Vernal Outing

Eager to explore more of Oregon, I headed down to Silver Falls State Park one fine sunny day. I always have my camping gear in the back of my car, and it came in handy on this spontaneous trip. Upon waking in the morning, I put on my hiking boots and discovered a crisp verdant trail leading past several waterfalls. The path took me behind a few of the falls and I enjoyed the refreshing spray even in the cool of the morning.

Later that day I visited a tulip farm nearby to witness their annual festival. I was surrounded by fields bursting with color. There were vibrant kaleidoscopic layers of flowers being admired by crowds of people. I also appreciated all of the Dutch cultural references.

Spring Has Sprung

Last night I decided to meander downtown to check out the cherry trees I heard were in bloom. It was a beautiful sunny evening down by the Willamette River. By the waterfront at the Japanese American Historical Plaza, graceful pink blossoms shimmered in the trees. I found that I wasn’t the only one out to enjoy the sunset under this delicate umbrella of flowers. I mingled with other folks out for a picnic or a bike ride or a stroll, happy that warm weather was finally upon us.

Then, VERY early in the morning I decided to go for a drive. I watched the sunrise over the Columbia River Gorge in the silence of dawn.

Then traveling east I came upon Dabney State Park along the Sandy River. New green shoots seemed to be popping up everywhere, and I enjoyed the solitude of a fresh green morning.

Turning 30 is Sunny and Bright

Okay, so I've reached the big three-oh. Big, because it is momentous, but not big, in that it hasn't caused any anxiety. I think that being a single woman in your thirties has become less foreboding and fraught with urgency. It might just be me, but the dread this birthday might have given other women in the past hasn't affected me. At the same time, arriving at my forth decade in life does have the weight of some significance. I see it as a kind of emblem to my self confidence, independence, and contentment I have right now in my life. It's funny how just the label of 30 makes me feel like more of a "grownup", yet young and able to be spontaneous.

Because this was such a notable birthday, I decided that I should get out of town and commemorate the occasion in grand style. Going back to Phoenix was the logical choice, considering it was about 40 degrees warmer and I have loved-ones there to celebrate with.

Of course, when I arrived, a visit to Cherry Blossom Noodle Cafe was inevitable. Eating mountains of sushi with my parents was just the homecoming I was hoping for.

The next day the three of us planned to go on a little day trip. Unfortunately, because I sprained my ankle, hiking was out of the question. So, we decided to visit wine country in northern Arizona, an activity that involved either sitting in the car or on a bar stool. I've never been to a winery and I had lots of fun tasting and comparing opinions with my dad (mom was the designated driver). It was beautifully sunny, and we lingered at one vineyard that had a comfy veranda and just enjoyed the radiant day.



The next day it was time to catch up with old friends. After an amazingly scrumptious home-made turkey dinner (my mom's the best!), I headed out to meet up with my friend, Nombi, to watch our other friend, Roxanne, perform in a play. Afterwards we caught up over a couple of beers while sitting out on a restaurant patio, basking in the sunshine. Then I went to hang out with my friend Andy. We went back to one of our regular haunts and then relaxed at his place, reliving old times.

The following day was my actual birthday. My mom and I spent the day doing some shopping and riding the METRO, Phoenix's new light rail.

Then my dad joined us for sushi at Zen 32.



Then I went out to a dueling piano bar called The Big Bang with my friends Nombi, Roxanne, Andy, John and Aaron. We sang and drank and danced, and I got dragged up on stage. We had a grand ol' time.

Flying back to Portland the next day, I realized that it was great to visit sunny Phoenix, but it felt satisfying to be going back to my home in the lush pacific northwest.

30 feels good. I've accomplished a lot, but I still have so much of life to go. The world is open to me, and I'm not afraid to just go out there and experience it.

The Holiday Sweater Spectacular and Pink Martini

Well, I ended 2008 with more singing and lots of snow. I was not too thrilled about the snow, and neither were all the other Portlanders. I guess it was nice to have a white Christmas, though. However, it did make it very difficult to show my parents around town when they came out to visit me.

But, before the big snow storm, I got to perform again with my choir, the Flash Choir, at the Holiday Sweater Spectacular in early December. This show was put on by the Portland Cello Project ( http://portlandcelloproject.com/ ), which is a beloved local ensemble that performs everything from well-known pop songs to original compositions. The show had several guest artists, my favorite of which was Mirah ( http://www.krecs.com/html/artists/artistbio.php?interest=25 ), and we acted as back-up singers for these performers.

We sang "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" by John and Yoko, "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly, and "Lost in the Stars" by Kurt Weill, amongst many others. The audience was buzzing, expresive, and supportive, and there was a real inclusive feeling with all the artists. It was a lot of fun.

Then, after the big snow storm and a wonderful visit with my parents (you can check out their blog about the trip at http://thisworldsmyhome.blogspot.com/ ), I went to a crazy holiday party hosted by the band Pink Martini ( http://www.pinkmartini.com/ ). One of the members has a loft in downtown Portland, and it's the band's headquarters as well as our weekly choir practice space. We were invited to the party to sing Christmas carols, and boy did we sing. We sereneded the crowd until our voices were hoarse.

A few minor clebrities meandered through the throng of revelers. I saw a finalist from the show Rock Star: Supernova ( http://www.cbs.com/primetime/rock_star2/ ), and Luis from Sesame Street ( http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/cast/emilio_delgado ). It was difficult to take pictures because of all the people, but I managed to snap one with my phone camera. There was an open bar with top-shelf liquor, and waitresses moving through the crowd with trays of sliders and cup cakes. All of Portland's brightest and kookiest were there. It was a marvelous time.



Now I'm back to the daily grind as Guest Services Manager at the hotel, and enduring my first cold winter in several years. I'm enjoying snuggling with my cat, Kage, and surfing the web on my new laptop. I'm looking forward to the inauguration of our new president, and seeing what promise the year 2009 has to bring.

The Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood

A couple weeks ago I ventured out of the city again to check out the looming Mt. Hood up close and personal. I see it often peeking out on the Portland skyline, but it usually seems veiled in haze or fog which has somehow made it phantasmal to me. Although it’s only about 50 miles from downtown, it seems to hover ghost-like in the distance. To get a more tangible vivid look at its peak, I decided to take a scenic route and make a day of it.

I started by traveling along the Columbia River through the Gorge. The river borders the north side of Portland, across which you can see the state of Washington. As you wander out of town, there are several vistas where you can enjoy the view.



A little ways further, after cruising down a winding forested road, you come upon one of Portland’s most visited landmarks – Multnomah Falls. It’s the second-tallest year-round waterfall in the U.S. after Yosemite Falls.

Then I turned away from the Gorge and headed south toward Mt. Hood. I traversed farmlands and orchards and enjoyed the warm fall day, although the leaves weren't really changing color yet.

View of Mt. Hood in the clouds from Trillium Lake

Then my car climbed up the winding slopes to the top of the mountain. I knew that there would be some snow, but I was still kind of shocked by how cold it was. I took an invigorating stroll up the bluff to admire the amazing views.

Mt. Jefferson as seen from Mt. Hood

My 'Hood

Sellwood Riverside Park looking north to downtown Portland up the Willamette River

My reading tree at Gabriel Park

Gabriel Park Community Garden

Lake Oswego Public Library
I spend a lot of time here on the internet and renting free DVDs.

Tryon Creek State Park
This fairy-tale forest is only 1.5 miles from my house and has lots of winding trails.

It also has a nature trail that has rotating art installations.

Portland Farmers' Market