Day Twelve

Today was the day that I was finally going to see my family and I was feeling very excited.

My daughter, Erin. Had rented a nice little apartment at a B&B only blocks from my son, Cavan and his wife, Angie. So it will be very convenient for the four of us to coordinate any activities together.
The Van Mall RV Park, where I’m staying, still has no wifi so any posts to my blog will be delayed for a few days. As you can see this park has all the RV's pretty well packed in. It's not much more than a big parking lot with limited services.




While picking up Erin, we noticed a woman next door was obviously having trouble starting her Land Rover so my daughter kindly donated my services to help her. Here was my opportunity to “pay it forward” in a sense so I got some tools and offered my assistance. In the end I wasn’t able to get the car started and she went ahead and called AAA but it felt good to help and she was so appreciative.
Because Cavan was working today we all couldn’t get together but he had invited Erin and I to swing by the Portland State University, where he is their grounds keeper, and he would give us a campus tour.



Cavan is so proud of all the landscaping improvements he has brought to the school grounds and showed us all his artistry including one of the several “eco roofs” where he has planted vegetation that produces oxygen and filters the water before it travels down internal pipes to water plant beds on ground level.



Scattered around the campus are a wide variety of sculptures and pieces of art that also enhance the grounds.


Needing to get back to work, he left us and being lunchtime, Erin suggested we go to the Fireside restaurant nearby for a meal. It was one of those cool places that could open their huge windows to the sidewalk so you felt like you were outside. This area is lined with all kinds of restaurants and interesting shops and seems to be a real magnet for both tourists and locals alike. Great for people watching too.
Now that recreational marijuana is legal in the State, it has spawned a whole industry of businesses that cater to the needs of the pot smoker. After lunch Erin and I drove to one of these shops to see for ourselves how this new law had manifested itself in the retail world. Cavan had suggested we try Nectar which has totally embraced this new business opportunity in a very upscale and sleek kind of way.





The day was sliding away but I still hadn’t had a chance to see Angie. Erin had coordinated a dinner for us to finally reunite. Angie suggested we try a place called Muumuu’s that served a diverse kind of menu and where we could relax and catch up together.

It was a perfect end to a perfect day

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