Portland: Listening to the Stars

On Friday the 20th of June, Rowan and I drove over 9 hours up the 1-5 through beautiful Northern California and most of Oregon to Portland. Rowan is a great traveler (which is karma for us....we spent a few car trips to MI when she was a baby enduring hours and hours of crying...when she was under the age of one, she really had something against riding in the car) but now we just alternate between talking, coloring, listening to a kid's CD, and watching a DVD. We also try to spot VW bugs, PT cruisers, school buses, and of course, RVs. During one of our conversations (I think we were talking about my sister's wedding this summer) she asked me "what does falling in love mean?" In case this happened to be an enduring memory for her, I took a minute to really think about my answer before I spoke!

We arrived in Portland in the early evening and were greeted by my Aunt Ruth, Uncle Rick, cousin, KC, and a bucket of sidewalk chalk. My mom is one of five kids....4 sisters and 1 brother....and Ruth is the youngest sibling. She and Rick moved to Portland right after they got married so she could attend law school. They thought that they would move back to MI after law school....but it's 28 years later and they never left. Portland can do that to a person, I think. It has always been one of my favorite cities in the country. There is something about the type of person it attracts (just a little bit hippy!)....the little walkable neighborhoods, the bungalow houses that you could just live in forever, the gardens that are so natural and local it's hard to tell what is intentional and what is not, the markets, the coffee shops, the local restaurants, and oh yeah....the mountains and ocean so close. Yes, it rains a lot. But it is so lush and green!


It is fair to say that a big part of my affection for Portland is the home on Rex street and the family living in it. They live in one of those bungalows....a house with a warm, welcoming front porch and a garden with juicy raspberries waiting to be picked. Woods floors, a perfect breakfast nook, cool art, and a few cats running around to complete the place. It is one of my favorite homes to be in. Come to think of it, each of my mom's sisters' homes (and my parent's house!) are ones I would gladly die in (well, I haven't seen Jane's new home in MN yet....but I adored her home in GR, and saw pics of the one in OR...and could safely say I feel this way about her homes, too!) And my Aunt Anne's house in Grand Rapids....mmmmm. A favorite place for family gatherings.

Ruth and Rick have two kids, Jake and KC. They are both in their early 20s, going to school, figuring out what to do with their next phase of life. They are both excellent people and cousins. KC is adored by all of her cousin's children and just has a special way with kids. I also learned that she is a great photographer! Jake has a great hug, a sweet spirit, and an excellent sense of design. We got to meet both of their significant others in Portland....Brock and KC have been together for 4years, Jake and Jenny for around 2.

Friday night we ate a yummy dinner, got to bed late, and woke up Saturday for a busy day. Ruth had a fundraiser walk she had to do for a non-profit on which she serves on the board, so Rowan, KC, and I joined her. Rowan is more interested in "finding treasures" (rocks, flowers, sticks, etc) than riding in her stroller on a walk, so the 3 mile distance became a bit too far for us. After a few shortcuts and a potty break, we joined the other walkers for pizza (and beer if I wasn't pregnant!) then headed home to collect the rest of the crew for Saturday Market. Saturday Market happens every weekend in downtown Portland and is a must-see for anyone traveling through. It's basically a big festival/fair with vendors, music, street performers, good food, and lots and lots of local artists displaying their wares. Also, great people watching.

Saturday night we made burgers and KC helped Rowan cut a few artichokes from the garden for us to cook. I have loved artichokes since my dear friend Katie introduced them to me in high school, but I am ashamed to say I had never seen how they grow. Of course Ruth and Rick had them in their backyard! Rowan loves them, too, so she got a kick out of cutting them right off the plant.

Rowan thought Portland was great fun. Rick dug out a bunch of old toys, and everyone spent their fair share of time with Rowan on the floor playing dominoes or legos. Rowan also occupied much or her time chasing after Jazz and Cola, the cats. One evening we heard a faint "mommy, help" and I found her in the corner of the dark basement, about a foot from the ceiling....she had followed one of the cats up their ramp to a cat door...and was mostly upset that she hadn't succeeded in capturing the cat. She didn't seem too worried about the dark, dank, spider-webby place she had become stuck!

Saturday was the longest day of the year, so there was still some light at nearly 10:00 PM. Rick took us a block away to a bluff that overlooks downtown Portland so that we could "listen to the stars." With a 6-foot long PVC pipe, anyone can accomplish this feat. Just put one end to your ear, point the other end to the stars, and listen to the universe. Having already listened to the ocean in shells, Rowan was very curious about listening to the stars through a pipe. It was a calming way to end our day and usher Rowan to sleep.


Do you know anyone that listens to the stars? This is why I love this family. Also, because they ask thoughtful questions, listen intently, smile easily, laugh contagiously, cook unusual and delicious food, are each gorgeous without effort, wear clothes and shoes from Goodwill, and kiss on the lips.

Sunday morning we went out for breakfast with one of Ruth's best friends, walked down to a park with towering pine trees so Rowan could play for a bit, then after lunch Rowan and I headed out to continue our journey north. The best part about saying good-bye was knowing that we'd see them again the next week at the Trials in Eugene!

To see more pictures of our time in Portland, click here.