g-sales & floating homes.

Hey friends and happy election day! 

On Saturday, we had high hopes of checking out Portland's largest indoor garage sale but our attempts were squashed when we found out they were charging $12.00 to get in. To get into a warehouse to buy junk you most likely didn't need in the first place. Admittedly, that is exactly the junk that I would have bought. So really, I should be thanking the expo center for charging movie theatre prices because they probably saved me much more that $12.00. 

Another great thing that came out of not going to the G-Sale was some spontaneous exploring on the river. These floating abodes were pretty awesome, and even though it was overcast, the backdrop of the changing leaves made for a lovely view. 

I hope you all had a great weekend and maybe found yourself discovering something pretty as well. 

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily 

powell's books.

Hey y'all!

A couple weekends ago I ventured downtown in search of Powell's bookstore. It turns out that it isn't too hard to find something when it takes up an entire block of a city. Powell's is home to 68,000 square feet of new and used books. Yes, I did say 68,000. The place is so big that they provide you with a map when you enter. I sort of imagine that this is what Fox Books would be like except Powell's doesn't have the 'big bad chain store' feel. You see, this is Portland, the bike friendly land of organic coffee blends and and vegan cookies so even though this bookstore rivals the size of any Walmart, it feels much more like the Shop Around the Corner. (If you haven't watched You've Got Mail in a while or ever, you should do that but for now this reference is probably not in your wheelhouse.)

So what's the takeaway? If you ever find yourself in the area, definitely check it out. You could easily spend an entire day just on one floor of this monstrous place. Most of my time was spent in the Oregon section reading about Portland which I'm sure is pretty common among the touristy folks like myself. Embrace your inner tourist...just don't use an umbrella. (More umbrella talk to come.) 

Have an excellent Wednesday!

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily 

mt. hood.

Hi friends,

Mt. Hood was the hiking destination this weekend and boy was it awesome! Most people know Mt. Hood because it is one of the only mountains that has snow on it year round which makes it a perfect location for winter sports training. We were not in the business of skiing this day but we did go up to the Ski Lodge to  hop on a trail called Zig-Zag. It was a beautiful sunny day and as I understand, unseasonably warm. We hiked about 2.7 miles to the lookout (I only know that because there was a little girl who kept asking her mom how far they had walked and she had to explain how far 2.7 miles was). This hike was different and kind of neat because the vegetation changed so dramatically on the small section of the trail that we covered. Oregon continues to amaze me with how beautiful it can be. Sadly, I think the rainy days are beginning to set in but the Oregonians don't let that slow them down and hopefully I won't either!

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily 

the pacific coast.

Hey there friends, 

Last weekend this east coast girl got to see the pacific ocean for the first time. It was absolutely breathtaking (as I'm beginning to realize most things here are). We hiked about two and a half miles to the top of cliff to look out and see a view unlike any other. As we were sitting at the peak of our hike I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the beauty of this world. A wise person once told me to seek glimpses of redemption on this side of heaven. I think this fits the build. 

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily

wahkeena falls.

Hey friends, 

Stop number two on the sight seeing tour of Oregon last weekend was this gorgeous waterfall named Wahkeena. Which oddly enough reminds me of Kelly Ripa's son...don't judge me. Daytime television is awesome. Anyway, this two hundred and forty two foot waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge is absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately (for you) I don't think my pictures do it justice. The force of the water falling from the cliff is so powerful that you only have to stand there for a few seconds before you literally have to catch your breath. It was so pretty, in fact, that I almost didn't want to take pictures. I just wanted to stand there and admire how truly beautiful the world is. 

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily

In order to keep it as a memory forever, I did snap a few little photos: 

the columbia river gorge.

Hi friends, 

Hope you had a great weekend! It was a beautiful weekend full of new adventures here on the west coast! 

On Saturday, a new friend in Portland took me to see some of the prettiest things Oregon has to offer. The Columbia River Gorge(ous) was our first stop on this beautiful fall morning. The east coast doesn't offer much in the realm of mountains and hiking so imagine my surprise and wonder as I got out of the car to see this beautiful picture. 

The whole time we were up there I was imaging what it must have been like for Lewis and Clark. Just attempting to fathom the sheer delight of rolling up to something this beautiful for the very. first. time. Good golly. Amazing.  

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily

Take a gander at this splendid slice of creation: 

...kind of makes you want to come visit me in Oregon, doesn't it? :)