Base!

We're home from Santa Rosa and Portland, the city with the most vegetation and coolness together that I've ever seen. I'm happy to be back at out little base camp, because sometimes it was definitely scary to be so far away from someplace I knew I could rest or heal. We didn't rent a car there and spent a lot of time on foot or having cabbed way across town. A strange thing about getting back in shape is that it's both frustrating and inspiring at exactly the same time. I'm trying not to choose frustration, and focus on the fact that my legs are tired because they're stonger than they were a week ago (as are my arms, back, shoulders, etc.).
I've got to tend to my plant friends, whom Jenny lovingly kept out of trouble while we were gone. But I do want to share some photos from the trip.

We visited Imwalle Gardens in Santa Rosa on Wednesday. This is a true farmers market in that the market is smack in the middle of the farm. They also have a great nursery that I was sad I couldn't buy from. Instead I got broccoli, basil, lettuce, and lavender seeds.

Our gorgeous niece loved it, especially the big tractors she kept spotting. She's a pretty old hat with plants, her parents having the garden of our dreams, so I think the swinging was her highlight.
This picture feels like home to me. I grew up eating buckets of apricots in the summer from the untended orchard next to our horse's stable. And some old pickup or another was always how we got there.
This is the view from our room at the Ace Hotel in Portland. We spent about 4 hours in Powell's Books on Thursday, and it called to us the whole time. Mark eventually went back.

We drank ridiculous amounts of delicious coffee. For more on that, visit Mark's blog.

Saturday, we visited Portland's Rose Test Garden. It was so beautiful and impressive and we were there on a magical weather day. I'm sure the couple getting married there appreciated it, too.
Right up the hill is the Japanese Garden. I'm not usually crazy about this style, but this garden truly embodies the ideal of the type. At every step was a different variety of delight for the eyes, nose, and ears. So peaceful and exciting at the same time.

Amazing.