Many people will know Portland as a city that sounds a lot like the capital of Maine. In fact, I'm 80% sure that Portland Oregon was founded by the descendants of the original settlers of Portland Maine, but I'm 90% sure I just made that up.
With the exception of constant cloud cover and hazy smoke wafting up from the fires in Northern California, I've loved Portland so far. The town has a lot of character, although I think it's a bit of a cop-out that their "landmark" is nearby Mount Hood. I mean, it's beautiful and all, but couldn't they create SOMETHING man made that they could put on shot glasses and collectible spoons? You know, San Fran has the golden gate bridge; New York has the Empire State Building; Houston has the aroma of stale petroleum - these are all memorable features created by the men who lived there. Maybe Portlanders could make a 4 story statue of Rasheed Wallace next to a 3 story statue of a ref giving him a technical. That would look nice on an "I heart Portland" t-shirt.
So what did we do in Portland, you ask? Well, we saw some old friends. First we saw my new friend Adrian, whose parents used to live in San Francisco. Adrian's mom has the same name and hair as my mom does...but in this picture she looks much less sleepy.
We also saw my dad's very old friend Stephanie and her family, which consisted of a Joel, a Samantha and a Gabrielle. We went to the park and then to an apparently famous bookstore called Powell's, which pretty much looked like a Barnes and Noble but without a co-located Starbuck's. I think I just pissed off an awful lot of Portlanders. It was so great to see them! In this picture I clearly look fascinated by Stephanie's hair.
I loved going to my first bookstore!
Also, we went to the second-highest year-round waterfall in the US, which is in the Columbia River Gorge just east of Portland. It's called Multnomah Falls. I spent an exhausting 75 minutes making my up a winding path up to the top of the 620 foot falls, and would have made much better time if my dad hadn't been so slow in pushing me up the hill in my stroller. I need to work on that guy.
My visit to Multnomah Falls now means that, in one form or another, I've now been to the three tallest year-round waterfalls in the US. When my mom was just one month pregnant with me, and I was roughly the size of Herve Villechaize, we visited Yosemite Falls and Nevada Falls in Yosemite Park. Frankly, Multnomah falls was nothing compared to those two. But what makes it worthwhile is having my dad constantly saying "mult-NOMAH" like a freaking annoying 2002 Red Sox fan. You Boston readers, you feel me. Even a zen baby like myself can only take so much.
Turns out Portland was also having Blues festival over 4th of July weekend. Having a blues festival in Portland sounds to me a bit like having a low-fat foods festival in Decatur Georgia, but I had a great time anyway. Here's a shot of me and my dad at the festival, with that ever-present cloud cover...and may I ask what's up with my dad's expression?
Finally, I spent some time scooping beans in a Peet's Coffee in the Pearl District in Portland. Next time you're in Portland, you should experience the smooth, refreshing taste of Peet's Coffee. Say that line again with a Billy Dee Williams voice and you have the makings of a Colt 45 commercial. Here I am hard at work behind the counter, scoop in hand:
OK, just a few more pictures before closing out. I was looking particularly cute and dimply today, don't you think? In the first one I look like I'm ready for an Apollo mission...
And here's a series of me getting jiggy with some tummy time:
Love,
Spencer
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