It was a glorious day in Portland! The temperatures reached the upper 80’s  and the city was full of Rose Festival activities. Today was my first outing of the year to the Portland City Market. I love strolling the market at my own pace taking in all the sights, sounds and talented vendors……oh and also to eat a PDX Original Elephant Ear.

Besides crafts and food downtown was also stocked full of Navy Shipmen/women in town for Fleet Week. The ships were docked close (walking distance) to the market and it was awesome to see the sheer size of our Naval ships. Admission is free and public tours are on a first come/first served basis.

Another highlight from todays stroll was the Dragon Boat Races. I work with a woman from one of the teams and she educated me about dragon boat racing. The races are held on the Willamette River near the Hawthorne Bridge and they feature exciting four-team heats held every nine minutes. The boats are beautiful and the teams look like they are having great fun.

Lastly, I took a quick run up to the Portland Japanese Garden and the Rose Garden where everything was in full bloom and scents are wonderful. My membership is about to expire so I wanted to get one more visit in for the year. My summer advice is to plan for extra time if visiting the gardens as both were full.

I really have fallen in love with Portland (in the summer :-)) and am always amazed at the variety that this city offers. I know I have only hit the tip of the iceberg and look forward to many more photo walks this summer.  I hope you enjoy the images I captured.

Kyla