Portlandia

We left Oregon’s coast and headed into Portland, stopping for some fresh fish along the way.

My Aunt Carmen was serendipitously flying into Portland from her home in North Carolina for a bike trip. We had a great time catching up and eating from a food truck. It was fun to see her in such an unlikely place! But alas, I forgot to snap a pic, so there is no evidence of our time together :(

We figured we might as well stay in Portland for a bit longer. It was my first time there! The next day, we worked at a coffee shop and did some exploring in the afternoon. Ben had his sights on Powell’s - a famously huge bookstore with its flagship store in downtown Portland. I told him I needed to get a beer first to muster up the energy, so we sat on this patio and chatted about life for a bit. 

Then it was time. This place has 4 levels and a section for just about any topic you can think of. I spent some time in the art, technology, and gender studies sections. I bought Gloria Steinnam’s latest book, “My Life on the Road.” Ben spent some time in every section I’m pretty sure. I read in the lobby until a few minutes before it closed, when Ben emerged from the stacks with almost $100 worth of books. 

Other than that, nothing much to write home about. Work has taken a priority recently so a lot of days spent in parking lots typing away. I feel really grateful because if we were back in Atlanta, Ben would be disappearing to the lab around the clock. This way, I get to be around him while he’s cranking away at this thesis. We get to have moments sprinkled throughout the day of giggling. This is one of them, when Ben decided to cover me up with everything available.