These photos come from a family trip to Portland that we took last Easter. It’s actually the first time in a while that we all did something together, and although we are four people who know the precise ways to best drive each other crazy, this was a great trip, and I am remembering it fondly.
Our first stop was to see the tulip fields, which bloom in Washington every year. Mom is absolutely obsessed with flowers of any kind, and in the spring and summer, I get at least a couple of texts a week of the prettiest flowers she has seen on her walks. In the fall and winter, sometimes she spends her lunch hour in a garden store, so then I still get my fix of her flower photography. Needless to say, she was thrilled to look at all the different colours and varieties, and I enjoyed experimenting with shooting straight down into the tulips.
We spent a night in Aberdeen, visited the Kurt Cobain memorial, and continued on our way towards Portland. Shane and I have visited the city a few times before, but it was fun showing my favourite parts to my family, and together we discovered a botanical garden I did not know about. Everything was in bloom, and we even saw a bunch of Canadian goose eggs.
At some point we also stopped at Cannon Beach, and I took them to my favourite place for grilled oysters called River View Dining. The couple who run it have been at it for over 20 years, and their grilled oysters “with everything” are one of the most delicious dishes I have had in my entire life.
The best part of the trip for me was getting to spend time with my brother. We shared rooms on the trip, and it was probably the most uninterrupted sibling time we have had for years. It was nice to just hangout, I introduced him to Portlandia, and we watched a bunch of it together on my phone. When we got bored, we would go on late night food runs, and crack stupid jokes over burgers and milkshakes. Overall, 10/10 sibling bonding time, would recommend.
