My sister Helen visited for a mini-quilt retreat. There were lots of neighborhood walks and a few other other Portland adventures.

Quilting with Helen:

She finished her Lighthouse Quilt, and I prepared one of my tops for quilting.

Portland Excursions with Helen:

7/16 – Leach Botanical Garden

We walked many of the trails to see the seasonal blooms.

7/21 – Portland Art Museum

Helen wanted to see the David Hockney Exhibit, so I got to walk through it for the third time. So much still to see! I was thinking about how people paint water – I will save those thoughts for another time. She also wanted to see the Monet Waterlilies, and the Chihuly Glass.

7/22 – Lloyd Center Farewell Walk

We made a farewell circuit of the Lloyd Center Mall one hot day. The mall was slated to close for good in early August. It has been an anchor in this neighborhood since the 60’s, and a good resource on days that are too hot or too rainy to be outside. I have spent many hours at this mall, especially with my children, taking them ice skating, to movies, to visit Santa, to the ear piercing studio. We used to watch the professional skaters while eating lunch, and they are the people who will miss this space the most, since there is no other skating rink in Portland. The parking garages used to be full during the holidays. Helen sometimes visited the mall when she was in town, so she also felt a bit of sadness for the end of this space. Internet shopping, and then the pandemic, led to anchor stores leaving. The future supposedly holds a lot of new affordable inner city housing with easy access to transit – we shall see…

7/24 – Tilikum Crossing Bridge Walk

One evening we were near the Willamette River after dinner, so strolled across this bike/pedestrian/bus/streetcar bridge, to enjoy the view.

Bonus photo of the Tilikum Crossing – taken on 4th of July while driving east over the Marquam Bridge.

We also went on two ‘real’ hikes with Helen, included in my July hiking post.

Also this month:

Knitting:

I finished a pair of socks, and acquired some new yarn:

Reading:

I finished reading 13 books in July. Only one was in my Jane Austen theme for the year. My husband and I finished a re-listen of To Kill A Mockingbird as our road trip listening. It is still relevant, and it still makes me cry. I also appreciated relistening to the classic A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf, also unfortunately, still relevant. Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks is a thoughtful grief-processing memoir, also unfortunately relevant and meaningful to me at this season of my life.

Neighborhood blooms, flowers, shadows:

Meanwhile…

Family members were enjoying life in Chicago and Philadelphia:

Signs of the month…

As seen in the neighborhood…