Portland's Saturday Market, Rose Garden, and more...

Seeing Portland, Oregon, in the daylight, is definitely much better than at midnight.

Kate started our first full day with a trip to the park that is close by her house. She was meeting with her personal trainer for a workout. I opted to walk through the park and around it to get in my own exercise.  I saw a number of homeless people sleeping on benches or on the ground with their possessions next to them, covered with trash bags. Other homeless people were in their cars, with paper and cardboard stretched across their windows, with the motor running.

Kate told me not to engage in any conversations – normally, I would have. The Homeless would be a common sight throughout the city. A lot were homeless by choice and by their use of drugs. Many of the homeless were a combination of young and old, men and women.

After the work out and after we showered, Kate drove us downtown. I saw the city come into view and in the distance I could see Mt. Hood, and all the other mountains. The next day I would really see Mt. Hood up close and it would be personal!

We headed for the Portland’s Farmers Market that is found along the Willamette River. It’s held every Saturday from March until Christmas Eve. The Market was fun and filled with real cool and interesting handmade items, food, and entertainment. What caught my eye was the fresh fruit cut up lengthwise in a cup. Kate and I shared the cup, which was filled with cuts of cantaloupe, melon, watermelon, pineapple, papaya, mango and a cucumber. It was so good and so fresh!

After we walked around the downtown area, saw a lot of cool and interesting things, like the orange bikes that one can rent, lots of interesting buildings, and the long line at the world famous Voodoo doughnut shop. I had my picture taken under a poster board that said ‘Keep Portland Weird.’ I felt right at home. Later, I would buy a hoody shirt that would say the same thing on the front. We drove to the college for another farmers market but we were too late because they were shutting down.

 

  

Later on with Kate and Al, we visited the Pittock Mansion. Henry Pittock was from Oregon and a pioneer, newspaper editor, publisher and wood and paper magnate. The outside of the mansion was beautiful and overlooks the water and mountains. We walked around the beautiful landscaped grounds that were filled with beautiful flowers.

Then it was on to the Rose Gardens. So many roses, so many different shades, colors, and different breeds of roses. I felt like I was in heaven. Gertrude Stein was right when she wrote with “A rose is a rose is a rose…”

We would stop off for dinner at Lauretta Jean’s Pies. We had a cappuccino and I had the most scrumptious cherry pie…definitely one of the best pie crusts and fillings ever!