Best Brunch Ever

Okay, I'm not going to eat again for a week. Or at least until tomorrow. This afternoon we went to the Skamania Lodge in nearby Skamania, WA for Sunday Brunch. Click for the mouth watering menu. There were seven of us around the table, including a recently arrived Texan (Dallas area). We started with mimosas, and headed off for the first round. I hit the row of salads, smoked seafood, crab, shrimp, and oyster shooters. I was tempted to stick with that menu, but since it was my first time at Skamania Lodge, I sampled small bits of the potatoes au gratin (heavy cream, I swear it was a small sample...I could feel it go directly to my hips), a small piece of prime rib, and some salmon. I ignored the pasteries, the cheeses, the egg dishes, and anything I could make easily myself. It was Easter, after all, so I did take one strawberry dipped in the chocolate fountain, some berry compote and a tiny wedge of chocolate torte. Come visit, and we'll take you there!

We had lively conversation at our table. Two of the couples are veteran Voodoo philosophers. The women I know from Klickitat Dems as well. And the White Salmon Arts Council. The newcomer was a born Texan, but the air quality got to her, and her husband is a big windsurfer, so the Gorge fit the bill for them. We talked about the gorge impact projects (Broughton Mill development and Cascade Locks Casino proposal), Condit dam removal on the White Salmon River, the fish stocks, the proposed gas pipelines across Oregon, as well as lighter topics such as what brought each of us to this beautiful place. The Texan was waiting for a phone call from her son in Kuwait, an MP on his way to Iraq. She also told of her daughter who works in London and may be on her way to Pakistan and Afghanistan. With two of her four kids heading into harms way, she supposed out loud that she should probably worry most about the son who has to commute on the freeways in Dallas the most!

It was a different kind of Easter for us. The first one with no kids at home at all. I bought a bag of dark chocolate m & m's, and called it a day. We drove by the Skamania Town Hall, where a small crowd of parents and kids waited (in the cold rain) for the start of the Easter Egg Hunt. The lawn was dotted with hundreds of eggs. Quite a sight. They were all gone on our way home. We did enjoy our day with friends. This place is really feeling like home.