Letters from the Pacific Northwest

I am writing this from a cute coffee shop (one of many) in the heart of downtown Portland.  My sister departed today, so I am spending the next 3 days on a solo work-cation.  Having never been to this part of our lovely country before, I am finding the people, culture and scenery quite pleasant.  Though I'm not ready to start my dreadlocks, dye my t-shirts and pack my bags to move out here, I'll gladly take the extra few days in another part of the world.

One of the things I was most looking forward to about this trip was getting back to some nature.  My sister and I were lucky enough to make a pit stop in Eugene, OR, about 2 hours outside of Portland.  The surrounding scenery was magnificent and we completely dove in with a walk up Mount Pisgah.  I embraced my inner flower child by stopping every few 100 feet to take pics (and catch my breathe....it was a hike!).

I am hoping to make it out to the Rose Gardens tomorrow to get in some more nature now that I'm back in a city.  I also have a couple of meetings setup for Tuesday with some fantastic local florists... Geranium Lake and Francoise Weeks.  I cannot wait to meet these amazing women.  I met with Anastasia Ehlers last week while in Eugene, and she was an absolute delight.  It is completely understandable that being a florist out in the Pacific Northwest breeds a kinship with one's surroundings and all that is locally sustainable.  They are in full bloom here!  How could you not be inspired by all this....