Monday, April 25, 2011

Spring is in the Air!


After a leisurely Saturday breakfast of eggs and soldiers (soft-boiled eggs and toast, a tradition I picked up while honeymooning in Ireland), I peeked out the window and noticed that all the clouds were... GONE?!?!? Hmmm. I had been planning on recovering from my harrowing week by lounging around on the couch all day, but this rare gem (a warm, cloudless Saturday in Portland) was a little too rare to pass up. Drive out to the coast, I thought? No, I wouldn't make it past Beaverton, since half of Oregon would have had the same brilliant idea. Glancing around my living room, I took inspiration in my birthday present from Dylan. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Pepper (above).

Pepper is a Schwinn beauty, so named for her "salt-and-pepper" coloring, the "S" on her seat that looks like it belongs on a salt shaker, and her feisty spirit. Pepper is a looker. She turns heads and garners comments from total strangers along the lines of, "Nice Cadillac ya' have there!" She even gets me compliments! I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "Nice seat!" and "Look at that coloring!" Sometimes people even get really inappropriate and say things like, "Now doesn't that look like a comfortable ride." Sheesh.




But I digress. After spotting Pepper sadly tucked away in our living room corner, I decided it was time to take her out for a springtime jaunt. We squeezed into Emmy Lou (my car) and drove half an hour out to Sauvie Island. Sauvie Island is indeed an island, though unusual in that it is surrounded by two rivers. It can be accessed via this bridge:

Sauvie Island is yet another reason I love living in Portland. It's so close, and so charming! It boasts a quaint countryside, featuring farms and livestock,

 
beautifully symmetrical rows of (some sort of) produce,


and photographic opportunities aplenty (especially for those with fancy cameras, unlike my point-and-shoot--but hey, it held up pretty well!).







You can even see Mt. Hood in the background!!!! (Sigh.) Indeed, it was such a beautiful day that it seemed every living creature had made its way out to Sauvie Island to play.

This horse was rolling around in the warm dirt. I was tempted to join in.
I like to think that we made a connection, as he later on stopped by to say hello (then again, I suppose it could have been the fistfuls of grass in my hand that attracted his attention).
Cows lounged lazily in the shade,


except for this guy, who apparently fancied himself Ferdinand the Bull:


Photographers were out in full force,


as were cyclists:


All of the cyclists who passed me were friendly enough, but I'm pretty sure they were either snickering with derision or overcome with waves of nostalgia as they witnessed my blatant lack of spandex:


























Twelve miles into my ride (that is to say, at the end of it), I figured I had earned myself a picnic lunch consisting of an apple, cheddar-with-chives and turkey on a baguette, and the tasiest water for miles around:











Special thanks to Tee for the phenomenal water bottle, which kept me well-hydrated.


(Ahhh, that's more like it)
I wrapped up my adventure by driving out to the Sauvie Island beaches, where I didn't pay for a parking pass and, mercifully, did not get a parking ticket. Rumor has it that tucked away between these wholesome, family-friendly beaches there is a nude beach. I've yet to find it.


 

And that's all, folks. You're always welcome to join me and Pepper on a leisurely ride!

 

P.S. I have not-so-secret fantasies about living in a tiny little house like this one, in a semi-remote place like Sauvie Island, where I can bake bread every weekend, sow my imaginary garden, and tend to my three chickens, Isabelle, Betsy, and Fluffers.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Raise a Glass to the Irish!

Here's to you, Dave and Rachel, bearers of sweet nectar from the gods! I'm talking about Irish mead, also known as honey wine. Dylan and I received a jug of this divine stuff as a wedding gift, and we finally broke it open for our 2011 St. Patty's Day dinner. Little did we know the delight that was in store for us. Witness the progression:

Mmmm! Oh, this is rather tasty stuff!
OMG, it's AMAZING. Dylan, you'll have to wrestle this from my cold, dead body!
Aaaaarghhhhh!!! Yummm m m m m mmuuuummmm!



Daaaaavvveee.... Damn you, Dave.

  Erin go Braugh!