Portland

     My time in the City of Roses is nearly done. It's been a very good trip, work-wise, but there's no denying that nine days is a long time to be away from home. I've always liked Portland. It's accessible-  you can walk across most of the downtown in about a half an hour. It's vegetarian-friendly and full of food trucks with really excellent food. I even ate some Georgian (the country, not the state) food, which was interesting and just foreign enough that I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. I also can't decide if I'd like living here. The summers are beautiful - boy am I glad I missed a week of 90F+ weather in DC- and the political tone is decidedly liberal. There are lots of public spaces with fountains you can play in and live music. However, everyone seems to be very, very hip. As I am not a hip person, I feel just a bit out of step.
     In between many meetings, I squeezed in some sightseeing. The city has a huge public rose garden, where I discovered that roses can smell like peaches, or like lemon pledge, or even, well, roses.

     The Portland hipster vibe results in a high density of vintage stores, which I happily visited. I bought a new hat, which was perfect for a trip to the park.

     The most peaceful part of the week was a trip to the Japanese Garden. I hadn't intended to go, but a co-worker wanted to see it. I turned out to be exquisite - huge redwood trees, carefully placed waterfalls and paths, and raked rock gardens. In the distance, we could see Mount Hood. I suspect that this photo will just look like a great wall of green; I guess you'll have to trust me that it was a perfectly proportioned view.