At least once a year, we check out the Portland Farmers Market at PSU downtown. This year, we made it early in the season. It was festive to say the least. There was live music, several Portland style food stalls, fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, baked goods, homemade curries, jams, and even ice cream. We started the day with an Almond Croissant and a Russian Tea Cookie. Yummy, what a nice breakfast. We got some strawberrries that were so sweet they were almost gone by the time we got home. We selected a couple of hardy plants for our front yard. Something that you would see in Arizona or New Mexico. We had an awesome time and might actually go back later in the summer.

‘Tis the season for Farmers Markets and in Oregon, they are found everywhere. I made my first trip last Sunday to the Orenco Station Farmers Market. It is relatively small but still had a good selection. There were a lot of flowers, herbs, and vegetable starters as well as gourmet food selections, artisan breads, cheesecakes, jams, and salsa. One of my favorite stores there is the Goat’s Milk Soap Tent. Their soaps are fabulous, creamy and fresh smelling. It had rained all morning so I did not feel like buying much so I just took home a jar of Grandma Chonga’s Salsa.

It turned out to be a nice day despite the forecasted rain today. Like most weekends, we chose an activity we can enjoy with Mulder. We read about Kelly Point Park from the Portland Monthly magazine. It was an easy drive to North Portland across St. Jonh’s Bridge. The Columbia and Wilamette Rivers meet on the NE corner of the park. The hike was easy on a mostly-paved trail. It was very dog-friendly and as a matter of fact almost every group we saw on the trail had a dog or two. There were nice views of the rivers. A few people were fishing but did not look like they were having any bites. Mulder likes the outdoors so he really enjoyed this excursion.
Since we were in that area, we stopped at the Chimney Park. The park had a couple of off-leash areas but at first there were only 2 other dogs there. The first one we met looked like a Labradoodle. Mulder liked playing with him but after a while he got too excited so his owner decided it was time to leave. Later on we met Molly, a Golden Retriever Poodle Mix. She was very friendly and just playing nice with Mulder. Later on came a black Lab and 2 Hound Dogs, one mixed with a Beagle. Very well-mannered, something we want Mulder to learn. Soon Mulder was getting very tired so we headed home. He had a long day and was ready for a nap.

Many things have been said about the emerging culinary hotspot that Portland is becoming. As a matter of fact, it was named “Most Delicious Destination” by the Food Network in 2007. No matter what they say, the locals know and taste it all the time. We’ve had our share of good tastes in the last year that we have lived here. I can almost say it is hard to find bad food here. Now in the ‘burbs…that’s another story. A few of my favorites are: Bistro Montage, a Cajun style casual restaurant, Typhoon, a classic Thai hub, Pho Van, an upgraded (not necessarily upscale) Vietnamese House and of course Ken’s Artisan Pizza. Ken’s could easily compete with some of the pies we’ve had all over Italy – but in a Portland kind of way. That’s the good thing about Portland. Everything is unique and independent of a trend or flavor. It’s just…always good. A few others are also good but did not make my list for one reason or another. Jake’s Famous Crawfish is great but for the most part, I am not willing to pay for their name and ambience. The same goes with Hall Street Grill. I just want fresh seafood cooked right combined with decent service. Thai Orchid is also good but in an everyday-Thai-food kind of way. Thai food is so popular here, you can actually distinguish one from another. Pok Pok is another good one but I could have chosen a better entree the one time we were there. However, I still think they are good. I just need to go again. One suburban gem is the Syun Izakaya, technically a Japanese pub but also serves authentic Japanese food. Broder is a recent discovery. Just like in Scandinavia, you can get a good brunch spread here. Recenlty recommended by a friend are: Clay’s Smokehouse, Lauro Kitchen and Vindalho. What makes these places great is they strive to serve local, seasonal and even organic food. The weather here is ideal for growing a variety of produce. Even the meats are usually from local farms. This is what inspired me to grow my own vegetable garden.

Sunday was a big day for Mulder. He graduated from the Beginner Obedience Training class from PetSmart. He has learned a lot of basic commands as well as a few tricks such as rollover and shake hands. In many ways, it was a training class for us too. We learned a lot about dog behavior, being a leader as well as taking care of a Dog. We still have a long way to go as he still has the “nipping” habit and overall playful attitude. The walks have been better especially now that we have the harness. He is growing very quickly and it shows in his change of personality. He is a healthy little big doggie weighing in at 62 lbs. Sometimes he would just sit outside and watch the birds. He has been better with his friend Ramsey, an Alaskan Malamute from across the street. I never thought having a dog could be so much fun. Mulder is the best doggie ever.

Following a couple of days of heat is another hot day in Portland. I don’t mind the heat too much. I’d rather be warm than cold. After searching online for local events, we finally decided to check out the UFO Fest in McMinnville. McMinnville is a small town in the SW, known for its wineries. Apparently there was a UFO sighting back in 1950. To celebrate the anniversary of the sighting, they hold a UFO fest every year. We liked the downtown shops and restaurants but was a little bit underwhelmed by the event. We saw the parade but missed the Pet Costume Contest. Overall it was nice to be just out in the sun for most of the day.

On the way home, we stopped at Bald Peak State Park. It was a short uphill drive from Gaston, another small town on Hwy 47. The views were fantastic. At the top, we saw Mt Hood, Mt Saint Helens, Mt Adams and even Mt Jefferson. The park looked like a nice place to have a picnic. I’m glad we are getting to explore Oregon more.