"We are all wanderers on this earth...our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams." ~ Gypsy proverb

Friday, September 23, 2011

Postcards from Portland, day 2

Portland day 2 itinerary:
Coffee and muffins: couldn't find local so Starbucks had to do yesterday.

Met the biggest slug we've ever seen (so far)!!



After a fantastic breakfast at Multnomah Falls restaurant, the Japanese Gardens!


You can find peace here, among the trickling water and mossy green, the stone steps and the pebble gardens, the graceful coy and the Japanese maples...

And by lunch, we had gone on 3 hikes...


No color correction here, I swear!

There are roses still squeezing in their last bloom in this city, stunning, brightly colored faces begging to be noticed and appreciated in the grandest moment of their lives.


Then the Oregon zoo, a promise to my animal loving youngest. As far as zoos go we were pleasantly surprised. The animals had large, open and very natural spaces. The larakeet exhibit was wonderful and uh...interactive?

the larakeet was fascinated with this lady's phone
But the lioness is what we will remember the most. She came right up to the window, as curious as we were, raising her nostrils to try to get a sniff of the shadows in the glass. She was oh so close, can you see the corner of the glass?

Then, Powell's bookstore, THE largest independent new and used bookstore in the WORLD! No disappointment here. Helena, I took a long deep breath in here for you...:).


Here's a fact, we have had 3 meals here in Portland so far, and in every single place the food did not disappoint! The first was Deschutes Brewery, the second Multnomah Falls Restaurant and the third Karam's Lebanese restaurant, pure deliciousness...


And now we are on day 3.  Welcome Autumn!!! Cannon Beach, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry are planned, and of course some hiking.

I have been picking up some souvenirs along the way for you!! I'll host some giveaways when we return. Things are all happening at once it seems. We will know if our house's appraisal has gone through to confirm the contract or not by the time we get home. Maybe we will know a little bit better where we will move to by then. This is a scouting trip Ivey as you so aptly surmised :). We are taking recommendations by the way! Do you love your city? Let me know and maybe we'll come visit. I just asked Hubs how to describe what we are looking for and he said "Like Portland, but with great weather." He he.  I know better than to think Shangri-La exists, though Portland hits pretty close so far  :)...



Have a great weekend my friends, hope it's filled with much peace and happiness!!
Love and light to you
xx oo

23 comments:

  1. cannon beach! now you're almost in my neck of the woods. (and i really mean woods!) have a beautiful time!

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  2. Portland looks great. and os does the food. and the wheather! looking forward to the gifts ; )

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  3. How lovely. I enjoyed traveling through your pictures. Portland is now added to the must do list stored in my head. Love to you and your family!

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  4. Portland is awesome, but yes, I hear Hubby on how gloomy it can be. Multnomah Falls is fantastic! We didn't get to go to the Japanese Gardens but from your pictures it looks like you could be in the middle of Kyoto! And Oh, Powell's Books, I could spend hours in there, unfortunately when we visited we only had 20 minutes. Have you visited VooDoo Doughnuts yet???? It's a hole in the wall, but it's fun!

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  5. Green, green, I LOVE all the green!! Those falls, amazing!! Looks like it's been a great trip so far, hope it continues!!

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  6. love how super saturated and green everything looks! and you made it to powells...love. enjoy the rest of your trip!

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  7. Oh I love the atmosphere in these shots!
    Lebanese food is a favourite of mine.
    The waterfall is simply stunning!
    By the way... if you have a chance... I just tagged you for a homeschooling meme :)

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  8. WOW! what a great time!and how nice of you to pick up souvenirs for your readers :-)

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  9. thanks for sharing your photos of portland! visiting it one day is def on my bucket list. sounds like you all are having a fantastic time! enjoy portland :)

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  10. Between the gardens and Powell's, I'd be in Heaven! I'm really enjoying your trip!

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  11. hey hey! i thought so! when we moved back to colorado from georgia we spent about a year deciding where, anywhere, we were moving to. (we just knew we couldn’t stay in GA) we ruled out a lot of wonderful places that we had already lived in or near...ann arbor, the nw, athens ga, and kept coming up with the same few places. asheville nc, northern california (ukiah), bend (the weather is a bit different there)portland maine, and durango. we visited and ruled out and were drawn to family and the mountains and the perfect family raising factor. we hope to be able to travel the world and keep this nirvana as home base. i do miss the pizazz of ethnicity that larger places offer, but i sure can’t complain too much. it’s expensive, but what isn’t these days. we make it work on a shoestring and i think anyone can do that where ever they choose to be.portland rocks for sure!!!!! we lived in the ben stark....a true flop house right near powells and camped out in the stacks! pre children of course!

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  12. What a magical time you're all having! Three hikes by lunch time—now, that is my idea of heaven. The places you're seeing, those photographs, and that scrumptious book store. YUM. Thank you so much for breathing it in for me. All of it. :)

    I love how you share your days, and the peace and joy that flows out, MJ. I am so excited for you, too. Because adventure is here, happening, coming. I can't wait to be here with you as you experience it.

    Love and smiles to you all! xo

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  13. drive down the coast, into california... half way down to the central coast, atascadero, san luis obispo, pismo beach area... would love to say hello!

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  14. great photos. and how I wish I could stop at that book store :) enjoy your trip!!!

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  15. Welcome Autumn indeed - beautiful photos of Portland and your gorgeous kids!

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  16. It looks like such a magical place: the food, the books, the plant life. I love that photo of M and E together, too - she looks so sassy! Looking forward to seeing more :)

    As for recommendations, I would try to lure you to where I am if it made any logical sense! As far as cities in the US go, I think I would love to live in Fort Collins, Colorado. It's such a wonderful little city! I also fell in love with Austin while living there. I really didn't think I would care for Texas, but I miss it more than "home" sometimes :) I know you'll find the perfect place for your family!

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  17. Oh wow! This looks fantastic, MJ! I have a deep desire to visit Seattle and Portland...one of these days.

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  18. Beautiful. It's on my list of places to go VERY soon. :) I love that picture of the kiddos under the tree. Sweet! I've very jealous of that book store. I hope you got some goodies. Looks like you guys are having an awesome time!! Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  19. oh mj... your pictures are making me long for the west coast. 3 hikes before lunch? well... that's something portland weather allows! in september i guess. i think that if you want something like portland with better weather than surely you know northern california is where it's at. the prices will sky rocket though. mill valley is what i'm thinking. we used to live there and i'd move back in a heartbeat. good luck with everything!

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  20. How wonderful! You are so near! When do you head north?? Hope to see you soon!! xoxo

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  21. Can you believe the ginormous slugs?? I was shocked when I saw my first when we lived in the Northwest. Make sure you visit the Elliot Bay bookstore in Seattle! I would have to give a plug to New Hampshire - four distinct seasons, you've got the N.H. shore, the mountains, and Boston within an hour's drive. I love the history of New England - Concord and Lexington in Mass., the Freedom Trail in Boston...I could go on and on.

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  22. got excited for a minute and thought you were in Maine! Looks like a great trip my friend.

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  23. The kids looks so big! This is such an important time that they will never forget...what adventures you have ahead!

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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~ George Bernard Shaw