Out on a Thursday night for dinner

Thursday night out, Cassandra texted me to see if I wanted to meet her for dinner at the second avenue sports bar (ne old Fox & Hounds). I decided to go have dinner with her. We were going to meet at 6 and after dinner go to Embers for a little while as tonight is the last night open as they are being shut down. I got all ready and got downtown just before 6 traffic was horrible tonight do to the Blazer game. Cassandra was already there on her computer. It was good to be out again.

We talked a little about the group and up coming events and also about the changes here at the old Fox & Hounds. The new owner Erin is really nice and she has really cleaned things up and made it look new, added a couple more pool tables. It really is nice. We ordered dinner and it was really good. Now I am not saying Fox & Hounds was bad as I really liked it and we always had a nice time there but things change and sometimes change is good. It is a nice place and I would recommend the Second Avenue Sports bar check them out 217 NW 2nd Ave, Portland, OR 97209. It was a really nice time. It was a little after 7 when we decided to go over to Embers for their last night.

We got over there and they were really busy, it took us a little while to find a parking spot a couple blocks away. We got to Embers and there was a line to get in, we ran into David who use to work here when we came here. Now we have not been to Embers in probably 7 years, I think the last time we were here was the summer of 2010. We had a disagreement with the owner and we found another place called the P-club and well that didn’t work out either but because of it we started going more places and that was a good thing as we have grown so much as a group. Now although we haven’t gone here in years it still does have a special place in my heart. Embers was the first place I really ever went out, I had actually gone here 3 times sat in my car for an hour and then left, the 4^th time I was getting ready to leave when another t-girl walked by and tapped on my car window and asked if I was going in and I did her name was Lori and she was the first person I had ever met that was transgender. That night really changed my life as for the first time I felt I wasn’t the only one like this. This is also where I met Alice, my first real friend in the transgender community. She would e-mail me when she came to Portland and I would go meet her at Embers. I so looked forward to when she came to town as at this point I would not go out by myself and it took all I could do to walk into Embers even knowing she would be there. Alice doesn’t get out any more but I still think of her and how she helped me start going out. This is a picture of us from a long time ago.

Embers was the first place I went and that does make it sad that it closed, so many of our girls in the group this was where they got their start. We all have some fond memories from here and although we haven’t gone here for a while it is still kind of like home. I think that is why Cassandra and I and I am sure all the people who came here tonight are here. It is like going back to the home you grew up in.

We really did have some wonderful times here, it was every Friday night and sometimes on Saturday night, some of the girls came here Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. It was a safe place we could go and be ourselves even if we weren’t sure who we were at that point.

This is where I met Cassandra for the first time probably in 2007 and found out about the Rose City T-girls group she had. It was a great idea but I was still nervous and didn’t join till early 2008 but that was the best thing I did as I got to know more of the girls and that is where I really started to become the lady I am now with the help of my friends. Cassandra is one of my best friends now and knows almost as much about my male self as my female self. As a matter of fact, several of the girls in the group know almost as much about my male self as my female self.

Embers is where I met Jan & Lynn, Tereasa, Peggy, Barb, Rachael, Penelope and so many others and I am still friends with them today. This is a picture of Rachael, me, Penelope and Cassandra, we met them here at Embers and just hit it off. It is funny as we took so many pictures back then but that was also 3 computers ago and I am sure I have all the pictures just not sure where to find them. We came here for New Years a couple times, here is a picture from that, what cute hats we all have on.

I think we will all miss it as Embers really did shape our lives some and who we are. Below are a few more pictures I found from Embers all those years ago. I created my blog as a way to document my life and time as Susan and it is nice at times like this I can go back and remember some of the things I have done and the people I have met. Now I am not saying you should all do a blog but you should have some pictures and some notes to look back on what you did and the people who you met and had an impact on your life. We only stayed here till about 9:30 as I had to get up early in the morning. On the way out, we talked with David more and also ran into Jim. He use to come out with us all the time at Embers but when our group left and went else where we lost touch with him. It was great to see him again. It was a good night but a little sad.

Thanks for reading and keep up with me on my most recent blog.

Cassandra an I at the pool table