On the family’s second day in Portland, we met up at our house, packed up a picnic, and walked up to Laurelhurst Park. We had seven people and so much equipment, I felt like part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Food, drinks, blankets and badminton all got carried by the crew.
We set up to eat in Picnic Area A, which usually hosts weddings or birthday parties, but it was a weekday and we had it all to ourselves.
It had a nice flat space for badminton practice.
After lunch and badminton, we packed up the gear and headed to the part of the park where the swings are. Everyone got into it!
By this time I was about worn out, so Bridgett and family went off to visit The Grotto while I konked out for a bit. Then I made supper for when they got back.
When supper was done and the table cleaned off, I got everyone to sign my tablecloth as part of my ongoing ‘memory through art’ project. It is a way of remembering all the lovely people who have eaten around my table here in Portland.
And today, I started embroidering the names so they become permanent.
Sunday was a not-quite-sunny, not-quite-warm day, but I went to the vegetable garden to pull weeds and pick up the endless piles of Camélia blooms that drop on my plot. By the time I got back to the house, I was all warmed up. So when Auntie Bridgett suggested a picnic, I was all for it!
We made some egg salad, grabbed apples, celery, crackers, and our picnic blanket. The neighborhood was very azalea-forward with almost neon colors.
We noticed that the ground was damp, so we chose a table on the high ground. We kept our jackets on.
Still, the park was pretty, green, and scented with four o’clocks and tulips. An excellent church choir was singing across the road at the Laurelhurst Club, which made everything special.
We enjoyed our simple lunch as the crows and squirrels came by.
As we ate, however, the clouds got cloudier and the breeze got breezier. We finished up with a square of chocolate, packed up our slim supplies, and took a turn around Firwood Lake on our way home. The fireplace felt good as we settled in to watch the Giants play the Brewers.
Our Fourth of July was very busy! It was a warm but not deadly-hot day, so we felt up to some solid walking.
We packed a small picnic lunch and headed south to Seawellcrest Park. This is the same park where we had Cousin Jasper’s fifth grade promotion celebration, but on the Fourth, it was practically deserted. A few folks played frisbee with their dogs, but mostly it was just us and the giant maple tree we were sitting under. We enjoyed a nice lunch of cold sausages and cheese and listened to birds and happy dogs. Very nice.
We walked around the Seawellcrest community garden and enjoyed seeing how other folks arrange their spaces. Ladders are good for trellises! I am learning a lot for next year.
We continued through the neighborhood, greeting folks out walking.
Once we got to Division Street, there was Auntie Bridgett’s favorite frozen treat shop: Eb and Bean Frozen Yogurt. These friendly folks make healthy and yummy flavors such as Triple Blueberry Chèvre and Caramel Praline… what’s not to like?
We enjoyed the goodies on a bench in the shade, watching people and traffic go by. A young fella set up a lemonade stand and Grandpa Nelson was his first customer! Other folks soon followed.
Auntie Bridgett suggested, since we were on Division Street, that we walk a little way further and go visit Auntie Katie. The day was getting warmer, but we had tummies full of ice cream and we were good at staying in the shade.
We visited with Katie’s assistant, Nick, and then took her off for a walk and a snack at Palio. I know it seems like we were eating a lot. Yes. Yes, we were. Yummy! We had a wonderful visit, sharing some rose wine and berry cake.
Katie needed more of a walk, she said, so she decided to walk us up the hill and home. The heat of the day had really kicked in and it was a bit of a slog the final mile, but we made it! The three of us had covered five and a half miles, and we were pretty pleased with ourselves. And tired. We all had ice water and a rest before Katie headed off on her way.
The rest of the day was quiet, with reading and, later, watching the humans beat the aliens in IndependenceDay.
Belated Happy Fourth! Happy to still have a country to celebrate in.
Dear Liza 