rechelle's lifelyrics

We celebrated our 36th Wedding Anniversary this week with a little trip to McMinnville. When we were headed back home the next evening, it dawned on me that there was a definite theme for our little holiday. This happened quite by accident because I had brochures and notes about several places we had passed by on previous adventures, and Ray has wanted to tour the Pittock Mansion for many years.

“On the way” to our overnight stay at A’ Tuscan Estate in McMinnville, we headed up to Portland for the Pittock Mansion tour. It was fascinating because the exterior and center of the dwelling were so grand, but the main living quarters were so practical and modest in comparison. I’m glad we purchased the little book, “The House That Henry Built” by Jerold Wikoff from the Pittock Museum store, because it ended up being our road trip entertainment with me reading out while Ray drove for the rest of the trip. The author has done a lot of research to try to explain the contrasts between grandeur and simplicity within the home, and we are learning a lot about the man of small stature who achieved great success and started building his mansion at 75 years old.

We drove south back to McMinnville through the countryside which gave me reason to pause from reading a few times to enjoy the scenery. The estate (built in 1928) of our Bed & Breakfast was reminiscent in some ways of the mansion we just visited, though on a much smaller scale. A’ Tuscan Estate Bed & Breakfast has been around for over 20 years , though the new owner has been there for about 7 years. Erin is wonderful and welcoming. She served us a beautiful 3-course breakfast in the morning, and was happy to answer all of our questions about the estate and how she runs her business. We love to hear stories about home building, design, construction, and, of course, the tales of those who tarried in times past, so this was an excellent follow up conversation after our tour of the Pittock Mansion the day before.

After our leisurely breakfast, we headed out with plenty of time for more driving through the beautiful country between McMinnville and Salem before our next reservations. A few years ago, we had stopped to use the restroom at Deepwood Museum and I kept the brochure so we would return, on purpose, to tour the mansion and gardens. There were some similarities again, probably because all 3 of the dwellings were built between 1893 and 1928, but there were many interesting differences as well. At Deepwood, which was built in 1893, our guide talked about the fact that it was created with wall to wall carpet before the invention of the vacuum! The house is full of luxury with private bathrooms for the bedrooms (even in the servant quarters!) and beautiful stained glass throughout, but the couple who built the home only lived there for about 18 months before selling it. The stories of the 3 families who lived there before it became a museum were fascinating. The most fantastic part of the stories was how some of their lives were intertwined. I would tell you more, but I don’t want to give it away! If you are in the Salem, Oregon area, I recommend signing up for a tour of the mansion. You can visit and tour the gardens any time, since it is a city park. The gardens were designed by a duo of female landscape architects who built an extremely successful business at a time when most women were not even out in the workforce.

We decided to continue our drive south through the valley instead of jumping on the 5 Freeway for the rest of the way home, and wound up in the quaint little town of Independence. Here, we did a little thrift and antique shopping before deciding it was getting to be about dinner time. I told Ray I had seen “Pink House Café” had good reviews, and it did not disappoint with excellent soup, salad, and homemade potato salad! So this is how we accidentally ended up on a themed getaway, because the Pink House is also a historic home. It is certainly less grand than any of the previous spots, and the décor is surprisingly country with stuffed animals to greet you at the door and miscellaneous table cloths in each dining area. However, we were there early, and the owner encouraged us to tour the home. It felt like the perfect way to finish out our holiday.