You may have noticed that the weather in the Portland area this weekend will be the most stereotypical Oregon weather of all time. Saturday is supposed to be gorgeous and in the 70s; by Sunday, it will be in the 50s and raining. But it’s a weekend built on the concepts of outdoor sports and outdoor cooking, and just being outdoors, so if you’re from here, you might not be thrilled with the idea that you have to wear rain gear, but it beats staying indoors. 

If you are sure you want to get outside this weekend to enjoy the weather, make those plans for Saturday. Schedule a tee time somewhere in Portland, drive out to Hood River for the rest of the day, and enjoy water activities and the town before heading back for bed around nightfall, which is what these days…930pm? I guess that’s right. 

Sunday, you’ll want to make a more modest autumn-style schedule. Sleep in if the family tolerates it, then get hot coffee and breakfast before heading to your favorite disc golf course. If you haven’t played recently, it’s a great game the entire family can enjoy, but like traditional golf, you risk more extreme players or groups hassling you and your group if you’re not moving along quickly enough. 

When you get home, grab a quick lunch and prep your favorite grilling meats and let them smoke if that’s your deal, or give them time to marinate if needed. It’s the weekend, and this is your day, so take a nap if your kids are young enough they still close their eyes during daylight hours. If your teenager has been telling you they are better in the virtual arena than you are, maybe it’s time to challenge them to a duel – no holding back this time. 

When everyone is awake and ready for the next adventure, head to a great park if the weather is playing along. In my opinion, Gabriel Park is the best on the west side, Happy Valley Park is the best on the east side, and Imagination Station is the best if you’re willing to make the journey to Troutdale.

If the weather isn’t cooperating or you have simply had your fill of parks recently, head to the local indoor amusement park, such as Langers in Sherwood, Bullwinkles in Wilsonville, Birdie Time or Glowing Greens in Portland, or Top Golf in Hillsboro. Swing the mini wrenches and show your kids you are still boss on the mini greens, or beat them at angry birds at Top Golf to really show them you know how to win. Even if it’s not at a traditional golf course, it’s still golf. 

Next, head home to fire up the grill, assuming you allowed yourself an ample overhang near your patio. If you are not going to be protected from falling water, hopefully, you will have a solid raincoat that is actually waterproof. Get the family fed and pile on the sofa to watch your favorite movie of all time. It doesn’t matter if it’s not someone else’s favorite, this is your night. 

If the choice you want to make is not full of clean material for your kids, check out https://www.enjoymoviesyourway.com/. They have an app that works with most streaming devices, and their filter will clean up any movie to make it appropriate for all ages as far as language goes, but there are limits to what you can avoid when it comes to disturbing imagery or violence so be careful there especially if you have really young ones. They do have filters that skip scenes that shouldn’t be seen by little ones, but they can also just run audio during those parts if you still want to hear the scene. We have ours set to skip any death scenes, so even stuff like Star Wars, which is pretty clean considering what else is out there, skips like my old Kmart knockoff Discman; I should have known there was trouble when it was shaped like a rectangle. I have yet to see a movie that is not available in their offering as long as it’s available to stream on Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, HBO (MAX), YouTube, or Peacock. 

After all, make sure you get to bed at a reasonable hour. School is probably out for your kids or just about to be, but for you, it’s still Monday when you wake up the next day, and you’ll want to be prepared for the first week of summer and another week of work.