Things to do in Portland on a rainy, blustery day

Muriel is leaving in the morning, so we planned our day today by choosing places to visit that included places Muriel had seen before and wanted to visit again and someplace she had never been that I thought she would enjoy. She chose Old Wives Tales for lunch. Mmmmm. One of my favorite Portland restaurants. It is simple, homey and I always have their Hungarian Mushroom soup, which is the best thing in the world on a rainy day.

After lunch we went to the Monticello Antique Marketplace, which Muriel remembered from a previous visit. It is always fun to visit and take a stroll through our childhood memories! I took this photo especially for my cousin, Ginger, who grew up in Lakeview, Oregon. I wonder if she remembers this old sign.

I am always surprised to see beautiful old photographs like this one for sale in an antique store. Don't we all treasure our old family photos? I can't imagine selling them to people who have no connection to the photo.

We found nothing we could not live without, but enjoyed looking and remembering when and where we had seen similar items before. Funny how a little ceramic figure of a southern belle can conjure up the memory of a kind-hearted childhood neighbor, or a well-worn stuffed toy seems to tell a whole story.

We ended our big adventure at McMenamin's Kennedy School. I can't believe I'd never thought to take Muriel there on any of her previous visits.

The McMenamin brothers are brewers who have transformed many, many historic properties into pubs, breweries and hotels. Their style is eclectic and quirky, while being respectful of the history of the old buildings they occupy. The Kennedy School, probably my very favorite McMenamin's, was an elementary school, built in NE Portland in 1915. Architecturally, it remains as it was, with classrooms turned into lodging, the gym into a movie theater, and various other rooms into a restaurant and small bars. The walls are lined with large historic photos from the school's history as well as wonderful paintings based on many old photos. We started, as most people do, by wandering the halls and marveling at the art.

"Passing on the torch of knowledge"

I really love this painting of the girls with their birdhouses. If you'd like to see more McMenamin's artwork, there is a flicker set someone has posted here. You can see more and better photos of the Kennedy School here. You must really see their pubs to fully appreciate the wealth of artwork the McMenamins have commissioned. Even the plumbing pipes and the electrical boxes are painted with faces, critters or quirky designs.

Muriel and I ended our visit to the Kennedy School in one of the old classroom bars, with a glass of wine and a plate of their wonderfully greasy french fries. Then we headed home to warmth and light and a comfy chair where we could rest our weary bones. It was a fun, and inspiring day.