Foood Is Goood!

For the past month, we've been receiving a consistent flow of nutritious and delicious meals from friends.  This sweet tradition of nourishing newborn families removes a layer of stress and time commitment that might otherwise drive parents cRAzY.   The food tree setup by our family friend Tracy is finally winding down this week in serendipitous fashion:   last Monday, Bunny accidentally spilled the last few swigs of precious DragonFly Green Chai Tea supplied by my coworker Valerie (and reserved for yours truly), then  seconds later, my DragonFly-Chai-Brewer buddy Atom (who also had a first son/second child a couple of months ago) shows up on our doorstep with a refill of the exact same jar of tea.  UnCANny! 

Not only are we lucky to have a gracious community of refined 

culinary talents but also a bountiful bioregion to boot.  These days, food is SEXY in Portland with new farmer's markets and locavore-friendly restaurants popping up in every neighborhood.  Beside the exceptional quality of produce and healthy meats,  foodie establishments have become a nexus for community connections.  

With our home options diminishing, we ventured out to a new neighborhood breakfast joint yesterday, the 410 Cafe.  Despite the fizzling economy, this modern greasy spoon was recently opened by Morgan,  a dude that art-partied with us back in 2002 and who was also the former chef of the old (and much missed) clarklewis.   

After filling up on smoked trout and poached eggs, we headed to Peoples' Food Coop to get our fill of ingredients for future home-cooked meals.  I love People's because it's about the peoples as much as the groceries.  We shared community with fellow owners including Miles and Paul who had just seen us eating at the 410 Cafe earlier where another People's owner happened to say hello, too. 

Replenished and ready for the week, we headed to the Columbia Gorge for our first adventure outside of Portlad since River's birth.  

Catherine Creek was just far enough East for a rare dose of Spring-Break-Sunshine and blankets of Grass Widow and Gold Star wildflowers.  Lilly requested a visit to the Columbia River last week, and it was so very sweet to share its grandeur together as a family hiking to the top of an unusual basalt volcanic arch.  The day ended with dinner in Bingen and dessert in Hood River, both at restaurants highlighting locally grown organic foods.  

MMMmmmm

...goood!