PDX and Accomplishing things

Last week I decided, sort of spur of the moment, to make a trip down to Portland.  On Tuesday, I bought a train ticket.  The train ride between Portland and Seattle is something I've done multiple times, mostly during college, but a few times since then.  It's a great way to travel, cutting out the long, construction and traffic clogged drive down I-5.  I think I want to do it more. :-)

I almost made a case for starting a new knitting project for the trip, since none of my projects were really travel-ready.  But...instead I restarted a project.  I frogged the long-in-process Windermere Scarf and started over on an Elm Row Scarf (ravlink).  No photos yet, but I have 4 of 25 repeats done.

Once I got to Portland, my parents and I stopped at Isabel's Cantina for some lunch.  Yum.  Wish I lived closer ;-)

Then we headed out to my grandparents house.  We ended up with a nice group of people & hung out for the afternoon & evening.  Dad made pheasant, with an orange-persimmon glaze.  More yum.  And I think there were 6 sides - so much food.  I also got a bunch of work done on my Otto bear - finished up the 2nd arm.   He still looked like an anteater. 

I finished Otto Sunday morning, just in time to meet with his recipient.  Well, I did give him a nose job while we were having tea.  It just wasn't right the first time.  (And he no longer looks like an anteater!)  It was great to get together w/ my mom-to-be friend one last time before the baby is born.

I gifted Otto with a super cute hat and blanket set from KinderCotton, which is run by one of the gals I knit with.  Sorry for the dark photos...I was in a hurry ;-) 

On Sunday, I spent a bit of time in Portland with my parents before starting the trip back north.  I got a couple cool photos of this wall outside the EcoTrust building in the Pearl District. 

Anyway...overall it was a great weekend, I got a lot accomplished, and it was great to see everyone!