Portland Saturday

Silly us. We came to Portland for the Rose Festival so we decided to see their world acclaimed public rose garden. THERE ARE NO ROSES! well, not in bloom anyway. The spring has been especially cold and cloudy so the roses haven't burst into bloom yet. Then we detoured over to their Japanese Garden which claims to be the best Japanese Garden outside of Japan. It did not disappoint. The weather made the carpet of moss lush and thick over everything it covered. The day was sunny so we could even see Mt Hood (The gardens own Mt. Fuji) in the distance. A guide reported that it was only the third time this year that she could point out the mountain in the distance. No roses - but spectacular rhododendrons in all colors filled the garden. It was a magical oasis in a city that seems to be overwhelmed with homeless souls wandering around. When we headed into the city for the Saturday Market we saw many, many homeless men and teens in the park on the Willamette River. A highlight of the day (for me) was a trip to Powell's Book Store - a mecca for bibliophiles. I could have spent the whole day there but the majority ruled and we only spent an hour.