Portland, OR

On Thursday I picked up the kids from school and drove straight to the airport.  It was a surprise trip to Portland to meet up with Brian.  They were so excited. They probably asked twenty times each if we were still driving to the airport during the drive to the airport.  

Portland is a lovely city.  It is a cross between San Francisco and Boulder CO.  At least for me it does.  All the flowers were in bloom and everything was so green.  Friday morning we ate breakfast at Slappy Cakes, a restaurant where you make your own pancakes on a skillet in front of you.  Brian had banana and bacon toppings and the kids had chocolate chips.  I had a vegetable eggs Benedict that included kale, sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower.  And of course Hollandaise sauce.  It was delicious.

Friday morning we drove about 30 minutes east of Portland to see Multnomah Falls.   It is the tallest waterfall in Oregon and it was impressive. That afternoon went to the Japanese Garden in Washington Park and it too was beautiful.  We picked up dinner at a food truck lot and the meals were excellent. Brian had fish tacos, I had chicken Masala and the kids had a mac and cheese with broccoli and sausage.  We need some food truck lots here in Houston. They are brilliant.  

Sunday we walked across the St. Johns Bridge.  It was quite a hike, but well worth it. It is an absolutely gorgeous steel suspension bridge that spans the Willamette River.  We spent the rest of the day outside at parks and piers.  The weather was mid 60s with full sun. Perfect.

The only drawback to the trip was that the flight was a bit long for Logan and Catherine.  I was certain they would nap on the way out there but that clearly did not happen.  Since we were heading west we just followed the sun for 4 1/2 hours.  It felt like Catherine had to use the bathroom every ten minutes which was hard because I had Logan and 3 carry on bags.  They definitely like to travel and I am proud of us for making the trip.