.

We made the decision to take the early morning tee time just in case we all magically felt no desire to sleep in on a Sunday morning after a late night out. I don’t need to tell you that the round of golf did not pan out. I actually was up and raring to go, but I was alone in this feat, and was not the least bit surprised that it was the case J. I believe there is a limit to the things that people will do special for you on your birthday and I think driving down to Portland for one night of partying is where most people would draw the line.

With that piece of business off the table we set our sights on a distillery tour. It turned out that we had arrived to tardy for the final one of the day, so instead we took it upon ourselves to do our own tour of their distillery by sampling all they had to offer at the club house bar and cigar room. The drink of choice was the Old Fashion and the freshly squeezed Greyhound. I believe the Greyhound was popular mostly due to the fact that each drink was made with its very own grapefruit squeezed right before our eyes. Seems like a simple thing but it was very enticing! Everyone vowed to purchase their own press juicer for their home, though I don’t believe anyone has made good on that promise at this time.

With drinks in hand we made ourselves at home at the picnic table overlooking the practice putting green, soaking up the last of the sunlight. A putting competition soon materialized but I think those involved were more concerned with putting one handed so their drinks didn’t spill, rather than taking home the imaginary Putting Championship belt.

As the sun started to set our picnic table was approached by a gang of girls who appeared to be on some kind of mission. We soon found out that they were there for a Stagette party and we looking to cross a few more items off of their scavenger hunt list. One such item was to convince someone to give the bride to be a piggy back ride. Being somewhat of a guest of honor myself, it was no surprise that I was the one the group selected to be the pig in the above mentioned piggy back ride scenario.

Being one for fun at most costs, I was game. Onto my back she hopped and we were off to the races. I believe they were looking for something short and sweet but I decided to give her her moneys worth and took a full lap around the putting green with a victory lap to follow.

Once all involved were satisfied that what had just taken place qualified a worth of a check mark, I was thanked for my participation and offered a drink in return for me services. I politely declined since I was more than happy to be a participant in their celebration, but when it was insisted I conceded. When asked about my preference I responded with “surprise me.”

In my experience it is not often that one is truly surprised with the type of drink they receive after a comment like that, but I admit top shelf brandy was not something that I would have guessed in a million years. It was generous and definitely not necessary. I do not have the slightest clue what would qualify as a top shelf brandy, and therefore think that the upgrade was wasted on my unsophisticated palate.

Nevertheless, I was still thankful for the sentiment and accepted the drink as a token of appreciation. One of my buddies told me at that point that he considered himself to be somewhat of a brandy connoisseur and after a sip of my prized drink he reassured me they had gone the extra mile to show their gratitude. In all good conscience I could not drink the rest of the fine brandy  myself knowing how my buddy felt about the elixir, so I decided to let him share in the joy and we finished it off together.

In the process of finishing the drink, much like many of you I’m sure can relate to,  we started to consider ourselves to be old experts. We started to verbalize the tastes we were experiencing in a borderline douchebag fashion. It was at this point that I was informed that a good brandy should taste more like a vapor than a liquid and let me tell you, I did feel like I was inhaling more than I was drinking. Much like any stiff drink, the second half was significantly more tolerable that the first half. But enjoyable it was!

As we began to be consumed by the pending dusk we made the decision to move the party to Ruby’s Spa (http://www.mcmenamins.com/389-edgefield-ruby-s-spa-home) for a dip in the heated soaking pool. So we went back to our rooms to strip down, swimsuit and robe up and waltz on down for relaxing soak.

The boys did their thing and reunited outside the woman’s dorm to wait for the girls to join them. What was meant to be a short waiting period ended up taking longer than expected, with a little bit of awkwardness mixed in.

An interesting part of the experience in Edgefield is that because of the hotel being a transformed poor house, the rooms do not have their own private bathroom and shower facilities. So this being the case, one of the female guests decided it was more convenient for her to walk from the shower back to the room to get ready, rather than haul everything she would need to the bathroom with her. It sounds like a good plan, and would have been if it were not for a bench of unexpected guests waiting outside of her dorm room.

We tried our best to look away and act like we didn’t notice that she was there in front of 5 guys and 2 girls that she had never seen before in nothing but a towel, but no matter how great of actors we were it was impossible not to pick up on the strong air of uncomfortability. When she saw us her eyes dropped and her feet transitioned into an accelerated shuffle J and no one could blame her.

After an extensive wait the last of our crew finally emerged from the dorm. We were all waiting for an explanation and we were not disappointed when we got it.

So the first thing that happened was that there was a mix up with the lockers. One of the girls (I will not name names.....Shannon) was able to convince another guest that she was in the wrong locker and even got her to remove her things and find another one to put them in. Why did she do this you ask? Well there was a mix up with the keys that they were assigned, the old 6 or 9 mix up. Funniest part about the story was that Shannon was the one that was incorrect, not the other girl. But she must have been quite convincing because she got her to move her stuff from the correct locker (which she would have known because the key worked in the lock) to the incorrect locker (which the key that she possessed did not fit into). So after all was said and done the conflict was resolved by both girls having their stuff in the wrong lockers that would not lock because the keys did not match...since they were the wrong lockers lol.

The other funny part of the story was the older woman that was just sitting in the corner of the room with her ipod earbuds in, knitting in hand and.....watching all the other guests getting changed. She probably did not set out to be creepy but one cannot ignore the fact that there are literally hundreds of other places, not only in the hotel, but on the grounds outside the hotel that would have been a better and more peaceful location to knit. The only thing that was clear was that she did not share the same opinions as we did about what was the best place to knit and listen to music J.

Now it was time to hit the soaking pool. Though I do not believe that there is ever a bad time to go for a soak, there is clearly sometimes that are better than others and this seemed like a great time for one. Off we went donning our complimentary robes, looking like the least intimidating gang you would ever meet.

Shannon and I were no strangers to the soaking pool, we had been there before, but we had talked it up all evening and it was time to see if the pool lived up to the expectation that we built up in our friends minds. The answer was unanimously “YES”!!

It’s a beautiful spot. It uses salt water at a hot tub temperature, and the pool is surrounded by tropical plants and bamboo fencing giving it an exotic feel. The pool also includes an island of plant-life with a shower nozzle dripping down and creating relaxing ambient noise and a small ornamental bridge that allows one to cross the water without getting wet. It does an amazing job of creating your own private piece of paradise to relax and enjoy life......and it has a straw hut bar! Edgefield always does it right by making some that is already fun, that much more fun simply by adding a bar J.

Our time at the soaking pool was divine. It was great to have the hot tub experience with friends without having it feel like a human version of Tetris. As fun as it can be to treat a hot tub like a clown car and fit as many people as possible into a tub meant for 4 people, having a similar experience in a big open pool has its own type of charm. Invigorating conservation was had, delicious hand crafted drinks were consumed, muscles were relaxed and it was an all around blast of a time!

We did not spend too much time in the pool because we did not want it to drain all of our energy for the rest of the night. I have been in that situation before and it does kill the party vibe. I, one time, was so tired after a hot tub session that I had to crawl up the stairs and I barely made it to my bed before I was out. This was before I was old enough to drink and when I was still young enough for it to be acceptable for me to sleep over on my best friends floor....now imagine if you mix alcohol into the equation....ohhhh boy!!

Once again we all retreated back to our rooms to change out of our swimsuit and into something more appropriate for the remainder of the evening. Our plan at this point was to reconvene at the one room that our friends were able to book and from there we were to head to the theatre for a movie, food, and you guessed it, more refreshments.

Things ended up being delayed by a surprise birthday cake that was waiting for me in the room. I was excited and also a bit confused because I could not figure out how this homemade cake was able to make it all the way down to Portland. I soon learned that is was iced and decorated in the back of the car on the way down. How is that for a birthday gesture?! There is some merit in having a beautifully decorated cake from someone’s well stocked kitchen but the love that was put into the one that was decorated in the back of a car on a road trip, sets the bar pretty high! I was truly flattered J.

By the time we made it to the theatre we had missed most of the movie and therefore decided to entertain each other out on the patio. We still had our food (an amazing pizza!!) and our drinks, and friends to talk with rather than a movie to watch. You can watch movies anytime (like the next evening when it was just Shannon and I) but friends are not always around....and if they are, you sometimes wish they weren’t (dude we need some space!!) Staying consistent with the rest of the day, a large amount of fun was once again had J.

We spent a good amount of time out on the patio but the inevitable finally happened. The first members of the group started to bow out. I completely understand why they would, it was late, many drinks had been drunk, and we had spent a large amount of time in the spa. It had to happen at some point, and that was the point.

Slowly but surely the group started to shrink until there was only three. What to do now? Had we not seen a fire pit up by the distillery/club house? Indeed we did and that is where we decided to do next and I am very happy that we did.

There was a group around the fire that were a bunch of old friends. There were very inviting to our group and in no time at all we were sharing funny stories from our pasts. They had a number of good ones but they all seemed to revolve around a certain theme. There was one guy in the group that everyone seemed to enjoy giving a hard time. It was not unfair, and he was a good sport about it all. It was not malicious in the least, but rather a fun dynamic. Interestingly enough, it was not long before we were right in there with the other guys. It was an interesting time. It is not every day that you meet a group of randoms that you hit it off with so well after such a short period of time after meeting.

As the hours past we realized that we are no Energizer rabbits and as much as we would have denied it if asked, we did need some sleep. We gave in to our bodies and finally let them have their ways. Off to bed we went.

We crept into our dorm room and found our way into our top bunks as stealthy as possible, which in reality, was probably not stealthy at all, and in was no time we were asleep.

Since that day was the only day that the whole group would be together for we wanted to squeeze every last bit of fun out of it before it came to an end. We packed a lot of things into a short period of time and the result was a birthday for the ages. It was all that I had hoped it would have been, and much much more.

Everything worked out better than I ever would have thought and I will remember all the fun we had for a long long time. Think about it, this was almost a year ago, since I am so far behind on my blog, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. Great memories!!

Onward and Upward, Edgefield Bound

The first night in Portland was a great way to start the trip. Good food and good drinks are a solid foundation on which to build a day worth remembering, and that is exactly what we did on the first day of the Dirty Thirty Extravaganza!

The only thing that could have made the evening more memorable would have been to see one the ghosts that are said to haunt the White Eagle. I did my best to keep an open mind and get in touch with my Spidey senses (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Spidey+sense) as to be ready if and when the ghosts decided to stop by.

In the end it did not take long for both of us to fall asleep, so even if we had had a brush with the paranormal we were dead to the world and too deeply entrenched in our dream world to have known the difference.

After a restful sleep we were up and at ‘em and ready to get the party on the road. We knew that we still had some time to kill before we were to meet our friends at Edgefield, so we decided to take the opportunity to do a little bit of shopping. Shannon had a purse and shades in mind and I, a birthday cap.

We did not have a rigid game plan for this shopping trip, we thought we would more or less wander around and see if we could find what we had on our minds. We got such an early start that many of the stores were yet to open. While we waited we made the decision to scope out the area so that when the stores do begin to open we will have a list to follow.

Our first stop was TJ Maxx. We found some good deals, but not for what we wanted. It was not until a few stops later that we found the type of purses that Shannon was looking for. This is not to say that we didn’t find nice purses at the other stores but we didn’t share the opinion of the target audience that a nice purse with worth more than our year old car (I am obviously exaggerating but not as much as you might think lol).

Though I was supportive of Shannon’s trek for a new purse, I was not overly interested in the endeavor. The one thing that I did find quite amusing was what she did with her old purse on the way out of the store.  As I looked back while holding the door for her as we left the store, I saw that I had lost her a few metres back. She was crouched next to the garbage can pulling items out of the old purse and transferring them to the new one. She wasn’t wasting any time J.

After it was completely cleaned out she crumpled up, the now barren, old purse and tossed it in the trash. Everything about the situation made perfect sense, the old purse was not in any kind of shape to be saved for another occasion, but it still seemed odd to toss, what from the outside still looked like a very usable bag, into a department store garbage can.

Needless to say she was quite content with her new purse and had accomplished her shopping goal since it was an either/or list for the purse and the sunglasses, and she was satisfied with the purse we picked up for her.

Now it was time to find what I was looking for. I found a few shops that had fedoras and other alternative style caps, but I could not find the style of newsboy cap that I was looking for. I had all but given up when we passed by a boutique style shop that caught my attention. I turned to Shannon and said “that is where I will find the hat I want.” I had asked the universe to find me a hat and I believed the answer to be in that shop.

We walked in and sure enough, on display, on the back wall of the shop, was the cap I had been picturing in my mind. It was the right style, the right design and everything! It was exactly what I wanted. I took it off the display, placed it on my head, caught my reflection in the mirror and it felt right. All I needed from that point was a price that fit my budget and it was a done deal. I took a hesitant and nervous glance at the tag and…..it was exactly what I was looking to spend. How awesome is that!! Everything about the situation was happening exactly as I had hoped….right up until I paid for the hat.

I asked the shop owner if they had any other sizes and she said that was the only one left. That was ok with me, it fit quite nicely I thought, but I had not had any other sizes to compare it to. It was not until Shannon mentioned that she figured it would look better once I grew my hair out a bit longer, that any form of doubt started to creep into my mind.

As we left the shop I put my old cap into the bag and the new cap on my head. I wanted to show off my new purchase just like my wife was doing with her purse. We did one lap around the block of food carts before I started to feel like the hat was too tight. I didn’t want to admit it to myself considering what I good story I had to tell about how I found the perfect hat, but how perfect is it if you get a headache every time you wear it.

So no longer than 10 minutes after I bought what seemed to be the cap I was destined to have, I returned that same cap to a very confused shop owner who didn’t seem to understand what could have happened in a period of 10 minutes to make me change my mind. I did my best to explain that if it is tight now how will it be when my hair is long again, but I she still didn’t seem pleased about the whole thing. Oh well, she did the exchange and that is all that really matters J.

What is the lesson that I learned from this experience? Next time I ask the universe for a favor I will remember to specify what size I need J.

Shannon and I were all shopped out at that point, so we shifted our attention to finding a way to satisfy our rumbley tummies. It was time to take a second lap around the food trucks!

There were so many options, so many choices, so many different types of food. How can you make the right choice and avoid food regret (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCWJk-mosz4)!! After more than a little humming and hawing we had made our decisions. Shannon being a sucker for dumplings went with Dump Truck’s unique take on the Chinese staple (http://www.dumptruckpdx.com/). I, on the other hand, being a sucker for noodles went with the classic, and economic, Pad Thai from the E-San food truck (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/e-san-thai-food-cart-portland).

While we waited for the Pad Thai to be served we munched on the dumplings together. While we were doings this we were approached by an older gentleman that we assume was trying to ask for money but we could not really understand what he was actually saying. He then proceeded to reach out his hand, looking for me to shake it. Funny thing is that you are conditioned from a young age to always shake someone’s hand when they extend it to you. This being the case, even though one of my hands was holding the tray of dumplings and the other was holding chopsticks, I struggled to get my hand free to engage in the handshake.

As Shannon saw me struggle and almost drop our food on the ground, she came to my defence by telling the guy we don’t have any money to give him and to please let us eat in peace. Initially it seemed a bit harsh but he really was making a nuisance of himself and it would have been super aggravating if we had dropped our food because I went to shake the hand of a panhandler who would have asked for money that we didn’t have to give. We do well to compliment each other and help each other in situations where we could use some support J.

The rest of our meal was uneventful apart from what was happening in our mouths J. It was a taste explosion!! I cannot go as far as saying that it was the best Pad Thai I have ever had, but it was a great choice at the time, and it was enjoyed to the fullest by the two of us that were indulging.

A quick glance down at the watch and we knew it was time to get going. We had friends that we needed to meet at the destination for the next leg of our Adventure. It was time to reunite with Edgefield for the second time! 

The Adventure Continues

I am sorry for the huge delay in the completion of this blog post. There are too many things to blame but I will save you the task of having to listen to a long list of excuses. Instead I will merely continue on with the story and make a better attempt at consistency moving forward J.

So where was I??? Oh yes I remember!! We had just gotten off the tram and were attempting to track down a place called Dig a Pony. Shannon remembered it from when she was down in this area for her Bachelorette Party where her and a group of girls (and guys) took over the town rocking “Wedding is Coming” t-shirts sporting the, now unmistakably, Dire Wolf sigil of House Stark, which anyone who is a fan of the ultra-popular book series (or for some the HBO series) Game of Thrones should be ashamed if they cannot recognize. I had my qualms about how reliable her memory would be from that weekend considering the stories that I heard, but I thought “meh” even if her memory is not spot on it’s still better than someone who has never been there before (me), and worst case scenario I am always up for an adventure!

Adventure I wanted, adventure I got. Things started out well enough since Shannon had a definite direction in mind. So that is where we went. Approximately 5 minutes later we re-evaluated the location in which we were heading and decided to double back to where we started and head in the opposite direction. Well, unfortunately that didn’t seem to be the way either, so once again we went back to where we started and chose yet another direction to head in.

A humorous anecdote was how the confusion of the situation seemed to be contagious. There was a group of rough looking drunks hollering at us from a bus station. We noticed them when we first got off the tram but paid little attention to their hollers and did not waste much time evacuating the premises to create some distance between us. But, then we came back and they started to holler again and we spent little time pushing past them in the opposite direction. But then once again we were back and of course despite their confusion they did not miss the opportunity to continue to holler. It was amusing if nothing else.

At this point we forged ahead in a more promising direction and for a short period of time it seemed like we had finally gotten it right. But, once again, it was not to be, and once again we were back where we had been at the start. It felt like a very confusing level in a video game where you get so lost that you decide to kill yourself so that you can just go back to the beginning and start again rather than go through the effort to get yourself un-lost.

At this point, the earlier pints had worked their way through our systems and it was time to find a place to answer nature’s call. Luckily, there was a Burger King right next to the place we got off the tram, so we did not pass up the chance.

It ended up being a smart call because not only did we get a chance to relieve ourselves, which took away our sense of urgency to find our destination as quickly as we could, but it allowed us access to WIFI and get Google Maps opinion on which way we should try next. It was at least comforting to know that our senses were right that in our previous attempts, if we had continued, we would not have found our way to Dig a Pony...we would have been very very lost indeed!

All in all, no harm done, but it was nice to be headed in the correct direction finally. Despite looking like prime targets for a mugging with smart phone out in front of us and our eyes looking down to read the map, we were able to get where we wanted to go efficiently and effectively. We had arrived!

I cannot say that it was a place that blew my mind with coolness but it was a place I was glad I had visited. The beer selection was vast, the prices were fair, the music was suitable and the atmosphere was inviting. It started to fill up soon after we arrived but we were able to nab a patio spot on the street which I gotta say it is nothing less than a luxury to be able to sit outside on a patio in shorts and flip flops.....in October! Nothing short of amazing!

Our time at Dig a Pony (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/dig-a-pony-portland) was enjoyable. We were able to sample a number of selections from their extensive line of taps and all met our approval. Good times were had but once again in Portland the night life experience is restricted by their early closing hours. We knew it was the case and we planned our activities accordingly but it still does not make it any less disappointing when you have to wind down your evening before you are feeling ready to do so.

Seeing that our time was running out we had to make our move to Robo Taco (http://www.robotacopdx.com/) a short stroll down the block. I did not participate in this portion of the evening but I knew that Shannon had a mean craving for this place ever since she got her first taste a year back. Knowing Shannon and her love for food I would not dream of getting in the way of that just because I myself was not hungry at the time J.

The fun thing about Robo Taco is their selection. I, myself, am not much of a taco connoisseur but I can see the appeal of having such a large selection to choose from. Instead of one big taco they offer a large selection of smaller taco so you can mix and match and create your own meal. I saw one guy with an entire table full of different tacos! Shannon kept her order to only 3 with enough sauce to coat her entire arm with drippings. It reminded me of something that I heard my Aunt say once that stuck with me ever since. She said “I do not usually use butter, but when I eat corn on the cob I use enough butter that is drips down to my elbows.” I really enjoy when people love what they are eating so much that they do not care about making a mess. That is true love!

Funny story from our Robo Taco experience, since I was not hungry I instead opted for two beers instead. Well, they must have gone through some kind of crack down because we had noticed that they were IDing much more often, and now at this place the guy seemed very confused why we were ordering 3 beers for two people. I would be surprised if a place like Portland was unaware that sometimes people like to buy more than one beer at a time. He was like “oh....ok where is the third person?” and we just looked back at him confused and said “what do you mean? She wants the tacos and a PBR and I want two PBR’s...” It was at that point that he said he could not do that, and though a bit disappointed I understood. Really, all he had to say from the beginning was “sorry, you can only order one at a time” he did not need to make us feel like idiots and alcoholics for trying lol.

All in all it was a good experience. The decor was fun and I enjoyed the buzzing atmosphere that accompanied it. I usually am not a fan of places being super busy, but I think when you are travelling and you end up in a place like that, you appreciate the experience for what it is because it means that you have found one of the spots that is the “place to be” and you embrace the popularity. Also, the taco and the extensive sauce selection was enough to make my lovely wife cry from the spice....not a feat that is easily achieved!

From there we caught the bus back to the area of town we were staying. We kept our eyes peeled for the tram station that we started our journey from. Being hyper aware despite the time in the evening, I was able to recognize our stop...or at least what I thought was our stop. In reality it was not the stop that we were looking for but rather one that merely had a small resemblance to the one that we were looking for. This is not new for me. My experience taking that bus was not very efficient. Because of a fear of missing my stop I unintentionally have made a practise of getting off the bus one stop to early. This has resulted in significantly more walking than there needed to be. Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against walking, in fact most times I would prefer it, I am only pointing out that my bus riding trips are not as time effective as they could be.

The end result of this was a long walk home. It sounds bad, I know, but it worked out just fine. It allowed us the opportunity to check out the Portland Trailblazers arena, the Moda Centre. It was really cool! Lots of fun lights and water features, exactly the type of things that I would take notice of and appreciate! So we snapped a few pictures, watched the show at the water fountain and then continued on our way back, as we walked through the deserted streets in the industrial part of town....exactly the type of place where bad stuff seems to always happen in the movies.....

But alas, our lives are not the movies and we were met with nothing but empty streets and closed for the day factories. The view was interesting but far from beautiful. The walk though it was lengthly, but did not take very long to complete. In fact, we even made it back to the Widmer Brother’s Brewery (http://widmerbrothers.com/) just before last call! When something like that happens it is no coincidence....it’s a sign...a sign that your night it not yet over!! So in we went!!

Not only did we make it there before last call but we were also able to place an order before the kitchen closed. I was not hungry before but that long walk back had me running on empty. So we ordered a couple drinks and plate of sausage fondue and oh man it was good!

Shannon and I have a love for brie cheese. We love to bake it alongside a plate of deli meat and a loaf of baguette. We have been enjoying it this way for some time now and have never thought about different ways to do it. It was not until we tried the sausage fondue at Widmer Brother’s that we realize how hot of an option it would be to have cooked sausage in place of deli meat to accompany our baked brie.....MIND BLOWN!! Things have not been the same since!!

As far as recommendations go I would definitely recommend the sausage fondue, and when it comes to beer I would say try them all lol. Their beer selection is constantly changing from season to season and batch to batch so all I can really say is they have so many options that I would be floored if you did not find one that you liked.

I would give Widmer Brother’s Brewery a 4.5/5 for no reason other than I want them to keep working on ways to improve the customer experience....I don’t want them getting lazy thinking hey we got a 5/5, our work here is done, now all we have to do is sit back and let them come enjoy our brewery for what it is J.

So finally you have the end to the first night of the Dirty Thirty Portland Extravaganza!!

Toilet Seat Up or Down? Let the Art of Allowing Decide

Here is an article that I wanted to share with my readers. It is definitely a change of pace from what you might expect to read on my blog but since I have not had much opportunity to keep up with my usual posts I thought I would share something new. 

Please enjoy and let me know if you would like to hear more on this type of subject matter :)

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.”

Brian Tracy

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/allowing.html#wwwzyoKcXh1fGg3i.99

The Art of Allowing is a concept that does not come naturally to many people and, really, this is no surprise.

You do not often overhear conversations on the bus or at the table beside you at Starbucks where people are talking about how it is so great that their partners think differently on a certain subject than they do. You do not hear a man telling his buddies about how great it is to live in a house where leaving the toilet seat up or down is perfectly ok for everyone in the house. You do not hear these types of conversations because they are exceedingly rare. If someone does not like what you are doing they will tell you (or at least tell someone else behind your back) because it is your fault.

The funniest thing, to me, about these kinds of arguments is that under all of the emotional overtones each person really just wants the other person to do what they want them to do, and why is that? It’s because both the men and the women want their partner to practise the art of allowing. Both partners wish that the other partner would just except that they prefer to do it the way they want to do it. The irony is that both want this but both also resist it from happening. Each one is too concerned with changing the other person, rather than changing themselves.

In my own situation, my wife and I are no different. When I forget to put the toilet seat down she comes at me saying that my ignorance almost caused her to fall into the toilet. After I recover from the hilarious image in my mind of her sitting in the toilet “Wahhhing” away like Lucille Ball, I realize that she is correct; by leaving the seat up I have created the potential for her to fall into the toilet. However, is she not just as responsible if she is sitting down without checking that the seat was in the right position to sit on? Her answer would be that she should not need to check because it should always be down, but I think I raise an important point. There are always two ways to look at things, positively or negatively. My wife chose to think about it negatively.

She chose to think about all of the bad things that could have happened because of something that I did. This was her choice. She missed the opportunity to look at it positively. She could just as well have chosen to think about it positively, like how it was a pleasant reminder of how she chose to share all aspects of our lives when she chose to marry me.

I am making light of the situation in this example but the fact remains the same. Why choose to be upset and let yourself become angry with someone (especially someone you love) when you can just as easily choose not to. You may say to me that it is not as easy as I make it out to be, and you are right, but the reason why it is not easy is because you have been doing it this way for so long that it has become a habit. But the good news is that negative habits can be broken and positive habits can be created, you just have to change the way you think!

The art of allowing is the process of realizing that each and every person on this earth is ultimately responsible for themselves. No matter how much you try and change someone, it will only ever work if they, themselves, want to make those changes.

Think about how many times you have gotten frustrated with someone else in your life. Think about how aggravating it is when you think you have all the answers for them but they just will not listen to you.

Well it doesn’t have to be that way. If you can wrap your head around the idea that what other people do does not have to affect your own life. You are responsible for how you feel, not someone else. Think of how much free time you will have to work on yourself! Let’s be honest, how many of us can honestly say that we are in such a great place in your own lives that there is nothing left to improve on? I know that I cannot.

By practicing the art of allowing (as hard as that might be) you free up your mind to think of the things that you really want to happen in your life, rather than devoting your time to complain about how your inconsiderate co-worker is ruining your life. Give it a try and I assure you things will start to change in your life. You always have a choice, so why not choose happy over sad?

The reality is that you can have more of an impact on someone else’s life by being a positive and accepting person than you can ever have by criticizing and telling them they need to change. Exercising the art of allowing enables you to help others by helping yourself first.

Have a positive impact on the world and the world will have a positive impact on you!

DOWNTOWN! Things Will be good when your when DOWNTOWN!

What next!? I will tell you, it was time to “Come on, ride the train, hey, ride it, woo woo” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gEdQ5KpY8Y). We decided it would be fun to give the Portland transit system a chance to impress. We took the short walk down to the TriMet station, the Portlandian tram system!

Taxi cabs can be fun if you can squeeze an epic story out of the driver. Cab drivers have a tendency to cross paths with some real characters all in a day’s work. I once rode in a cab with a guy who moonlighted as a professional boxer while in South Africa. He told me that he had a guy try and skip out on paying his fare by running away into his house.

The cab driver did not take too kindly to it so he jumped the fence of this guys compound (they tend to live in compounds due to the safety issues in Cape Town) chased him down and threatened to kick the guys ass if he didn’t pay. The runner obviously did not recognize the driver from his televised boxing matches shown on local cable, and definitely underestimated his athleticism and desire to recover the money he was owed. I quite enjoyed that one J.

We arrived at the station at the same time as the tram. Our initial reaction was to hustle up and get on that train. We soon realized that was not a great plan since we had yet to purchase our tickets and, furthermore, had no idea where that particular train was heading. As tempting as it was to take that train just because it was there, we resisted the urge for the greater good. Instead we let it pass and turned our attention towards figuring out how we were going to get where we wanted to go.

It ended up being a good call for us not to throw caution to the wind and jump on the first tram that we laid eyes upon. If we had, we would have not only been headed in the wrong direction, but also on the wrong line....it turns out there are several benefits to how we handled our business.

Once we had our tickets and the knowledge we needed to get where we wanted we were in good shape to take on the rest of the night. Our first stop was in fact one step in the wrong direction but a necessary one in order to get on the right tram line. This step backward took us across the bridge, over the river, towards the downtown core.

After arriving at the station we realized it was not the first time we had been there. On our last trip to Portland, Shannon and I had done an unofficial walking tour of downtown Portland. In search of a restaurant or pub with a view be headed in the direction of the river. We soon realized that in the area that we were such an establishment did not exist. Instead we ended up in the “bad area of town.”

This was not a big deal since it was mid morning on a bright and sunny day. Not to say that bad things can’t happen in the light of day, but the threat seems much more serious in the dark of the night. We saw some interesting looking people in that area including a fellow wearing a tiger striped onesy unzipped to below the belly button (talk about a deep v.... http://vimeo.com/68421532). I did appreciate his style, but being around people that appear unpredictable is not an appealing thing to me.

This is how I felt while being at the station at that time of night. It is not a feeling of fear but rather a feeling of edginess. I have noticed that in these environments the people always seem to enjoy talking loud. It is not necessarily that they are in some kind of conflict, but you are never sure because you are used to associating elevated voices with some form of trouble. The combination of all these makes for a circumstance of hyper-awareness not dissimilar to how they train police officers to always be alert, and always have an exit plan.

Of course nothing bad happened to us while we waited, we didn’t expect that it would, we were just thankful to get on our way once the right tram arrived in the station. We eagerly hopped aboard and began our journey....along with the Goth couple a few seats over aggressively making out.

It was more of an adventure for me because I had never been on the tram and I had never been to that area of the city. Shannon had, but she did not remember as well as she could have, Bachelorette parties tend to be that way. I was impressed about how good her memory was in spite of all the stories I had heard about that weekend.

A quick look at the map and we decided that we had just a few more stations to go before we had to make a switch. Just before we were about to arrive at our stop we got up out of our seats in anticipation of disembarking only to look at each other in confusion when the tram, without slowing, blew right by our stop. We could see out the window as we passed the station that it was under construction and was “out of order” at the present time. Fair enough. What followed was that feeling that you get when you miss your stop and are hoping beyond all hope that you will have a chance to get off and turn around sooner, rather than later. In this case it was not too far to walk back.

I do have a funny story about a time that I was not as lucky though. About a year ago today, I was finishing up the training program at my new job and in celebration my fellow students and I decided to go out for dinner at a restaurant literally across the street from our office. I’m talking less than a 5 minute walk....but I decided to drive instead. My reason for this was two-fold. One, it was pretty chilly and two, I figured it would be easier to leave right from the restaurant rather than walking back to the office to get my car.

What happened on the short drive over was I got confused, thinking that I could park closer if I turned into the second drive way, instead of the first. Well considering there was only one drive way in the end, I made the wrong choice. Instead of finding this second drive way that didn’t exist I ended up merging on to the highway. The next exit ended up being a solid 10 minute drive east. Then, instead of turning around and getting back on the highway, I thought it would be a better idea to take the back roads back to the office. Nope, it wasn’t. It was just another bad decision. In the end it took me close to half an hour to get to the restaurant that I could have walked to in less than 5 minutes. “Where were you?!” my friends asked....”you don’t want to know” was my response. So embarrassing lol!

So the situation on the tram....not that bad. We walked back through the dark and deserted streets, another area that could create some fear in the minds of travelers. I have never really felt afraid in Portland and this situation was no different. Once we got back to the stop we had wanted, we found what appeared to be another abandoned tram stop for the train we needed heading south. Usually, we would have walked right up to the stop and looked to see if there were any notices of closure, but this time we chose not to. The reason for this decision was the pissed drunk homeless guy ranting and raving in the direction of anyone that he could see.

I did not fear for our safety but I still chose to avoid any interaction with this dude. I, once again, refer back to my feeling on unpredictable behavior. Instead we kind of just hung out on the other side of the street figuring we would have enough time to cross if we saw the tram coming.

We waited and tried our best to avoid the attention of the drunk fellow. As we waited we saw a girl walking her way over to the station. At this point we decided to make our way over to the station as well. We did this for two reasons. One, she might be able to help us determine if we would be able to catch the tram we wanted from that stop and two, power in numbers. We should not leave one girl to deal with the drunk dude on her own.

It turns out that we were in the right spot, as the young lady was able to help us determine using the transit app on her phone. It was very kind of her but also very naive and stupid. Don’t flash your new Iphone in front of strangers you just met...for all she knew we could have been thieves who would beat her up and take her phone! Lucky for her we are not that kind of people. Don’t get me wrong we definitely stole her phone....we just didn’t feel the need to kick her ass in the process. Is he joking??

No we did not steal her phone. Instead we allowed her to keep it if she could help us figure out the stop that we wanted to get off at, and she did. This was helpful since Shannon had it down to two choices but could not say with any certainty which one was better. We also learned that she was new to the area. She moved all the way from DC to move in with the boyfriend she met while working in the Peace Corp. We continued to chat and traded advice of things to see and do while in the city.

One interesting thing that happened while we were riding this tram was when the drunk guy did eventually try and come over to talk to us. He started stumbling his way over to where we were sitting and then he stopped dead in his tracks. We didn’t quite understand why until we looked down and realized that in his state he did not trust himself to navigate the two stairs it would have taken to get up to our level. He stood there looking confused for a short while before he decided it just wasn’t worth it and turned around and went back to his seat. I would be void of truth if I said it was not a humorous situation J.

A short time later our friend from DC left us, and a short time after that we left the tram. This was the start of a whole new adventure!

First Night of the Dirty Thirty Weekend

Our week was about to get off to a very strong start. We made it to our hotel in time to take advantage of Happy Hour.

Before this trip even began I would say there was an unsaid expectation that we were going to do our best to make it down to Portland in time for Happy Hour. It was never made into formal plans, but as much as we said we should take our time in the morning and not rush ourselves out the door, we got ourselves ready within a certain time-frame in order to get there in time to bask in all the glory that is Happy Hour.

I, for one, am excited to see this trend surface in North America. I remember being both impressed, and a bit confused, seeing the Happy Hour specials when I was in Europe. I was impressed to see drink specials, but I was also confused, wondering how many people would take advantage of drink specials so early in the evening.

It should be mentioned that Happy Hour starts significantly later in Europe, my guess would be because of the long hours they tend to work (especially in Germany) but even so I still thought it was early in the night. This was back in the day when I was still a party animal and didn’t even start to consider hitting the clubs until 9 or 10. But life has a tendency to change, and change it did.

When Happy Hour started to become a thing in Vancouver I had already graduated out of my bar star days, and was much more interested in after work drink specials than I was about late night and early morning jagger bombs at the club (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5QJ9i_o5vo).

Anyway all I am really saying is that I have learned to appreciate the Happy Hour lifestyle and was excited to see what our hotel had one to offer J.

After checking in to our hotel, we dropped off our stuff in our room and did a quick wardrobe change. The hotel room was…..rustic. It was what we have come to expect at a McMenamin’s establishment. It shared a similar décor to places we have stayed in the past and on top of that it was especially old…it kind of reminded me of my Grandparents old house.

It was no 5 star resort but that is neither what we expected nor wanted. It was a perfect room for what we anticipated using it for. It was inexpensive, it sat atop a saloon and its proximity to downtown Portland was not to be topped. The haunted past was a merely a bonus J.

We left our room rocking some fresh and stylish threads (how could we not, we are hitting the town?!) and had yet to see any ghosts. We slipped in just before the end of Happy Hour, maybe there are ghost down there?! There were not, but there were drinks and good food!!

Our first order of business was an order of two Ruby Ales, our McMenamin favorite! With that being taken care of we gave our attention to the food menu (http://www.mcmenamins.com/997-white-eagle-saloon-happy-hour).

We had intentionally avoided stopping for lunch on the way because we intended to do our eating once we arrived at our destination. Stopping along the way would not only eat up some valuable time we could have spent driving, but also would have taken away from the appetites that we fully planned on indulging once we arrived.

After a short chapter of strategizing we determined the Cajun tots and hot dogs were what we were about. The hot dogs were tasty but not really anything rave about. The tots were a different story. It was the beginning of a long lasting relationship with the tots.

We loved them the first time and the second and third. I would like to say that we only ordered them three times during the weekend in Portland but in all honesty I cannot, in good conscience, say that for a fact.

I know that they were the first item that came to mind when we were in a snacking mood and they were also the first suggestion that we gave to our friends when they asked for a good recommendation. Tater tots are not usually anything amazing. They are consistently satisfying, but rarely sought after as anything special. I think what made these tots special was the Cajun seasoning for one and the dipping sauce was the deal sealer. It was impeccable!

As for the drinks, we gave the beer menu our attention as we finished what was left of our Ruby Ales. What we decided on next was the Berliner Weisse, a seasonal sour that was still a part of the line up following the Oktoberfest celebrations that are a big deal at Edgefield (as we experienced last year) and in all likelihood the other McMenamin establishements as well.

I was a bit hesitant at first. I was still new to the idea of sour beer. I know that it has been growing in popularity as the next trend in the micro-brewing scene, but the closest thing to a sour that I have had experience with would be the really cheap beer that I used to drink when in University.

But I was up for an adventure and I decided to give it a chance. I am glad I did! It took a few exploratory sips to acclimatize my palate but a few sips was all it took for it to distinguish itself. It was not in the same league as Colt 45, the beer so strong that downing a six-pack is like drinking nine regular strength beers. Really it was a terrible comparison because Colt 45 is not even actually beer....it’s technically malt liquor lol, pure class in a bottle J.

The Berliner quickly became a favorite and continued to be that way for much of the weekend. This might have been partly because of it being on special, but that was only part of it. It was not my favorite type of beer, but it climbed its way up the charts in a substantial way! It took some getting used to but if you give it a chance you will be happy you did!

After our appetites were satisfied and our thirsts were quenched (for the time being) we turned our attention to where the evening was headed next.

Luckily for us in Portland, you are never too far from a WIFI Hotspot. This has come in handy to us a number of times while visiting Portland. The last time we were there, Shannon and I got separated but did not want use our phones because of the extravagant roaming charges we would have incurred.

So, both of us thinking the same thing, we used the ever present WIFI to log into Facebook to message each other so we could reconnect. Our medium to stay in touch has evolved to Viber, at present, but at the time Facebook more than did the trick.

On this occasion we used the WIFI to set the stage for the rest of our evening. It is not hard to find fun in Portland but you do have to decide what type of fun you are looking to have. Each section of Portland provides you with something a little bit different from the others, so where you decide to go will be based on the good times you are looking to get involved in.