Japanese Gardens; A Photo Journey

It was raining and drizzling the morning we walked the Portland Japanese Gardens, yet, in reflexion, we hardly remember the wet and cold, but rather a haven of serenity.

A traditional Japanese garden occupying 9.1 acres with stone pathways, bamboo and stone water fountains, graceful Japanese maples, genuine lanterns and tea houses all with moss touches tucked away among five garden styles in Washington Park.

Soon it will be even more splendid . There was still a lot of construction going on with its Cultural Expansion Project when we were there, but that didn't dim our experience. It was exquisite, every square inch.

Voodoo Donuts

Oreo & Peanut Butter and Jamaican Guava-filled Coconut Voodoo donuts had us singing "I'm a believer."
#portland #donuts #voodoo #sweettooth #latteart#goodthingscomeinpinkboxes

The Art of Life, A Rebirth in Clay

Hosokawa Morihiro: The Art of Life, A Rebirth in Clay, showing April 2- May 21.

"In honor of the Grand Opening of our new Cultural Village, the first exhibition of 2017 is a celebration of tea culture in the art and life of Hosokawa Morihiro, a former Prime Minister of Japan. 

It was perfect timing to visit this exhibition of former Prime Minister Hosokawa’s work in the Pavilion Gallery and the Garden’s new Tanabe Gallery.

 Photo by Yoshihiro Saito

Prime Mister Hosokawa is an 18th generation descendant of the Hosokawa clan of daimyo (feudal lords), one of the most illustrious samurai families in Japanese history. After 600 years of family history as warriors, tea masters and poets, Hosokawa left a career in politics behind in the late 1990s to pursue the life of an artist in clay and ink."
https://japanesegarden.org/

The exposition was exquisite, but the lighting and position of the pieces and art made it impossible to get the photos I wanted. Instead I had some camera fun in the Japanese Gardens Museum Gift Shop.

Washington Park

 In the West Hills of Portland, Oregon is an enchanted place call Washington Park. There we reflectively walked the Holocaust Memorial.

viewed mansions and estates, carefully groomed and maintained in their original splendour.

Portland

Portland is divided up into districts, North, South, and East and West of the Columbia River, and until you get to know what is in each area you can't really understand how the city works. 

But, once you figure out the feel for each district, where to find what and how to use the TriMet (bus) and MAX (light rail) system, you begin to fall in love with this quirky and fabulous city. 

Portland, Oregon’s largest city, sits on the Columbia and Willamette rivers, in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Hood. It’s known for its parks, bridges and bicycle paths, as well as for its eco-friendliness and its microbreweries and coffeehouses.

In fact, Portland is often recognized as one of the world's most environmentally conscious cities because of its high walkability, large community of bicyclist, farm-totable dining, expansive network of public transportation options and over 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) of public parks.