To Blog is to...

I just got through having my second video chat in two days. It's amazing how we are able to stay connected to one another these days, isn't it? I was chatting with my friend Scott while we floated in the clouds, rode roller coasters (it's a special effect available to those of you with MAC computers) and I pondered, what should I be blogging about every day? After all, this was my idea wasn't it. Perhaps blogging is just another way of connecting to you, to friends, to family and even to strangers. To blog is to share, to perhaps inspire through experience and if all goes well, to entertain you the reader on occasion (I can never spell occasion right the first time).

I could probably go back over the past few days and catch you up on all the goings on of me and this Portland adventure I am on but I'm going to pass if you don't mind. Instead, now that I have internet at home, I am just going to make an attempt to be more regular about this blogging thing and find my stride. I'd like to open it up for suggestions. What would you like to hear about as I take this time in life to start over and figure it "all" out? Comments and emails welcome.

I'm thinking about starting a second simpler blog that will be attached to this one. Simply put it will be more of a visual blog containing pictures with captions, nothing more. My visual observations of this funny place they call Stumptown. Side note; for those of you wondering why Portland is called Stumptown, Wikipedia offers the following: Portland, Oregon was nicknamed Stumptown in the mid 19th century, when the city's growth forced land to be cleared quickly to accommodate the growth, but the tree stumps were not immediately removed. Not only is Stumptown Portland's nickname but it is also the name of their most popular coffee. You see "serving Stumptown" signs hanging in the windows of many, if not most, coffee shops here. Anyway... stay tuned on the possible second blog.

For now, I have attached some recent, not so great, cell phone pictures of Portland, also known as the City of Roses (more on that later, maybe) for your enjoyment.

This is the Washougal River in Washington state. I went here on the fourth of July for the day. There are some pretty deep holes for jumping into from rocks, cliffs, ropes and yes... even from that bridge you see in the background. The water is cold by So-Cal standards but not too cold, especially when it is in the 90's here. I hear it gets warmer in August. I look forward to finding out.


This is Ladd's Circle. It's a round about for cars and bikers alike with a nice little park in the center. The park is full of flowers, bushy bushes and the occasional (I misspelled it again!) bench for your buns. It's a short walk from my place and on my way to the fabulous "New Seasons" grocery store. New Seasons has the best fruit on the universe by the way, including plums that are actually purple on the inside and taste like the purply plum-ness they are. The bike you see was only one of about twenty that had passed too quickly for me to pull the cell phone out.









Last but definitely not least, this is a shot from the other end of my tree lined street. Ahhh, shade and flowers and swings hanging from trees lining the sidewalks, inviting every kid to stop and enjoy their neighborhood. Mulberry street.









That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Portland. Come again sometime. Oh and PS... I introduced myself to the crush (see previous blog). It went just fine.

Thanks for reading ~ Renee

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