Portland Fun

Ok, so I'm not very good at keeping this updated. I promise to do better. I've actually had somewhat of a busy schedule lately, which has been really nice. Mark's brother's girlfriend, Laura, came to visit. I had so much fun having her around to explore Portland with. Here's some of the things we did:

Saturday Market

Portland holds a weekly Saturday market, rain or shine, that takes place under the Burnside Bridge and in Ankeny Park. It's a place for local artists to sell and display their work and talents. Everything sold at the market has to be local and handmade. I think it's such a great idea, but I have to admit that I found myself commenting, "I could totally make that..." several times. I hate to buy things that I feel I could make myself, even though I know deep down somewhere that I'll probably never find the time to do it!

I think my favorite part of the market had to be the street performers. However, there was a magician performing tricks that made me a bit queasy. I attempted to film his tricks, but not only did I film it sideways, I also walked away in horror before the trick was complete. Sorry. But you can view part of what I saw right here. By the way, it never popped. But what if it did!!!

Shopping

Of course. We had to do it. We're women. It's in our blood. But don't worry, we both seem to be gifted with the thrifty gene. We avoided the high-enders and stuck with Buffalo Exchange, a chain thrift store that I first became lawfully wedded to when I lived in Santa Cruz. Since then I've had a series of affairs on the first store- mostly in and around San Francisco. Laura found a great pair of jeans for under $20 I think. I found a pimpin' hat I thought Mark would love, but I didn't buy it. Mark's sorely disappointed.


We visited Nob Hill, which is a bohemian-chic district full of eclectic boutiques and cute cafes. Of course, in true Portland style, the boutiques boasted local designers, many of them eco-friendly. And the cafes served fresh, organic food. We browsed the sale racks all the way down N.W. 23rd Ave, visited an interesting Christmas store called "Christmas at the Zoo," and payed a visit to the Pottery Barn.


We even made a few friends- Scrap-Metal Duck, Dazzle the handicapped art horse, and wild horse with no name which had been tied to a ring on the sidewalk and then abandoned. Has he been trying to escape ever since?

We topped our shopping off by meeting up with Spencer and walking through the always-overpriced-but-worth-looking-anyway Urban Outfitters. I found yet another item that I knew Mark would love. Laura is displaying it below. The shirt says "Gold Teef For Err Body." Mark has pledged to own this shirt in an extra large. He gets paid Wednesday. Spencer preferred the mickey shirt.

The Grotto

The next place we went was the Grotto, otherwise known as "The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother." Quite a mouthful. It's a Catholic shrine and botanical garden. I love to see other religion's manifestations of their faith. It was beautiful.