momma visit: portlandia

after leaving the coast...

next to the rush of the city...

happy hour with a view

from portland city grill

got us in the city mode

mom experienced last thursday on alberta

where she was pulled into dancing and drumming

of the krishnas

of course

she easily flowed to the beats

and got to see the array of randomness

she was able to buy a necklace from a vendor

as seen in pictures below...

it was a good taste of portlanders

we had a stop at blue plate

lunch counter and soda fountain

you may have seen it on

guy's diners, drive-ins and dives

on the food network

mom with a serious face

with her new hip glasses from the coast

great ambiance not quite captured

in the photo...

i tried!

we went to sauvie island

to pick berries

and visited st. john's bridge on the way

beautiful.

u-pick raspberries and blueberries.

check.

we hit up saturday's market

and continued the hip-ness

mom got feathers in her hair

so fashionable.

she began to blend right in.

she met fenway, the dog

but with the hustle and bustle of the market

wasn't able to get a good psychic reading on her

she was enchanted by her pom-pom ears

and look-a-like to jabba the hut's dog

the line to voodoo downtown

was too long to wait

she did see a doughnut wedding though.

priceless.

and we did go to the other location

to experience the goodness.

mango tango still remains my favorite

we snuck in the rose garden, hawthorne

and rushed her in good time

to the airport.

it was a delightful time

with a wonderful mom.

i'm grateful she was able to visit...

wish it could've been for longer.

love her!

momma visit: the coastal edition

after a mouth watering experience at

pizza research research institute in eugene

picture patio seating, guitarist, honey lemonade,

flowers and greens hanging about

i wasn't sure if my mom was ever going to leave

but with some poppy seed bread in hand

monday evening we headed to the coast

we stopped in florence and got our picture taken

by a kind weathered men

whose smile

i trusted not to run off with my camera

one of the many cool bridges of oregon

we got my mom some hip

old lady reading glasses

with a bit of bling

well... for her it was a little flashy

but that's what you can do

at a certain age.

you have to own it.

then we headed towards yachats

to visit judy

wind blown hair?

lighthouse... check

and no we won't pay to see

your sea lion cave

that was so 15 years ago

then we made it to judy...

it was a great reunion for my mom

to see her best friend from oregon

we got to see josh and 2 of his kids

and stay in her great home close to the beach

the coast was remarkable wonderful and pleasant

doesn't happen that often

at least for me

we enjoyed eating on the deck for most if not all meals

we went on a little hike

to cape perpetua, devils churn and cooks chasm

cooks chasm

devils churn

cape perpetua

it was hard for them

to leave each other

there were tears

but i was reminded again

true friends last

next stop: portland town

momma visit

well... peer pressure still works

i got my mom to oregon

she flew into eugene

and we rushed up to our old branch

to see old friends

it was a heart warming Sunday

as it always is in the blue river branch

me in front of my old elementary school

the new and improved mckenzie river ranger station

old bridges to old residences

i don't know how many times my mom said

"the trees have really grown!

this used to be a field or they weren't this tall"

strange what over 20 years does on a place...

old dwellings...

i broke my collar bone here

friend's old places

my parent's first house

that looks good still

eugene was painted with flowers

i forgot how UNCOMMON this is for an arizonian

she was just so blown away by the flowers

i kept thinking...

really mom?

new eyes, new perspective on the beauty of the area

next stop...

the coast