The Pacific Northwest is . . . simply lovely! From the breathtaking heights of Mounts Rainier/Hood/Saint Helens to the city offerings of Portland, Seattle, and Tacoma, our vacation was a much needed break from the demands of public school music teachers. Living on the East coast, my experience with cities tends to be dominated by theater performances and history. While that certainly exists in the afore mentioned cities . . . go see the Underground Tour in Seattle for some humorous history . . . it's really not the main focus of these cities. Seattle is jewelpiece of the Pacific Northwest. I'm not sure I've seen a healthier happier city. Even the rush hour traffic tends to be polite. Tacoma is, for lack of a better word, a nice place. And Portland . . . a relative commented that Portlanders like keeping their city a bit "weird". I agree with this. From the Naked Bike Race (bringing attention to a form of transportation that doesn't use fossil fuels) to a book store that wants you to have the choice of used or new books, Portland is pretty unique. What I'll remember in all three cities is the prevalence of unique expression in local businesses. None of these cities is overloaded with national chains. People enjoy their small businesses and each is an expression of the creative personalities of their owners. You can tell that people are happy . . . in their jobs, in their personal lives, and are proud of their communities. People simply like each other. Living in the rat race of public education, I crave this.
I viewed much of our destinations behind the lens of my camera. I'd like to share a few of my favorites . . . Pittman mansion in Portland, OR; flower vendor in Pike's Place Market, Seattle, WA; sandcastle event at Cannon Beach, Portland, OR; the largest bookstore (Powell's) in the USA, Portland, OR; Dale Chihuly glasswork, Tacoma, WA; Mount Hood as seen from apple orchards, OR; waterfall as seen through stone railing, Columbia Gorge, OR; our last mountain view of Mount Ranier, I5 outside Seattle, WA; and kiteboarder, Columbia River Gorge, OR.
