On the Road Again with Merle

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving (if you happen to celebrate such things, of course). Mine was anything but - I'm not sure why family has to be so bloody awful. The food was excellent but the joy was largely sucked out and I did not get around to treating Merle to the Thanksgiving feast that I was planning.

I have a few more posts to share with Merle and then I will be sending him on to the next in line later this week.

wEuyjT2.jpg
 
Pàdruig said:
I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving (if you happen to celebrate such things, of course). Mine was anything but - I'm not sure why family has to be so bloody awful. The food was excellent but the joy was largely sucked out and I did not get around to treating Merle to the Thanksgiving feast that I was planning.

I have a few more posts to share with Merle and then I will be sending him on to the next in line later this week.

wEuyjT2.jpg
Click to expand...

Dylan, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t have a great Thanksgiving. 🙁 I hope it didn’t dampen your spirits for too long. I’m looking forward to anything else you have to share with Merle before he continues on his travels. :thumbsup: Paul TheChunk91 TheChunk91 will be up next.
 
My Thanksgiving weekend was not a complete bust. My wife booked us for a night away at a uniquely Oregon establishment - the Mcmenamins Grand Lodge Hotel. Those of you who are either here in the PNW or are familiar might know of the McMenamins brothers, a couple of lads who started a pub in Portland in the early '80s and have since expanded to over 50 locations. Many of the McMenamins establishments are comprised of buildings and/or properties of historical note and the owners take a lot of care to become familiar with such history and make that a part of the overall look, feel, and experience for their patrons.

(I did have Merle with me but our stay was short and I did not get many pictures. Most of the pics below are not mine).

The Grand Lodge Hotel is located in Forest Grove, Oregon and is a property that is owned by the Freemasons - McMenamins only being custodians. The original Lodge was designed and built between 1917 and 1922, with additional structures, renovations, and such being completed over the years/decades following. McMenamins took over as custodians in 1999 and reopened as the Grand Lodge Hotel the following year in 2000.

If you visit, you will find Hotel accommodations, a Theater, a couple of bars/restaurants, a Spa, and a Japanese style soaking pool. While on the grounds, you are freely able to take your beverage of choice from one location to another and can have everything charged to your room.

sjpzL5K.jpg



It is a picturesque building and property with the interior maintaining all of the coziness and quirkiness that McMenamins' establishments are known for.

rTgouPB.jpg



Here is an old picture where you can see one of the wings still under construction.

n7gnNiE.jpg



Also, here are a couple of pictures showing the changes the property has undergone over the years.

UkT7YYu.jpg


QQPaZLj.jpg



The rooms throughout the Lodge are themed (I mentioned quirky, right?). We stayed in the Meatball room, a room that is themed after the children's book, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The artwork and headboards of each room are painted according to the theme. There are also a few secret rooms and passages throughout the building that can be fun to discover. We found the passage that led from the top floor to the main floor below - it was themed after characters from Tokien's Hobbit and showed the riddle battle between Bilbo Baggins and Gollum.

h9lWzl2.jpg



Despite being such a short visit, it was nice to escape nonetheless, even if it was for just one night.

cZDOen2.jpg
 
I have reached out to Paul and will be sending Merle on to the next stop in the next day or two.

In the meantime, I thought Merle could help kick off my 2021 Beer Advent Calendar. Some of you may recall that I did one last year and as it was a commercial effort, I was left with a lot of beer that I didn't particularly care for. This time around, my wife found an Advent box and she curated a selection of craft brews herself - since she knows my tastes better than anyone, I suspect that I will be in for a daily treat.

y0N0SAn.jpg



Day 1:

CCW92Zx.jpg



I can already tell that things are looking up. Anything pFriem makes is pretty much magic so I was pretty excited to see that logo on the cap.

XqO9LU5.jpg



A Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout - yes, this is indeed a vast improvement over the seemingly countless Pilsners in last year's Advent. I think Merle would agree.

mkCSNJK.jpg
 
Pàdruig said:
My Thanksgiving weekend was not a complete bust. My wife booked us for a night away at a uniquely Oregon establishment - the Mcmenamins Grand Lodge Hotel. Those of you who are either here in the PNW or are familiar might know of the McMenamins brothers, a couple of lads who started a pub in Portland in the early '80s and have since expanded to over 50 locations. Many of the McMenamins establishments are comprised of buildings and/or properties of historical note and the owners take a lot of care to become familiar with such history and make that a part of the overall look, feel, and experience for their patrons.

(I did have Merle with me but our stay was short and I did not get many pictures. Most of the pics below are not mine).

The Grand Lodge Hotel is located in Forest Grove, Oregon and is a property that is owned by the Freemasons - McMenamins only being custodians. The original Lodge was designed and built between 1917 and 1922, with additional structures, renovations, and such being completed over the years/decades following. McMenamins took over as custodians in 1999 and reopened as the Grand Lodge Hotel the following year in 2000.

If you visit, you will find Hotel accommodations, a Theater, a couple of bars/restaurants, a Spa, and a Japanese style soaking pool. While on the grounds, you are freely able to take your beverage of choice from one location to another and can have everything charged to your room.

sjpzL5K.jpg



It is a picturesque building and property with the interior maintaining all of the coziness and quirkiness that McMenamins' establishments are known for.

rTgouPB.jpg



Here is an old picture where you can see one of the wings still under construction.

n7gnNiE.jpg



Also, here are a couple of pictures showing the changes the property has undergone over the years.

UkT7YYu.jpg


QQPaZLj.jpg



The rooms throughout the Lodge are themed (I mentioned quirky, right?). We stayed in the Meatball room, a room that is themed after the children's book, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The artwork and headboards of each room are painted according to the theme. There are also a few secret rooms and passages throughout the building that can be fun to discover. We found the passage that led from the top floor to the main floor below - it was themed after characters from Tokien's Hobbit and showed the riddle battle between Bilbo Baggins and Gollum.

h9lWzl2.jpg



Despite being such a short visit, it was nice to escape nonetheless, even if it was for just one night.

cZDOen2.jpg
Click to expand...

Looks like a really interesting place, Dylan, thanks for sharing! :thumbsup:

Pàdruig said:
I have reached out to Paul and will be sending Merle on to the next stop in the next day or two.


In the meantime, I thought Merle could help kick off my 2021 Beer Advent Calendar. Some of you may recall that I did one last year and as it was a commercial effort, I was left with a lot of beer that I didn't particularly care for. This time around, my wife found an Advent box and she curated a selection of craft brews herself - since she knows my tastes better than anyone, I suspect that I will be in for a daily treat.

y0N0SAn.jpg



Day 1:

CCW92Zx.jpg



I can already tell that things are looking up. Anything pFriem makes is pretty much magic so I was pretty excited to see that logo on the cap.

XqO9LU5.jpg



A Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout - yes, this is indeed a vast improvement over the seemingly countless Pilsners in last year's Advent. I think Merle would agree.

mkCSNJK.jpg
Click to expand...

That’s great! Perhaps against my better judgment (having followed along with yours last year), I went ahead and got one from Costco. I’ll get started on it in the Beverages thread later tonight (and probably spend most of the month being envious of the brews in your curated advent calendar). 😁
 
btb01 said:
That’s great! Perhaps against my better judgment (having followed along with yours last year), I went ahead and got one from Costco. I’ll get started on it in the Beverages thread later tonight (and probably spend most of the month being envious of the brews in your curated advent calendar). 😁
Click to expand...

I had the German one last year and though I like German beers, there were way too many Pilsners for my taste. Hopefully, they have good options for you.


One last drink with Merle before he gets sent off tomorrow.

hQEewMG.jpg
 
Pàdruig said:
Merle is currently enroute to Gary ( Peregrin Peregrin ). Tracking states that it is currently "Out for Delivery". I'm looking forward to reading Merle's Adventures in New York, I think Gary will show him a good time.
Click to expand...
Merle was due tomorrow, but the usps is sending me texts that he's out for delivery today!
He'll be greeted by a tired grandpa. We've got 2 of our grandkids here for the day. I will, at a minimum, post an arrival picture sometime today.
 
mrknife said:
he represents the NY delegation!
Click to expand...
Peregrin said:
Merle was due tomorrow, but the usps is sending me texts that he's out for delivery today!
He'll be greeted by a tired grandpa. We've got 2 of our grandkids here for the day. I will, at a minimum, post an arrival picture sometime today.
Click to expand...
Great News!! Please make it a selfie, Gary!!! ;)
Maybe you and meako meako will start a tradition!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top