Jessrob strikes again

 Another fun visit from JessRob at the end of May (just before finals!). We played the tourist and went to tour Pittock Mansion in the northwest hills, a first for all four of us.
 And we went to the waterfront carnival for people watching and rides. Bug joined us, along with Brad and Lela. The lines were too long to get on the Ferris Wheel but we did get on the big swings!

 We also stopped by Cathedral Park so our visitors could get a taste of the St. Johns Bridge and the lovely Willamette River. Not to mention chai and gelatto at our favorite place in St. Johns...

The city life

Hardly a week goes by without a unique city experience. Every day I pass a building near the freeway, a decrepit old thing that's been there since I was a kid. B and I have commented more than once how surprising it is that it hasn't been developed.
You guessed it. It's being developed. Gordon's Fireplace Shop, it was and now -- with a big sale sign out -- I was getting the chance to see inside. It was mostly (kinda) full of fireplace accessories and other (mostly) ugly home decor. The amount of dust was impressive. We snagged a fireplace screen for next to nothing, mostly because the salesman loved B's nerdy T-shirt.
Of course.

Every month we try to find a new spot to explore, a new restaurant to try. We're rarely disappointed

Portland's multiculturalism is fun, interesting and sometimes confusing. These lovely dresses were in the mall.

I love to find bad English on menus. It completes me.

Mothers Day belated

Travis came up for a weekend in May. His summer will busy, with nearly two months of training for National Guard. It was a nice visit, very low-key. We hit the Farmers Market, make dinner, ran some errands. I expect we'll see him again some time before fall. Maybe.

The Social Hour

We don't do as much socially as I expected we would when we moved here but we do OK. Things get in the way, irritating things like household chores and work. But when we can we meet up with friends and family and do...fun things.
In April we crowded in on a get-together Deb had with her friends Z and A. It was oh so simple  but lovely. We walked through their gorgeous neighborhood to a new restaurant and had a long, leisurely dinner. Then hung out and played music (we listened).