There are many things I miss about the Portland area; butternut curry soup at Elephant’s Deli, Pate and wine at Papa Hayden’s, Walks through the rose garden, shopping in the Pearl, my hair dresser on Hawthorne, and of course my friends.
Of course all of these things are before a life with kids. When I get a trip south it simply does not include such personal luxuries. All except the friends! And since most of them also have entered the motherhood stage of life it means friends and lots of kids! This summer I got to spend a weekend with my girls and two of my other favorite girls; Hope and Kristin. In a rare bout of motivation I decided a Portland excursion was necessary.
In my single days I would take day trips weekly. Head out to Canon Beach just to watch the sunset, up to the Mt. Hood’s Timberline lodge for a snack and some snow or out to Columbia Gorge for a beer at Full Sail and some wind surfing watching. There is something so therapeutic about just driving away, being away.
So we packed all the girls in the car and drove out 84. We first stopped at Multnomah Falls which is beautiful. It was hot the girls wanted to play in a small stream, shoes off, clothes wet, Ella soaked, kids whining. In pipes the motherhood mantra, “we are having fun damnit!, this is so fun, we are having so much fun!” Say it until it is so right!? Well we did not have to wait long. It was truly a wonderful, perfect day!
After the Falls and a little nap in the car we hit Hood River. We got food for a picnic and played at a park before heading down to the water. The water. Peace! The river was filled with color, wind surfers and kite boarders scattered the landscape. The girls ran, played, splashed. The weather was perfect. AW amazing day!!!! And a reminder that indeed it is therapeutic to just drive away, even with the kids.
Tulle and Toile 