Had to do it, bad joke.

Nathan, Lauren and I were invited down to Portland by fellow innkeepers for a few days, so we decided since we were slow for a few days to take them up on it.

We had a great time.  We walked the first day to the Rose Test Garden and the Japanese Garden, but as it was only 30 minutes to closing we decided not to go into the gardens and to come back another day.

The first night we had an amazing pizza at Ken's Artesian bakery.  We were all drenched and it wasn't quite time that they started taking orders but we ordered a steamed milk for Lauren and a cappuccino for Nathan and a ceasar salad for myself and we put in our pizza order for when they started taking those orders.  We ordered the Soppressata pizza, it was really tasty, slightly spicy, crispy crust, perfect amount of cheese, and nice fresh basil.  They only make pizza at the bakery on a Monday night although they do have another location that does pizzas all the time.  I am glad the innkeepers suggested it.  The bakery gives away the bread that hasn't sold that day during the pizza time so we got a complementary baguette that was still fresh and crusty and yummy, we stopped on our way back to the inn and bought some goat cheese to go with it.

The next day we went to the Chinese Gardens, Powell's Books, Sur la Table, and general tourist stuff.  I found a little teapot cookie cutter for the tea cookies in the day spa. at Sur la Table and it was $1, perfect price.  At Powell's we finally found another journal for the Columbia room as the one that was in there has been full for some time.  I haven't checked to see if we have had any entries yet.

The Chinese Gardens were very beautiful, the koi were still pretty much frozen from the extreme cold weather even though it was pouring with rain, at some point someone had gone out on the ice and chopped holes through it.  There were some huge chunks of ice sitting on top, very impressive for the PNW.  We had a flight of white teas at the tea house, it was very interesting how much they varied in flavor and intensity.  Lauren enjoyed some of the tea as well.  She preferred the first one, as did I.  Nathan preferred the second and none of us really cared for the third.  Not that we could tell you what they were now.  I think the first one was White Peony, the second Jingmai White and the third, White dragon.  All from the Tao of Tea company.  We asked the hostess if there was anything else we shouldn't miss while we were in Chinatown and she said that we should head back to "the Pearl" before dark.  So we did. 

We went back to the inn to warm up and dry off and research dinner.  From Yelp reviews we decided on the Red Onion on 23rd.  Overall it was very good.  There were a few disappointing things.  We ordered their stuffed calamari appetizer because so many people had raved about in on Yelp.  We got calamari, but it wasn't stuffed.  It was good though, really tasty, and it was cooked well.  Lauren even liked it.  The chicken satay skewers were very tender and flavorful.  Our main dishes we ordered a beef curry stir fry and a chicken noodle dish, I wish I could remember what it was called.  We ordered them both between mild and medium because we knew we would be sharing with Lauren as well, otherwise I probably would have ordered a bit spicier.  Well our chicken noodle dish came out, but not our rice or our beef dish.  So we were eating the chicken which was very tasty, until the very last bites, which were so hot, my eyes were watering, I could barely swallow, and I couldn't taste anything…AND NO RICE.  And I am not a spice wimp.  When the rice finally came I had a bunch of that, and was trying to enjoy the beef dish but couldn't really taste it until I was so full I couldn't eat anymore, but I could say that the last bite I had was very flavorful, the beef very well cooked and tender.  Lauren was especially grumpy after not having a nap and the service wasn't too on top of things so we missed out on dessert and they even had the fried bananas that Nathan loves so much. 

Lauren went to bed earlier, but still not as well as she does at home. At least she didn't cry as long this time.  Nathan and I finished the loaf of bread and more of the goat cheese, and Nathan watched A Christmas Story for the first time.  It was a very casual night.

The next day we drove to the Japanese Garden.  What a beautiful and magical place.  Even in the cold wet weather of winter it was full of life and movement.  Speaking of wet, saying that it was raining was an understatement, it was dumping sheets of water. It was crazy.  We ducked into the Pavilion for a steaming cup of green tea and to look at the wares they had for sale for the Holidays.  After warming up and slightly drying off, we headed, dashed really, to the car.  We decided to drive around and see if we could find something to eat.  We really wanted to eat at the Frying Scotsman Fish and Chips.  They got really great reviews and who can pass up on authentic fish and chips!?  The only downside is that is a cart which means we would have eaten in the car or outside.  With the amount of water being poured from the sky and the fact that our car has dark tan cloth interior, we decided we would pass this time around.  We ended up just heading north on I-5.  We decided that instead of Fish and Chips we would settle for a good burger and fries.  I head read an article about Burgerville so that sounded like a good choice and we would of course see one right?  Um…wrong.  We didn't want to head into WA because we thought we wouldn't see one so we took the last exit the Jantzen Beach exit.  After driving around looking for something that sounded slightly appealing we decided we would go the Home Depot, buy the grout float we needed tax free, and head to the mall.  Surely we could find something at the food court right?  Wrong!  The choices were Taco Time, Chinese, and Pasta & Pizza.  We decided Taco Time was the best bet.  It wasn't great, but there was a carousel to distract Lauren and the mexifries were pretty good.  There was a Burlington Coat Factory so we went to look for a coat for Lauren. We ended up finding a coat, scarf, and snow bibs in a 3T at a great price.  Of course it is a little big, but we can easily roll up the pants and sleeves, and this way she can wear it next winter too.

We continued on our drive northward and what do we see a few exits up?  Burgerville.  Sigh.  Oh well.  All in all we had a very wet trip, but really enjoyed our time in Portland and can't wait to go back.

Yesterday we went to Seattle for the Annual WBBG meeting.  Since Nathan is the President he pretty much doesn’t have a choice, so as is par for our course we all went.  In the future though we should remember that   I don’t really get to sit in on much of the meeting as Lauren is far too vocal and mobile at this point in her life.  She isn’t by any means out of control, she is just one and prefers not to listen but to be listened to.  So after trying to placate her with grapes, animal crackers, silicone baking cups (these work for an extremely long time, fyi), I decided to leave the meeting in peace and take Lauren for a walk.

The meeting was being held at the Shafer Baillie Mansion.  This place is HUMONGOUS!  Yes that big.  All caps are in order.  We could fit two and probably close to three of our house inside this true mansion.  The owners have done a great job of restoring the grandeur of this historic home, the woodwork is breathtakingly beautiful.  The meeting was being held in the basement (downstairs) speakeasy.  Yes really!  Complete with the bar and everything.  It is very cool.  You can just imagine the neighborhood millionaires gathering there imbibing on illegal liquids with a cloud of cigar smoke lingering above.

Anyhow back to the walk.  It was a beautiful fall day.  A little crisp but not freezing.  The sun was shining and lighting up the fall foliage like a light behind a stained glass window.  Magic.  As Lauren and I strolled along the street I kept pausing the admire the beautiful homes.  Each one had such great architecture.  They are all large homes on Millionaire’s row, each one with something different to offer.  This one had fantastic eaves, they extended further out, great for a NW home, that one had interesting trimwork around the windows really making each one a piece of art.  One’s paint scheme, another one’s landscaping, or hardscaping, or stairs, or fence, or porch, or columns.  Really each one was individual and unique, giving me ideas and inspiration for  lots of projects.  At the end of the street was a sign for Volunteer Park.  I had no idea it was so close.  Just behind the sign on a hill was a large brick tower.  I assumed it was a water tower (I assumed correctly).  I decided to continue walking into the park to explore.  The water tower was open.  There is a steep winding staircase that leads to a observation deck at or near the top of the tower with a display on the Olmsteads who were responsible for many of Seattle’s parks and boulevards.  The view was spectacular.  Clear view of the Space Needle with a ferry leaving the terminal, downtown Seattle, the 520 floating bridge, Bellevue, and everything in between.  It wasn’t a perfectly clear day, there was still a bit of marine layer otherwise I bet the Cascades, Olympics, and Mt Rainier would have been out in all their glory too!

After leaving the tower I continued along the path into the park, Lauren babbling to me, and saying, "Hi!" to every man, woman, child, dog, squirrel,  bird or other living creature she saw and getting annoyed if they didn’t say,  "Hi!" back.  We came upon another building, it looked older and Art Deco in nature and I was surprised to find it was the Asian Art Museum.  Unfortunately I decided against bringing the diaper bag with my wallet in it.  I was already carrying Lauren and the camera and didn’t want the extra weight of the diaper bag as well.  Shoot!  Oh well.  Perhaps we will have to come another time.  Truth be told it was much too nice a day to go inside.  Lauren and I continued past the museum and I spotted what at first appeared to be a rose garden in the distance full of blooms.  I turned and started down a narrow path across the lawn in that direction.

What appeared in the distance to be roses was actually dahlias.  A small dahlia garden planted and maintained by the Seattle Dahlia Society.  The were beautiful.  I know some people think roses are high maintenance plants, but anything I have to dig up and store properly and then replant the next year is a bit too much maintenance for me.  I don’t have to do much to my roses but trim them back.  That is pretty good for me.  The dahlias though were like multi-hued jewels.  Large ones, small ones, variegated ones, solid ones, dense petals, loose petals, even one I thought at first glance was a rose.  So much variation in one plant species.

Continuing on from the dahlia garden we headed toward the conservatory.  A beautiful structure, again looks historic, more Victorian, all the glass glistening in the sun, and it was packed full of plants.  Only flaw?  Not open on a Monday.  We weren’t having much luck with things today.  I really enjoyed admiring the building though.  Again it gave me ideas, a nice light but protected area outdoors so you could see the surrounding gardens, what a lovely spot for a wedding…hmmmm.  Well I don’t see that happening until our apple trees fall over and I sincerely hope they don’t.

At this point I heard church bells (not sure from where) signaling it was noon.  At least I assumed it was noon.  Since lunch was being served at 12:30, or most likely 1:00pm because the meetings never seem to run on time, I decided I should head back.  I walked back along another path and went past two koi ponds, those were some big carp in there!  And beautiful.  One of them was nearly leopard spotted, scales alternating gold and black, with long flowing fins.  Lauren at this point is singing the sleeping song.  Yes she sings herself to sleep in the stroller or hip carrier, a monotonous chanting sort of sound, like a car that just doesn’t quite start. Ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh.  So in a matter of moments she is sound asleep snuggling into my armpit.  I stroll back along the leaf covered sidewalks and decide to look at the houses on the other side of Aloha, especially since one is for sale.  You never know when you might come into a spare 4.5 million!  It is another mansion, brick with a stunning front window.  Actually the house that stopped me on that section was a Tudor style house with a large turret out the front.  Not sure what it was exactly but I stopped to admire it both on the way down and the way back up the street.  The front sidewalk stairs leading to the front porch with the looming turret overhead, it was a perfect photo, but I didn’t want to take a photo of a stranger’s house.  Especially since it bothers me when random people stop their cars out the front of our house to take photos.  But those people also ignore us when we wave or ask them if they want to see the inside, I would have said, "Hi, beautiful house.  Why, yes I would love to see the inside.  Do you mind that I took a photo?  I just couldn’t help myself"

After tearing myself away from the house, I made my way back to the meeting, lunch, and then decided that since Lauren only napped for about 10 minutes she really really should have a nap or dinner tonight was going to be really noisy and unpleasant.  Since I knew she wouldn’t fall asleep with me holding her (unless I was walking again and I would have to keep walking for two hours), I went out to the car, strapped her into her carseat and I sat in the car listening to the radio and watching the traffic (both foot and vehicle) go by.  The more I watched the more I realized that city life is not for me.  There were so many people.  I really enjoy our neighborhood.  It is close enough that I can walk just about anywhere, I know many of our neighbors and wouldn’t hesitate to knock on a door if I needed help, but the traffic isn’t bad either that I could ride my bike or drive and not stress out about it.

Lauren slept in her carseat for a solid two hours, although she did talk in her sleep, she was yelling at the dog.  "Bad dog, out out, blah blah blah, dog woof."  I thought she was waking up and commenting on the dog that was walking past, but when I leaned back to look at her she was still fast asleep.  It was pretty cute.  My guess is she was dreaming the dog was barking at the back door to get let back in.

The meeting ended shortly after Lauren woke up and after saying good-byes to several innkeepers we headed off to dinner at Olivar, just down the hill on E Roy.  I looked at the directions and saw it was about half a mile away and thought that perhaps we should just walk, but since we didn’t think we would need our coats (Lauren had one, but neither Nathan or I did) and it was now spitting with rain, we drove.  And drove, and drove and drove in circles looking for a parking spot.  Finally we found one, it was adjacent to a no parking red curb, but Sandy was short enough to JUST fit.  Our other innkeepers driving larger vehicles drove even more than we did.  Upon entering the restaurant I really was struck with the feeling I had been in the restaurant before.  I think I had coffee there with an old friend from high school many years ago, the murals were very familiar.  According to one of the waitresses they were hand painted in the 30’s, it is a story about a Russian Czar.  I love stuff like that.  She said another restauranteur wanted to occupy the space but wanted to paint over the murals, but there was an outcry and the city protected the murals.  I assumed that meant they are on the historical registry in some fashion  but I am not sure.

The chef had created a family style menu for our group.  All the food was very well done.  How many ways can you say it?  Amazing, flavorful, expertly done.  We started off with an arugula salad with blue cheese, roasted beets and balsamic vinegar.  Crisp greens with the slightly peppery flavor arugula is known for, the beets a touch of sweetness, the cheese a nice earthy flavor with cream and the vinegar was just enough to bring it all together.  Next was a portabello mushroom tart  with a PX vinegar reduction.  Now I could have eaten about three of those.  Crispy, flaky, buttery, rich flavorful mushroom flavor with the vinegar adding a touch of sweetness.  The tart was followed by sea scallops atop a parsnip puree and an herb salad.  The scallops were cooked to perfection, they were sweet and tender, flavorful, and creamy.  The salad, I am not sure exactly what herbs were in it but it was wonderful.  Out of the kitchen next was Nathan’s favorite, potato gnocchi with roasted red peppers and crispy Parmesan topping.   The gnocchi was fresh, melt in your mouth tender and buttery.  Yum.  And no dinner didn’t stop there.  Following the gnocchi was my favorite which surprised me.  Seared duck breast with pickled green tomatoes and grilled polenta.  The duck had such a great flavor, I am not sure what I expected but between the flavor of the duck, the tomatoes and the awesome polenta, I would have had two of these following the three mushroom tarts.  The last main dish to come out was ground lamb meatballs with Nicoise olive and artichoke puree.  They were a lovely red color inside from a Moroccan spice (similar to paprika the waitress told us).  So flavorful, and still moist even though they were lamb and well done. 

Of course no meal is complete without dessert.  After all the food we had enjoyed so far we still had one more to finish our meal,  an apple tart tatin with a cinnamon creme brulee.  I honestly didn’t get much between Nathan and Lauren.  Lauren’s comments upon devouring the creme brulee were "Yummm, yumm, yumm."  And then she reached over and stole the apple out of the tart.  I did have a couple of tastes of the creme brulee and it was rich and creamy, the sugar crust on the top was a lovely crispy caramel but no trace of burnt flavor some have.  The tart had that lovely flaky buttery crust.  The combination of the two were like an upscale version of apple pie with ice cream.

After all the time being restrained, contained and reigned in, Lauren had had enough, she wanted out, down and away.  She was really good for the majority of the day, but at the end of the day she just wanted to crawl and explore and be heard.  As the restaurant got busier our group started to disperse and Lauren was more entertained by the burst of movement and conversation.  By the time we left, and got on I-5 headed south and home she was fast asleep.  So yet another great meal at a fantastic restaurant made even better with conversation with friends and fellow innkeepers.  What a long but lovely day.

Oh and thank you to the chef who sent out a special slice of pumpkin bread for Lauren!  She wasn’t as patient as the rest of us for each flight to come out of the kitchen.  I would like to say it was just as wonderful as the rest of the food, but she didn’t share a single crumb with anyone.

Nathan, and subsequently I, were invited to Eugene, Oregon.  Nathan was invited to discuss website stuff with the Eugene Area Bed & Breakfast Association.  We had never visited Eugene before and weren't sure what to expect.  We left on October 27th.

Originally we weren't going to do breakfast for our guests the day we left as they had to be at a seminar at 7:30, but since it was one our guests first time staying at a B&B we decided doing the full experience was the right thing to do.  So breakfast was early.  Since it was just two guests and the third for coffee it was pretty easy though and they really, really appreciated it and enjoyed it.

After our guests left, I made a breakfast for ourselves, hash browns, fried eggs and bacon and I didn't burn any of it this time.  Then we busily set to packing suitcases and the car, as well as showering trying to be quiet as Lauren was still sleeping.  All in all we didn't do so bad, we actually left the inn, with the kitchen cleaned, dishwasher running, car packed, everyone bathed, fed, and dressed at 9:30am.  Pretty amazing if you ask me.

We headed south with a full tank of gas in Sandy and no real plans as such.  Really our only plan was to make it to C'est La Vie Inn around check in time.  Lauren was pretty good on the way down.  She was awake for much of Washington but then fell asleep and slept until we decided it was time to stop for lunch.  We picked a convenient spot just north of Salem and had Subway.  I chose to go with the sandwich of the day (Italian BMT) and Nathan had the Philly something or rather.  I got mine as a meal for $5, his was $6 for the 6" alone!  Their deals are pretty good when they have them and it is something you want to eat.  Lauren enjoyed the olives, cucumbers, pickles, tomatoes, and onions from our sandwiches, and then we were on the road again.

Since we left a bit earlier than anticipated we arrived in the Eugene area around 1:30pm or so, which is a tad early for check-in, so we decided to head further south to Cottage Grove and Pacific Yurts.    We needed somewhere for Lauren to run (on all fours) for a little while, after so long in the car she was getting a bit restless.  Plus Nathan and I have wanted to visit them for at least the last five years, probably longer.  It was well worth the trip.  It gave us so many ideas and inspiration.  They have three on display.  Two of the 20' models with different features and one 30' model.  They are so well done.  Lauren had fun crawling around (ha ha a-round, get it?) them and we were looking at the different features and discussing how we would do them.  One of them had extra door openings that were then framed in with real windows without the lattice in front of it.  Smart, but you can only have so many door openings.  Another had decorative wooden slats (like in a cabin, kind of ) covering the vertical uprights and had wiring chasing through them and then around the upper support ring.  It also had very well disquised doors in the wood so you could get to the electrical and even an electrical panel.  So smart and also gave you more electrical options and lighting, and made it look less like a yurt.  What we would do would be a hybrid of the three displays I think.  The one thing we know we would do without a doubt would be polished concrete floors with radiant floor heat.  So easy right.  It is one open space anyhow, and if you do build the walls for the bathroom/kitchen you don't have to worry about heating those two separate spots!  Plus then the floor is always nice and toasty.  They gave us an updated catalog and price list and we have been talking about different things we could do with them ever since.  I keep trying to figure out how to make it look Victorian though so I an put one in the front yard!

After much contemplating, and a wrong turn trying to find I-5 we arrived at C'est La Vie Inn.  Before we left I decided to see if they were in our NW Victorians book, as they are also a historic Victorian.  Not only were they in the book, they were on the same page as us!  And even more interesting, it was painted yellow, just like ours, but now it has a very similar paint scheme to us.  Too funny.  So we arrive at the inn, and it is beautiful.  The gardens, walkways, gates, leading us to the front door where there are two notes.  "Don't let in the cat, it's not ours."  That made us laugh as when we took over our inn we too had a sign reading the same thing.  And even more eerie, the cat they don't want let in is an orange and white tabby, same as the one that we didn't want let in here.  But it doesn't end there.  There is another note on the door that says, "If we don't answer the door bell we may be in the garden."  Um…yup we have one of those too!  Doo doo doo doo…No not really that spooky, it is just funny.  So we start walking around the house and taking in the amazing gardens.  Truly amazing, I can only wish that some day our garden looks this manicured, well put together and amazing.  They also have an outdoor cat house like Nathan wants to build.  A cat door through the house to an enclosed area outside so the indoor cats can enjoy the great outdoors.  We run into Jack feeding the neighborhood cats, and he gives us the tour of his garden.  Complete with nametags (common and latin names of most of the plants), miniature garden, train garden, rose garden…then we come around the back of the house and we see their carriage house.  Ok, it is a little freaky.  They built this carriage house with a space on the ground floor for functions (you know like the one we want to build) and a suite upstairs.  The only difference is that we would have a subterranean garage for our cars and the suite would be two bedrooms, instead of just one.

They have done all the upgrades we would love to do to the inn.  New flooring, stripped woodwork, amazing doors, the tile work, they spared no expense from what I saw, and they did the restoration seamlessly and flawlessly.  Jack got us settled into the Casablanca suite (above the carriage house and away from other guests that Lauren could disturb with her new found high frequency screaming), and told us that Anne Marie was due to be home soon, but that her computer had crashed so he wasn't sure what we were going to accomplish that day as far as website stuff.  So "settling" isn't really an appropriate term for this suite.  Beautiful antique bed and dresser, excellent appointments, large jetted tub, kitchenette, work space, bathroom with shower, Romeo & Juliette balcony off the sitting area where you could look down on the garden and listen to one of many fountains.  Done in an Art Deco style.  It was large and comfortable.  Very VERY similar in design to what we would do.  Our suite (The Nisqually I call it) in our Carriage house would have you still enter through the common area and have the one room with the jetted tub, but where the balcony was in their suite we would have another bedroom with two beds, ultimately two queens, and then a Romeo & Juliette balcony off there, and perhaps a tub but it would most likely be a clawfoot with integrated shower rather than a large jetted one and separate shower.  This we think would appeal more to families and/or friends traveling together, or even business travelers or legislative individuals.  You could rent the suite as a whole, with just the king room (with jetted tub) or just the two queen beds.

Oh exciting news though!  Lauren took her first steps!!  Unassisted and unprompted.  She pulled herself up on the ottoman, looked at the doors for the balcony and took one, two steps (grunting as she went) then sat down and crawled the rest of the way.  So apparently we need to visit more B&Bs, she stood up for the first time in Leavenworth, and walked for the first time here!

Anne Marie arrived back at the inn and she gave us a quick tour of the guest rooms and told us she was cooking dinner for all of us and we were going to dine in their private area.  She was making spaghetti, and while running around trying to fix her computer, giving us a tour, and other errands she was also making the spaghetti sauce.  It was really exceptionally good.  The sauce was smooth and rich, the pasta cooked perfectly with fresh basil, and these chicken meatballs.  She did tell us she didn't make them, they were from Costco, so of course on our way home we picked up a package of them!  She also made her "winter salad" which was some sort of green (can't remember what she said, something French that she buys at Trader Joe's) with beets.  Very nice dinner.

The next morning we woke up, or rather Nathan woke up and it was a mad rush as we thought we were going to be late for breakfast.  Lauren had slept in, I had to wake her up to get ready.  We arrived in the dining room and we were the first down!  Always the way.  Breakfast was fresh made bread, broiled grapefruit, and a chile cheese souffle with sausages.  Not too much, not too little, just right.  Plus we had some yummy coffee.   Anne-Marie was having a bit of a rough go.  First her computer crashed, then her coffee pot broke.  For most people this is an inconvenience, for an innkeeper it is an emergency!  So since her computer wasn't back up and running, but hopefully was going to be later in the afternoon, she suggested perhaps using the guest computer to do a little work and then going for lunch at a local winery.  She said it was a great spot for lunch, not as pricey as dinner, but the food was still excellent.  It sounded good to us.  So while Nathan did a little computer stuff, Lauren and I went out to the garden to take some photographs.

Anne-Marie, Nathan, Lauren and I headed off for lunch leaving Jack behind to try and find a replacement coffee maker.  Like I said, for an innkeeper, not having a coffee maker is an emergency, although I think I would have skipped the coffee maker hunt for the lunch we had at King Estate.  After driving through the Lorane (I think) valley we turn off and start heading up hill to the tasting room and restaurant.  We were greeted in the lobby by what turned out to be Executive Chef Michael Landsberg.  Anne-Marie was very well acquainted with Chef Landsburg.  Since we were also dining with Lauren we decided to skip a tasting as she was getting near her normal lunch hour and she does tend to get cranky without food at regular intervals on her schedule.

We were seated and our waitress Angela brought some items over for the little one to play with (large straws, some corks, metal dip containers).  In my mind I was thinking, "This girl knows kids!".  Later she revealed she had 4, the oldest being 19!  She did not look her age.  Back to the story.  Angela asked if we wanted to start with some wine.  We hadn't had a chance to review the list in full so she left us to have a look-see.

A few minutes later she brought out a cheese and fruit plate for the little one and three flights of wine as compliments of the chef to help us decide on a bottle.  They were all amazing.  Each with completely different flavors.  Nathan and I both liked the Syrah, Anne-Marie was partial for the Pinot Noir, but in the end we decided on the 2007 Walla Walla Syrah.  We also ordered the Smoked Mushroom and Mozzarella Terrine.  It went with the wine so well.  The smokiness of the mushrooms played so well with the mozzarella, and the dark notes of the wine.  Delicious.  We ordered our main dishes, and a few moments later Angela came back with another round of appetizers courtesy of the chef, this time crabcakes.  Oh…they were…delicate, moist, flavorful, fresh….amazing.  Then our mains came.  I ordered the leg of lamb, Nathan had the smoked chicken.  I couldn't tell you what his tasted like, I looked away for a moment and it had been completely devoured.  That must have meant it was out of this world as Nathan hates chicken on the bone, and this was definitely on the bone.  Later he said he was tempted to pick up and gnaw on the  bones it was so good.  Mine, was again deliciously amazing.  The flavors were so well balanced.  The mushroom with the eggplant and cumin with lemon, it makes my mouth water even now on a full stomach.  My only con was that it was well done, and I prefer my lamb to medium to medium well.  A few years ago I wouldn't have been able to tell you how I liked my lamb other than in a field, but I have a new appreciation.

Three and a half hours later, yes seriously, we drug ourselves away.  Full of amazing wine and food.  We stood outside in the mist and fog admiring the yellow grape leaves and the rolling hillside.

Kudos to our waitress Angela.  She is perhaps the best waitress I have ever met.  Every need was taken care of and she was so good with our little one, it wasn't until the very end of lunch that she got restless.  Nathan wanted to make sure he had her name right so he asked her on the way out and her response was, "My name is Angela if you liked me, otherwise it's Gertrude!"  Also a standing ovation to Chef Landsberg and his kitchen.  Job more than well done!  I can't wait to visit the area again just so we can come back and have some more wine and food!

On the way home we stopped briefly at Sweet Cheeks winery.  No tasting, just to admire the view, but at this point Lauren had literally passed out in her car seat.  She was so tired that the car next to us accidentally set off it's alarm and she didn't flinch.  We also toured another B&B on the way, Gimpl Hill Pensionne.  A small bed and breakfast done in an Italian style on, funnily enough, Gimpl Hill.  Great views, very friendly hosts.  Really close to town but in a rural setting.  After arriving back at C'est La Vie, Lauren and I hung out in the suite, she refusing to nap after taking a 20 minute one in the car, even though she was so tired she could barely crawl, and me trying to get her to relax and sit still in the hopes she would nap.  Nathan and Anne-Marie finally got in a few hours of the website work we originally came down to Eugene for.

That night there was a showing of the Metropolitan Opera at the local movie theater that Anne-Marie had wanted to see, and she offered to arrange for a babysitter so Nathan and I could join her for an evening out without Lauren, but she was already is a grumpy mood from not having a proper nap so I didn't think it was a good idea to let one of Anne-Marie's friends suffer through that experience!  So Anne-Marie went off to the Opera and she recommended several restaurants within walking distance.  In the end we decided on Mexican because we knew that Lauren would like it and we wouldn't have to force her to eat it.  So we set off in search of El Jarro Azul.  A Mexican, Salvadorian, Ecuadorian Restaurant highly recommended.  It wasn't too far from the inn, and was decorated with hundreds if not thousands of chili pepper lights on the ceiling.  They feature a very extensive Tequila list, but unfortunately didn't have any creamed tequila, we have yet to find anyone that carries it.  I was at a loss with what to order, so much of it sounded delicious.  I asked one of the owners what was popular and what she would recommend.  In the end I got the Salvadorian style burrito with steak.  It said it was $5.95,  but somehow I just thought that was for the burrito before you added meat, but on the bill it was indeed $5.95.  The burrito was again delicious.  We did not have a bad meal the entire time we were in Oregon.  The slightly different flavors of El Salvador were very present, not muddled, and the burrito was huge.  I don't know what the spices were but I was a fan.  We were also a fan of the fresh salsa, it was not bitter, actually slightly sweet but had a kick at the end.  Nathan had nearly the same thing as myself but it was called Jorge's Special and came on a plate with tortillas on the side and was chicken.  Lauren liked both of them as well!  No tequila for us, although after inhaling the burrito I didn't think I was hungry for a shot of tequila to settle my stomach might have been in order.

The next morning as they didn't have any other guests we told them not to worry about breakfast for us, but Anne-Marie insisted that we must eat something, so we joined her for bagels with cream cheese and coffee.  It was perfect after all the food we had eaten the day before.  After breakfast we packed up the room so it could be turned over for the guests checking in that afternoon and made our way towards home.  In Salem we decided to get lunch, but instead got lost, but found ourselves, instead of at Applebee's at The Ram, a good trade I think.  We had delicious burgers with fries and onion rings.  Lauren enjoyed a lunch of pickles, apple juice, and one onion ring.  After telling her it was going to make her tummy upset she got sick on the way to the car, but didn't seem to mind in the slightest.  Our waitress at the Ram gave us directions to Costco.  We wanted to see what there was to see and to see if we could find any "tax-free" bargains.  We found the chicken meatballs we had had for dinner the first night in Eugene, as well as a kids music set complete with drum,  it will make a perfect present for Lauren for Christmas.

After Costco we hit the road again and arrived back in Olympia at about 4:15pm.  Our guests had already checked in, and we had dinner plans at 6pm, so we quickly did a few things we needed to, unpacked most of the car, and off we went again for another lovely meal!  It was a great trip all in all, not what we had expected, but pleasantly so.