Portland, Oregon - Portland Saturday Market

Portland Saturday Market was a lot of fun.  According to their website, "the market is the largest continually operating outdoor arts and crafts market in the nation."  It's been around since 1974!

It was pretty awesome.  There were booths of all sorts of handmade goodies.  Jewelry, planters, toys, clothes, bags, and tons of food!  I came home with a new skirt.  :)

They even have musicians playing on stage.

It was really cool to think that this happens all the time. Growing up, we only had the summer arts festival once a year, not something even bigger every Saturday!

I love that just about anything goes up in the Pacific Northwest.  Want to tote around your kitten?  Sure!

Portland, Oregon - Fabric Depot

I was able to convince Jason that we needed to spend some time in the Fabric Depot.  Turns out, 2 hours & $40 later, I was right.  :)

More Pacific Northwest Flowers

I know I've been slacking a little on the sewbot's favorites, so here's one for your viewing pleasure. 

Today I'm loving the flowers of the Pacific Northwest.  These two little guys were from around Portland, Oregon. 



















I just couldn't stop taking pictures of beautiful flowers on our trip.  I feel I have to share them with you. 

Hope you don't mind.  :)

Portland, Oregon - Powell's Books

Powell's Books is an awesome bookstore in Portland. They sell new & used books. It takes up a full city block and claims to be "the largest used and new bookstore in the world." It's quite the place.

Outside

Now, this is a book column done right.

Inside

Oregon Coast - Starfish Beach

I don't actually know the name of this beach. It's gorgeous though. It's a little bit north of the Sea Lion Caves, but before you get into the next town.  You can climb all over these rocks and find all sorts of creatures who came up with the tide and stuck around in puddles on the rocks.

This guy was the official host. He greeted us in the parking lot.

These things covered the rocks.

There were a ton of these green dudes stuck to the rocks. I'm not sure what they are.

There were a lot of these plant things.

I found a few of these little guys huddled together.

These guys were further up into the rocks. But once we found them, they were all over!

This was the find of the day. The Jason. :)

How fun is his face here? I love it. :)

Oregon Coast - Sea Lion Caves

The Sea Lion Caves are an awesome place to stop and visit.  It's a rookery that has an elevator built into it, so you can go down and check out all the sea lions hanging out on the rocks.  There's a fence separating you from them, so don't get too worried. 

There is also a little path you can walk out onto.  You can see down to the water where there are more sea lions.  Some loungin', some swimmin', some fighin'. 

From one of the lookout points, you could see this lighthouse.  Isn't it cool?

Don't think sea lions are the only things you'll see, either.  There were a ton of birds.

Last time we were here, we saw a coyote trying to steal eggs from some birds' nests.  Sneaky little devil.

In case you happen to be hungry, don't fret.  They have snacks there, too.  I recommend the popcorn. 

Oregon Coast - Flying Dutchman Winery

Flying Dutchman is a winery in Otter Rock, Oregon.  Jason and I discovered it on our honeymoon and fell in love with their Coastal Blackberry.  It's super tasty!  When we were there the first time, we picked up one bottle and saved it for our first anniversary (much better than frozen wedding cake!). 

This time, we got 2 bottles of the Coastal Blackberry, 1 bottle of the Syrah, and 1 bottle of the Raspberry Mist. 

Because we flew out this time, we had to ship them home. Can't wait for them to get here. Those desert wines were so tasty. :)

Oregon - Columbia River Gorge

We headed out to the Columbia River Gorge on one of our day trips outside of the city (Portland). 

This is the lodge there.  Pretty neat, eh?

This is the Vista House.  We didn't get to go inside because we were there too early.  Pretty, though isn't it?

This is what one does at the Vista House.  View things.

And what things does one view?  These things of course.

This place was filled with all sorts of waterfalls.