Vacation from Vacation

We were so happy that Dylan was able to sneak away for two nights and meet us in Portland. We were not quite to the half way mark of this month when we met up with him on Monday, but close enough so that it doesn't seem like an eternity before our whole family will be together again. He got us a great hotel room right downtown and managed to get a really early check-in and a late check-out to accommodate a nap for Gavin every day.

It was such an awesome trip! It started off interesting when I drove downtown and Siri was confused about where I was and sent me aimlessly all over the place. I'm not good at crazy downtowns. Especially ones foreign to me. But, I managed to finally just pull into the next spot I could see so I could find a restroom for my bursting bladder, and we met Dylan at the light rail station, where it just so happened that the once weekly Monday farmer's market was happening. We treated ourselves to a couple of crepes and then checked into the Westin.

While Dylan hung with Gavin for a nap, I did a lot of meandering downtown and spent a considerable amount of time in Powell's Books. I forgot how fun it is to browse in a bookstore, and of course I left with a couple of treats. When G was up, we went on a long walk at the Riverfront Park and ended up at the tram station. This is a legitimate form of transportation for people going to OHSU, but we rode it just for fun because we thought Gavin would enjoy it. He did. Luckily Dylan found us a street car to take back to the hotel because it was actually pretty hot outside, and we were tired. Then, D and G went out on a walk to a park while I read and relaxed. I was so happy to have some off-duty time. At night, Tess made the trip into downtown to hang at the room while Gavin slept, and Dylan and I hit the town for dinner and dessert. Awesome!

Gavin on the tram

On the terrace at OHSU.

Dinner date for Italian food!

Tuesday morning was up and at 'em early. We had an amazing breakfast at The Dime Store, then took the light rail to the Oregon Zoo. Tess and Mikaila met us there, and it was so much fun. Gavin was captivated by most of the animals, and especially by the construction site. It was home for a nap (which Gavin politely refused) and then back to Washington Park to hit the playground. We accidentally sent Gavin down a slide that wasn't quite his speed, so he got a little spooked and called it "scary slide." We also hit Jamison Square park for an incredible fountain/splash pad/pool thing on the way back to the hotel. We stayed just a block from about 50 food trucks, so Dylan grabbed us some international fare for dinner. All in all, we sampled about five food trucks over the course of the trip. Delightful.

At the zoo with Dad

Petting zoo with Aunt Tess!

Backhoes and excavators!

Making friends with a baby elephant in Washington Park

Jamison Square. No bathing suit...oh well.

We need this in PHX!

On Wednesday we took the light rail to the Children's Museum, which was a HUGE hit for Gavin. We stayed over two hours, and I don't think anything has ever kept his attention for so long. Then, while G slept, Dylan met his siblings for lunch. Cody and Abby and family had some stuff to do in Portland that day, so it was nice for them to all get together. When G woke up, we all made the trip back to the fountain/splash pad/pool thing, and the boys had a blast. Then we packed it up at lightning speed, and G and I sat in Portland traffic while D zoomed to the airport on the light rail. After that, the drive back to the beach was easy peasy. It feels nice to be back, but we miss Dylan oh-so-much already!

Riding the "choo-choo" was a real highlight for Gavin.

Thug.

Some digger thing at the museum. He loved it!

Going shopping

This water table boat thing was his favorite.

Digging in the dirt.

Not big on climbing trees.

Ambulance man!

We packed so much into two days/three nights that it feels like we were there for much longer. We have a couple of days on the coast to do the beach thing and then it's the weekend with family!