A Brief Look at an Idyllic Spring Day in Portland

April 2023 

There was a day last week, when the sky parted and BLUE and GREEN permeated everything in sight. I took advantage of a day off, and took myself to couple of my favorite places.

+ Any time I can, I visit the Portland Japanese Garden. I became a member a few years ago, and will never NOT be a member. One major perk of being a member, is that you can visit before the gardens open to the public. Another major perk, is that you can visit literally every day, and see something new each time. The cherry blossom showcase is the garden's biggest trick, but to me, the moment before this happens is the magic. The morning I went, the mist was heavy, the paths were quiet, and the cherry blossom buds were near bursting. The saturation of green everywhere, was beyond measure. The covered sitting area in the Natural Garden has a new cedar roof. It smells nice. And, the current installation by the Garden's artist-in-residence, Rui Sasaki, is stunning.

+ Next, I head to Sauvie Island, where beeline to my favorite bird destination, the Viewing Platform at Milepost 7 on Reeder Road. I watched four bald eagles play in the clouds, and found a giant flock of Sandhill Cranes hanging out on someone's lawn just past the viewing platform. 

+ My ultimate destination on the island is usually Cistus Nursery. I can spend hours there, admiring  plants that I've seen a million times, or discovering ones I've never seen before. Right now, the nursery is abundant. I had the place to myself, learned some things from the helpful staff, and ultimately went home to plant: an alpine tea tree, 3 varieties of camellia (inspired by the Japanese Garden), a big, leggy manzanita, and a mountain bottlebrush.

+ To round out a pretty sweet day, I stop at Milk Glass Mrkt to pick up some provisions. I can't leave without a bag of perfect (usually bitter) greens for dinner, a baked good (I'm partial to their Honey WW Loaf for the BEST toast), a house-made savory bite for lunch, and a bottle of wine (or 3) that I've been encouraged to try (always winners). I cannot wait for warmer weather, when Milk Glass powers up their soft serve ice cream machine for the season!