How I spent my autumn vacation, part 3
Nov. 4th, 2001 12:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivkaSunday, October 28
Sunday morning, the weather was just on the verge of possibly thinking about someday becoming clear. It was a good time for it, because our plan for the day was to drive out to the Columbia River Gorge with Wynona and Jeff and Wynona's six-year-old son Alex. We went in two cars, because Jeff would be driving up to Seattle later in the day - and because kids (Alex in particular) can be unpredictable travel companions. (Yes, this is foreshadowing.)
We were headed for Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington. Skamania used to be one of Wynona's and my favorite places, but in recent years it seems to have gotten a lot more crowded. I remember that the last time we went, we spent all of Sunday afternoon lounging in rocking chairs in front of the enormous stone fireplace in the great room. This year, we had trouble finding seats in that room at all. Fortunately, though, they hadn't changed the view (enormous plate glass windows overlook the Columbia River and the forested hills that surround it), or the Sunday brunch.
Good heavens, the Skamania Sunday brunch. How shall I describe it? Let's begin with the free-flowing pitchers of mimosas, made with fresh-squeezed orange juice. The made-to-order omelets. The thick-cut alderwood-smoked bacon. The prime rib. The baked salmon with a delicate fresh ginger remoulade that finally brought home exactly what the guests on Iron Chef mean when they say "this sauce really brings out the natural flavor of the ___". The eggs benedict. The cold seafood bar featuring mussels, prawns, crab legs, and smoked fish. The salmon hash. The fresh buttery croissants. The uncountable lunch-type hot dishes, most of which I didn't even register - except for the Santa Fe chicken, which was good enough but kind of faded into the background compared to their heavenly breakfast food. The beautifully cut and arranged fresh fruit. The blintzes. The dessert table. The impeccable service. The view of the Gorge. More mimosas.
We really needed those rocking chairs by the fire, I tell you. But instead I played a couple of games of chess with Alex, who at six is just good enough that I couldn't zone out and stop paying attention. (Although we did play a generous game: "Are you sure you want to move there? If you do, what am I going to do with my bishop?") Misha read the paper. About halfway through the afternoon, Alex had a meltdown and was quickly whisked back to Portland by Jeff. Wynona stayed with us, and we spent an hour or so relaxing and talking in Skamania's outdoor hot tub.
The outdoor tub is designed not to stand out jarringly from the scenery. It's irregularly shaped, covered with dark matte tiles, and large enough to swim in. It's beautifully landscaped with native plants. There's an artificial waterfall into a cold pool, separated from the hot tub by a small pile of rocks. The views into the Gorge are amazing. By this time the sky had largely cleared, and sunlight was playing on the far hills.
Eventually, reluctantly, we went back to Portland. Jeff left for Seattle, and we decided to get takeout Vietnamese food so we could hang out more with Wynona (who was putting Alex to bed). Unfortunately, we arrived at Saigon Kitchen to find that they were closed Sunday. Fortunately, a quick phone call to Wynona revealed that her housemate had decided to stay home for the evening, so she was free to go out. We went to Takahashi, one of my favorite former sushi haunts. They used to have 40% off sushi on Wednesdays and Sundays - it's now only 25% off, but the pieces are pretty much as big as your head, so we still wound up with almost more sushi than we could eat for about $15 each. Takashashi's decor used to involve stunningly huge amounts of kitschy Japanese souvenirs and decorative motifs, hung on the wall and literally piled in the corners. They've expanded, but they don't appear to have bought more stuff - so it's spread more thinly. The place now looks merely overdecorated.
The three of us went back to Wynona's to drink more tea and cuddle together on her couch, under a blanket. (I had forgotten how cold Portland houses are. I don't know why, but everyone's house we visited was freezing. Maybe I'm overly used to living in modern, well-insulated apartments with good central heating.) The evening ended when Misha fell asleep with his head on my shoulder, and I decided it would only be fair to take him back to the hotel and put him to bed.
Sunday morning, the weather was just on the verge of possibly thinking about someday becoming clear. It was a good time for it, because our plan for the day was to drive out to the Columbia River Gorge with Wynona and Jeff and Wynona's six-year-old son Alex. We went in two cars, because Jeff would be driving up to Seattle later in the day - and because kids (Alex in particular) can be unpredictable travel companions. (Yes, this is foreshadowing.)
We were headed for Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington. Skamania used to be one of Wynona's and my favorite places, but in recent years it seems to have gotten a lot more crowded. I remember that the last time we went, we spent all of Sunday afternoon lounging in rocking chairs in front of the enormous stone fireplace in the great room. This year, we had trouble finding seats in that room at all. Fortunately, though, they hadn't changed the view (enormous plate glass windows overlook the Columbia River and the forested hills that surround it), or the Sunday brunch.
Good heavens, the Skamania Sunday brunch. How shall I describe it? Let's begin with the free-flowing pitchers of mimosas, made with fresh-squeezed orange juice. The made-to-order omelets. The thick-cut alderwood-smoked bacon. The prime rib. The baked salmon with a delicate fresh ginger remoulade that finally brought home exactly what the guests on Iron Chef mean when they say "this sauce really brings out the natural flavor of the ___". The eggs benedict. The cold seafood bar featuring mussels, prawns, crab legs, and smoked fish. The salmon hash. The fresh buttery croissants. The uncountable lunch-type hot dishes, most of which I didn't even register - except for the Santa Fe chicken, which was good enough but kind of faded into the background compared to their heavenly breakfast food. The beautifully cut and arranged fresh fruit. The blintzes. The dessert table. The impeccable service. The view of the Gorge. More mimosas.
We really needed those rocking chairs by the fire, I tell you. But instead I played a couple of games of chess with Alex, who at six is just good enough that I couldn't zone out and stop paying attention. (Although we did play a generous game: "Are you sure you want to move there? If you do, what am I going to do with my bishop?") Misha read the paper. About halfway through the afternoon, Alex had a meltdown and was quickly whisked back to Portland by Jeff. Wynona stayed with us, and we spent an hour or so relaxing and talking in Skamania's outdoor hot tub.
The outdoor tub is designed not to stand out jarringly from the scenery. It's irregularly shaped, covered with dark matte tiles, and large enough to swim in. It's beautifully landscaped with native plants. There's an artificial waterfall into a cold pool, separated from the hot tub by a small pile of rocks. The views into the Gorge are amazing. By this time the sky had largely cleared, and sunlight was playing on the far hills.
Eventually, reluctantly, we went back to Portland. Jeff left for Seattle, and we decided to get takeout Vietnamese food so we could hang out more with Wynona (who was putting Alex to bed). Unfortunately, we arrived at Saigon Kitchen to find that they were closed Sunday. Fortunately, a quick phone call to Wynona revealed that her housemate had decided to stay home for the evening, so she was free to go out. We went to Takahashi, one of my favorite former sushi haunts. They used to have 40% off sushi on Wednesdays and Sundays - it's now only 25% off, but the pieces are pretty much as big as your head, so we still wound up with almost more sushi than we could eat for about $15 each. Takashashi's decor used to involve stunningly huge amounts of kitschy Japanese souvenirs and decorative motifs, hung on the wall and literally piled in the corners. They've expanded, but they don't appear to have bought more stuff - so it's spread more thinly. The place now looks merely overdecorated.
The three of us went back to Wynona's to drink more tea and cuddle together on her couch, under a blanket. (I had forgotten how cold Portland houses are. I don't know why, but everyone's house we visited was freezing. Maybe I'm overly used to living in modern, well-insulated apartments with good central heating.) The evening ended when Misha fell asleep with his head on my shoulder, and I decided it would only be fair to take him back to the hotel and put him to bed.
