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Well you all know me - I love a good deal... and this has to be the best. The public transport system of Portland - you can take the MAX metro train, streetcar and busses all for $2 a day - if you are an HONOURED CITIZEN - in other words a senior !!!! "What's in a name" - to quote someone famous ( Shakespeare , was it?) - well from now on I am an honoured citizen and not a senior.The last 2 days on the Oregon coast were wet and misty - but I still got out and about and the weather made for some dramatic photo shoots. I made a visit to Cannon Beach which is famous for its magnificent Haystack Rock towering on the beach...it is another one of these arty towns with cute houses, lots of restaurants and gift shops...and the predominant style is weathered shingle which most people have adopted. It must be a busy place in the height of summer and I am told lots of Canadians come down here from B.C.and rent cottages. All nicely landscaped the flowers make a lovely splash of colour on a drab day.
TheN I turned inland
following a lovely road through a verdant valley over a pass and then down into Portland to my stay with Betty Jean and her sister Rosemary. BJ is a friend of another one of my houseswappers ( THANK YOU HELEN FOR INTRODUCING US)and very kindly offered me hospitality when she knew I was coming this way.
What a wonderful welcome I got - these are two lovely generous kind and funny ladies and it has been such a pleasure to be here with them in Betty Jean's beautiful home. The homes in this area are surrounded by trees and it is such a peaceful relaxing place. We have had such a lot of laughs - it is so good to make these lovely new friendships.
Never mind the dull and occasionally wet weather Betty Jean and Rosemary have shown me the delights of Portland. It is such a nice laid back city -with a mixture of business and residential downtown and lots of greenery everywhere - parks and squares with fountains and street sculptures dotted around the streets and some delightful markets. Some impressive architecture from Victorian, Art Deco to modern - but not lots of skyscrapers...a very
comfortable place to be. And of course with the $2 a day ticket we have covered a lot of the city taking the streetcar on all the routes. I have visited a beautiful mansion house finished in 1914 built by by the owner of the Oregon News and walked in the peace of the Japanese Garden....( oh Janice - have got a nice Haiku for you!!) and was treated to a Champagne brunch cruise on the Willamette River today. One of the top places in Portland to visit is Voodoo Donuts - however you would not believe to queue - it was like a Disney Q snaking round the block with about 100 folk queuing - all to get Donuts - CRAZY !!! One guy told us he had queued for an hour- I hope it was worth it - I just took photos - no donut is worth me standing in line for 1 hour.
Saturday night I was invited to a Philipino Dinner given at their local church and met some lovely people and of course ate some great food. And we finished the evening with a neighbour sitting out on the deck drinking prossecco swapping stories
and laughing a lot until midnight. I am always amazed by the kindness of people who are strangers but who so quickly become your dearest friends and my travels have been so enriched by being with people like Betty Jean and Rosemary - I cannot thank them enough.
So I am into my last week- and will leave here on Tuesday for Seattle and the last leg of the journey.
Love to all. xx
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Janice Laughton
non-member comment
I am talking to the local council! You and your deals. See you soon.