Portland Summer Bucket List

Summer is so fleeting here in Portland, and this summer has been kind of strange.  We woke up to clouds 75% of the mornings, and summer didn't seem to start until 2pm every day.  It made for really pleasant days and evenings, but it didn't really feel like summer to me.  We did finally get a hot stretch this month where I was instantly grateful that we only have to put up with 90+ temperatures for a few days each year.

So, to make the most of the summers, I have been making a list of things I want to do or events going on.  It started out as a way to keep my kid(s) occupied, but now it has turned into a kind of bucket list that I feel compelled to cross things off of.  Last summer, we did quite a few things to enjoy this beautiful city of ours, and I told myself I wanted to do them all over again.  But for a lot of reasons, we ended up doing totally different and wonderful things instead!  Here they are:

Picnic at Director's Square
When cousin Avery was visiting, I was determined to keep the kids busy but also make sure we did some extra special things too.  And even though I live in the city, it still feels like the suburbs sometimes and I really miss downtown and NW Portland.  So I loved visiting Director's Square downtown and watching the girls play in the cool water feature they have there, called Teacher's Fountain. :)  Avery had already been before, but it was new to all of us, perfect for little kids, and much less crowded than Jamison Square.  Sasha was a riot, trotting around as the water squirted up at her.  And Avery and Morgan ran and splashed and had the whole place to themselves.  We had a yummy lunch in the square thanks to Elephant's Delicatessen, and Aunt Kimmy even stopped by to see us.  Portland is a lovely city, but made even lovelier with this European-like square, where everyone can enjoy themselves and a gorgeous summer day.

Aerial Tram Ride
This has been on my to-do list for a long time, and ended up being a very spontaneous decision.  (When your kids get up very early every day and, for some miracle, they are dressed and fed and in the car, you sieze the moment and GO!) The aerial tram goes from South Waterfront up the hillside to OHSU, a large hospital complex on the hill.  It is mostly for patients and staff, but anyone can buy a ticket and go.  I had never really been to the South Waterfront area so it was cool to see, and since it was a beautiful, clear day we had awesome views from the tram.  From that angle, Portland reminded me so much of Prague, with its curving river and many bridges crossing it.  After the short ride up and back, the girls found a park with a water fountain and we had some lunch.  While we were eating at Subway, Sasha decided - insisted, rather - that she hold her very own sandwich and feed herself.  I was impressed with both her stubbornness and her skills!

Kids play with the tram in the distance.

Concert at the Zoo
It's hard to believe but Sam and I had never seen one of the summer concerts at the Oregon Zoo.  We don't go to many concerts, but one group we love to see is Pink Martini.  Since Portland is their hometown, they seem to perform at the zoo every summer.  My best friend, Naomi, saw that Pink Martini would be performing the same time they were visiting Oregon, we bought tickets.  We packed a picnic and blankets and got babysitters.  Other than Sam and I forgetting our tickets halfway there (while riding MAX), the evening was perfect.  Pink Martini was amazing as usual, and we even had a 60-year old couple get engaged right in front of us.  It was very very sweet!

Pink Martini picnic (Naomi was not actually this excited :)

Summer Parkways in SE
In recent years, Portland has started closing off streets for a "parkway" that is open to bikes and walkers and aimed at getting the community together.  This summer was the first summer in a couple years where we could all bike together:  Sam with Morgan on a "tag-a-long" and me with Sasha in a baby seat.  There is a Parkway one Sunday each month, but this is the first one we have done.  It wasn't far from our house and also coincided with the Hawthorne Street Fair.  We had a fun riding along as a family, passing by people on unicycles and double-decker homemade bikes and blasting music from their also homemade cooler-turned-speaker.  And though it was in SE, what I consider the "weirdest" part of Portland, most of the people riding were just your average white folks out for a bike ride.  (I would have liked to take photos of Morgan proudly riding along behind Sam, but I didn't trust myself to bike one handed with Sasha on back! These pictures are from earlier in the summer.)

Yes, that is a stilt-walker behind her.

Ever so patient for a princess on her cheek

We stopped and walked Hawthorne, which was really busy.  But we accidentally came across the kids' area where they had face paint, bubbles, crafts, and props from Do Jump! Theater (where yes, Morgan went to a circus camp earlier in the summer).  We didn't plan on it, but we ended up staying over an hour, mainly because "The Amazing Spaghetti" magician was performing.  He apparently came all the way from Eugene, so how could we say no? Sasha tooled around in the sun, entertained by everything, while Morgan watched the show and then got a princess painted on her face.  And we still made it home on our bikes with everyone awake and in good spirits!  It was a really cool day!

A Few More...
There was also a visit to the zoo and one to the Rose Garden with Naomi and her kids.  It was so gorgeous in full bloom.  The air literally smelled like roses!  And we also visited our local Hollywood farmer's market, which is a short walk from our house.  Morgan got to do her own shopping; she chose green beans and ...of course, strawberries!  And berry picking on Sauvie Island finally got crossed of the list this summer after several attempts (one of which was called off on account of vomiting!).   But I will write a separate post about Sauvie Island because it was so much fun.

Summer on Sauvie Island

Sauvie Island is a really special part of the Portland area - an island designated agricultural or natural areas just outside the city.  Last summer, I loved taking Morgan to Farm Tunes, but I also really wanted to go berry picking as well.  A friend and I had plans last summer to go, but I cancelled at the last minute because of nap times and tired kids.  So this summer the same friend and I had plans again, but as I'm loading up the kids to go, Morgan vomits in the car!  Berry picking cancelled once again!

I was beginning to think it was not meant to be.  But later in the summer, I was actually able to take the girls and meet up with friends for a successful berry picking-farm adventure!  It was a beautiful day, the blueberry bushes were literally leaning over they were so heavy with berries, and the kids had a ball "picking" (eating) lots and lots of berries.  Sasha was pretty funny - that girl loves her "buoy buoy" and was stuffing them in her face as fast as she could.  (I would pay for that later with diapers.)

We were able to take a tractor ride out to the blueberry bushes, wander among the blackberry vines, pick broccoli and cabbage straight from the field, a picnic under the peach trees, and cut fresh dahlias and sunflowers to take home.

But perhaps the best part was just watching our city kids (there were five of them under the age of 6 between the three moms) just have some old fashioned fun on a farm.  For some reason, maybe the heat, they all starting taking off their clothes, so it made it even more entertaining.  Their excitement and enthusiasm for all the fruits and veggies they were seeing grow and their cooperation at pulling the big wagons or sharing their lunch was a delight to witness.  I hope we can go back again next summer for sure!

Avery: The Highlight of the Summer!

Morning snuggles with Sasha

This summer, like last summer, my neice, Avery, came to stay with us for about a week.  Morgan had been looking forward to it all summer!  We love having Avery stay with us, and she seems to love coming to "Camp Holloway" and playing nonstop with her cousins.  Watching the girls, especially Morgan and Avery, create memories together is such a treat.  I didn't really grow up with cousins, so it's lovely to see their relationship - their friendship - grow and change, yet continue to stay strong over the years.

It was a busy and fun week!  Here's a look at some of those memories and fun the girls were making together.

Drumming lesson at the Children's Museum

Snack Break at the Museum maze

The girl posse heads out for frozen yogurt!

Yum!!!

Mo gets a lift on the walk home

Water fun at Director's Park downtown! 

Picnic dinner in the back yard

Cooling off in the back yard

Fun times at Normandale Park!

I hope Avery had as much fun with us as we had having her here.  I am so lucky to be an aunt to such a bright, funny, and sweet young lady!  We love you, Aves!!!

JJ Jump!  Matching braids and tye-dye shirts!