I’m sorry. We have been busy, and the break to write the blog did not appear until Saturday night.

Saturday

When we returned home Saturday evening, most of the snow was gone. It is raining and warm, and the snow will soon be a memory. Deborah did comment that I had not overstated the interesting driving of the Greater Portland Area drivers.

Starting tonight and going backward, Deborah and I have just returned to the house after watching “Mrs. Harrison,” a play at the Armory Theater in Portland’s Pearl District by R. Eric Thomas. This is a two-woman play that was quite good. I sadly had trouble hearing one of the actors; I have hearing loss in my surviving ear (the brain tumor I survived cost me the hearing and balance structures on my left side) that overlaps some voices, predominantly female words. Sitting with me in row F in orchestra seats (it was not the distance), Deborah heard fine. While I had some trouble following it, it worked for me, and I only wish I could have seen it again. I was tired after a long day, and I know my understanding of words sinks in the evening–CC on some shows already helps me. I expect glasses and hearing aids will not be far in the future for me.

The play was at the Armory, and we arrived from Screen Door. We had chicken and waffles at the southern-style place, and I put my second piece and part of Deborah’s in a box. It is a lot of food. We had fried okra (a first for Deborah) for an appetizer. We were early and sent to the bar while our table was ready, and we tried their Sazerac. This is an easy-to-drink boozy drink created originally in New Orleans and a favorite of mine (and Dondrea). Deborah had one, too, and thought it excellent.

Before this, we played video games at Ground Kontrol near Chinatown. We tried some old friends, like Space Invaders, Centipede, and the first version of the Asteroid games. We played a two-person version of the old Joust game with us, trying not to take each other. I tried some pinball and still am not good, but it lasts longer a few times. I tried the Doctor Who and Black Knight machines (The Addam’s Family machine was broken). Time flowed fast, and soon, we were headed to the Pearl District and dinner, as covered above.

Before this, we walked down to Chinatown and the Cheese-style garden. I have a membership with a visitor, so we got in for free. As we entered, the Lunar New Year celebration was winding down, but we still managed to get photos with the celebratory lions. Deborah loved the garden, and we made about two loops. You can make a multi-color print and buy some calligraphy, and Deborah selected some items. We finished with tea in the Tea House at the Garden; the garden closed at 4:30 this Saturday.

Before this, Air VW the Gray delivered us to Portland’s Pearl District, and we parked in a charging location. We would later move the EV to a regular space at 98% charge. It is unfair to leave an EV in a charging location when you are finished charging (and you can be charged for that). We walked to Powell’s City of Books and had a coffee there. A guy made flowers out of scrap paper in the coffee area at Powell’s and made the paper appear to dance and float in the air. I know the magic trick for this, and he did a fantastic job of the work. It is difficult to pull that off as street magic; excellent! Deborah and others were amazed by the show and his fantastic folding work.

Deborah and I headed upstairs to the Rare Book Room. At John King’s Books in Detroit, Deborah found some unique items and wonders. There is a strict limit to the number of people allowed in the room, so we had to wait. Deborah got a pass, and then I looked at something and returned to a line eight deep. I finally joined Deborah. There was a companion to the Hornblower books I loved to read when I was young ($150) and the identical translations I got at John King’s of Greek Tragities for the same price I paid ($100). Deborah discovered books that matched her personal collection of children’s books. Deborah noticed one of her items was mismarked, and while the price went up, the gal gave Deborah 10% off her purchase for her “sharp eyes.”

Powell’s had some miniature books made and sold in the Rare Book Room. I selected Henry V as a gift for Deborah. Deborah loved it.

Before this, we rose late, and I made scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon (extra crisp–but not burned–for Deborah).

Friday

Starting on Friday now and going forward, I woke to my alarm at 3:45 and texted Deborah. She was already at Detroit Airport (DTW) and headed to her plane to Seattle Airport (SeaTac). We texted back and forth, and around 4, I was out of bed. It was a difficult start. I followed along with Deborah’s progress, and she had WiFi on the plane, allowing texting once it was at cruise altitude. I used TripIt to track this trip, and soon, it warned of a delay in her second connecting flight to Portland (PDX) from SeaTac. A gate change also happened. Deborah arrived at SeaTac, reached her plane, and was about an hour late in PDX.

I took MAX into PDX as the winter weather still made transit complex and unpredictable. I parked Air VW the Gray at Willow Creek/185 MAX station and took the MAX in.  There were only a few minor delays, and I arrived there two hours early, plus the delayed time. I brought my Kindle and read.

Deborah appeared at the exit, and I waited in the stadium seating (I had gotten a Diet RC and pretzel at the Beer Hall as I showed signs of motion sickness). We were reunited and hugged. We got to MAX, and Deborah was impressed by our public transit. The snow was melting already. We reached the house without issue. The EV handled well in the snow.

Dinner was at Golden Valley Brewery (GVB) in Beaverton. For Valentine’s Day, we had prime rib, champagne, coffee drinks, and a shared dessert. Ross, who helped me set up the reservation, was our waiter. The food was terrific, and Deborah and I had a great time enjoying our first dinner in more than six weeks together.

We had a romantic two days and look forward to Sunday’s Amtrak trip to Seattle with Dondrea and Z.

Thanks for reading.