Me.isms: Multnomah Day Sizzlin' Fun

I was lucky enough to get to Portland August 22nd for a long weekend. Alaska Air has a non-stop from Omaha to Portland and it rocks! I got on at 7:00 am CST and arrived at 8:40 a.m. PT. Nick picked me up and we raced back to get Ruby and Nicki for the Multnomah Days Festival!

~~Day 1~~

She is so tender and so focused

Ruby was excited to see another guest, as they have had several recently. Literally the entire week before and beyond) She has watched her dad showing a guest the reclining couch so now seems very very excited to take on that task. She led me to the couch and had me sit. Then she reached for the lever and tried to whip my feet up. Nick helped. She really got a kick out the reaction (I was happy to oblige with the over-reaction). Then she led me to the office/guest room to display the new daybed with hidden mattress. Not finished with her tour of delights, she took me to the yard to show me her playhouse. The potting shed is so quaint and is in fact a dream playhouse! Look at her expression as she concentrates on washing us up a pineapple "for lunch". Pretend play has begun! (Laura came the day I left and soon there was a tea cart and more food :D)

On to the festival and parade. Ruby had no idea what this was, but it didn't take long to think it was the best thing that ever happened. Within minutes of arriving, she was able to pet the policeman's horse, got an honorary police badge, a bead necklace from a parade float, dumdum suckers galore, and last but not least, Gramma bought her a giraffe balloon.

Its pretty impressive that they add just enough helium and have just long enough "legs" so that the giraffe literally "walks" behind you!

Did I mention it was 98 with humidity? We spent the afternoon at George Rogers Park on the Willamette River. Nice and cool and ..beautiful. There were tons of folks there and every kind of boat or floatie on earth. It was a fun way to cool off.

You could take a boat or kayak all the way to downtown Portland.............

~Day 2~

Sunday found us heading to the zoo! Ruby grabbed her giraffe (well, sure, right?) but we accidentally left him in the backseat when we got to the zoo :D

Big goats

Little goats

10 am "Meet & Greet" at barn

Just finished the Raptor Show! Getting tired....

and...out!

After a nap at home, we geared up and went to the playground above George Rogers Park where Nick and Nicki joined in a pop-up pickle ball game and Ruby played on the slides. We walked down the hill to the beach and cooled off again for a while. On the way back home, Nicki wanted to stop and surprise Ruby with a pet fish. We got to Petco and heard a ...hissssssssssssss....we had a flat!

Luckily we were in a shady parking lot and not at the beach on the side of the road. Nick was our hero and changed the tire. I was hero #2 when Nick found the tire literally stuck on the wheel...I you tubed a couple of videos and we both turned around and kicked. Then Nick took the spare and used it to ram the tire--and off it flew! (thanklordjesusbecausewewerehot)


However Nicki was hero #3 because she thought Ruby would love to have a fish--meet Lilo!!

That night we treated ourselves to what Nick had been waiting for all weekend--he wanted to get "three small plates at three favorite restaurants, topped off with ice cream at Salt N' Straw". Ruby didn't quite make it through three but we had a lot of fabulous food. Pok Pok had a 90 minute wait (!) so we went down the street to Whiskey Soda Lounge

its sister restaurant. There was no wait at all and look at the fabulous menu! Just don't expect chardonnay you plebe! (just google whiskey-Portland if you think I'm joking). After wonderful wings, etc. we moved on for Indian cuisine at Bollywood Theater

Wow! What great food... :D It was a fun night to be on Division Street

~Day 3~

There is always the inevitable last day..but I had until 5 pm so we enjoyed it. It was about 30 degrees cooler so we took a walk through the park across the street and I saw where Ruby will have daycare this fall. Its actually their friend's house and she'll be right across the street from home!