The Pittock Mansion

Whew! I finally got all these pictures downloaded! Last Saturday was Skylar's first weekend in Oregon and we took full advantage of the beautiful weather by lunching at the Portland Rose Garden (with Emma, Don, Betsy, and Baby Mark), then heading over to the Pittock Mansion for our "Behind the Scenes" tour. After a recommendation from my friend RaNita, I checked out the Pittock Mansion website and learned that they were hosting this rare tour. They only do this once or twice a year, so I jumped on the opportunity and got three tickets.
Here are some photos I took of a brief walk Skylar and I had through the Portland Rose Garden while everyone was still eating...
The horizon was just clear enough to provide a very impressive view of Mount Hood in the distance.






After our picnic, it was off to the Pittock Mansion! The ceiling of the smoke room...

Pantry kitchen sink off the formal dining room. Mom was very impressed by the raised drains and the bread warming box underneath...

I would kill to have this kitchen. It was so spacious! Simple yet efficient, nostalgic but not outdated. I loved it. Who wouldn't like a view of the entire city of Portland while you kneaded bread???



This pantry is bitchin'! Oh, now I have something to aspire to..

Cozy, perfect...love it..


The "ice box" room...

The breakfast nook, where Gorgiana and Henry had breakfast almost every morning.

Two views from Henry's private third floor study (part of the house which is normally off limits)...


A sun porch bedroom, fully kitted out and very inviting...

One of the many bedrooms...

Another part of the house that had me sighing in wistfulness, the bathrooms. They were airy and luxurious, even by today's standards. The showers really impressed me- how complicated and intricate they were!


Henry's private bathroom, which had a large soaking tub in addition to the shower...

...as well as a seperate foot soaking spa...

Another sun porch room on the other wing of the house...

One of the grandchildren's rooms...

..and a photo of the iconic staircase (everyone takes this picture)...

On the outside, looking in...

After our tour, we were all hungry again, so we made a quick stop at Cost Plus and Smith and Hawkins before heading off to the Sushiland on 10th and Davis! This is Skylar's "wilting flower" impression. Yeah, I wasn't convinced, either...

Something I respect about my cousin: she knew she was eating octopus, even when Mom said it was chicken, and liked it.

Yes, we were thankful that the weather complimented our plans. We had a really good time and Skylar has already burned through two disposable cameras...