Renee July 6: The City of Roses

We are facing our last day in Portland and there is still some things that I want to do before leaving for the more Northern reaches of these United States. Do to overpacking activities on the Zoo day, we were unable to visit the Rose Test Gardens, one of the places I had identified that I wanted to see. The Portland area is known for growing roses. Hence the name of the Portland Trailblazers’ basketball arena: The Rose Garden. Many streets and suburbs and business names have the word rose in them. In downtown Portland there is a section of green set aside for growing and testing new hybrids as well as growing traditional varieties of roses.

Leah, Matt, and Bryce opted to stay home with Papa and go swimming, highly recommended by me! Mom and I met up with June at the light rail station and took the train downtown to the Rose Test Gardens. Pretty incredible vision, I must say. Just when I would find one that I claimed was my favorite, then I would look at the next row. Though I could never remember the names of all those beautiful blooms, I could take pictures so I did and here some of them are.


We then returned on the train, but making sure to disembark in Pioneer square to take in the city life and venture into Nordstrom’s Rack. See, I even managed to shop a little and now I feel back to normal again! I do have to say that Portland is a very clean city and the city life along the light rail is inviting. The older buildings are well preserved and/or restored and though we ran into some fine specimens of what one might call alternative lifestyles, people were pleasant and would talk to you on the train, unlike places like New York or Boston.


My favorite friend I met on the train was Octavian. He and his friend/partner boarded and sat directly opposite me and immediately engaged me in their life happenings and I just couldn’t help but enjoy their banter. Oh, to live a life of such drama. Just the fact that they both were wearing pink bebe tank tops, and women’s jeans puts quite a picture in your mind, but they really were fun. We had many other fun encounters on our adventure into the city today. June took most of them in stride, but my mother was having a difficult time hiding her shock. I think this kind of city experience makes her grateful for the small town life she lives.

We returned back to the RV resort and started packing up for tomorrow’s departure. We then began making our rounds to the relative to say our goodbyes. The kids were settled in to bed watching TV when I went to pick up Craig at the airport. We swooped down on the airport, whisked him up and headed to the Red Apple to meet up with cousins Steve and Dave to say goodbye. Dave and his wife Nancy had never met Craig up to this point so we finally achieved that on our last night. I really hate to leave my cousins. Though visits with them were few and far in between throughout our lives because of the distance we lived apart, we have such a fun time together when we do finally meet up that it is so very hard to separate again. But we finally bid the adieu to return to the RV for some shut-eye before tomorrow’s early departure.

Leah July 6: Goodbye

Today we stayed at the camper again. Except for mom, grandma, and June. They went to the rose gardens.

Papa, Bryce, Matt, and I stayed in the campground. We watched TV for a while. After lunch we went swimming for a while. We had the pool to ourselves for w while until a day came in. Stayed for about 10 minutes longer, then we went to play on the jungle jim for a while. The slide was slippery when we were wet. I went on the swings and I lost my shoes so papa kept throwing them up until they were on my feet. Then we went back to the motorhome.

When grandma and mom got back we went to Applebee’s. The Alfredo was so good! After dinner we went to June’s house so that the adults could say goodbye their family at cousin Dave’s place. When they got back Matt and I went back to the RV so that we could go to bed.

Matt July 6: Our Last Full Day

Today is our last full day in Portland. Today Mom grandma, and aunt June went to the Rose Garden. They didn’t go to the basketball arena, they went to the Rose Garden with roses.

Grandpa, Leah and Bryce and I stayed and went swimming. After we went swimming the girls came back and we went to Applebee’s. soon after we ate Bryce, Leah, and I went to June’s house because Mom, Grandma, and grandpa said goodbye to our relitives while she babysited us. After they got back they took Leah and I to the motor home. Bryce stayed with Aunt June because grandma, grandpa and Bryce are sleeping there. They are staying there because we are leaving tomorrow. When we got to the motor home mom went to get dad from the airport.