Oregon, but not forgotten

Because Mimi had some time off and because I had some vacation time from my not-so-new-anymore job, we decided to head to the undersea kingdom of Portlandia for a couple of days.

Okay, it was really just Portland and it was mostly dry while we were there, but it was nice to take a little road trip and get away for some fun with friends and family.

We got to see cousin April (Yuki's cousin, my niece) who just moved there. We had a "lovely" dinner on our first night there which consisted mostly of Yuki, who took one twenty-minute nap on the way down, being a complete spaz and entirely insufferable. Mimi and I had to tag-team to prevent a total meltdown, and April, who is very used to lots of little ankle-biters anyway, was rather gracious about our spotty parenting. Yuki did learn April's name quickly, although we all thought it sounded like she was saying "airport."

The next day we went to the Portland Children's Museum. It was "Free Friday" so it was packed and noisy and mostly fun when I wasn't yelling at other people's children. Yuki put in some time as a dispatcher,

visited the Oregon Mystery Tube,


before spending the rest of the day getting wet in the crazy, Rube Goldberg-esque water park in the museum.

Then we went to lunch at the one place we couldn't pass up.


The food was middling to good, and Ms. This Place Is Named After Me was coming due on her nap, so to avoid another scene like we had with cousin Airport -- April, excuse me, we ate as quickly as the somewhat disinterested waiter would allow and got out.

After tucking Her Highness in for a nap, I lit out on a four mile round trip (on foot!) to accomplish the one thing I wanted to accomplish while in Portland.

The Bacon Maple Doughnut. I'll wait here while you contemplate that ... Done? Good. I would like to thank Voodoo Doughnut for creating this cholesterol bomb, and for not selling it outside of Portland. It is quite possibly the world's most perfect food that I shouldn't eat more than once a year.

Later we (including the blisters the size of my face that had developed on my heels from walking four miles in crappy shoes) paid a visit to our pals in Portland, Amy & Tim and their two sweet girlies.

There was watching of "Yo Gabba Gabba,"

And much eating of food and walking down the street,

and riding in wagons,


and sliding down the slowest slide in the whole wide world (seriously, I could have sent her down, climbed off the structure, and walked over to the bottom of the slide and still have had to wait for her to get there),


and wearing of ridiculous hats.


This did not all happen on the same day but I thought I'd condense it to keep this slide show moving.

We also visited some of the less savory neighborhoods in Narnia, via the cabinet under the sink in our hotel,

And made sure Pooh-san had a nutritious breakfast.


And I think there was a trip to the zoo with cousin April on Saturday but most of what I remember from that was dropping everybody off, then driving around for 45 minutes until I found a parking space. Then train, elephant, bear, lunch, total Yuki meltdown, aaaaand scene. So two for two on the falling apart in front of your cousin, kid. Nice work.

And, finally, because it is still Easter Sunday as I'm typing this, here's Yuki in her Easter bonnet which is really just this hysterically frilly hat that Mimi's mother sent us a couple of years ago that I can't believe ever fit on her enormous coconut.


Anon.