The rest of our Monday trip into Portland was spent checking out the Pittock Mansion, built in 1909 to 1914. It was a shame that they did not get to enjoy it for very many years. Mrs. Pittock passed away four years after it was completed and Mr. Pittock a year later.
It was surrounded by 46 acres of natural beauty with this great view from 1000 feet above Portland. It also has a wonderful view from other windows of Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and Mt Rainier, although the sky was not clear enough to see them that Monday. I just can't imagine being able to look out your house windows to see these views most every day!!
It was a beautiful 23 room house, but the main focus was the marble staircase going from the finished basement to second floor. You get a glimpse of the staircase when you first enter the house as you can see in the mirror above.
This is the view from second floor and
view of the lower floor as Gary goes down to check out the pictures and records of Henry Pittock's life from 1853 when he crossed the Oregon Trail through his years as owner of The Oregonian and the raising of their family including he and his daughter's records of many mountain climbing events including Mt. Hood. There were actual photos of them climbing to the summit.
He was penniless when he crossed the Oregon Trail, but later built an empire including The Oregonian, real estate, banking, railroads, steamboats, sheep ranching, silver mining and the pulp and paper industry.
Here are pictures of the living room and dining room.
This was the ceiling in the smoking room.
The bedroom suites boasted many closets which reminded us of the Victorian house that the Theiss' lived in on Franklin Ave in Salem OH. 
I'd love to have a library like this, but would need more cushy chairs! Which reminds me, the furniture in the home was not that of the Pittocks, but an accumulation done by the Mansion Society after the City of Portland purchased the estate for $225K in 1964. They restored it and turn it into a museum. One more piece of history saved from the wrecking ball!
The Pittock family relatives lived in the Mansion until 1958 when they first put it on the market. It was severely damaged by storm in 1962 and was threatened with destruction by land developers.
Leaving the Mansion and going back into downtown Portland we passed by Chinatown to return home, but remembered at the last minute to turn around and go to the Hobo Restaurant in Chinatown to find out about the underground tours. We have since decided from others we have talked with that that tour is not worth the time or money. So we will not do that but hope to go back to Hobo for dinner sometime. It seemed like a very nice upscale restaurant. Maybe we should have checked out the prices while there??
There was not much of Chinatown that we could see from the few short streets that we drove and walked on, so do not plan to return there for any other touring. These following pictures were on the edge of the area not far from the homeless on the streets. Of course, I did not have my camera ready for that. But then maybe that is okay anyway, as I am sure that they deserve their dignity.
The following Saturday we drove down to Newburg to check out the Habitat for Humanity Restore where Richard spends his Saturdays volunteering, 
then on the Dundee to meet up with both he and Linda to go out to an Art Festival in West Linn just south of Portland and out to dinner. Of course, we had a wonderful visit!! We hope to see them one more time before we leave this area.
They even had entertainment at the Festival!!
Another week has nearly passed by since these excursions and we are about to go in to Portland again and then on to Seattle, the Lord willing. We look forward to these little side trips!! Check back in a few days and enjoy the rest of your summer!!
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