Read the review.
A visit to Sam Hill’s Stonehenge
Thursday we cheered on the Timbers. Friday we spent some time at the Hall of Records‘ wax broker riot. And Saturday we merely spent a couple hours at the Alberta Art Hop (after helping some friends move and before the obligatory sunny Saturday beer with friends at Amnesia). By Sunday morning we were determined to do one of two things: either stay home and relax, or jump in Heather’s Saabaru and carom through the Columbia River Gorge. What do you think we did? Yup.
Heather and I have made several [1, 2, 3] trips to the Gorge since she moved to Portland, but our adventures never took us further east than Hood River. We decided to throw the net a little wider this time.
We left Portland around 10am and didn’t even stop in Hood River. We were on our way to Maryhill, Washington. Maryhill is a small farming community about 100 miles from Portland. On a bluff overlooking the town, the Columbia River, Biggs Junction, and the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge stands Sam Hill‘s Stonehenge, a full sized replica of the original. He built his stonehenge as a memorial to the first World War war dead from Klickitat County.
How I spent my Grey Cup Sunday
Poutine in Portland II
Update: If you’re looking for Poutine in Portland, check out our new site: Portland Poutine!
With the Coupe Grey in Montreal fast approaching, this seems an opportune time to revisit my favorite French-Canadian invention: poutine!
Over a year ago I beseeched the blog readers of Portland to reveal to me the location of poutine in Portland.
And the bloggers of Portland heard my call! (Well, at least altportland‘s VJ and Cuisine Bonne Femme from PortlandFoodAndDrink.com, and now blogging at Food Carts Portland did.)
Since that time the Florida Room has ceased to offer poutine, but Potato Champion has taken up the call to champion poutine to the people of Portland.
And of course, you have the option of making your own poutine. I buy fresh cheese curds whenever I can find them (Rogue Creamery‘s are available occasionally at the farmers markets), and I have a Québécoise friend who, whenever she makes a trip to her homeland, brings me back cans and packets of poutine gravy. And of course, french fries are easy! Other Portlanders have tried their hand at making poutine too – check out this delicious account, with photos, at Gild the (Voodoo)lily,: homemade sweet potato poutine.
Dave Knows Canada
Update: Alas, other geniuses have already invented my invention
Potato chips are the topic of a recent post on my favorite Canadian blog, XUP. Here’s a sample:
They’re Lay’s Classic. Shiny yellow, red and white bag. The King of Chips. Every one perfection. No brown rims of leftover peel. No green aliens. No overcooked freaks. Just the right amount of bubbly ones to make them special — a treat. No weird flavours or ripples. No pretense to healthiness.*
She should be writing copy for Frito Lay!
In any case, this post inspired me. I have come up with a million-dollar (Canadian) invention:
That’s right, Poutine**-flavoured potato chips!!!!
* You can tell XUP is Canadian because she uses the British/Canadian spelling of “flavor”, but also calls the fried potato snack “chips”, not “crisps” like a Brit would do.
** Portlanders can find authentic poutine at Potato Champion (SE 12th and Hawthorne).