adventures in portlandia

the past couple of weeks have been a flurry of things, but most of all: apartment searching. i was fortunate though to get out of town for the day last weekend. one of the many wonderful things about living in seattle is that it is but a three hour drive to portland. now, portland is one of those places that is really really great for visiting. i cannot say whether or not what it would be like to live there, but the people there seem happy. and i think, to myself sometimes, that perhaps one day, maybe when i have a family of my own, or alternatively i am just settling down with my cats, that portland would be quite a nice place to be.

i went there with my friend sam. she is really cool and smart and funny and makes an excellent road trip companion. we had cds ready to play, with fun music on them - the kind that is best on roadtrips and gets you super pumped and makes you car-dance. but we didn't even listen to any until the last hour, on our way home when we needed it playing loudly to keep up awake. driving is safer that way. no, instead of music, we talked. and talked and talked. and it was one of the most splendid and special times i have gotten to spend my dear friend. she is a kindred spirit.

with no plan of action, we ambled around, taking in all the sights of quirky shops and quirky people, and the air led us to good food, bookstores, sunshine, coffee, and music. all good things.