I set the alarm for 6:45, but woke with the sunrise at 6 and tried to sleep, but finally rose about 6:30. I made coffee and tea for Emma, who soon rose (being still on Michigan time, and experience I am familiar with for guests). I put away doing the blog until the evening and instead rushed to get my shower and all that done. While Emma enjoyed her tea (Russian Caravan from the Upton Tea Company), I got all that done, and soon we were in Air VW the Gray and headed to La Provence off of Cedar Hills Boulevard. We would often circle on this street today. There Emma had the hash and I their version of an Eggs Benedict (which I think is better on an English muffin than a croissant). Breakfast was grand, as always, and priced high, but I find it close in price to other places that serve food, trying to rise to La Provence’s quality.
It is cooler, grayer, and we will get some light rain. Emma has her coat and me my hat and coat. It is never more than sprinkles where we are. We do hear on large thunder that we thought might have been something worse, but nope, thunder.
Next, we tour apartments that fit Emma’s price and location (near the Max, near service, and walkable). We park the car and look at the area (the offices were closed on the weekend at all the places we visited, if they had an office). Air Conditioning was not included, and only one of the high-cost places advertised covered utilities, not really in a walkable location. I spotted an AC window unit that was quite telling. You need to bring your own!
We parked in Hillsboro to look at another apartment near the end of the Blue Line MAX, then walked through the Saturday Market. There was plenty to tempt us, and had we not been stuffed with La Provence goodness and had we not many more circles to make (Emma’s leftover hash was soon a science experiment and disposed of), we might have gotten more goodies. These apartments, rather urban, checked all of Emma’s boxes.
(Saturday Market)
We connected with more apartments and continued to cross Beaverton. Baseline Road became almost a joke as we drove it often, “Guess which road we are on, Emma?” Swagat’s huge dinner/lunch, with various small bits that added up to a nap-inducing meal, was my choice after Emma mentioned Indian-style as a favorite. On the way, I let a car, I am an Oregonian, cut in, and then, to the surprise of all of us, did a U-turn in the intersection. But as this is Oregon, no horns, and everyone seemed to just take a sip of their coffee and let it happen. It is different here. I explained, and Emma adopted my belief that many people are assured in their soul and their God or gods. They know either that they believe they are blessed or that the next life, or the afterlife, will be positive. Only that describes, in my mind, the driving and here. Not bad or careless driving, but faithful driving. Literally “go with God.”
We eschew the highways into Portland (and, for most of the circles, as Emma wants to see the area, not the five- or six-lane highways, which are going slow anyway). Navigation informs us that the back ways today are only a few minutes slower. We climb over the hills on the local roads; often, it is just green plants (and moss) everywhere, and a street. I make a few misses and get rerouted in crazy ways that amuse Emma (and this is an EV; there is no $5.65 gas for me). We get to Guardian Games, but first we do City Liquidators, and Emma cannot believe that all this crazy stuff (including full-sized airplanes, furniture, office stuff, and so on) is available. I have not been in this one before, and there are two floors! Delivery is not cheap, but available. The number of stuffed deer and elk heads (there is a full-sized elk) and other items (none for sale) is ridiculous.
Guardian Games’ main store is huge and provides a massive play area that is mostly in use. Emma is impressed, and I let her find her way. They have out Draw-7 and, when we reconnect, I show her how to play. It is a simple-to-understand but challenging card game. I get Emma the Player’s Survival Guide for Mothership (just a pamphlet and available for free as a PDF, I believe). We take another climb over the hill and return to Beaverton.
Emma enjoys our local Powell’s again at Cedar Hills Blvd. We both find some things we need and then head home. After a short break there, we select Lost Ruins of Arnak (now a massive box), to learn and play. We head to Wildwood Taphouse and discover that someone parked a car in front, and now the place, which had enjoyed natural light for most of its life, feels more cave-like, but there is still one table that is bright and available.
Emma finds her way in the sour beers, and I stick to lighter summer ones. I teach Emma the game, and the Emma I knew as a small person appears, and at times, I must play my best to win wtih Emma. Emma quickly learns and spots my engine-building and picks up some of the tricks. I do help her, like I would any player, when she misses a combination (they are easy to miss). I manage to reach the top of the research, but she matches me on it, giving me two points ahead. I had a pile of compasses and used them to buy artifact cards, which often gave me more and more resources. Emma missed this on her turn, but came back and got it in the last round. With the extra resources, I manage to squeak by with a win of about 12 points. Close, and very close, for a first-time player.
We had tried some bowls of crackers, but we needed real food. Emma is still going, it is late for her, and we did Mongolian Grill, which was exciting, and stuck with our “let ‘s-do-crazy” day. We got bowls of raw food, mixed in sauces (there is a suggestion board), and then they cook it on the big flaming grill. They provide rice pancakes and rice to go with it. I show Emma how to wrap it. We finished with ice cream, and now Emma, very late for her (we closed the Mongolian Grill), we headed home, and soon she was showered and sleeping. I stayed up late, finished the blog post, and did other house chores. I soon fell asleep.
Thanks for reading.
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