McMenamin’s art – Dear Liza

Dear Liza,

We discovered another McMenamin’s! This one is west of Portland, out by the stadium where the Hillsboro Hops minor league team plays baseball.

Most of the McMenamin’s venues have some history, and this one does, too. It was the house, barn and fields of the Imbrie family for six generations. When the family needed to leave the property, the McMenamin brothers bought and began to work their magic. First they refurbished the farmhouse and octagonal barn.

Then they built a brewery, because of course they did.

Imbrie Hall, where we ate a delicious dinner, was built in 2001 with salvaged parts from barns all over the country. I think it is very nifty that the rafters for the roof came from the Blitz-Weinhard brewery in Portland, where the Imbrie family sold their barley!

Our dinner was salmon salad for Auntie Bridget and a trio of hamburger sliders for me. I indulged in a ‘cider flight’, which was small glasses of Blackberry, Blueberry and Peach, and Apple cider. Delicious, and I got to share!

We wandered the property for a bit, enjoying the way the paths wound around and opened up to lovely outdoor rooms.

I know we will return to the Roadhouse, for a dinner or just to walk around the grounds and enjoy the garden.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Liza,

I’ve told you that Portland is a city where dogs are very popular, but I still prefer cats. Our cat, Mouse (Miss Mousie Mouskin of the Mouseville Mousekins), is my favorite, of course.

She has the balance of a desire for adventure and a love of relaxation that I find copacetic.

But I’m not the only one here who loves cats. There are cats all over the neighborhood, happy, brave, silly and even weird.

There are cats in art here, as well. The McMenamin brothers’ chain of bars and hotels have a a picture of its “distillery cat”, along with Ruby the brewer witch and Hammerhead guy, who is painted in every one of their establishments.

While we were visiting Edgefield, which is a McMenamin’s location east of Portland, we saw this disgruntled cat on the back window of a car.

Sunnyside Environmental School, in our neighborhood, has one painted on its doors, I guess to keep the free roaming chickens company.

Auntie Bridget puts cats into her art all the time. My birthday card this year, which went all the way down to Salinas, featured her and Grandpa Nelson, as cats!

That’s all I’ve got to say about cats in art, for now. But rest assured, there will be more…later.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Tag: McMenamin’s art

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