The McMenamin Brothers have been buying up and restoring historic buildings in the Pacific Northwest for quite sometime now. This page on Oregon Gifts are our first hand experiences with the ones that we have visited. All the pictures were taken by me or Cary, so please do not copy or use them without permission. To go to the McMenamin homepage, just "CLICK HERE".
~ Kathy
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
The Olympic Club in Centralia, Washington
On the way home from Olympia, we stayed at another McMennamins. This was actually the first one we had discovered, staying here around 5 years ago. It is kind of funny that we have hit two of them in one week, with all of the running around we have been doing lately.
We were early for check-in (they were pretty strict about no early arrivals here). So, we went into the main bar where we were pretty much ignored. The guy was busy though. That turned out to be a really good thing as we went down the hall to The Tourist Bar instead, and met a kindred spirit in Amy, the bartender.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
Here is Amy with her new love, Todd. (Sorry, Todd, you blinked and it was the only picture I had!)
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
Amy and her co-worker, who was also a sweetie. Sorry, I cannot remember her name.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
This guy cracked us up! He very politely came in and asked Amy if they had free wi-fi. She said yes, and he asked if he could bring his computer in. Amy said, sure. We were all assuming that he would bring in a laptop, but he brought in a whole desktop and set it up by the window. It was a great idea, but I kept thinking, you might be a redneck if .....
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
We got to check into our room at 3:00. It only cost $70.00 and included free billiards and two free movie tickets. You can't beat that!
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
The door to our room.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
Oooh, I love my best friend husband!
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
Notice all the writing on the walls. We stayed in the Ernie Rector room, and the writing tells all about him. He was an obese single rich man who did the books and managed the Olympic Club in the old days. Ernie owned three businesses, and ate all of his meals at the Olympic Club, come to find out.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
Pictures of our upstairs hallway:
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
After getting settled into our room, we went back downstairs to get something to eat. I had a salad and an artichoke pizza. It was good. I can't remember what Cary had.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
After dinner, we played a game of billiards.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
I see a face in the flash on the wall. Do you?
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
I saw another face here.
It is probably nothing.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
After we were done with the pool tables, we went to watch our movie. It was Whip It with Drew Barrymore. I liked it, but I fell asleep. I want to rent it sometime so I can see what happened. Cary fell asleep too, so he is no help there. I did get a great idea for a blog post while I was still awake. I want to go to the roller derby in Bend write about it sometime soon. I want to take Cary, April and Rob with me ... it should be a blast!
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
Misc. Photos of the Olympic Club:
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
I hope that you enjoyed the visit!
~ Kathy M.
"Ernie Rector, Paranormal Inspector"
It is Friday again, and you know what that means ... time for Lisa at Writing in the Buff's Book Blub Friday. It's easy, it's fun, and you can join in too! Each Friday, Lisa gives us a photo (this week she posted another one of mine; cool, thanks Lisa), and we have one week to come up with a story (150 words or less) where we write a book blurb that goes along with the picture.
Here is my take on this week's photo:
A sequel to Kathy Matthews first novel (Finding Jen) Ernie Rector, Paranormal Inspector is a fast-paced murder mystery with a twist. Follow Ernie Rector as he works to save his club from a haunting reputation and investigates further details of a young woman's death.
The 5' 7", ornery, obese manager of the town's only gentleman's club, Ernie Rector is also regarded as the best paranormal investigator around. Now Ernie has his own ghostly encounters to deal with. The club seems to have spirits everywhere, including one who hangs out on the hallway ceiling leading to his room. Young Jennifer's body was found in the quarters next to Ernie's last month, and he's had no peace from her restless soul. Jen seems to be actively forcing him to bring the full story of her murder to light.
Join Ernie as he solves this haunting and makes things right for Jen.
This concludes the official part of Lisa's Book Blurb Friday
(150 words).
I assigned myself some extra credit, due to the fact that I have more photos of this joint.
True to McMenamins style, hand-painted history is written on the walls of each room. Here is some information about the real Ernie Rector (as always, you can click to enlarge the photos):
Is the Olympic Club haunted? Many believe it is. You can click here to read Karen Fraizier's article for a beginning to your research. The Olympic Club was built on site of apartment fire where a man died, long ago. The 1919 Armistice Day Massacre also involved the club property. At least one ghost has been felt, heard and seen, according to some.
I didn't feel anything weird, but I can see a huge face on the ceiling light fixture of the photo prompt that Lisa chose. Also, I can clearly see the face on the wall in the Billiards Room in the picture below (thankfully I didn't see it until after I got home):
Please click here to learn more about the settling of Centralia that suggests that The Olympic Club is haunted (forward it to the 6 minute point for the investigation).
My Photos of Downtown Centralia, Washington:
I think that my photography is better than my fiction writing, but thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope that you enjoyed your visit! Make sure to hop on over to Lisa's to read everybody else's stories, they are lots of fun! Just ""CLICK HERE".
The slide show below shows photos of Oregon and Washington McMenamins. Click to enlarge for better viewing!
Date Night!
After sitting around in our pajamas until 3:00 yesterday afternoon, my BFH Cary suggested that we go into Bend to McMenamins for dinner and a movie. At risk of this entry being free press for the St. Francis School, we had a wonderful time and I highly recommend the joint. (We have stayed at the Olympic Club in Centrailia and at Edgefield in Troutdale, and for the $60 a night they are much, much better than a Motel 6.)
After parking our car across the street, we noticed this sign. It says that this baseball field used to be flooded and used as an ice skating rink, groomed by the street sweeper. Grandma Jill, did you used to skate here when you were little?
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
For those of you unfamiliar with McMenamins, they buy up old, historic buildings and turn them into restaurants, hotels and movie theaters. The one in Bend used to be a Catholic school.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
These people know how to garden and decorate!
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
We got there early and sat in the Fireside room. I had a hamburger.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
The billiard table in the Fireside Room.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
You cannot smoke in bars anymore in Oregon, so Cary had to go outside to smoke. At this place they give you a heater, which I thought was nice.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
The movie theater is right down the hall.Get there early for a good seat!
It only costs $3.00 per person.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
You get to sit in nice, roomy, comfy seats. There is a bar and snack bar right there.
Cary ordered a pizza.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
The movie was funny. It was called Role Model. We are going to buy a copy when it comes out on DVD. It really isn't for kids though ... a lot of cussing.
I dressed as a gypsy. It was kind of fun, because the rest of the people there were Bendites dressed in their earth muffin wool and fleece outfits. (If you are from Eugene or Bend you know exactly what I am talking about.)
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
After the movie, we left and stopped by Timbers South on our way home
for a game of pool. Cary racks up the balls.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
Oh, he is soooo handsome!
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
Of course, I lost the game of pool, but I didn't do too bad. I was a little tipsy.
We had a wonderful date!
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
#1 ~ McMenamins Edgefield: Troutdale, Oregon
We landed in Portland with no problem, got our bags with no problem, and actually found our car with no problem. That last one was a bit of a miracle. We drove to Troutdale and stayed at McMenamins Edgefield.
Talk about a bargain ... it is beautiful there, and quiet. No t.v.'s, no phone's in the rooms, bathrooms and showers are down the hall. Our room was only $50.00 for a queen with antique furniture. After we got settled in, we went to the downstairs restaurant and billiard room. I had a turkey sandwich for dinner. Cary had already eaten cheese curds and the rest of my taco's on the plane. We went to bed around 11:00 and got up early. I walked around in my p.j.'s and complimentary bathrobe and took lots of pictures of the artwork as I explored the hotel in the early morning. It used to be a poor farm, and then a nursing home. Here is the website: mcmenamins.com and then look for Edgefield.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
Where we ate dinner.
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
And then we left, driving home over Mt. Hood. We stopped to eat at Warm Springs, and visited with the employees of the restaurant. It was a slow day, and we were the only diners. Cary suggested that they put up a bunch of Jacoby Ellsbury memorabilia in their eatery.
They have a new young woman who began managing it last year, and it is really clean and nice now. The whole place has been remodeled and updated.
Then, finally, we were home! And it feels like I have been on here ever since.
Some of the artwork in the Hotel at Edgefields:
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
McMenamin's Edgefiled, Troutdale, Oregon:
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
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| Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews |
McMenamins is McMenamins. This is our third stay and fourth visit. The receptionist got us right in, we were able to check in early, and our room was great. It cost $105.00 for the room, but remember, you have to walk across the hall to used the bathroom and shower. We enjoyed exploring the grounds, the great soaking pool and all of the restaurants. It is noisy, because it is a huge old building that was once a poor farm and then a nursing home.
The art, the gardens and the whole design of the rooms are a treat. Still, there are things that bug me. Edgefield is the main winery and distillery that serves all the other McMenamins. You can only buy a glass of Merlot in one bar on this property, the rest of the wines are blends. I have learned over time that the blends play havoc with my system and it irritates me that I cannot buy a glass of Merlot from a place that makes it. I do wish that they would change that silly policy.
