Tag: roses in Portland

After the Impressionists

Dear Liza,

Our eyes were pretty full of beauty as we left the French Moderns exhibit at PAM, but we weren’t done looking yet.

Since the Museum is undergoing an enormous remodel, most of it is just not available, but there was quite a bit of young-people noise coming from the first floor exhibit called “Future Now”.

This is an oddly fascinating show of sneakers… yes, athletic shoes. Old and new, functional and artsy, wearable and not-so-wearable. It was interesting, but there were several happy, totally involved school groups there, all discussing, drawing and designing. We decided we’d come back and see the shoes some other time, when the crowds had gone.

We visited the newly-relocated gift shop, which, as always, is filled with beautiful things. They were having a sale of postcards, and we got 30 for just $3.00! They will be useful for all sorts of artsy schemes.

And, of course, no trip to PAM is complete without lunch at Umbria, just a block towards the river. Enjoying delicious quiche, panini sandwiches, coffee and juice while watching the world go by on bike, foot and skateboard, is just about the best thing ever.

A short walk got us to the bus stop to head home. Roses in the City Hall courtyard made sure we had lots to look at while we waited.

Summer in Portland. Nothing like it.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Lots of Walks, Lots of Flowers

Dear Liza,

Portland late spring is FULL. Full of sunshine, full of flowers, full of long walks to enjoy both.

Last week, Cynthia and I took the bus to the river and walked along the West Bank. The Iris Garden even made the Marquam Bridge look pretty!

We walked clear to the Tilikum Bridge, then caught the B loop streetcar and then the number 15 back home. I was well and truly worn out. Lunch and a lay-down put me right.

Which is good, because Auntie Bridgett wanted some exercise! We walked through the Sunnyside neighborhood, enjoying the roses that are just popping out.


We got inspired to go visit the dead people at Lone Fir Cemetery. I felt sure I could find the grave of Eloisa McLoughlin Harvey, Dr. John McLoughlin’s (“The Father of Oregon”) daughter, having heard Tammy Williams describe where it was. Well, I didn’t find it. But the cemetery was gorgeous.

Later that evening, we walked out again for dinner at a local favorite, Bluto’s Greek food. Sidewalk tables made for good people and dog watching along with our delicious skewers and pickled veggies.

And, walking home, more roses!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Grey Walk to Ladd’s

Dear Liza,

We are in The “April Showers” part of spring, and boy, is it drippy! It’s not terribly cold, though, so still good weather for walks.

I needed to get to Auntie Katie’s place to feed Hopey and Maggie while she’s away doing comic business, so Grandpa Nelson and I headed out.

The rose gardens in the Ladd’s Addition Rose gardens are getting ready to bloom! This little guy is showing color already, and by Monday when Katie gets back, there will be lots of blossoms.

In Katie’s own garden at Books with Pictures, the wild roses by the fence are fully open and making the bees happy.

They sure brighten up the corner by the stage!

The tall purple irises are up and looking gorgeous. I love how they look with the antique bed frame Katie has installed as a part of the fence.

Another way you can tell it’s April is that the neighborhoods are covered with tiny green maple seeds.

They look like tiny helicopters close up, but like a green carpet from a distance.

They sure look pretty with the pink cherry blossoms.

When I’d fed the cats and said hello to Sir Isaac Snooten, I joined Grandpa Nelson at Floyd’s coffee house to warm up and rest before heading back up the hill.

Just another perfect day in Portland.

Love,

Grandma Judy

A Sunny Lunch Out

Dear Liza,

One of the best things about our sunny summers is that it is so easy to get around Portland on foot. The other day I had a lovely walk down through Ladd’s Addition to have a lunch out with Auntie Katie.

We walked a few blocks from Books with Pictures to Spielman’s Bagels on Division. They have a lovely back garden with just the right amount of dappled sunshine. They also serve delicious sandwiches.

Katie and I caught up with news. She told me how proud she was of her kids’ volunteering at the latest SOAK weekend (a regional version of Burning Man) and her trials in maintaining the hundred-year-old building that Books with Pictures is in. Roof, then walls, then windows…. Oy vey. Expensive and stressful.

Still, she finds ways to relax and look great.

I told her about the story I am writing about the “Grandma Judy Commandments”.

When we had finished our lunch, I walked Katie back to the shop and spent a delightful hour watering her garden.

She found some Marvel comic figures in a give-away box last week and has introduced them to their new home.Iron Man is guarding the new rhododendron, and Black Panther is hiding among the lavender.

Stunning!

I enjoyed my walk up to the bus stop, because it took me through one of Ladd’s Addition’s FOUR rose gardens. The scent wafted me all the way up the hill.

I hope your summer is full of adventures, too.

Love,

Grandma Judy

It’s Purple Season!

Dear Liza,

As Spring has moved along, we have noticed the general color palette change. March was (mostly) the light pinks of cherry blossoms, coming onto the trees before any other color in the neighborhood.

But last night we went for a walk around the neighborhood and found a shift. Now, it seems to be purple season. This unusual rose was the first to catch my eye, and after that, I couldn’t stop seeing it.

The early big-headed lavender is up and full of bees and smelling like summer.

This Rhododendron is ten feet tall and sharing a lot of beauty.

I almost missed these deep purple petunias because they were so low to the ground!

And as we made our turn at the park, we saw this lovely iris standing above a bed of poppies.

Happy Purple Season, Liza!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Pretty Planet

Dear Liza,

The weather is getting nicer here, with just sweaters needed most days. I had to get out for a walk.


Everything is blooming! This chestnut tree is about fifteen feet tall, which means it is just a baby. The pink blossoms stand straight up, about six inches tall, and the bees love them.

Banks of rhododendrons planted in the 1920s line the sidewalks of the Sunnyside and Laurelhurst neighborhoods.

Since it is almost June, the roses that Portland is famous for have started blooming, as well. They look particularly nice when growing a bit wildly by a wonderful old house.

And, of course, it rained a bit while we were out. Not enough to be miserable, just enough to decorate the roses and remind us of what makes this part of the country so lush and green.

I got home, a bit damp, but happy to live on such a pretty planet.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Just a (Wet) Walk in the Park

Dear Liza,

This week we saw some real rain, which was a relief after our too- hot summer. I wanted to properly appreciate it, so out I went!

I didn’t have far to go to find beauty. Auntie Bridgett’s angel and spider plants were much improved by the weather. The gnomes were lurking about, as usual.

Raindrops hitting the puddles remind me why I love concentric circles.

I stopped by our plot at the Blair Community Garden. Only three new tomatoes were ripe, but Morgan and Abby’s corn was shiny and tall.


My late blooming pumpkin, Leo, seems to be coloring up a bit.

I continued on to Laurelhurst Park, which was mostly deserted. A few diehard dogs and their owners were at the off leash area, and the puddles grew all along the base of the hills. This young lady found a good spot to enjoy a conversation with a loved one.

I am a firm believer that rain makes everything prettier, and this rain drop-enhanced rose proved me right.

By the time I got home I was pretty soaked, but so much richer for all the beauty. Now to get dry and have a snack!

Love,

Grandma Judy

False Summer into False Fall

Dear Liza,

Our summer-like heat has given way to cool, cloudy drizzle. This is a well-known pattern here in Portland. People ask, “Which false summer are we on now?” Or “Is it real summer yet?”

All this on-again-off-again heat and wet is fine, as long as you can adapt to it. Don’t put your boots away yet. Keep the umbrella handy. Keep the watering can by the door.

When it started to rain the other day after a hot, dry week, the wave of that smell we call “rain” was overwhelming. It made me part of the rain and the earth and the plants.

It felt like such an important thing, I came home certain that there must be a specific word for it. And there is! The word is PETRICHOR. (Say PET-Ri-Kor). The word was invented in 1964 by Australian scientists to describe the smell of earth, moisture, and plant oils being released into the air.

Our current cool spell is predicted to last for another week, giving all the gardens a chance to slow their growth a bit. The roses will stay fresh and the lettuce won’t bolt.

At least until real Summer comes along !

Love,

Grandma Judy

Trees Helping Roses

Dear Liza,

I love seeing how trees and roses grow together!
In your great grandma Billie’s yard, there was a giant lemon tree that grew right above a pink rose bush. When Billie didn’t trim the rose one summer, we got this:

Yes, that is a rose that climbed up into the tree and used its branches as a trellis! I had never seen such a thing, so I took a picture. The rose wasn’t hurting the tree, just climbing. So we let it be.

Since then, I have been on the lookout for clever roses that borrow space in nearby trees to get up into the sunlight. There is one, just down the street by Sunnyside School. It is a Cecile Bruner Rose, which may be my favorite kind of rose, (although I hate to have favorites.)


This rose has grown up into a large tree, and its tiny pink blossoms are almost completely covering it! It is beautiful. Still, if I were that tree I might feel a bit crowded.

A third rose bush has taken up residence in what I call “The Best Maple Tree” , just down the block. This is Heritage Tree #241, a Japanese Maple about a hundred years old. It is so big it is impossible to get a clear picture of!

But here is what I saw the other day, walking under it. The nearby roses have grown up, looking for sun, and climbed right into the tree. It is amazing and lovely.

Maybe you could be on the lookout for climbing roses in your neighborhood.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Cake Walk

Dear Liza,

Our spring has been alternating between rain and sun, so when the weather is nice, we get out in it! Grandpa Nelson and I headed out in Friday, with not much idea of where to go.

All sorts of flowers are blooming! The tulips are starting to fade, but azaleas and irises are going berserk. The colors are eye-smashing.

We continued south west, sort of in the direction of Ladd’s Addition, where Auntie Katie’s book shop, “Books with Pictures” is. The rose gardens had a few early bloomers looking good, with dozens more in bud, just biding their time.

Palio, a delightfully tasty and pleasant bakery/coffee shop on the Ladd’s Circle Park, has set tables and chairs out on the sidewalk. We ordered some delicious lemon custard cake and texted Katie with an offer. “Yes, please!”

Auntie Katie got her second vaccine just the day before and is on her way to being able to run her shop more easily. The business is doing well, mostly because she works hard to make sure she gets books to her customers. She has been driving to deliver all over the city for more than a year now. Exhausting, yes, but that’s what it took.

After a lovely chat and snacks, Grandpa Nelson and I headed back home through the Richmond neighborhood. It is full of craftsman style houses from the turn of the 20th century and hundreds of majestic trees and flowers bushes.

Portland is a cakewalk!

Love,

Grandma Judy