Goonies never die

Pacific County Courthouse, South Bend, Washington.

The view from the Pacific County Courthouse

I wish that this lavender shack of sweet goodness was open.

The Bowpicker in Astoria, Oregon, serves up some of the best Fish & Chips I've ever tasted.

our dream rental car. Astoria, OR

The Goondocks. Astoria, Oregon

Gloomy days make the perfect backdrop for pastel clothing, and in the Pacific Northwest, there’s no shortage of gloomy days. I didn’t pack too much pastel for my vacation, but I found this mint dress in Seattle, Washington, (I wish I remembered the name of the vintage store because the owner was so sweet). I wore it as we cruised along a portion of the Pacific Northwest coast, making stops in South Bend, Washington, and Astoria, Oregon. South Bend is a sleepy town, known for its oysters and for the beautiful Pacific County Courthouse that sits perched on the hill, overlooking the Willapa River. Unfortunately, the Pacific County Courthouse, which was erected in 1910, and features a stained glass dome roof, was closed to the public on Sundays. While in South Bend, I also visited a vintage/craft roadside store aptly named “Creepy Beautiful” (photos in a separate post), and the two contrasting words definitely sum up not only the store, but also the town. Astoria, Oregon, a charming seaside town, stole my nostalgic heart with its many early 20th century buildings that are still in use. It seems there’s a lot to do in the day time, including visiting all the old buildings turned museums (which we did not have time to do), eating the freshest, tastiest fish and chips and clam chowder, and of course, making a necessary stop at the Goondocks, where Chunk once did the truffle shuffle to the delight of my generation. Maybe it’s the fog and gloom that brings these "outcast" types together, but I noticed a lot of gothic, and/or 90s raver types, in Astoria, which only added the charm of this town that I’m already longing to return to.

Outfit: sheer mint dress (vintage store in Seattle Washington. Not sure if it’s vintage, but it looks to be homemade), silver disco sandals (vintage mall, Portland, Oregon).

Portland, Oregon

Why didn't I buy this white mod hat?

Gosh, Portland, Oregon, sure is pretty in the Spring. The tulips, poppies, and dandelions, which are scattered on the front yards of all the old houses, are some of the most impressive I've seen, and the blooming cherry blossoms only added to the beauty. There were so many things that I loved about Portland - the amazing food (they are just about as obsessed with fried chicken as I am, and they have every type of food truck), the best record store ever: Mississippi Records (I loaded up!), karaoke 7 nights a week, a movie theater that serves food & alcoholic beverages (I finally got to watch Pina), affordable vintage clothing (I found a pair of 60s lavender chunky heel sandals and a pair of silver 70s disco pumps at House of Vintage for less than $20 a pair.), lots of big parks in the city (we visited Mt. Tabor), and friendly folks (the only jerk we encountered hailed from Echo Park, Los Angeles (go figure!)). It’s such a grand town, Pete and I are even considering moving to Southeast Portland one day. I also learned a new word: Shanghaied, Apparently, this was a real problem for Portland in the early days.

Outfit (60s velvet mini dress (hand me down from my friend Miro), 60s mohair sweater (hand me down from my friend Elliott), vintage sandals (thrifted).

Pacific North West bound

Hiya friends,

I'm so happy to be headed out to the Pacific Northwest today for a week long vacation. Pete & I are going to hit up all the Twin Peak hot spots, including the Snoqualmie Falls, and of course, we're going to devour some of that famed cherry pie that Agent Dale Cooper was always gushing over. We're also going to stay in a tree house in Washington! I've only been to the Pacific Northwest once, and it was nearly 10 years ago. I'd love to hear any recommendations that you may have. We'll be flying into Portland, Oregon, and staying a few days, and then headed towards Seattle, Washington, with some stops along the way. talk to you soon.

xoxo.

Outfit: vintage neon floral mini, vintage sandals (everything thrifted).