Moving into our little cabin, we knew there wasn’t a dishwasher already installed. We had imagined getting a countertop dishwasher and possibly placing it on top of the dryer but then quickly realized that the cabinet above the dryer did not have enough space for the dishwasher, nor would we be able to turn the dryer on with the dishwasher in the way. Meanwhile for the last year and a half, we’ve been hand washing our dishes. Truly, it’s not a very big deal if we stay on top of it. However, to stay on top of it, we feel like our day is spent doing dishes more than anything else. Doing dishes all day long meant missing out on the beauty of the outdoors around us. As I’m writing this I just realized that maybe the answer is a little outdoor sink!
Either way, we were dreaming of a dishwasher and putting that chore off of our list. Especially for entertaining. We have a very small kitchen with a very shallow/small sink and when we entertain, the entire kitchen is ravished by dishes. I am wanting to entertain more here at our house. I love to cook for everyone and play music and hang out.
Having worked at the youth camp in California a couple years ago, we had been spoiled by the ability to use the commercial dishwasher. Rinse and load the tray, 2 minute wash, only 1 gallon of water used per load, leave out to air dry and dishes are done! We would return home (to our old home) and use our standard home dishwasher that ran for almost 2 hours and didn’t get the dishes near as clean – and we had a higher end dishwasher!
A new commercial dishwasher is an extravagant cost and we had ruled that out rather quickly but we told ourselves if we could find a used dishwasher that was reasonably priced – basically priced at what a high end home dishwasher would be – then we would bit the bullet and get one. We found one that was double what we wanted to spend and every morning we woke up and checked to see if it was still listed for sale, dreaming of what it would be like to finally have one. But we just couldn’t take the leap at double what we wanted to spend, so we continued looking.
Finally, one day we found TWO used commercial dishwashers for sale, both for less than our budgeted amount! We were thrilled and quickly began researching the two washers to determine the better of the two. We chose the washer located in Roseburg and set up an appointment to get it from the man selling it for the next day.
We got up that morning excited to get over to Roseburg – about a 2 hour drive from Lakeside – and we got ready and hopped in the van. The drive on Highway 38 to the 138 was gorgeous. Lined with the Umpqua River, following the road, meandering back and forth on either side. Little farm houses and barns dotted here and there in the pastures. We still can’t believe the beauty that is Oregon west of the I-5 Freeway. It’s just stunning!
As we entered the 5 Freeway and returned to normal civilization, traffic, and the hustle and bustle, we both felt a bit of culture shock. There were suddenly so many cars and people and buildings. We made our way to the storage unit where the dishwasher was located but we were a few minutes early. We took a little drive around Roseburg. For a larger city, it did have lots of streets and buildings and businesses but somehow it was still sort of quaint like a little big city. After a few minutes, we met with the man and loaded up the very heavy dishwasher.
It was lunch time by the time we were done and we were hungry! I pulled up some options on my phone of nearby eateries and the one that stood out was the McMenamins Roseburg Station Pub & Brewery. The menu looked great and the location at a train station seemed pretty unique. We found a parking spot although there weren’t many right next to the restaurant. As we walked up to the restaurant, there was a very cool design to the exterior of the building that fit with the old fashioned train station next door to it. Both were rather beautiful. Entering the restaurant, transported us to another place and time. High vaulted ceilings were decorated with dozens of mis-matched hanging chandeliers of all sorts, from glittery crystals to western style rusted steel.
We were seated next to the window and handed menus. Our server was very nice but not super attentive, which for us is not a huge problem as we don’t love a server that is constantly interrupting either. I ordered beer battered fish and chips and my love ordered [ask dennis what he got when he gets home]. Both meals were fabulous right down to the sauces available. Even the special organic ketchup for my fries was amazing. Not so salty or too sweet like so many commercial brands. Neither of us tried the brews since we had a 2 hour drive ahead of us, but I’d love to try them next time we’re in town for longer.
Tired, full, and happy to have our new dishwasher, we headed back towards home. It felt so good to get off of the freeway and back onto the highway headed west. Nature once again surrounded us and the beauty of the coastal vegetation grew as we got closer and closer to home. I find it interesting to visit the big city of Roseburg, but it was a bit too busy for this gal from the suburbs who has gone country. I don’t think I’ll be in a hurry to get back.
