The Ladieth Weekend Day One

Well hello peeps!  SSG just came back from San Francisco and seeing her college roomies (and friends!) for the weekend.

This was what Portland looked like when I left on Friday morning.  

The shuttle driver from airport parking to the terminal was ALMOST as cheery.

SSG:  Good Morning!

Shuttle Driver:  Did you know it's a proven fact that people in the Northwest don't get enough Vitamin D?

SSG:  Oh?

SD:  It's from a lack of sun.

SSG:  Hm ...

SD:  Contributes to Alzheimer's.

SSG:  Um ...

SD:  Worst disease in the world.  No dignity.

SSG:  Awesome!  So I'll be taking Southwest Airlines this morning.

But then SSG flew into this ...

And I think Spleen and Digs wondered what aliens had taken over SSG because all morning she was all: "Isn't the sun THE MOST GORGEOUS THING YOU'VE EVER SEEN?!"  And like: "Look what it does to the SKY!  What COLOR is that?  So THAT'S what BLUE looks like?!  Wow.  Amazing."  

This is the same SSG who, while living in San Diego, listened to Pearl Jam 24/7, wore Doc Martens with baby doll dresses and couldn't WAIT to move to Seattle where GAH!  There were SEASONS ALREADY.  Because like, the sun?  All year?  TOTALLY over.

Much to her dismay, SSG DID end up having to Stripper Suit Up so the ladies and I could meet up with Digs' sistAH, Bree Mastaa at this really pretty reservoir.  Perhaps Digs could leave a comment and let you fine peeps know where this place is.  SSG was too busy hanging her head out the car window trying to soak up every ray of sunshine to notice.

It turned out to be perfect ...

We walked and chatted ... and I'm pretty sure disrupted everyone's serious exercise regime by giggling and taking up the whole path by walking in one line or waving our arms around in animated story telling and stopping every few minutes so SSG could take pictures like this California poppy or the boat house above with paddle boats.  PADDLE BOATS people.  You can actually be out on the water at this time of year and NOT have to worry about hypothermia.  A marvel.  Truly.

After our stroll around the reservoir, we figured we'd get some lunch and take it to this cute little park by Digs' place.

And by lunch I mean burritos so big one had a blow out.  

But we had just walked a few miles so that totally balances out any calories or whatever.  Especially if you order them with Diet Cokes.

Not that any of us did.  

Anyhoo ...

After our walk we went back to Digs' place to relax and shower before our busy evening of COOKING RIBS peeps.

Wait ... did we go to Digs?  Or ACCIDENTALLY WALK INTO A MODEL HOME?

Look!  The model even comes with a Spleendawg!  (Spleen, that's MY corner.)

I'm volunteering Digs to give SSG readers free decorating lessons for whoever wants them (that's okay, right Digs?).  But you're going to have to wait until Spleen and I are done with her.  And since we're talking about Chez SSG, Digs should be done sometime around 2011.

So after showers and SSG sitting in the sun surrounded by the smell of blossoms on the Meyer Lemon tree, she was FINALLY lured inside by this.

And martinis.

The ribs had been cooking low and slow all afternoon and were served with loaded baked potatoes and a roasted broccoli salad that WAS HEAVEN.

And SSG totally would have taken pictures of the ribs. 

But by that time she had a few grapefruit and elderflower martinis and then had moved onto wine and story telling.  And really?  I'm afraid if you saw how the four of us tore through those ribs you'd wonder about us being ladies at all.

And if you heard the stories that were told at that table? 

Well then you'd know for sure.

(Tomorrow on SSG:  The Laideth Weekend Day Two: Urban Wine Tasting.  'Hood or Hawt?)