Portland Day Two

We started off our Sunday in Portland going to church with Steve and Mish. They are attending Imago Dei, a non-denominational church community led by Rick McKinley. It meets in Franklin High School, an old brick colonial-looking neighborhood school. The athletic pictures lining the halls were the old black and whites dating from the late 1940's. The auditorium where the service was held was filled with the old movie seats, and had a balcony. The congregation was a diverse group, but the majority were young 20 and 30-somethings. The atmosphere was definitely relaxed, and come as you are. Unfortunately Rick McKinley was out of town, so we didn't get to hear him preach. But the message was very good and we enjoyed the entire service. It was obvious to see that this church puts a lot of emphasis on community outreach. I think that's one of the reasons Steve and Mish feel drawn to it. They have already met friendly people through their community group.

After church, we went to brunch at a french cafe that Mish has been wanting to investigate. She said there's always a line. There was, but it was worth the wait. We all decided Steve got the best meal, as we all tasted off his plate. After that, we ventured downtown to the Pearl District. Portland is divided up into "districts", each with its own personality. The Pearl district has the trendy city lofts and the great shopping. We went to Powell's Book Store. What an experience! It is the largest independent bookstore I think in the country. Massive and overwhelming. I forget how many floors there were, or how many rooms. But the most interesting room was the Rare Book Room. We stayed in there a while, looking at books, some behind glass doors because they were so old. The most expensive book...the Lewis and Clark Expedition book, dated 1814, written by Lewis and Clark themselves...and the price...$35,000! Another book was $16,500. It was dated 1542. There were first editions of familiar books like "The Hobbit". I think that one was $9,000. To be placed in the Rare Book Room, the book had to be over $100. Many of the books were either first editions or editions of books that had limited printing. Many were signed by the authors. Needless to say, it was incredible to see the titles. I just can't believe we came out of Powell's without buying anything. But we are going back when Pam and John come into town this week. So who knows?

After Powell's, we drove to Washington Park, a beautiful hilltop area overlooking the city. It has the arboretum, rose gardens, zoo and many walking trails. It also has some absolutely gorgeous homes with great views of the city. Just beautiful. It gives you the feeling that you are in the country, but it's right in the city. We drove through other areas of town before we ended up at one of Steve's favorite stores, REI. After that, we came back to the apartment, parked the car, then walked a block or two to a restaurant for dinner. The meals were wonderful. Bob and Steve got a soup that was to die for...Spicy Curry Butternut Squash. They wanted to bring home a gallon of it. We topped off dinner with a stop at Ben and Jerry's, which is almost in Mish and Steve's backyard.

So our first day in Portland was fun-filled. We are planning more sightseeing. Mish is working Monday, and Steve goes in at 1:00. Bob and I will venture out on our own. We have the GPS with us. We still have to go grocery shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. Meaghan and Jay will be joining us, so we'll have eight.

Oh, did I say it's been raining since we got here?? But like I said, life in Portland keeps going. Rain is a fact of life here. People jog in it, walk their dogs in it, walk around without umbrellas in it. I did have to borrow an umbrella from Mish. And I bought a warm hat at REI. I'm from Dallas. I'm a wimp in the cold and rain.