It’s God’s Country

In almost every town or city you visit, you can always find fascinating places to visit.  The Portland / Vancouver area is no exception.  There are many wonderful places to go and beautiful things to see.  There are a few places we seem to visit each year when we return to this area.  After all, it’s God’s Country.

During the summer the weather is normally perfect.  The winter clouds and spring rains pretty much disappear.  The sun can be non-stop and temperatures are usually comfortable.  Summer temperatures often are in the 80’s but rarely soar above 90.  However, triple digits can hang around for a few days during August.   June isn’t normally the driest or warmest month because "summer" seems to come a little later to this part of the country.  However, we have been experiencing temperatures in the upper 80’s.  Yesterday we even topped 90 with more of that today. It has definitely been nice.

The area is filled with lakes, rivers and streams.  Waterfalls are abundant and you just never know where you’re going to find the next waterfall.

One place that keeps beckoning us to return is Washington Park.  Washington Park sits high above the city and on a clear day Mt. Hood can be seen in the distance between the tall trees.  It’s also a place to park and enjoy the Rose Garden, Japanese Gardens and even catch a ride to the Portland Zoo.  We spent a few hours there last Thursday.

No outing is complete without a few side visits though.  We made those too.  The first side trip was to the ever so famous Powell’s Book Store.  If you’ve never been to Powell’s, you have no idea what a large bookstore is.  This place has used books, new books, reading rooms and even a coffee shop in it’s 68,000 square feet of space.  Powell’s main store is one of the largest independent bookstores in the world and just another one of those must-visit places in downtown Portland.

Also, no outing is complete without a food stop and what’s better on a beautiful day than sitting right on the river?  The Island Café is a small café next to a marina on the Columbia River.  The food is great, service good and the view fantastic.

Portland has no shortages of great places to eat or places to eat on the riverfront.  Another such outing was the next day when we visited Who Song’s and Larry’s Mexican Food.  Again, a waterfront dining experience with great food, good service, a fantastic meal and super companions , our son and DIL.

My favorite feral  (wild) cat, Ms. Kitty.

Update on our projects:  Painting is partially done, carpet is done and deck is completed except for railing.  We even put in a security camera to watch the deer, snow and activity when gone.   It connects to the internet but that’s another issue.  Once all of this is done, what will we do next?  Well, we have graduation for Sandi this Friday and then we’re off to Hannibal, Missouri .  A break we definitely are looking forward to.

‘Tis life on the road.