Portland Visit

Early yesterday morning, Rick and I drive to Portland, Oregon. Portland is beautiful as ever, with its great architecture and vibrant inner city. I LOVE that place! We had a great time walking around the city. Rick was a Navy Reserve Trainer for two years in Portland and lived there for a total of 15 years, so he knows the ins and outs of this fabulous city. When we first arrived, we walked around the Pearl District, went to the famous Powell’s Bookstore, had lunch in Chinatown, had ginger tea at Pearl Yoga Studio/Cafe, and walked through a few parks. We then headed over to Rick’s aunt’s house where we visited with her and her husband and cousin Jimmy. It was really special spending time with them, especially with Diana. She is my mother-in-law’s sister and being with her was wonderful. She is funny, a great story teller, very engaging, and incredibly sweet and kind. We also enjoyed their three cats: Lilly, Daisy, and Ghosty. Aunt Diana showed me her beautiful garden filled with anemones in bloom and bird feeders. I am pretty sure that most of the birds and squirrels of the neighborhood hang out at Aunt Diana’s! Diana and Ron have created a little paradise in their back yard. Later, we all went out for a Mexican dinner at the The Iron Horse. When we got back to their house, I went to bed early while Rick stayed up with Diana and Ron, talking late into the night. It made me happy to get this special time with them and to fall asleep hearing their voices drifting in and out of my dreams.

This morning, Rick and I woke up to sunshine. We left Diana and Ron’s house and walked along the riverfront, admiring the Willamette River, and then we walked through the Portland Saturday Market. At 11 am we met Rick’s longtime friend, Steve, at the Bijou Cafe for brunch. We enjoyed visiting with Steve and catching up with him. What can I say? We had the most perfect Portland visit.

Enjoy these collages and photos below. I had a great time taking these shots!