My Brother Stephen and His Wife Kris Visit Me in Portland, June 2-8, 2009
It's taken me way too long to get around to sorting through the photos I took and pick the best 56 (ok, ok - I'm not a very disciplined photo-editor!), enhance/edit them as necessary, then resize them smaller for inclusion on my LiveJournal blog.
But finally it's completed. Luckily, soon after Stephen and Kris left Portland, I was assuming it would take me a while to get to this, so I was smart enough to open Notepad and jot down a few notes about what we did each day of their visit, to help provide a framework for the narrative.
Click on each photo (twice) to see a larger version.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Sara drove to the airport, where we picked Stephen and Kris up.
We drove back to my neighborhood, and a little while after they got settled in, we went to O'Connor's restaurant in Multnomah Village for dinner.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
While Sara focused on her finals during the first couple of days of this visit, I took Stephen and Kris to Multnomah Falls in the morning for a 2.2 mile round-trip hike up to the top of the falls and back.
Looking across the Columbia River at Washington
Columbia River Gorge
Multnomah Falls
Tiny star-shaped flowers along the Multnomah Falls trail
A white flower along the Multnomah Falls trail
Kris and Stephen stopping to talk to a couple about their dog (which you can't see in this photo)
Looking up the hillside of the Multnomah Falls trail
Stephen and Kris (with two strangers between them) at the observation deck over Multnomah Falls
We decided to drive back to Portland for lunch since sandwiches at the lodge near the falls are $11+.
We drove to downtown Portland and ate lunch at Elephants Delicatessen.
After lunch, we walked around downtown for a little while.
We went to Powells Bookstore and bought books (I got a 1st USA edition of Holy Blood, Holy Grail which is a book of significance in relation to Coleman, as well as three 33 1/3 series books: Radio City and Swordfishtrombones for me, and XO for Sara)
After shopping, we returned to my apartment and hung out for a bit, then Sara came over and we went to dinner with Kris's friends (Kevin and his wife) over in a Northeast neighborhood (Alberta): delINTI, which specializes in Peruvian cuisine.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Walked over early (circa 8:30 am) to have coffee and chocolate croissant early with Stephen and Kris at Baker & Spice in my neighborhood, which they'd quickly (and justifiably) grown very fond of.
Bad mistake, as my stomach immediately protested by the time we walked back (I know that caffeine and/or coffee and/or sugar are all triggers for my sensitive gut, yet like an idiot I threw caution aside, pretended I have no gut issues, and quickly paid the price).
After a mid-morning spent recovering from that error, Stephen, Kris, and I went out to a Southeast neighborhood (Hawthorne) for brunch at Bread & Ink Cafe with Kevin, his wife, and their son.
After Kris's friends departed following brunch, we walked around that shopping district quite a bit, checking out jewelry, clothing, and record shops (Crossroads, Jackpot).
I went to Fred's Sound of Music to consider a used Nakamichi tape deck for $119, but I wisely declined the persistent salespeople (turns out that the 481 model doesn’t have a true tape monitor function, despite being a 3-head deck).
We went to the Hawthorne Powells Books where I found Oliver Sacks' Musicophilia book in paperback in the sale books shelves (been waiting for that to go on sale for a while).
Then we went to the Southeast Clinton area, where we went to Green Noise Records, a place owned by Kris's friend Ken.
After that, we went back to my apartment, and within an hour it was raining.
We hung out for a bit, then Sara came over and we went to dinner.
We went to Jimmy Mak's jazz club, enjoying excellent beer and food, and outstanding funk/jazz music by Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Sara had the entire day free to go out sightseeing with us.
The four of us drove to the Oregon coast for a day-trip.
We went to Cannon Beach and spent a couple of hours walking along the beach, heading to Haystack Rock before turning around and walking back.
(Unfortunately, there was something on my camera's lens throughout all of the following photos; you can see its obtrusive shadow along the right-side border. I thought about trying to "photoshop" it out, but that would be a very painfully laborious process - for me at least - and cropping the photos seemed like a bad tradeoff because generally I like how the compositions are arranged on these photos. So I left the blemish in each photo.)
Kris and Stephen on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Close-up of Kris and Stephen on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Craig and Sara on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Stephen and Kris on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Stephen and Kris on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sara at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sara on the beach with Haystack Rock in the distance
sea vegetation washed up on the beach
Stephen and Kris walking on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Haystack Rock in the distance at Cannon Beach, Oregon
bodyboarder getting ready to go into the cold ocean water of Cannon Beach
sea life attaching to the stalk of seaweed washed up on shore at Cannon Beach, Oregon
sea life attaching to the stalk of seaweed washed up on shore at Cannon Beach, Oregon
some sort of sea jelly on the shore at Cannon Beach, Oregon
closer look at some sort of sea jelly on the shore at Cannon Beach, Oregon
'sea squirts' on the shore at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sara standing near Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Craig standing near Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, Oregon
Craig standing near Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sara at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sara standing in front of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon
People walking on the beach in front of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon
sand sculpture at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Stephen running on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Stephen on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Flowers near some shops at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Flower near some shops at Cannon Beach, Oregon
We ate lunch at Bill's Tavern & Brewhouse, which was pretty good, even though I was still worried about my stomach so I only had peppermint tea instead of beer.
Then we went to Tillamook, Oregon, and toured the Tillamook Cheese factory there.
Sara posing inside the Tillamook Cheese factory
Sara being silly next to the cow statue at the Tillamook Cheese Factory
We drove back, making a rest stop at Sara's dad's house in Cornelius.
Dark clouds over the coastal mountain range as we leave the coast from Tillamook, Oregon
On the other side of the coastal mountain range, the sky is much clearer over the valley
We drove on back to my apartment, then Sara went home (she had an online college course assignment to turn in by midnight), and Stephen, Kris, and I walked to Subway for a cheap/light late dinner.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
On this day, there was the Rose Festival parade clogging up downtown, so we made this day our "relaxing neighborhood" day.
We walked over to Multnomah Village for a morning/afternoon of shopping.
We met Sara there later in the morning while we were at Thinker Toys (Sara walked over from her apartment which is nearby).
Then we went to lunch at Marco's Café & Espresso Bar.
Afterwards was more shopping.
Last stop in Multnomah Village was John's Market (700+ beers available!) where we bought a variety of beers to sample.
Then we walked back to my apartment.
We hung out for a while as Sara did laundry, sampling unusual beers, and playing Trivial Pursuit.
We paused the game and walked over to Hillsdale's McMenamins Pub for dinner.
We came back afterwards to finish the Trivial Pursuit game.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
On the last full day of their visit, we drove downtown and went to "Portland Saturday Market" (which is also open on Sundays)
Naito Blvd (Front St) is traffic-limited while Saturday Market is open on the weekends
Sara points the way to the vendor booths at Saturday Market
Sara is happy to be our tour guide at Saturday Market
Sara holding a flower some guy got for her (okay, it was me)
pedestrians hanging out or playing hackie sack at the ATM near Saturday Market
TriMet's MAX train going through Saturday Market
Food vendors at Saturday Market
Saturday Market pedestrians
The entrance to Chinatown, looking across Burnside
Sara posing in front of the entrance to Chinatown, which is behind her and across Burnside
Sara in her car (me snapping random photos while we were getting into Sara's car to go to Powells)
Sara in her car (me snapping random photos while we were getting into Sara's car to go to Powells)
Craig and Sara in her car (me snapping random photos while we were getting into Sara's car to go to Powells)
Craig and Sara in her car (me snapping random photos while we were getting into Sara's car to go to Powells)
Craig and Stephen in Sara's car (me snapping random photos while we were getting into Sara's car to go to Powells)
We shopped at the market for several hours, then went to lunch at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery.
Afterwards, went back to Powells Books on Burnside one last time.
Kris and Stephen under the sign of the main Powells Bookstore on Burnside
Went back home to my apartment and hung out, playing Mad Libs and talking for several hours, while Stephen and Kris tried to figure out how to pack all the books and other things they'd bought.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sara picked up Stephen and Kris and took them to the airport, while I went to work.
But finally it's completed. Luckily, soon after Stephen and Kris left Portland, I was assuming it would take me a while to get to this, so I was smart enough to open Notepad and jot down a few notes about what we did each day of their visit, to help provide a framework for the narrative.
Click on each photo (twice) to see a larger version.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Sara drove to the airport, where we picked Stephen and Kris up.
We drove back to my neighborhood, and a little while after they got settled in, we went to O'Connor's restaurant in Multnomah Village for dinner.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
While Sara focused on her finals during the first couple of days of this visit, I took Stephen and Kris to Multnomah Falls in the morning for a 2.2 mile round-trip hike up to the top of the falls and back.
Looking across the Columbia River at Washington
Columbia River Gorge
Multnomah Falls
Tiny star-shaped flowers along the Multnomah Falls trail
A white flower along the Multnomah Falls trail
Kris and Stephen stopping to talk to a couple about their dog (which you can't see in this photo)
Looking up the hillside of the Multnomah Falls trail
Stephen and Kris (with two strangers between them) at the observation deck over Multnomah Falls
We decided to drive back to Portland for lunch since sandwiches at the lodge near the falls are $11+.
We drove to downtown Portland and ate lunch at Elephants Delicatessen.
After lunch, we walked around downtown for a little while.
We went to Powells Bookstore and bought books (I got a 1st USA edition of Holy Blood, Holy Grail which is a book of significance in relation to Coleman, as well as three 33 1/3 series books: Radio City and Swordfishtrombones for me, and XO for Sara)
After shopping, we returned to my apartment and hung out for a bit, then Sara came over and we went to dinner with Kris's friends (Kevin and his wife) over in a Northeast neighborhood (Alberta): delINTI, which specializes in Peruvian cuisine.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Walked over early (circa 8:30 am) to have coffee and chocolate croissant early with Stephen and Kris at Baker & Spice in my neighborhood, which they'd quickly (and justifiably) grown very fond of.
Bad mistake, as my stomach immediately protested by the time we walked back (I know that caffeine and/or coffee and/or sugar are all triggers for my sensitive gut, yet like an idiot I threw caution aside, pretended I have no gut issues, and quickly paid the price).
After a mid-morning spent recovering from that error, Stephen, Kris, and I went out to a Southeast neighborhood (Hawthorne) for brunch at Bread & Ink Cafe with Kevin, his wife, and their son.
After Kris's friends departed following brunch, we walked around that shopping district quite a bit, checking out jewelry, clothing, and record shops (Crossroads, Jackpot).
I went to Fred's Sound of Music to consider a used Nakamichi tape deck for $119, but I wisely declined the persistent salespeople (turns out that the 481 model doesn’t have a true tape monitor function, despite being a 3-head deck).
We went to the Hawthorne Powells Books where I found Oliver Sacks' Musicophilia book in paperback in the sale books shelves (been waiting for that to go on sale for a while).
Then we went to the Southeast Clinton area, where we went to Green Noise Records, a place owned by Kris's friend Ken.
After that, we went back to my apartment, and within an hour it was raining.
We hung out for a bit, then Sara came over and we went to dinner.
We went to Jimmy Mak's jazz club, enjoying excellent beer and food, and outstanding funk/jazz music by Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Sara had the entire day free to go out sightseeing with us.
The four of us drove to the Oregon coast for a day-trip.
We went to Cannon Beach and spent a couple of hours walking along the beach, heading to Haystack Rock before turning around and walking back.
(Unfortunately, there was something on my camera's lens throughout all of the following photos; you can see its obtrusive shadow along the right-side border. I thought about trying to "photoshop" it out, but that would be a very painfully laborious process - for me at least - and cropping the photos seemed like a bad tradeoff because generally I like how the compositions are arranged on these photos. So I left the blemish in each photo.)
Kris and Stephen on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Close-up of Kris and Stephen on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Craig and Sara on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Stephen and Kris on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Stephen and Kris on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sara at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sara on the beach with Haystack Rock in the distance
sea vegetation washed up on the beach
Stephen and Kris walking on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Haystack Rock in the distance at Cannon Beach, Oregon
bodyboarder getting ready to go into the cold ocean water of Cannon Beach
sea life attaching to the stalk of seaweed washed up on shore at Cannon Beach, Oregon
sea life attaching to the stalk of seaweed washed up on shore at Cannon Beach, Oregon
some sort of sea jelly on the shore at Cannon Beach, Oregon
closer look at some sort of sea jelly on the shore at Cannon Beach, Oregon
'sea squirts' on the shore at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sara standing near Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Craig standing near Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, Oregon
Craig standing near Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sara at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Sara standing in front of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon
People walking on the beach in front of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon
sand sculpture at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Stephen running on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Stephen on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Flowers near some shops at Cannon Beach, Oregon
Flower near some shops at Cannon Beach, Oregon
We ate lunch at Bill's Tavern & Brewhouse, which was pretty good, even though I was still worried about my stomach so I only had peppermint tea instead of beer.
Then we went to Tillamook, Oregon, and toured the Tillamook Cheese factory there.
Sara posing inside the Tillamook Cheese factory
Sara being silly next to the cow statue at the Tillamook Cheese Factory
We drove back, making a rest stop at Sara's dad's house in Cornelius.
Dark clouds over the coastal mountain range as we leave the coast from Tillamook, Oregon
On the other side of the coastal mountain range, the sky is much clearer over the valley
We drove on back to my apartment, then Sara went home (she had an online college course assignment to turn in by midnight), and Stephen, Kris, and I walked to Subway for a cheap/light late dinner.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
On this day, there was the Rose Festival parade clogging up downtown, so we made this day our "relaxing neighborhood" day.
We walked over to Multnomah Village for a morning/afternoon of shopping.
We met Sara there later in the morning while we were at Thinker Toys (Sara walked over from her apartment which is nearby).
Then we went to lunch at Marco's Café & Espresso Bar.
Afterwards was more shopping.
Last stop in Multnomah Village was John's Market (700+ beers available!) where we bought a variety of beers to sample.
Then we walked back to my apartment.
We hung out for a while as Sara did laundry, sampling unusual beers, and playing Trivial Pursuit.
We paused the game and walked over to Hillsdale's McMenamins Pub for dinner.
We came back afterwards to finish the Trivial Pursuit game.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
On the last full day of their visit, we drove downtown and went to "Portland Saturday Market" (which is also open on Sundays)
Naito Blvd (Front St) is traffic-limited while Saturday Market is open on the weekends
Sara points the way to the vendor booths at Saturday Market
Sara is happy to be our tour guide at Saturday Market
Sara holding a flower some guy got for her (okay, it was me)
pedestrians hanging out or playing hackie sack at the ATM near Saturday Market
TriMet's MAX train going through Saturday Market
Food vendors at Saturday Market
Saturday Market pedestrians
The entrance to Chinatown, looking across Burnside
Sara posing in front of the entrance to Chinatown, which is behind her and across Burnside
Sara in her car (me snapping random photos while we were getting into Sara's car to go to Powells)
Sara in her car (me snapping random photos while we were getting into Sara's car to go to Powells)
Craig and Sara in her car (me snapping random photos while we were getting into Sara's car to go to Powells)
Craig and Sara in her car (me snapping random photos while we were getting into Sara's car to go to Powells)
Craig and Stephen in Sara's car (me snapping random photos while we were getting into Sara's car to go to Powells)
We shopped at the market for several hours, then went to lunch at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery.
Afterwards, went back to Powells Books on Burnside one last time.
Kris and Stephen under the sign of the main Powells Bookstore on Burnside
Went back home to my apartment and hung out, playing Mad Libs and talking for several hours, while Stephen and Kris tried to figure out how to pack all the books and other things they'd bought.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sara picked up Stephen and Kris and took them to the airport, while I went to work.