1. After a relaxing morning lounging and yakking and and watching some golf in the Turner home, I fired up the Sube and catapulted north to North Portland's Kenton neighborhood and met up with Patrick and Meagan. They had just arrived from Seattle, but within minutes we bolted out the door of their handsome apartment and strolled to Swift and Union, a, as they advertise, true neighborhood restaurant.
We settled into a table without a wait. I started with a horseradish-y and spicy Bloody Mary and soon plunged into an order of salmon cakes egg benedict, served a top a freshly baked biscuit, accompanied with home fried potatoes.
I thoroughly enjoyed yakking with Patrick and Meagan about a bunch of things and experienced a jolt being in the company of their youth, aspirations, and energy.
2. We finished eating and took a spin through the Annual Kenton Neighborhood Street Fair and surveyed the vendors lining both sides of the street and listened, for a while, to a very accomplished teen age thrash metal band, another jolt for me. We made our way back to the apartment, I hydrated, we yakked some more, and soon I was back on the road, rocketing down I-5, headed to Eugene.
3. I arrived at Jeff's house. We embraced, he took me to my quarters, we had a quick and meaty conversation, and I bolted south to Cornucopia where I wandered to the outdoor seating in the back and met up with Debbie. I ordered a pint of Ninkasi's Prismatic Juicy IPA and my first sip arrested me -- the beer was so beautifully hopped and helped secure the reality that I wasn't dreaming -- I was back in Eugene after nearly eight months away, drinking a splendid Oregon beer, and sitting across from Debbie and falling into easy conversation. We talked for nearly two hours. I slowly enjoyed another pint of Prismatic and we shared a hummus plate.
It was a splendid evening at Cornucopia, punctuated by another jolt of youthful energy when Debbie and I had an extended conversation with our second server, a woman working to earn money in preparation to begin grad school late in the summer at Pacific University, entering the same program Debbie completed over ten years ago.
Back at Jeff's, we yakked for an hour or so in his study. We have a lot of catching up to do.
I retired for the night very happy to have had such a fantastic day filled with superb conversation and peerless company.
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