Harry and Patty were sweethearts...

We're in McMinnville, Oregon population who the heck knows but it's small. To celebrate our anniversary Paul and I are spending a few days here, and then off to Walla Walla. We're staying at McMennamin's Hotel Oregon. It's a historic building decorated with McMennamin's characteristic charm. Our room is (very) small, but comfortable, and tells the story of Harry (a former FBI agent turned Circuit Court Judge) and Peggy (niece of Hotel Oregon's proprietor) who met here during WWII, courted, married and enjoyed a long and happy marriage. A good omen for us I'm sure.

Our first day here was a bit disappointing. We were impatient to get the vacation started and left home pretty early arriving here around 11:30 (what can I say? We're early risers) and was informed very cheerfully by the lady at check-in that we had to wait until 3:00. Hmm, now what to do? We decided to walk around the Historic Downtown area which took all of about 25 minutes since everything but the kitchen store and a coffee shop was closed! Okay, to be fair it was Sunday, and a holiday weekend. So we got a cup of coffee, looked at a few brochures, and made our way back to McMennamin's to get a bite to eat.

We snagged a table at the Rooftop Bar. Hotel Oregon is one of McMinnville's tallest buildings rising a staggering four stories above street level. The sun was shining, a slight breeze kept the temperature comfortable, and the view was lovely. Unfortunately the service was bad, and after waiting over an hour we were finally able to enjoy a cold hamburger, fries, and an appetizer plate of chips sans salsa.

We finished the day off with a few games of pool and some drinks. I know this sounds weird but it gets boring sitting around drinking if all you have to do is sit around drinking so we decided to turn in early. We did some light reading, finished off a crossword puzzle, and relaxed. It was a nice end to the day.