Say Cheese, Say Cheese

Day 4 began in the Portland Farmers’ Market. We forgot the camera, but we came back with locally grown fruit, tomatoes, roasted peppers, freshly caught salmon, and Rogue River Cheese. There was so much more we wanted to buy.

The rest of the morning was spent walking the Japanese Garden a few miles away. This garden was beautiful beyond description. Every leaf was manicured. Every rock had a purpose. The cool, damp weather created a perfect atmosphere.

Next door was the Portland Rose Garden—hence, the “Rose Garden City.” Again, this garden was simply gorgeous with acres and acres of roses. Here we got rained on, but we were prepared with our brand new umbrellas—since I left the old one on the table at our last restaurant.

We met a couple from Atlanta at one of the wineries. They recommended a seafood restaurant, Southpark, which turned out to be just what we were looking for. We had oysters from Washington, sturgeon from the Columbia River, and vegetables from the Farmers’ Market that we were at a few hours earlier.

Next stop, one of the biggest bookstores in the world. Its several blocks long and three stories high. You can get maps when you enter so you don’t get lost. Of course, you do have to pass through “Gay and Lesbian Topics” in order to reach “Christian Literature.”

There was a store called “Momo,” which is what Reagan calls her grandmother; so we decided to take a picture. Apparently that offended a homeless, crazy woman (or a typical citizen of Portland, it's hard to tell the difference) who yelled at us for taking pictures on a busy sidewalk. She then continued on her way yelling, “Say Cheese, say cheese.” Portland is a beautiful city, but it’s filled with very strange people.

Tomorrow, we’re off to Seattle in search of the perfect salmon.