Tea Plus Booze Equals Brilliant - Portland, Oregon

Double Airstream action at Aunt Elaine's

Dallas, Oregon: My aunt and her family live on a dirt road outside of tiny Dallas, Oregon. In February, I travelled with my mom, sister and my grandmother to visit with my aunt and sister (who was up there on a medical school rotation) for a late holiday gathering. The area is lovely, wet and green. My sister Melissa and I took photos in and around the house. 

Madeline with Oregonian fish friend

Photo by Melissa Burman

Rainbow in Dallas

Mini pies made by cousin Lena for
February holiday festivities 
Photo by Melissa Burman

Jake the Dog

We also visited some local sites... 

Jensen Arctic Museum: Gut Parkas and Scrimshaw: Arctic scrimshaw, taxidermy bears, and dolls made of seal skin await visitors at the Jensen Arctic Museum. Located on the sleepy Western Oregon University Campus in Monmouth, Oregon, the museum features the astounding Alaskan collection of former WOU professor Paul Jensen, collected over 30 years of travels to the Arctic as an education consultant. The cases and drawers overflow with Arctic artifacts in this hidden treasure trove of a museum.

Madeline with bear pal at the Jensen Arctic Museum

Seal gut jacket doll at Jensen Arctic Museum

Snow Owls at Jensen Arctic Museum

Eskimo string game at Jensen Arctic Museum 

Walrus carved out of whale vertebrae 

Overcast but cute Portland

Tea Plus Booze Equals Brilliant at the Hazel Room, Portland:

The Hazel Room on Hawthorne Street in Portland serves coffee, tea, brunch, and most amazingly, a large selection of tea cocktails. How would you fancy a "hot nurse," with tea, honey, ginger, bourbon, and cayenne?

The teatotaler's Creme de la Earl Grey with Lavendar ice tea was so creamy, bright and delicious, I had to buy some loose tea to bring home with me to California. The waitress told me that blue mallow flowers give it a creamy flavor.

I was tickled to find giant rainbow cookies, a staple of Italian bakeries on the east coast, but little known in the west. Apricot, almond and chocolate flavors are all wrapped up in these bright little cake/cookie hybrids.

The dark victorian decor in the Hazel Room makes for the perfect setting to get blotto, caffeinated, or both on a drizzly Portland afternoon.

Rainbow Cake at the Hazel Room

Links:

Jensen Arctic Museum: http://www.oregonlink.com/arctic/index.html#arctic_visitor_info 
Western Oregon University, 590 E. Church Street, Monmouth, Oregon 97361 
Call 503-838-8468 to set up a tour.

The Hazel Room: http://thehazelroom.com
3279 SE Hawthorne, Portland, OR 97214
tel. (503)756-7125