Ok, this picture sums up a lot. I had a jammy, fun-filled weekend in Portland with a medley of old friends that I mixed together for good food, conversation and outdoor activities. I arrived in Portland at my friend Rachel’s house to find that she had wild blackberries growing on her front yard. Amazing. I was heartbroken on Saturday morning to find gardeners trimming back the front yard including the bush-filled berries. I stopped in my tracks and and said “You cut down the blackberries?” while they stared at me blankly. Haha. But I already had my fill of picking wild Marionberries and Boysenberries Thursday evening at a farm on Sauvie Island where twin folk singers plucked and round babies danced. At one point, I realized that I was becoming a baby paparazzi and had to control myself. Then, Kate arrived and we connected to my other friend Rachel who I hadn’t seen in over 10 years. We were camp friends from age 9 to 13 and had bonded over our rebellious tendencies that got us kicked out of camp. It was great to see her and join her on a weekend of readings at the IPRC and the Waypost. She’s a great writer and I can’t wait to read what she writes next! I want to savor the memories over some berries right now. Too bad you can’t bring jam on airplanes these days.

I uploaded a small Flickr set here. Enjoy!