Dear Liza,
Grandpa Nelson and I returned to the Rose Garden in Washington Park again last week, hoping that three more weeks of sunshine had coaxed some blooms. We found a few.
First, we got to ride on a Trimet bus with a driver who seemed out of his depth. This was the first time I have seen a driver who was clearly lost, and it was unsettling. Apparently some road work had re-routed the bus line, and our young man kept having to back up and make different turns. His confusion made everyone nervous! You can bet that as soon as we were within walking distance of the garden, we walked.
We got some donuts from a fellow who runs a food cart and enjoyed a snack and the cool sunshine before heading into the garden.
What we found were a few more blooms, tall and climbing or small and bushy, all making the most of the May sunshine, and literally hundreds of buds, waiting, right on the cusp of exploding. It felt like they were all just holding their breath.
We sat for a moment on the bench dedicated to Jesse Curry, who founded the International Rose Test Garden in 1915 as a way of rescuing and preserving roses that were being destroyed in Europe by World War I. We owe a lot to his vision and stubbornness.
At the garden we saw one of the e-scooters that have started appearing in the city for the summer. These are rented scooters you can sign on to with your phone and take for a spin! They are silent, eco-friendly, and a very popular way for folks to get around town easily and quickly.
When we had seen all the roses and said encouraging things to the late bloomers, we headed off for the next part of our adventure.
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 