Portland! What a (road) Trip!

Our drive in on Sunday seems to have used up the last of the area’s sunshine. . . . it was a beautiful welcome!

I imported these photos into Blogger last night (so pleased my trip to the Apple store seems to have worked me through the difficulty I was having with that earlier), and I’d hoped to put together a little post on our road trip which — as some of you clever readers guessed, has, indeed, taken us to Portland.

But instead of writing that post, I wrote this little Status Update on Facebook this morning:

“When you’re away from home, and you think you’ve found a great new little place to eat, but by the time you get back to your hotel room your tummy hurts, and you lie in bed in the dark for a few hours hoping maybe you’re imagining it until it’s pretty clear you’re not. . . .At least, when you wake up with absolutely nothing in your tummy, every abdominal muscle promising it’s going to hurt even more tomorrow, your husband brings you back tea from the hotel dining room, in china, not cardboard. . . Now to see if I can keep it down. (’cause by “you,” I meant “I’ all along. You knew that, right?)”

So, yeah, there’s not much energy or enthusiasm here for the post I’d intended. I’m moving very gingerly, and I know there will be a very long nap, if I’m lucky.

I have enjoyed my time on my own while Pater’s in meetings; despite the constant grey cold and rain I had a great run by the river our first morning here, and I’ve logged many miles admiring the architecture of the older commercial buildings downtown. I’m hoping to get out again with my camera tomorrow, but for now, here are some photos I took while out on my run a few days ago.

I’m always pleased to see women publicly memorialised for their cultural and political contributions to society, leaving our mark on our local geographies, so I was pleased to run by this statue (by American artist Bill Bane, apparently) of Portland’s mayor from 1993 to 2005, Vera Katz, a great supporter of the arts according to my quick research.

We were having coffee in the hotel coffeeshop, and two young women were having a male friend snap their photo with Bumble (did you know that Matt Groening of The Simpsons fame is from Portland? Good enough reason to have his Abominable Snowman lighting up the place.). Pater waited unti they’d left, and then insisted my blog readers would like a photo of me, similarly posed. My face shows you how convinced I was . . . 

And that’s all I can manage for today, sorry. Normally, I’d fiddle to correct the formatting, and I should probably change the  post title, but I think this will just have to do. . . Imagine me waving, wanly, from my hotel bed. . .  but with every intention of bouncing back by tomorrow. 

18 Comments

  1. hostess of the humble bungalow
    13 January 2016 / 4:40 pm

    Oh that sounds miserable….tummy upset on holidays is never nice.
    Have you ever tried ginger to ease your tummy distress? There are lozenges as well as the root that you can brew as tea…take care.
    If it is any consolation the weather here is grey and dismal too…

    • materfamilias
      14 January 2016 / 5:13 pm

      The meal I had before my tummy rejected it unequivocally contained at least a tablespoon of chopped raw ginger. So . . . .
      Luckily, I'm much better today, and a good refreshing walk should reset the system, I hope. Thanks for the sympathy!

  2. Patricia
    13 January 2016 / 5:54 pm

    Oh dear! My commiserations! Well, at least you have the option of staying in bed (unlike when we were on our bike tour in Austria and both my husband and I became similarly indisposed). And I can see exactly what you were thinking when Pater snapped that photo! :0)

    Get well soon, hope you can salvage something from the rest of the trip.

    • materfamilias
      14 January 2016 / 5:13 pm

      For being sick away from home, this was really as good as it gets. Your experience sounds horrid!

  3. Madame Là-bas
    13 January 2016 / 6:45 pm

    What a shame that you're feeling sick on one of your first "go-along" opportunities. Did you pass the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Park in your travels?
    West coast grey here but I saw my first snowdrop blooming yesterday. Hope that you are feeling better and can enjoy.

    • materfamilias
      14 January 2016 / 5:15 pm

      I had no idea there was a Beverly Cleary Sculpture Park here, but I've checked and found it on the map (a school named after her as well!). I won't get there this visit, as I'm moving more slowly than normal today, but I'll make a mental note for next time. Can't wait to spot a snowdrop!

  4. Beth
    14 January 2016 / 2:30 am

    Hope you feel better fast!! So sorry!

  5. Beth
    14 January 2016 / 2:30 am

    Hope you feel better fast!! So sorry!

    • materfamilias
      14 January 2016 / 5:15 pm

      Thanks, Beth. All good now!

  6. Raquelita
    14 January 2016 / 5:28 am

    Oh, no! I hope you feel much better soon! Being sick on the road is no fun at all.

    • materfamilias
      14 January 2016 / 5:15 pm

      Thanks! Better now, thank goodness!

  7. Anonymous
    14 January 2016 / 6:41 am

    I am so sorry!
    Hope you are feeling better by now!
    Agree with Hostess,and umeboshi is great for this kind of problems,too
    If you have nothing of these,you can try with popular beverage -Enjoy C… C…!-slowly ,sip-pause-sip…. this is only situation when it is actually good to drink it to stop the problems
    Not to mention the importance of staying rehydrated,water,tea,in small sips
    Take care
    Dottoressa

    • materfamilias
      14 January 2016 / 5:16 pm

      At least the violence of food poisoning is matched by the quickness of recovery — I was out for a good 24 hours, and really sick that first night, but all better now. Thanks for the sympathy and advice.

  8. Rosie
    14 January 2016 / 7:03 am

    So sorry to hear you've been unwell Frances, especially as youre away from home. Hopefully by the time you read this you'll be feeling much better.
    Take care,
    Rosie

    • materfamilias
      14 January 2016 / 5:16 pm

      Thank you!

  9. annie
    14 January 2016 / 7:38 am

    Just waved back at you via the laptop screen. You could lie there and pretend to be exercising mindfulness. The only answer is sleep and water…perhaps green tea?

    • materfamilias
      14 January 2016 / 5:17 pm

      Yes, I was ever so mindful. . . .Sleep, water, tea, and episodes of Peaky Blinders, Downton Abbey, and Madame Secretary….

  10. Mardel
    15 January 2016 / 12:04 am

    Oh I'm so sorry to hear you were unwell. It has happened to me, and how nice that you can just take it easy for a day. Hope you are better and can still enjoy some of your stay.

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