Access to Everything
Denny
I am writing to share what I most enjoyed about my stay at Hearthwind, a half-acre organic farm west of Portland. Quite apart from the amenities and hospitality, I enjoyed the easy access to the routes to the Oregon coast, to the mountains, to the gorge and Washington hot springs, which I love, and to the abundance of Portland forested areas, parks, and cultural amenities both children and adults sometimes like to sample while they are vacationing. But if I wanted to just relax around the home, there was a hiking path within five or six blocks and woods for the public two miles or so east as well as Multnomah Village, which even Portlanders see as a special place for gift and toy shops and dining. No, I did not want to vacation and spend my time in a Mall, but if you relapse, drive a mile west and voila, Washington Square Mall. A regular bus runs down town with a stop five blocks or so away. I tried the Southwest Community Center for its hot tub and the setup for swimming. Being able to go on as a drop-in was great. The best feature for the relaxed emersion in a natural setting was the raised deck for lounging, dining, barbequing - overlooking the most amazingly farmed half acre I have ever seen. More gorgeous varieties of plants, shrubs, flowers, fruit trees, whatever. The vegetable gardening is pretty to look at, and the foliage all around is usually aflutter with local bird species. Add the sound of clucking chickens and the bunnies are animated companions also enjoying the place. Linda, the urban organic lady-farmer is methodically, yet whimsically imaginative about setting up a great kitchen, if you plan to dine in and snack a lot, as I did. Things are tasteful, but never ostentatious. The room I slept in and the house in general is comfortably classy. As for the host, Linda, I always felt welcomed to join her or ignore her as I followed my own whims on vacation.