pdxwknd

I was in Portland for a few days. Or rather, 30 hours. I did the usual things: sink into comfort zone, eat and shop at junk stores and lie around.

Inventories:

I ate and drank:

A "Rudy," which is a fried calamari and prosciutto and arugula and mustardy sauce sandwich on crusty bread. Mexican Cola. Salt and Vinegar chips. Greek salad. Sweet, sweet local strawberries. Baguette. Coffee. Sierra Nevada Summerfest. Warm beet salad with hazelnuts and Maytag and spinach. Warm potato salad with ham and pickled onions and capers. A Colombian mojito (key ingredient : anise hyssop). Eggs over easy. More strawberries. Toast. Lots more coffee. Chorizo and wild shrimp tacos. A mixed berry margarita. More coffee.

I bought (I only spent $30! In twelve junk shops!):

*A white pair of sunglasses for when my year old pair of miracle sunglasses that I bought for $3 in Toronto breaks and I need new ones.
*A flat of Mason jars for our house because all of our Mason jars disappear (and I want to feel like I have a right to disappear some, if I want to take up pickling, for example).
*A small, pamphlet-style book about pickles and relishes (see above)
*A fuschia, patterned sundress
*A stretchy black skirt with a zipper
*A pair of pink wooden Dr. Scholl's sandals

I laid around:
*At The Bluffs, a place on the Willamette where you can watch the sun set. It reminded me of Mississippi lookout spots. I got to lay around there with a number of really sweet people who do interesting things and a smiley baby named Franny.
*On the couch, where Wiz and I watched Law and Order:SVU.
*In the yard, which has, among other wonders, dill up to my chest. Windsor weeded and Ben and I talked for a while about pickling and also about the advantages of creaming greens.

I acquired for free:
*Lavender soap (at the store where I bought the Mason jars. They also gave me a chocolate chip cookie! They also had goats in the backyard!)
*A small shell circle charm (at a weird junk store where I didn't buy anything. the guy told me I could pick a charm out of the bowl (which was mostly full of crosses) for free, "because they gave one to all the cute little girls who came in there."
*A BICYCLE. Windsor's old bicycle. White fourteen speed road bike. Light as a feather!!! Tonight when I came home Alex and I fidgeted with it and it needs lots of things: new tires, new pedals, new bar tape, one new spoke...a different seat would be more comfortable, but I might decide about that later. I also need a helmet and a front light.
*Seven basic tank tops in various colors, donated to me by Jess.

On the way home, we drove into the mountains in the twilight. It was so clear. We stopped at the 2100 building, driving down Rainier (Avenue) towards Rainier (the mountain), admiring the juxtaposition, and picked jars full of mint from an abandoned lot nearby. Waste-high, thriving mint.

And now I am home in the Big Blue House. With so many lovely new things. And it's prom week!