I AdOregon.

I just got my latest issue of Oregon Home. It is a magazine I have been addicted to for a long time. As I read it, I sit around drinking Stash tea, eating hazelnuts and dreaming of my own Oregon home. My mom grew up in NE Portland and now has retired to SW Portland which is wonderful because going is like a vacation, but also like going home.

I have been visiting the rose city since I was 6 months old, spending summers at my Gramma Mae's house playing lawn darts with my cousins, picking raspberries for my breakfast, and watching ice skaters at the Lloyd Center. People have asked me what I like about visiting Oregon... I should say people from Colorado wonder why on earth anyone would go hang out in the rain. Well as my mom says, I am a different person when I am in Oregon. Time moves slower, people smile more, and I feel at home. And I think after reading this list, you will consider a trip to Ol' Orygun;

1. It smells green--ferns, daffodils on the side of the highway, and that smell of wet cedar bark.. it seems like it is always spring in Oregon.


2. They have Trader Joe's--peanut butter filled, chocolate covered pretzels... nuff said


3. The Columbia Gorge--I used to love driving past Hood River and watching the windsurfers. Now I like hiking into these grotto-like waterfalls... it is Gorge-ous (ha ha ha, okay I will stop)


4. Powell's--der, but I like the annex in Beaverton best, it is not as charmingly stuffy (i.e. claustrophobic) as the one downtown. Also the guys who work in Beavo are cute.


5. The two Asian Gardens--the Japanese garden especially, so wooded and quiet, then you stumble upon the awesome tree-framed view of Portland.


6. Local Ocean--The best seafood on the coast. Mom and I eat there EVERY night when we are in Newport. Sit at the bar and watch them cook, or have a conversation (as I did) with the local fishermen who stock the place daily. Fish so fresh it'll slap ya.


7. The architecture in Portland--Drive around a bit, especially in Ladd's Edition--lots of great Craftsman homes and cottages, great walking place, particularly when the roses are in bloom... lovely.


8. They have IKEA--It actually feels like walking into Sweden. My mom had no idea what it was when it first arrived in PDX, now she goes weekly just to drool at the organized closet systems.


9. Nye Beach--my mecca, the pilgrimage happens twice a year. Sylvia has always put me up with peace, quiet and love, thank you Sylvia!!


10. The Minestrone soup at Amalfi's--We used to get family pizza from Amalfi's (canadian bacon and pineapple, cut into squares) and then one day mom and I stopped in there for some soup one afternoon. It was so good we got a pint to take home.


11. Rain--hello, it rains there and when you are from the high plains of CO, rain looks pretty good every now and again.


12. The Otis Cafe--Noah, the great pie guy, has left the Otis, but they still have good eats on the way to the beach. (Top secret... Noah used twice the amount of Marionberries in his pies...they weighed 20 pounds :-)


13. Silver Falls State Park--Go on a hike on a hot day and see 7-10 waterfalls.


14. Kennedy School--My mom actually went to Kennedy School when it was a school. Now it is a monument to McMennamin's development strategies. Tater Tots, the Brewer's Salad, and a pint of Ruby... the perfect meal


15. Visiting my family--You may not intentionally go to hang out with my family, but if you go, I will probably direct you towards a member of my family. My mom has been a tour guide for my friends and my aunt and uncle have even put a few up.

Well if you can't go to Oregon soon, then click on all my links and take a virtual tour. Bon Voyage!