Saturday, August 5, 2017

Last days in Portland


Sunday afternoon I finished up the gift runner to give to  Masa-kun who has been taking care of Nikko (and the bird and fish).

Only thing left to do was add a label.

Naomi is checking it out...
approves with a smile.








Next day we went to the rose garden at Washington Park.

Having grown up in a garden full of roses, this was a real treat.

Part of the garden is a "test garden" where new hybrids have a chance to compete with other roses.

None of my father's hybrids were here but I had a chance to see some of those in Boston and Ohio.


















Talk about competing ....

Roses are pretty and colorful 

but those smiles....
         Can't beat that!












with my eldest daughter ....



















and with my youngest daughter....



Many volunteers were throughout the garden,
pruning finished blooms and tending the beds.

All were friendly and enjoying their work.

Wouldn't it be nice if Tokyo's parks had teams of volunteers to care for the plants, trim the overgrowth, and pull the weeds.

In the evening, the girls worked in the kitchen on a secret surprise.




They used one of my recipes and created this
pineapple upside-down  cake.


I think it tasted just as good as any I have made ...
and believe me, I have made quite a few.










n

Irene has designed a doll quilt for a friend who was morning the loss of a parent.

With Kimie at the needle and Irene on the pedal, they sewed the pieces together to make  giant heart using fabrics Irene had picked out at Fabric Depot.












A quilter in the making ....?


Wednesday, the 26th, we took a trip to the Lan Su Chinese Garden, another place of beauty.

I know I have more pictures ... but let's see if I can find them....


Yes, here is one more ...


And another.



And, to finish off the visit, in the afternoon we all volunteered to work on a tree survey at Alberta Park. 
Each team was assigned a section of the park. Our task was to place each tree on a map along with details such as girth of trunk at 4 feet, height of tree and span of branches north to south and east to west. Also to give the variety of the tree. Most were large Douglas Firs but we did come across one tree that left everyone a bit puzzled, the experts going off with a sample in a plastic bag...

Our team was all family and we had tools for measuring supplied by the group.



The holiday came to an end gathering of the Portland clan. Irene must be on camera duty, but she was indeed there.
The next morning departure was at 6:15 AM.
Kimie hustled me out early and hung around until I was through the last check point.
Flight was to LA, and from there to Narita, arriving in the afternoon ... having skipped a day.
I was met by Norie at the exit and rode home in style in my own car ... driven by Hiro with Nikko in attendance.
I returned to a month's worth of dog hair, dust, and destruction. (Nikko had taken a bit of revenge on me for abandoning her). Slowly things are returning to normal.


The table runner went as a thank you to Masa-kun for taking care of everything while I was away in spite of many challenges. His sister told me he cried when he showed it to his family and was thinking rather to hang it on the wall. Today I saw his dog, Cherry, and I think this one on the runner is a bit bigger.  Many thanks to Tanya whose idea I kidnapped. Bloggers inspire for sure!
Who's idea will I snatch up next? wait and see...









18 comments:

  1. Such pretty pictures, looks like you had a family GREAT time, and I'm very happy for you :D
    LOVE the doggie quilt ! Moreover, it's with my favourite Daschund dog...

    XOXOXOXOXO
    Nadine

    ReplyDelete
  2. There is nothing that can beat having the love of a great family!

    ReplyDelete
  3. My grandfather grew prize roses, in Tyler, TX. Years after he died, my grandmother took me thru the Tyler Rose garden, and showed me some of his plants and some of his pots, that she donated after he died. That was over 30 years ago. Maybe I'll go back one day.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Adorable doggie quilt and beautiful trip!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your comment. You have become a "no-reply" ... well, maybe you always were and I have been sending replies off into never-land.

      Delete
  5. More wonderful family photos, the rose garden, and the doggie runner. Yes, I can understand tears, taking care of Nikko while you were away, and not expecting a gift like this, beautiful, and the border, bright fruit and veges!! They are lovely pieces to finish it off.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a lovely holiday with your family! The roses are beautious! I am sure the runner will be well loved - very cute!

    ReplyDelete
  7. So much adorableness and happiness in these photos - what precious time with your loved ones - and I'm glad you are home safely in Tokyo!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for posting while you were on your vacation - it was fun following along with your adventures with your family - and the progress on the doggie quilt. All of the photos are wonderful - the landscapes are beautiful - and I especially love all of the smiles - ;))

    ReplyDelete
  9. A wonderful and happy family holiday. Memories to treasure. Thank you for taking us along with you to the U.S.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It sounds like you had a wonderful last week and enjoyed the time with family.
    Love how the quilt came out, it is so cute and beautiful at the same time.

    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lovely pictures and not just the roses. .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now that I have returned to broiling humid Tokyo, I am appreciating the cool scenery as well as family time.

      Delete
  12. What precious beautiful children. As always, love seeing all tne pictures. The dog quilt is so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a wonderful post - I've not been visiting blogs this summer - it has just been too wonderful and warm - up until the smoke came in from the BC fires - now I'm catching up as we have been warned to stay indoors until the smoke abates. Love the sweet girls - and the cake - and the tree project and the cutest wall hanging ever. You do keep busy no matter where you are. Have a wonderful week back at home my friend.l

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great finish on the runner. It looks like you finished your holiday with a lovely time with your family. It goes to quickly, doesn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mom, We loved our precious time with you and all the daily excursions to gardens and parks. Please come again soon! Love, Julie

    ReplyDelete
  16. As you can see, I'm reading your posts backwards. So glad that Nikki had Masakun as his caretaker while you were away. The Quilt turned out beautifully! I love the colorful doggie sweater!

    ReplyDelete