Northwest kind of day

I had an early Friday night: just a few happy hour drinks with Fay, and then I went to bed around 10:00. The next day I was going for a bike ride up to Sara's in St. Johns and then onward to Sauvie Island for the strawberry picking. Kat, Brooke and Gene were an addition to Sara and me. I biked the 12 miles to Sara's house and still got there first! I won the grand prize of the first cup of joe and smug satisfaction at beating the wussies who had to drive their bikes up. Ha!

Sara had a truckload of mulch headed her way around 1, and we left the house around 9. It was a nice peddle over the St. John's Bridge, which is a poetic feat in engineering. I know from teaching the youth, that the engineer who designed SJB lost the bid for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. When he claimed that the TNB was destined to fail, everyone poo-pooed him as sour grapes. That must have been some serious SMUG SATISFACTION when Galloping Gertie finally twisted into oblivion. But I digress. Kat was on her wheels, which she calls "Blanch Deveroux" because her bike is not exactly the speediest. After that trip, she's decided to look into the road bike variety.

Once we got to Sauvie Island Farms, we parked the bikes and started picking. It was the same farm I went to with Amber shortly after I moved to Portland, I think in August. This day was warm but misty. Definitely the quintessential PNW day. The days that are endless blue skies are slightly surreal, and their beauty is almost alienating. This kind of day is embracing and serene.




Except for the annoying children, it ended up being a pretty swell day. PNW children may be more annoying than any other variety. And by children, I of course mean parents. Ugh. There was one couple had babies attached to backs and a general little brood running around. Super granola. One girl was running across the rows of strawberries right next to me. Really? All of these fields and people, and you have to be next to me? I guess I'll have to accept the fact that children like me, and I, sort of, like them.

.I was more into the day for the bike ride than the produce procuring, but I did get about 2 lbs of strawberries, spinach, and a lettuce mix. I didn't know it grew like that: all different colors and textures growing out of one head of lettuce. I also got a bunch of peonies, which were spectacularly beautiful. I just wanted to face plant into them.
After about two hours, it was time to peddle homeward. Dr. Gene got a little macho, and I couldn't let him outstrip all of us, an especially not my Bella Bicicletta. I got a nice ride in based on pure ego competition.

Once we got back to Sara's, it was beer and lunch time: Nachos, weiners, and Session lager. Pretty soon the massive pile of steaming (literally) mulch arrived and we got down to business. Cue Gene's song: "Black Gold." We got quite a nice work out, and I had a nice buzz for the ride home. I'd like everyone to notice the pictures: even though I can ride almost 50 miles, part of it sprinting, I still have a beer gut. Geez. What do I have to do, starve myself or give up drinking? Either of those options seem like a fate worse than death. I guess I'll keep my spare tire. Not pretty though. I need one of the black bars across my midsection. Wish I could photo shop that in there.

On that note, I immediately bike home, showered, and went to the grocery store for delish Saturday night dinner with Fay. It was her decision to officially nix the strawberries to go with home made whipped cream, in her words "like eating a stick of butter." Very wise Fay, very wise. I'll post those pics in a bit. I'm already running a bit late for an ACE Charter School Family dinner. I made potato salad to Ro-Ro's recipe. Show em how we do it in the dirty South.