Doris Mae II

Doris Mae II
Our newest travel bug. Follow her adventures!

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Southwind Treasures
Click the t-shirt to see where Bug & I get our tie-dyed clothes.

Doris Mae

Doris Mae
Click on the photo to follow the travels of our geocaching travel bug, Doris Mae.
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Sunday, September 30, 2012

Our first day in Portland

We arrived in Portland around 10am. We couldn't check in to our hotel until 3, so a friend & her son picked us up. We stopped to see her husband and his shop, then went to their house and took their dogs to the park for a bit. Bug LOVED Tito & Sid Pickles....

We went out for burgers, then headed to the Avalon Theatre & Wunderland...a nickel arcade! (some games took more than one nickel, but still...CHEAP!) Bug had a blast. It's on her list for our next visit.



 

We checked in to our hotel (Inn @ Northrup Station) and it was amazing! So colorful! There were jars of salt water taffy on every table in the lobby...Bug thought that that was pretty cool. We headed upstairs to our room to drop off our bags and take showers. Once we were cleaned up, we headed to my sister & brother-in-law's place (a short walk) and had dinner there. We then headed to a nearby school to watch the Vaux Swifts which roost in the school's chimney. It was amazing. There were SO MANY people there, which was really cool, too.  Here are some short video clips of the swifts:
Vaux Swifts 1
Vaux Swifts 2
Hawk trying to get Vaux Swifts

We then stopped for ice cream before heading back to the hotel to sleep and what wonderful sleep it was. The beds were incredibly comfortable. Most nights, Bug was out cold within 5-10 minutes. After 2 nights on the train, they felt even better to us, I'm sure. :)

Train ride to Portland OR

 We just got back from a family vacation to Portland OR. We rode Amtrak's Empire Builder (as we always do) and had a fantastic time (on the train AND in Portland). This post is just about the ride to Portland. We were riding coach for the first time in a while. We didn't sleep well, HOWEVER, it was the quietest coach car I have EVER been in.

 Here is Bug at the station on Friday (21st), waiting for the train to arrive.

A few hours later, she was out cold. OK. Maybe 1 of us slept pretty well. ;)
 

Bug has discovered Harry Potter recently and loves all things Gryffindor. On Saturday I gave her this shirt after breakfast. I think that she likes it.

The biggest surprise came a while later. I had knit a Gryffindor bag and filled it with Harry Potter goodies. I was going to give it to her, but then had a better idea. I talked with Steve, our car attendant, and he agreed to deliver it after the next stop. Here's a video of the delivery: 

She got a lot of different items.

This book was a big hit. 

She looks excited....what could it be?!?

A WAND! (you can make your own...here are the directions)

Time for a bit of hot chocolate. 

And some music....Harry & the Potters, of course. Thank you, Deaf Ear Records!

The chocolate frogs were good, it seems. 

Mmmm....lunch time!

Joyce brought us our lunch and talked about dragons (which is what Bug is holding over Joyce's head). 

Time for a little bit of knitting. She's trying to make a Gryffindor (of course) scarf for Hobbes, the one-eyed lion. 

Here she is, enjoying Quiddich Through the Ages. 

 Here she is with Steve. As he was moving in for the photo and reaching his arm out around Bug's shoulder he was saying "I don't usually do photos...."

 Portland!