Since Michael was working the weekend, Jo and I took the opportunity to visit our best friends in Portland. We wanted to have a girls’ road trip with Lake for friendship, shopping and a bit of experiencing the Portlandia culture! We left Seattle after work on Friday amidst high winds and reports of pervasive power outages. Michael had refurbished and installed the next-size-up in delux car seats accommodations *Just in the nick of time* and *Bonus* because we found it for free on the sidewalk last weekend!

We arrived in Portland late at night and well after the storm had passed. In the morning we woke and welcomed the warmth of Springtime. The sky seemed to be exploding with blooms. We put magnolia flowers in our hair. Portland, we are ready for you!

First, the Lan Su Chinese Gardens… such a gem to explore in downtown Portland. It’s made for hide and seek, seek and discover playful rejuvenation. You can even check out a family pass free from the library: what a cool concept!

Based upon a number of recommendations we visited Blue Star donuts where the gourmet donuts are fried in rice oil and there is an emphasis on quality over quantity. They were indeed something special. Very delicious! Then a visit to my longtime favorite Petunias Pies and Pastries could not be missed! Altogether, we ate an undisclosed amount of pastries. 

We did lots of shopping and managed a fresh wardrobe for Lake

Then, Lake learned stairs! His first go around he went all the way up! His cousins were such good motivators and coaches!

What’s not to love? We had the best hosts! Thank you dear ones! A wonderful weekend getaway all around!