Day Trip

First of all, I'll lead off with an apology for not posting yesterday. It seems that last night someone in our area hit a pole with their car, knocking out our cable. No internet, no TV. This morning we got up and headed for Portland, Oregon for the day. It's a great city with lots to do, and lots to see. The first place we headed to was Powell's Books. For most of you that are not familiar with this store, you could literally pack a lunch to go there. It basically takes up an entire city block and has three stories. An absolutely amazing place. Never a dull moment though, as we weren't inside the store five minutes and someone shoplifted something which set off the alarm. As soon as an employee asked him to stop he bolted for the door and across the busy street with the employee a few steps behind. I'm not sure if he caught him or not. After we deposited some money there, we headed across town to grab a bite to eat. Last week in one of our posts we had commented to Lynette over at Portland Daily Photo that we were going to be heading down to Portland to spend the day she suggested we eat at the "3 Doors Down Cafe". Her son Lamont is Sous Chef there. Well, we took her up on her suggestion and were not disappointed. We got there just before 4:00 when they open. We waited a few minutes while they set out tables and chairs on the sidewalk. It was a beautiful day and it would give us an opportunity to people watch. My wife had the spaghetti with clams in a white wine sauce, and I had the more traditional spaghetti with meatballs. Both were very delicious. Our waiter had asked us what brought us to that restaurant so we told him it was at the suggestion of Lamont's Mother. When we finished our meal and were about to leave the waiter came back out carrying a wonderful looking slice of banana cream pie topped with whipped cream, drizzled with caramel & sprinkled with chocolate shavings. One bite was all it took. It was fantastic! What a wonderful gesture and a wonderful experience. A great way to top off the day. After that we headed back across town to the rose gardens where we strolled through and took about a hundred photos. Once we were done there it was time to head for home. Again, a big thank you Lynette and to your gracious son Lamont. We thoroughly appreciated the food and service.