Last weekend we traveled to Portland to celebrate my birthday and spend time with family and long-time friends. I’m at a point in my life where I don’t need a bunch of presents or a big event to mark the day. Give me a great dinner, a nice bottle of wine and pleasant conversation and I’ll call it a perfect celebration. My husband and I had a delicious meal at Wildwood restaurant in Northwest Portland (fresh, locally sourced ingredients prepared simply but perfectly) and brought our own bottle of wine (though Wildwood has a very nice cellar). The 2000 Leonetti Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon was lush, complex and a perfect complement to the meal. We then stopped in at Papa Hadyn to pick up an absolutely decadent cake (they have several to choose from; choosing just one was quite a chore!) to take back to my mother-in-law’s house to share. Harry’s brother and his family were visiting from Texas, and we spent a couple of hours over dessert on the patio sharing news and old stories under a clear, warm, summer night sky. The next morning we visited one of the best farmers markets I’ve ever been to, anywhere. The Beaverton Farmers Market covers a full city block and spills over into side streets beyond, chock full of vendors of everything from organic buffalo meat; fresh tuna, halibut and salmon; artisan cheeses and honey to herbs, perennials and fresh produce. There aren’t many crafters or artists; virtually everything on offer here can be eaten or grown — or both. I never visit without coming away with at least a few plants for the garden, some ingredients for a great meal or two and something I need to eat immediately (berries, a fresh fruit empanada, some German sausage). There’s always live music, whether it be jazz, blues, folk or country. On this particular day the group played “Galway Girl” and nearly brought daughter Jenny to tears as it transported her back to her trip through Ireland this past February. That evening saw us gathering with our group of friends that began meeting as young married couples nearly 30 years ago over wine and good food. It is rare these days when we are all in the same town together at the same time. That evening we shared a unique and wonderful collection of wines that had been purchased about 20 years ago when jobs and moves made it impossible for us to keep up our bimonthly get-togethers. Leftover funds we had used to purchase wines for those tastings were used to buy up wines from the 1988 and 1989 vintages of Bordeaux (including Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut Brion). While some were certainly past their prime, all were still drinkable, and some were still amazingly balanced, complex and delightful. The entire collection, which originally cost us $835, would require an investment of well over $5,000 at retail to replace today. What made the evening most special, though, was the time spent with such dear friends. We sat overlooking the Willamette River, watching all manner of watercraft plying the waters as Mt. Hood glowed pink in the dusk and the lights of the downtown towers and bridges twinkled on. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday, without a doubt. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor