Portland - touring

A few weeks ago I took a trip out to Portland with Sadie, both for business and pleasure. Portland is such a beautiful city, I totally fell in love: the people, the weather, the scenery, the arts, the shops, the restaurants, the produce! If life landed us in Portland, I, for one, would not complain.



A sign from the get go - the beautiful view of Mt. Saint Helens in the foreground and I think Mt Hood in the back.



A house in my sister's neighborhood has a sense of humor about their planting. Or maybe it's a political statement?



We loved our visits to Washington Park, driving up and down the twisty-turny roads and stopping at the peaceful Japanese gardens.



We also took a walk through the International Test Rose Gardens where we were completely awash in the fragrances of roses wafting across the warm day. Here's Sadie on a bench in the Shakespeare Club section of the garden.



A city divided by the Willamette, there are at least ten different bridges connecting East and West. My sister drove us over and then under the St. John's Bridge for this stunning cathedral view.



The markets, oh, the markets! Summer produce season having nearly run its course in Boston, I could not have been more delighted to encounter still fresh strawberries, tomatoes and so much more at one of the best farmer's markets I've ever been to (it rivals Union Square in NYC for sure).



Pumpkins, squashes and gourds - a nod to approaching fall.



As urban as Portland may be, just miles outside of the city limits you find yourself surrounded by overwhelmingly beautiful nature: trails, waterfalls, gorges, rivers, mountains, heck, volcanos!



We spent an afternoon at Multnomah Falls. Here we are resting along the hike up to the top.



Back to the city, I loved all of the charming houses and yards. This one was a puzzle though.



At the Saturday arts market by the river I discovered a woman who created these Lotus Books for scrapbooking and albums. Since Angela and I are teaching a workshop with this bookmaking technique soon I found it exciting to see other applications of the technique.



Perhaps I should make one inspired by our trip.