Turns out I took a lot of pictures this year. I’m not surprised. Are you surprised? I mean, this is what my Flickr account looks like, and there are at least four months’ worth of photos from this year I haven’t even published yet.
I wanted to do a Top 10 Photos I Took in Oregon this year, but couldn’t chop the 11th, and I’ll hope when you get to the bottom of this list, you’ll appreciate that. Anyway, here they are! 11 of my favorite photos and memories from 2012, not so much because it’s the best photography ever, but because it’s good photography and even better memories.
1. When my sister and her family came to visit us in Portland.
One of the few things on her must-do list was “go wine-tasting,” since she never had before. She’s tasted at wine shops, and I know first-hand she’s had plenty of wine, but sipping at the vineyard itself was something she knew she could cross of on this trip. So, we did! Chris and I are members at Vista Hills in Dundee, Oregon, so we took Jeff and Miranda (and Natalie, not pictured and also not of legal drinking age for another 19+ years).
This is Jeff and Miranda getting fancy with their Pinot Noirs. Notice Jeff’s pinky. He’s sooooo fancy.
2. That time we grilled a boneless leg of lamb and drowned it in a cherry glaze.
I was asked to participate in a lamb grilling contest, and the American Lamb Board sent me a whole bunch of meat to experiment with (TWSS?).
I like lamb, and had never cooked it myself, so this was fun. It was super tasty, and I just love the way this photo turned out for just holding my camera up over the skillet and hoping I at least somewhat framed the shot well.
3. Bunk Sandwiches, Meet My Mouth Every Single Weekend
I stumbled into Bunk Sandwiches (downtown Portland, on SW 6th) one morning before a hair appointment around the corner (at least, I think that’s how I discovered this place).
It’s a tiny place downtown Portland (and also on the east side) that just happens to have won about a zillion* awards for Best Sandwiches of All Time. To be honest, I wouldn’t know about any of those other award-winning sandwiches because while I’ve come here almost every single week for the better part of a year, I’ve only ever ordered two sandwiches. The reason I’m addicted to this place though is the breakfast sandwich: egg and cheese on a hard roll, with sausage. The sausage is hand-pressed in-house and has a hint of some kind of sweetness that I think bacon and sausage should always have (which is why I dip bacon in maple syrup when I can). The egg is always fried to perfection, exactly the right amount of runny on the inside. The cheese is Tillamook Vintage White Cheddar, and the roll is from local Fleur de Lis Bakery.
I know what you’re thinking — those are some pretty basic, pretty straightforward breakfast sandwich ingredients. And you’re right. They are, but they’re all so perfect and quality and artisan that when you put them all together you have the most mindblowingest breakfast sandwich in the world.
Ask anyone who has ever come to visit us in Portland; it’s the first place we take them.
*Number is approximate.
4. Frankie, the Cat
This is my friend Jeff’s parents’ cat. His name is Frankie. He’s a really good-looking cat. Meow.
5. Beachy Seagull
We managed to make it out to the coast (Cannon Beach, etc.) a few times this year, and one of those times I happened to get close enough to this little birdie in order to take this photo. If you love birds and beaches as much as I do, this photo happens to be available in my Etsy shop.
6. Candy Shop
Speaking of Cannon Beach, one of the most fun places to stop (especially if you’ve got a sweet tooth) is the Picnic Basket NW. To be honest, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth (I’d rather eat cheese than candy), but I love this place because I love taking pictures of the salt water taffy.
7. Another Cannon Beach nod because this fence is pretty.
I don’t know why I like this photo so much, but I tend to like photos of empty trails, empty bridges, and maybe the wood and the color scheme in all of them have something in common that I’m drawn to. I’m not sure. I just know I really like this photo. This is also taken in Cannon Beach, kind of next to those public restrooms across the street from the Sleepy Monk.
8. Pumpkins!
This is the second year in a row we’ve been out to Kruger’s Farm on Sauvie Island to pick out pumpkins, wander through a corn maze, and stand around eating corn on the cob and pumpkin pie. This isn’t the pumpkin I brought home, I just liked it.
9. Been there, done that, so what? Multnomah Falls is always pretty.
I went on a Columbia River Gorge + Vineyard Tour last month, and we stopped at Multnomah Falls on the way to Hood River. I’ve been here a number of times, but never after we’d had as much rain as we have this fall (usually I go in the summer when it’s relatively dry here — shh, don’t tell anyone!).
The falls were pretty much raging in November.
10. Cherry Blossoms and a Second Anniversary
Chris and I celebrated our second anniversary in a very Portland way. We went to the Farmers’ Market, picked out a few things for a picnic (including a cheese spread, baguette, bottle of wine, and some fruit), walked down to Tom McCall Waterfront Park, and just sat there for awhile. Also that day, we wandered around the Saturday market. Later, we had a champagne happy hour, followed by a delicious sushi dinner. It was this day I discovered my so-far favorite sake (Yuki No Bosha Junmai Ginjo).
It was also the day we saw Adrian Grenier from about eight feet away.
11. The day we saw Adrian Grenier from about eight feet away AKA the reason this is a Top 11 list and not a Top 10 list.
You can’t really tell this is him (or maybe you can), but it is. We first spotted him at the Saturday market and when we found our picnic spot, he and a couple of lady friends with him found theirs just a short distance away. Forgive me for any fangirliness; there just aren’t a lot of celeb sightings in my life at all, and I was kind of excited that the one of the year happened to be that cute guy from that one show I used to watch mostly because Jeremy Piven was so effing fantastic, but also because Vinny and E were adorable and hi, have you seen Emmanuelle Chriqui? That show just oozed hotness.
