Greetings from Portland—and onward to Hood River, the Columbia River Gorge, and the Timberline Lodge, where I will, for the first time ever, ski. Of course, the Gorge has been a bit less serene than this picture (taken on my last trip in 2008), as demonstrated by this epic newscast from the Vista House two days ago. Ugh.

My ultra-cheapo ticket to Portland—$120 r/t has a few strings attached, notably, my needing to fly out of Indianapolis. And then connect. And connect again. Whatever. Those are valuable segments in the quest toward frequent flyer royalty.

I’m pretty excited to see my friend Jennie, who I worked with 4(?) summers ago. Four, yeah. Jennie’s been living out in Portland, and never without a sense of adventure. And a great taste for micro-brews and being a foodie. There are some Portland haunts I’m looking forward to, perhaps none as much as Canoe—a tchotchke shop for me. Canoe is minimalist, heavy on walnut wood, and mid-century aesthetics. I have no use for most of the stuff they sell—$18 notebooks and wooden bird statuettes—and yet, presently so seriously, so significantly, I can’t help but want it all.

And then there’s the phallic doughnuts. Seriously. More to come on this later.