Portland

So, like an idiot, I forgot to bring my camera this past weekend when I travelled up to Portland to visit some friends. What a time to forget one's camera; there were so many great things to photograph! My friend Eva and her daughter Alexandra gave me the VIP tour of the Portland/coast area. Saturday we travelled by MAX (Metro Area Express train) to downtown Portland, where we hit the Saturday/Sunday open air flea market (where I picked up some nice jams and spices). Next we went to the point of no return, aka Powell's bookstore (for all you New Yorkers, think the Strand in Manhattan). Powell's is this great HUGE new/used bookstore with every single book you can imagine there. Since I'm doing wildlife work this summer, I was drawn to the nature and environmental studies section, and got some old, cheap paperback copies of "Silent Spring" and "A Sands County Almanac". I also couldn't resist the temptation of the children's section, so Alexandra and I spent a lot of time thumbing through "Frog and Toad" and "Amelia Bedelia", some of my childhood favorites. Sunday we went to Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast. We went to Moe's, a seafood restaurant along the beach. This vegetarian helped herself to a bowl of clam chowder and an order of fish and chips (yes i did! and it was yummy!). Afterwards, we went to Haystack Rock, a huge rock formation that's home to Oystercatchers, Cormorants and Murrers. By the base of the rock, there are cool tidal pools that host sea stars, sea anemones and hermit crabs. It was great to observe all that marine life. Before we knew it, the tide had come in and a storm was brewing, so we walked back to the car in a downpour, but it was actually a lot of fun. We headed over to Tillamook's, a cheese factory that also sells awesome ice cream and fudge. I helped myself to the cheese samples and couldn't resist taking home some fudge, too. All in all, it was a great weekend. Thanks to Eva and Alexandra for putting us girls up for the weekend and showing us a great time!