I miss Portland.

Can I just say?

Lately I've just been going around feeling mopey like I'm just kind of homesick. I really miss Portland!

I miss Pizzacato. I know there are others but the ones in Portland taste different. The ones in the suburbs smell like the suburbs. They taste like the suburbs. The ones in Portland taste like Portland.

I miss the crazy lady who used to walk past our house in an evening dress and a long cigarette and scream obscenities at men. Poor wretched soul.

I miss walking out the front door and smelling coffee in the air.

I miss all the groovy gardens.

I miss the way all the kids on the street shared their outside toys. In our neighborhood, the rule was you could ride anything left on the sidewalk as long as you didn't take it around the corner. Here if my kids leave anything on the sidewalk the neighbors drag it back and glaaaaare at us. *sniff*

I miss popping out the door and running to Saturday Market at the drop of a hat.

I miss jumping on Max to run to Loyd Center.

I miss the waterfront.

I miss street musicians.

I miss street kids with mo-hawks with heights that defy gravity. Walking their tiny kittens on leashes.

I miss yuppie moms in jogging clothes and running strollers trotting all over town with coffee cup in hand.

I miss the big free sample Saturdays at New Seasons.

I miss our neighbors who used to start their family reunion with bagpipes.

I miss smelling Bento on the streets.

I miss funky little import shops and boutiques....

I miss waking up at night to the sound of street guys pilfing the bottles and cans in our backyard..

I miss sitting outside coffee shops watching the kids draw with with sidewalk chalk.

Portland was hard to live in sometimes. But golly. It was never boring.....

"Don't it all seem to go, you don't know what you've got till its gone."

I miss Portland. *sniff*

(The above photos are credited to Portland Ground Providing homesick Portlanders with a place to go and sniff..)