the obligatory vacation blog, pt 1

i learned my lesson from other failed attempts to share photos of past vacations. this is something i have to do the day of the event, rather than save it for when i get back (too much to remember!). so i'm going to attempt to share a few highlights from my current trip, whenever possible. i'll skip of the mundane, but share the really fun stuff!

first things first, breakfast!
we arrived in portland at 9 am [side bar: on a 2 hr flight i only managed to knit like 1/8" on the hubsters socks. damn you "2-at-a-time" method! boy are you slow!!!], and this is my usual breakfast time. i was beyond starving and ready for some coffee and good eats. we accidentally stumbled upon the delicious, but very well talked about local haunt - the waffle window - and were pleasantly surprised. yes... it is exactly what the hype suggests - interesting and delicious!

actually a little window, ha! cute.

from the "savory" list - ham & cheese waffle and the whole farm

We hit up the infamous Voodoo Doughnut... and of course you know what happened next...

Voodoo Doughnut Too, open 24 hrs/day!

 starting at the top left, clockwise: butterfingering, triple chocolate penetration, marshall mathers (ha!), the famous maple bacon bar <--- delish!

of course we had to taste test a few. i'm not the sugary type, so this was harder for me to swallow than my better half (sugar overload!) who is a sugar junkie, but i was more captivated by the enormous following.

i mean... it was around 1pm and this is what the line looked like! sheesh.  it was out of the door and about a 20 minute wait! for a friggin doughnut, yo?! hubby played pinball, while i soaked in the scene. all in all, if you need a sugar fix, this is your stop! better than krispy creme, that's for sure!

a little pick-me-up was an order after all the walking we did! so we headed over to stumptown coffee roasters. it was just the right amount of kick to the head that we both needed! also included the obligatory foam love.

oh, quit flirting with my husband. ha! he gets a heart, i got a leaf (forgot to get a photo). how fitting.

and last but not least...
what would would a vacation blog from me be if i did not include some sort of architecture/landscape-oriented photos. i mean... that is "my thing." food... not so much!

so while we were walking around, drooling at some of the most charming neighborhoods we have seen in quite a while, we stumbled upon this...

a little yarn bombing! a neighborhood after my own heart :) 

i also really enjoyed this house. this is something only a very liberal and progressive neighborhood could get away with, and i think the homeowner did an absolutely lovely job here. it's charming, but it suits the location and the neighborhood - most of the folks on the block had a similar idea in mind. what am i talking about? i'm talking about edible landscaping in the front yard.

 raised planter beds, curbside.

i get the feeling that the main reason the homeowner's edibles are in the front is due to the fact that there seems to be little to no backyard/non-existent backyards in this neighborhood. it's a great way to utilize the yardage that you do have in the front yard for sure (if your city and neighbors/neighborhood allows it). i'm still a bit weirded out by the concept of my edibles being in the front yard for everyone to pick over, but i get it and i understand it. i do really enjoy seeing it, because in my corner of the world of suburbia, ca this is non-existent. it reminds me that the slow movement is still alive and kicking, and that there is a need for people to connect to the world around them.

this is refreshing. and this is what i am really seeking/yearning for when i take a vacation. inspiration and an opportunity to connect to simpler things and an opportunity to reconnect.

until the next blog...