My sons excel at splitting.

My lovable lefties, splitting the bill for our impromptu Mother's Day Brunch at my favorite breakfast spot in Portland, the Bijou Cafe.

Yes, impromptu. For Mother's Day, all I really wanted was to shop the sale on Twinings English Breakfast Tea and Walker shortbread cookies at Cost Plus World Market, followed by a tour of and shopping in the recently completed remodel of the Fred Meyer on West Burnside. As we excited World Market, I realized lunch time was nigh. After a bit of discussion, Lamont mentioned the Bijou, so off we went in search of a parking space in downtown Portland and a short wait at the cafe. Success on both counts! After all, it's best to shop for groceries when one is NOT hungry.

From October, 2006, through January, 2011, Mama and I lived within walking distance of the Fred Meyer store's previous iteration which I thoroughly enjoyed because it was not a huge store, more like a neighborhood store of yesteryear. I admit that I've been curious to see the finished product after having shopped the work-in-progress last November when I had a Zipcar and could drive over there from where I now live across the Willamette in Northeast Portland. I found everything I needed. Lamont drove us; the guys carried the groceries in, and Leland put them away--good sons, splitting the effort that made my Mother's Day so special.




My divine brunch, a French omelette filled with smoked goat cheese, bacon and green onions. I had one buttermilk griddle cake and gave the toast to Leland, most all of the potatoes to the guys.



Lamont's brunch, an omelette I know nothing about except that he ate every single delicious bite of it, his salad and his toast, as well as the aforementioned potatoes.



Leland's brunch, a Mother's Day special involving bacon-wrapped eggs which turned out to have been made in the oven in a muffin tin. He ate all of that, too, plus the aforementioned potatoes and toast from my plate, plus the last of my omelette.