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Jessica Berger and Tekela Fisher

Christmas Tree Farms

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Ah the holidays, the time of year when we can all eat too much food, drink too many drinks, and decorate our houses with little twinkling lights. Regardless of how you celebrate, one of the high points of the holidays is having the smell of fresh pine take over your home. Luckily, we have tons of great tree farms right here in the Portland Metro area! Here are a list of some of our favorites!

Furrow Farms

furrow farms
  • Opens Black Friday
  • Trees $11 a foot
  • Hours: Monday – Friday 10-5
    • Saturday – Sunday 9-5
  • 25877 NW West Union Rd.
  • Hillsboro, OR. 97124

Thornton’s Treeland

thorntons treeland
  • Opens Black Friday
  • Tree pricing as marked
  • COUPON
  • Hours: Monday – Friday 10-5
    • Saturday – Sunday 9-5
  • 7617 NE 119th St
  • Vancouver, WA 9866

Helvetia Christmas Tree Farm

helvetia tree farm
  • Opens Black Friday, weekends only
  • U-Cut Trees $70 (first weekend only)
  • Pre-cut $60 (through December 4th)
  • 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

  • 12814 NW Bishop Rd
    Hillsboro, OR 97124

  • 503-334-0905
    Online: https://www.helvetia-christmas-tree-farm.com

Christmas Mountain Choose and Cut

christmas mountain choose and cut
  • Opens on Black Friday – December 11th
  • Trees $10-$18 a foot
  • Reservation required – Tickets
  • Hours: Monday – Friday 10-4:30
    • Saturday – Sunday 9-4:30
  • 25470 NW Dixie Mountain Rd.
  • Scappoose, OR 97056

503-621-3169

online: www.christmasmountaintrees.com

Lee Farms

lee farms, tree
  • Open Now – Dec 23rd
  • Trees $10-$24 a foot
  • Hours: Tuesday – Friday noon-4
    • Saturday – Sunday 9-4
  • 21975 SW 65th Ave 
  • Tualatin  OR 97062

(503) 638-1869

online: www.leefarmsoregon.com/christmas-trees

Sauvie Island Farms

  • Open Black Friday Weekend ONLY
  • Trees $50
  • Hours: 9am-5pm
  • 19818 NW Sauvie Island Rd 
  • Portland, OR 97231

503-621-3988

online: http://www.sauvieislandfarms.com/

Loch Lolly Christmas Forest

  • Opens Black Friday – December 12th
  • Tree pricing varies
  • Hours: 9-5 daily
  • 28366 NW Dorland Rd 
  • North Plains, Oregon 97133

503-647-2619

online: http://www.lochlollychristmasforest.com

Washougal River Christmas Trees

christmas tree - washougal river
  • Open Black Friday – Dec. 23rd
  • Trees $49.95
  • Hours: 9-5 Daily
  • 39336 NE Washougal River rd
  • Washougal, WA 98671

Quail Creek Ranch

  • Open Weekends
  • Trees $20+
  • Hours: Friday – Sunday 9-5
  • 9949 NW Kaiser Road
  • Portland, OR 97231

Enjoy the smell of fresh cut pine in your home this year! We certainly will, and happy holidays to you and your family!

Thanksgiving Dinner

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Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays. You get to spend time with friends and/or family thinking about the year you had a reminiscing about all you are grateful for. Not to mention there is (hopefully) some really fantastic food to go along with it. If you don’t love to cook, this can be a very stressful holiday, but don’t worry, we have you covered! Here are some great restaurants to check out that (last we checked) still had reservations available!

Campana

  • 901 NE Oneonta st
  • 4 – 8pm
  • $80 per person

Campana will host a pre-set four-course meal: chicory salad with maple vinaigrette and hazelnuts alongside an autumn vegetable soup with tomato, lentils, and Parmigiano; tortelli di zucca with sage, brown butter, and amaretti; roasted and braised turkey with traditional gravy, cranberry sauce, chanterelle stuffing, glazed autumn vegetables, and Piemontese potatoes; and an apple tart with cinnamon gelato.

Metropolitan Tavern

  • 1021 NE Grand ste 600
  • 12 – 8pm
  • $41 – $54 per adult, $17 per kid

Metropolitan Tavern will serve a four-course dinner including baked brie with cranberry relish, harvest salad with delicata squash and candied walnuts, polenta cakes with mushroom gravy, garlic herb roasted turkey, rosemary brioche stuffing, and sweet yams with charred marshmallow cream.

Brix Tavern

  • 1338 NW Hoyt st
  • 12 – 8pm
  • $39 – $55 per adult, $17 per kid

 Brix Tavern will host a four-course meal from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. The menu includes brie with apple-hazelnut relish; prime rib with horseradish sauce and mushroom demi-glace; fall vegetable Wellington with forest mushroom and cognac cream; garlic and basil mashed Yukon gold potatoes; and pecan pie with maple-coriander whipped cream, as well as themed cocktails

23 Hoyt

529 NW 23rd Ave

1 – 8pm

$55 per adult, $20 per kid

23Hoyt‘s buffet style menu includes plancha-seared Oregon Coho salmon with grapefruit beurre blanc; potato and sofrito gratin; cornbread, chestnut, and linguica stuffing; gin and lemon braised fresh cranberries; and ginger beer pound cake with citrus glaze.

Bullard Tavern

  • 813 SW Alder st
  • 11am – 9pm
  • Pricing varies – see menu on website

Bullard Tavern, will incorporate a la carte Thanksgiving favorites into its dinner menu on Thanksgiving, including smoked turkey; mashed potatoes and gravy; Brussels sprouts with bacon jam; cornbread stuffing; delicata squash with whipped goat cheese, maple, walnuts, and sage; and pumpkin pie with caramel sauce.

King Tide Fish & Shell

  • 21510 SW Harbor Way
  • 2 – 7pm
  • $65 per person

King Tide Fish & Shell, will offer a prix fixe holiday menu, dishes include; Brussels sprouts with bacon, basil, and aged balsamic; Chinook salmon with creamy farro, squash, and roasted peppers agrodolce; Walla Walla onion ravioli with escarole; and a pumpkin bread pudding with whisky caramel and pecan. 

Do you plan on making it out to one of these restaurants? Let us know how it goes!

Langbaan

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You should go to Langbaan. I will get much wordier about it momentarily, but that really is the long and short of it. We recently headed there for the first time after their move from SE Portland to NW, and were totally wowed. The food, the ambience, the service, and the wine pairings were all truly top-notch. You should go to Langbaan.

Getting In

As mentioned earlier, Langbaan just moved locations to a larger space in NW. They share the space with Phuket Cafe, who operates out of the interior and exterior during the week, but cedes the indoors to Langbaan on the weekends. They only do two seatings each day of the weekend, so plan ahead!

The Space

The decor of the new location is spot on. With exposed wooden beams and a gorgeous accent wallpaper, it somehow walks that fine line between hip and refined. The space is small enough to be cozy, but large enough not to feel crowded, and the open kitchen provides that warm feeling of really being cooked for.

The Food

The tasting menu has a simple and elegant concept: exploring different regions of Thailand’s cuisine with seasonal ingredients and the chef’s creativity. When we dined there recently, the focus was on the cuisine of Isaan in Northeastern Thailand, involving fun ferments, spicy chilis, and coconut cream. The food was all incredible, and at the end of the night when our server asked us, ‘What was the favorite of the night?” we proceeded to name basically every dish on the menu.

The Drinks

In addition to the tasting menu, we did have the wine pairings. They were wonderfully chosen, supporting and complementing the food perfectly. I often feel that tasting menus in the Northwest choose mostly reds regardless of the food, which can be frustrating. This one, by contrast, was almost entirely whites and a rose, which worked so well with the food.

The Service

One final note to mention was the phenomenal service. There were 3 folks working front of house that night, and all three were personable, knowledgeable, and went above and beyond to make our evening great. Thanks team!

Have you been to Langbaan yet? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Check them out Here for their current menu and to make reservations.

Be Ready to Buy

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You need to be ready to buy when the market shifts. 

We still have an inventory crisis, and that will keep the market from crashing.  Pricing will continue going down as long as the interest rates continue to climb. As soon as inflation is back under control, they will drop the rates again.  When they do, you want to be ready to buy so you can enjoy the climb and build wealth.  

What do you need to do to be a ready to buy? Here are the 4 things I would focus on to best position yourself for a future purchase. 

Save your money.

You’ll need a downpayment and the more money you can put down, the better the house will be. Set aside a percentage of every paycheck, somewhere you can’t touch it, and let it build up as much as you can. If the bulk of your money is tied up in investments, I’d pull it and hold the cash so the stock market isn’t deciding how large of a downpayment you have. Of course talk with your financial advisor about this strategy, but stocks are also predicted to continue declining.  

Pay down your debts.

Your debt to income ratio is a huge part of being able to buy a house. Start with paying off your smaller debts and then wrap those payments into the larger debts. This will put yourself in as strong a position as possible.  

Work on your credit score.

This will improve naturally as you pay your debts down. You also want to make sure you stay up to date on all your payments and remove any past delinquencies that may still be showing up.  Free credit report sites can give you a quick overview, but for a better look I’d head over to one of the actual reporting agencies.  

Hone what you want to buy.

Once interest rates come back down, there will be a frenzy again because we don’t have any inventory.  Knowing exactly what you want to buy will put you in the best position to immediately jump on it when it comes on the market.  

This market is different than anything we have ever seen before, and as such we are all learning something new everyday.  If it were my money, I’d be buying homes as soon as the interest rates hit 5.5%. If you want to talk about a buying strategy, or what this could mean for you, please reach out!

Want to meet with us? You can schedule with us HERE

Sparkling Wine

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Looking for some spots that are a bit closer than France where you can enjoy some amazing sparkling wine? The Willamette Valley has you covered! There are several amazing wineries that use local grapes to make Méthode Champenoise sparkling wines that are delicious. There is even one that does exclusively sparklings (And yes, I am a member)! Here are some of our favorite places to sip some local bubbly.

Corollary

6451 NE Hilltop Ln

By appointment, Fri-Sun 11-3

Founded in 2017, Corollary’s singular mission is to explore the terroir of the Willamette Valley and it’s expression in sparkling wines. Currently developing Oregon’s first property dedicated solely to sparkling wines, they generally have around 5 offerings of sparklings they have made from grapes sourced from a variety of local vineyards.

Gran Moraine

17090 NE Woodland Loop Rd

Open Daily 11-5, reservations required

With an outstanding Blanc de Blanc (currently sold out, but new vintage releasing soon) and a delightful Brut Rose, you won’t want to miss this stop on your sparkling tour.

ROCO

13260 NE Red Hills Rd

Reservations available, Open Daily 10-4

Rollin Soles and Corby Stonebraker-Soles arrived in the Willamette Valley with a vision, and 35 years later are still producing wonderful and award-winning wines. Order the Diamond Experience to sample 5 outstanding sparkling wines, including a vertical of past vintages.

Sokol Blosser

5000 NE Sokol Blosser Ln

Open Weds-Mon 10-4, Reservations required

Susan Sokol and Bill Blosser planted their first vines in the Dundee Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area) of the Willamette Valley 1971, and make wines of world class quality that are produced sustainably, mindful of the environment, and express the distinctive flavors of their hillside vineyards.

Bonus: Sparkling Wine in Portland

Not all of our favorite spots to sip bubbles are in wine country. There are some really stand-out spots in the city as well!

Arden

417 NW 10th Ave

Open Tues-Sat 5-9

While Arden’s sparkling list may not be the largest in town, it is incredibly well-curated. It doesn’t hurt that the food is also incredible!

Muse

2264 NW Raleigh St

Open Weds-Sat 4-10, Takeout Tues 2-6:30

Muse has a wonderful and ever-rotating collection of wonderful sparklings from around the world, served in a lovely intimate setting. The owner Christopher is super knowledgeable about all of his offerings, and always happy to help you choose the right one or even serve up a flight.

Where is your favorite place to enjoy sparkling wine? Let us know in the comments! Or if you are more interested in reds, check out our list of places to grab Pinot Noir

Pumpkin Patches

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With the leaves changing, the sweaters slowing coming out of the back of the closet, and pumpkin spice invading every part of our lives, you’ve probably realized it’s fall! That means it is time for one of our absolute favorite family activities, visiting the Portland area pumpkin patches! Whether you need pumpkins for carving or you just want cute family photos, there is much more to do than wander around the pumpkin field.

In alphabetical order, here is a list of the places that we recommend!

Bella Organic

  • Th – Sun, 9 am – 6 pm
  • Fri-Sat, 9 am – 10 pm
  • Free Admission
  • 16205 NW Gillihan Rd
  • Website 

All activities can either be purchased a la carte or as an all day activity bracelet. Activities include a cow train, a grain train, a hay maze and duck races, a petting zoo, corn maze and haunted maze.

Bushue’s Family Farm

Th-Sun, 10 am – 5 pm

  • Free Admission
  • 9880 SE Revenue Rd
  • Boring, OR
  • Website

Offering lots of family friendly activities including a pig train ride, hay rides, apple cider and donuts, and an animal farm. some activities are free and there is no cost to enter.

Lee Farms

  • Tue-Fri, 11 am – 6 pm
  • Sat-Sun, 9 am – 6 pm
  • $15 entry fee
  • 21975 SW 65th Ave.
  • Tualatin, OR
  • Website

General admission includes a hay ride, play area, pumpkin and corn field access, and an animal area. There is also a larger activities area with a bounce pad, large slide, hay mazes and tricycles that requires additional tickets.

Plumper Pumpkins

Wed – Sun 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

$15 entry fee
11435 NW Old Cornelius Pass Road

Website

Admission includes most activities including the Hobbit house, corn maze, animals, hay pyramid, and pumpkin picking. Pony rides are available for an additional cost.

The Pumpkin Patch

  • Sun-Th, 9 am – 6 pm
  • Fri-Sat, 9 am – 10 pm

The original Portland pumpkin patch. They offer hay rides, an animal barn, cafe and coffeehouse, gift shop, produce market, and specialty food carts! There is also a corn maze for an additional cost.

Let us know where you end up this year and what your favorite pumpkin patch is to visit!

October Events

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It’s officially fall and I can smell the pumpkin spice from here! Luckily there is still no shortage of things to this month, and with any luck, the nice weather will stick around for most of October! Check out this list of events going on around Portland!

Portland Greek Festival

The Portland Greek Festival is celebrated as the largest Greek Festival on the west coast with more than 15,000 people attending. This cultural experience features Greek food, music, dance and shopping!

3131 NE Glisan St

$5

MORE INFO

  • September 30th and October 1st, 11am – 10pm
  • October 2nd, 12pm – 7pm

Fresh Hops Fest

  • Fresh hop beers are only available for a short window during hop harvest and are brewed with hops picked from the vine, usually within 24 hours. There are unique flavor and aroma attributes that only fresh hops can bring to a beer. 
  • Oaks Amusement Park
  • $25 – TICKETS
  • MORE INFO
  • September 30th, 4pm – 8pm
  • October 1st, 12pm – 8pm

Dogtoberfest

  • Celebrate the fall with a day full of pampering and dog-friendly activities at the annual Dogtoberfest – Portland’s pet-friendliest Oktoberfest party and biggest dog wash. Enjoy music, food, beer–including a special brew made just for DoveLewis–and pet-loving vendors, all while your pup receives a wash and nail trim.
  • Lucky Lab – 915 SE Hawthorne 

MORE INFO

  • October 1st, 12pm – 4pm

First Thursday

Stroll through the art galleries in the pearl for an evening of art, music, and wine! Parking is difficult so public transit is recommended

The Pearl District

Free

  • October 6th
  • 5pm – 10pm though gallery hours vary.

Spirit of Halloweentown

  • Each year, St. Helens, the filming site of the otherwise forgettable Halloweentown, remembers its brush with the dollar DVD bin with The Spirit of Halloweentown, a fun, family-friendly celebration of the spookiest holiday around.
  • St Helens

pricing varies

MORE INFO

  • Now through October 31st, attractions open at 10am

Portland Film Festival

  • The festival is anchored with outdoor screenings, offering its filmmakers one of the largest audiences on the West Coast. Portland Film Festival is Portland Oregon’s largest film festival by filmmakers for filmmakers.
  • Various Locations
  • Pricing varies by event
  • MORE INFO
  • October 12th – 22nd

Giant Pumpkin Regatta

  • This cherished local event returns to the Tualatin Commons every October with a series of races. The series is exactly what it sounds like, consisting of costumed racers piloting a gaggle of gigantic gourds through a watercourse on Tualatin Commons lake.
  • Lake of the Commons – Tualatin

Free

MORE INFO

October 16th, 10am – 4pm

We hope to see you at some of these awesome events!

Looking for something else to do? Check out our best of lists!

Pinot Noir

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Are you looking to try some seriously delicious Pinot Noir? There are so many wineries in the Willamette Valley that I doubt you could ever try them all. We have been to quite a few! We always try to make it out to somewhere new when we head down to wine country and we are very frequently pleasantly surprised by the pinots that we taste. Here are the places that we recommend you try for a nice flight of Pinot Noir in no particular order.

Bergstrom Pinot Noir

Bergstrom

8115 NE Worden Hill Rd

Open by appointment only

Since 1999, their family and team have been working towards their vision of stewarding naturally and responsibly farmed, estate vineyard terroirs that best represent the diverse appellations of our world-class Willamette Valley. Serving Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah

Gran Moraine

17090 NE Woodland Loop Rd

Open Daily 11-5, reservations required

Shane Moore’s viticultural and winemaking choices shine a light on the monologue of Gran Moraine Vineyard, lifting its voice through precise early picks, extended native ferments and careful extraction. These choices bring to life the vineyard’s clean, vibrant energy, crunchy toothsome tannins, and perfumed character marked by citrus, heady floral notes, and herbs de Provence.

penner ash, pinot noir

Penner Ash

15771 NE Ribbon Ridge Rd

Open Daily 11-5pm, reservations required

In 1998, Lynn and Ron Penner-Ash founded Penner-Ash Wine Cellars in the Northern Willamette Valley’s Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Bringing to life their shared vision, through years of hard work unyielding commitment, the pair built a reputation for lush, layered Pinot Noir, and community leadership throughout the valley.

Patricia Green

15225 NE North Valley Road

Open by appointment only

Located on a 52 acre property in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, Patricia Green Cellars is a unique winery because of our fervent dedication to particular sites in the Willamette Valley, and our truly collaborative approach to all aspects of the business.

alexana pinot noir

Alexana

12001 NE Worden Hill Rd

Open Daily 11-5pm, reservations required

Under the guidance of Bryan Weil as Winemaker and Evan Bellingar as Vineyard Manager, our farming practices are certified sustainable, are focused on elevating the quality, and telling the story of each vintage from the Revana Vineyard and top vineyards in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. 

Archery Summit

118599 NE Archery Summit Rd

Open Daily 11-4, reservations required

Gary Andrus launched Archery Summit in 1993, infatuated by Pinot Noir and the capacity the Willamette Valley seemed to have for it. The Dundee Hills in particular caught his eye, because it shares similar growing conditions with Burgundy, France, and some of the most acclaimed Pinot Noir vineyards on earth.

Winderlea

8905 NE Worden Hill Rd

Open Daily 11-4, reservations required

Crafting elegant, sensuous and age worthy wines for those who view the pairing of wine and food essential to their happiness and well being. Our focus is on making small lots of Pinot noir and Chardonnay that show the best characteristics of each vineyard.

Domaine Drouhin

6750 NE Breyman Orchards Rd

Open Daily 11-3, reservations required

Our estate winery in the Dundee Hills creates elegant, fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines forged from our family’s tradition of fine winemaking in France. For more than 30 years, the Drouhin Family has brought a wealth of hard-earned experience to their vineyards in the Willamette Valley, just southwest of Portland, Oregon.

Which Winery has your favorite Pinot Noir? Did it make the list? Let us know in the comments if there is anything we should be adding!