We only have 'til dawn

One night only, we only have ‘til dawn

One night only 

Over breakfast the next morning Tom got a text from his friends, Jill and Laurie (identical twins), suggesting a trip to the Japanese Gardens. The autumn leaves were just starting to put on a great display so it sounded like a good plan. I made sure my camera was charged and we headed off to meet them. Tom gave me a tip on how to tell the girls apart, which I promptly forgot as soon as I met them. As we walked through the gardens I chatted to Jill (I think) explaining my travels while Tom was in front chatting to Laurie. After stopping to take a couple of photos we carried on walking, this time I was chatting to Laurie while Tom walked with Jill. They kept swapping round for the whole time. It was surreal telling my story to identical twins and I have no idea if I repeated the same tale to the same twin but they were both too lovely to say anything if I had.

We continued our day with what I was told was a Portland tradition – a trip to Voodoo Doughnuts where, apparently, "the magic is in the hole". I have to admit that I hadn’t heard of them before. One of the things I have found from all the conversations I have had while travelling is the number of things I don’t know about. I know that admission will come as a shock to a lot of my friends. There are places I have never heard of, books I have never read, films I have never seen and now I am happy to admit that I don’t know about something whereas before I think I would have probably tried to bluff my way through, a trait I blame on the work environment.

As we stood in the queue at Voodoo Doughnuts I read the menu up on the wall. They had so many crazy flavours I was a little unsure where to even begin. Tom suggested that the penis doughnut would probably be ideal for a Voodoo virgin. I got myself one and it was rather large. It also came complete with two cream filled balls. As I took my first bite Tom got some very unflattering photos of me. As it turned out the penis was a little too big for me and I couldn’t fit it all in, let alone contemplate making a start on the balls. Tom helped out, polishing off one of the balls, which was very kind of him.

To help use up all the calories from the doughnuts we took a walk through the historic old town. One of the plaques proudly announced that the building it was attached to dated all the way back to 1907. I pointed out that my sister’s Victorian house in Sheffield was older than the building. I also have friends who live in a house that pre-dates the United States. Still, it was nice to see that they were taking some pride in their heritage for future generations.

Our walk also took us to the 24 Hour Church of Elvis, which bills itself as the first 24-hour interactive art installation. As we approached a lady asked us if we were here to see it. We told her we were and she asked if we had any quarters. I don’t carry coins (I’m trying to be like the Queen and not carry cash at all). Tom didn’t have any either. This seemed to irk her somewhat. She was the owner/artist and went into a lengthy explanation that you needed quarters to operate the installation. She had a handful of quarters so I gave her a dollar and she gave me four of them. There were several different things to try. The one that made me laugh the most (I had tears streaming down my cheeks) was the “Barbie gym”. For our quarter we got to watch 3 Barbie dolls who had been tied to miniature exercise equipment pedalling like the clappers. Another surreal moment in Portland but definitely worth a visit (just make sure you take some quarters).

24 Hour Church of Elvis

After a fun afternoon it was time for me to pack up my case once more and head over to Dave and Robby’s for my night at theirs. I was introduced to Lizzie the neighbour, the collection of pets (1 dog, 2 cats and a bird) and given a glass of wine. Dinner was duly served and the conversation flowed as freely as the wine. I remember a lot of laughter over dinner and numerous funny stories being shared. My favourite was Lizzie recounting a tale of when she got tonsillitis while she was pregnant. She wasn’t able to get to see a doctor about it but her gynaecologist, who she knew really well, said that he would take a look. She was shown into an empty examining room and thought it would be funny to lay the wrong way on the table, her arms in the stirrups and her mouth wide open so her tonsils could be checked. As she was waiting the door opened and in walked a nurse who she had never seen before who looked over at Lizzie and very sweetly pointed out that she was laying the wrong way round.

We only have ‘til dawn

With dinner finished Lizzie, Tom & Brian all headed off home as it was a school night. I did my goodbyes and thanks with Tom & Brian, telling them to keep me posted on their plans to be over in London next year so I could return the hosting favour. Dave, Robby and I settled in for a spot of The Amazing Race. As we watched we chatted about various things and I asked how long they had been together. They had met over 18 years ago, the year before I did my GCSE exams. During my travels I had stayed with or met a lot of couples who have been together for a long time and it gave me hope that some day I would find someone too. I thought that by the time I got back to London in May 2012 I would be ready to try dating again.

Sunrise over Portland

The next morning I was awake before dawn. Dave had explained that he always took Bella out early and that I was more than welcome to join him. It meant that I would get to see the sunrise over Portland. We walked up the hill to Pittock Mansion, a huge house that had great views of downtown Portland. It was a little too cloudy to get spectacular photos but it was still a good walk. We talked about the rest of my travel itinerary. Dave told me that he was a keen biker and would often go on little road trips. He gave me some great advice, telling me to enjoy the journey because sometimes the journey was more important than the destination. After we got back we loaded my suitcase into the car, had a little driving tour round and then headed to the airport. At the airport I thanked them both for their great hospitality and told them to keep in touch (even though I am not doing a very good job at keeping in touch with friends, new and old). I checked in to my flight, cleared security, had a wander round the terminal and then boarded my flight. I was off to Las Vegas, Sin City!

“One night only, we only have ‘til dawn” 
Lyrics from One night only from the musical Dreamgirls