Excursions

BFFs + Littles in the Windy City

April 24, 2015 by dailygnome Leave a Comment

Our first ever trip with my college girlfriends and our mini mes. We stayed in the Lincoln Park neighborhood and were treated to spring temps during our long weekend in Chicago.

Hads and I arrived a day early to spend the morning at American Girl Doll’s flagship store on Michigan Avenue. She’d been anticipating meeting Julie since around Christmas and the day did not disappoint. We arrived just after opening so we practically had the store to ourselves. Overwhelmed, she didn’t know which direction to go first. She’s been diligently saving her pennies the past few months and had her list in hand.

And of course, as with all our trips, we made it a point to hit some good restaurants.

Hadley experienced her first taste of Chicago-style pizza at Lou Manati’s.
Mandatory brunch at Nookies. Chicago has hundreds of B.Y.O.B. restaurants which I think is such a novel idea. Cheers to two rounds of mimosas for under $10. Would love for the trend to catch on in Portland.

We spent a long sunny afternoon at Maggie Daley Park in the heart of downtown. Hadley’s fav? Sliding down a slide with her back airborne the entire ride. Must return in the winter months to experience the Ice Ribbon.

It was so sweet to see our daughters bond and play together…

Rooftop dance party on the last night…

Unplugging

July 25, 2011 by dailygnome 2 Comments

My friend Shelley and her husband purchased a bit of land in the gorge a few years ago, set up a yurt and use it for their weekend escapes.

When she invited me for a weekend of unplugging, relaxing, and soaking up the sun with a few girlfriends I readily accepted the invitation.

Rocking chairs and vintage loungers on the deck command relaxation.

Shelley has the meal planning down to an art. With everything prepped and planned I felt very spoiled. Seriously, all that was left to do was pop a cork or fire up the burner for the morning French press:

Pointing out Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams had the clouds not been in the way:

Time passes quickly when relaxing is mixed with good conversation, disconnecting and yummy food. All I remember is falling asleep in the hammock, reading some tidbits in my current Real Simple, sipping cocktails and laughing a lot.

I could watch the sun set over this view every night. How about you?

Black Butte

February 25, 2011 by dailygnome 3 Comments

Three day weekends in February are meant for heading up to the mountain. Thanks to Amanda for inviting us to her family’s vacation home in Black Butte. With no shortage of snow, there was plenty of play…

Insisted on being the puller:

Happily accepted a lift:

Finally gave in as long as she could be “The Big Girl”:

And Carson on skis! Riding the chairlift and making pizzas:

R&R at Mt. Hood Bed & Breakfast

January 21, 2011 by dailygnome 1 Comment

This week Jason and I played hooky and hit the mountain for a little getaway at one of my clients, Mt Hood Bed & Breakfast. Looking forward to spending the night in a cozy cabin amidst a winter wonderland, upon arrival it was apparent we’d have to use our imagination thanks to the recent warm spell:

Once settled we headed a few miles up the road for dinner to Cooper Spur and their Bottomless Taco Night {$5 all you can eat crunchy tacos? I’m not a buffet fan but I was in heaven}.

Even without snowflakes coming down the cabin was cozy and the wood burning stove kept us toasty all night. Built as the original homestead, the cabin sits on a hillside with stables underneath {I could hear the horses stirring in the night}. I didn’t get a decent photo of the inside but here’s some professional shots that do it justice.

The owners Mike and Jackie are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Winter is their slow season {from late spring through early fall they host up to three weddings each weekend}. We were their only guests so it allowed plenty of time for catching up and a personal tour of the property {thanks Jackie}.

When Mike isn’t building an addition onto the house, planting orchards, or making custom furniture from old barn flooring, he whips up delicious breakfasts. In the morning we were greeted with a first course of dutch babies accompanied by a glass of fresh-pressed apple cider:

After saying our goodbyes we drove up to Timberline and found all the snow. It was a windy day for skiing but the powder was fresh and the lift lines non existent. I fought the urge to turn into the lodge early and curl up by the fire with a book {seriously, isn’t this tempting given the conditions?}. I tried to rationalize it since we got a free ticket but I toughed it out {after putting some glove warmers in}.

BFFs + Littles in the Windy City

Unplugging

Black Butte

R&R at Mt. Hood Bed & Breakfast

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