Urban Beauty

I'm writing this on the train headed north from Portland to Bellingham, a new experience for me. I'm glad I brought my laptop along on this trip, making it possible to post Blips and keep up with email.

If you're considering coming to Portland, we'd heartily recommend the Everett Street Guesthouse Studio Cottage, where we stayed. I expect that the two B&B rooms in the Guesthouse are equally nice. I can't imagine an area with more vibrant gardens, interesting homes, diverse trees, or friendly residents, and it's very easy to get around on foot or by bus.

We walked around our neighborhood this morning, a "farewell-for-now" tour of sorts, enjoying the beauty one more time, before catching a couple of busses to our favorite brewpub. Yes, we visited Cascade Brewery Barrel House for a third time in five days!

Their wonderful Raspberry Ale was our drink of choice with a light lunch of soup (clam chowder for Phil and Cascade's beer and cheese soup for me). The pub had a more energetic "vibe" today, with more people there than on our earlier weekday visits.

After lunch we took a cab to Union Station, arriving in plenty of time for our train. The rhythm of the rails and the interesting things to see along the way have lulled me into a lassitude that makes creative writing falter, so for now, I'll just say have a lovely weekend, Blippers!