Good morning! It was time for my last day in Portland. My inability to sleep in continued this day, but it meant that I was able to enjoy a cup of tea in the kitchen with my hosts, and accept their son's request to have me walk with him (and mom) to school.
And what a cool school it was. Chickens in the school yard, posters for an LGBTQ group at a K-8 school, and kids and parents with creative and artistic style. Sign me up!
After dropping him off, Bryonie and I walked to a nearby fresh bakery she likes for breakfast (the name of which I can't remember)
I took photos of lovely houses and gardens along the way. (dreamy sigh)
I really love how many crows there are in Portland. And they have very little fear of humans. This fellow was only about four feet away from my feet, but I didn't get the photo till he was a bit further away.
This set-up in the bakery is a guy who Bryonie explains goes to local festivals and events. He listens to what the gnomes tell him to add to the locally made brews, and infuses them with herbs and plants according to what he thinks should be for each person.
A delicious meal!
Eaten out on the sidewalk.
After breakfast, we drove back to Forest Park, the location of the Witch's Castle. Bryonie knew of more options for parking than I had originally realized when I tried to go here on Sunday morning. We got a good parking spot, and went for a walk.
Hard to believe all this nature is in the middle of the city.
Bryonie walking ahead.
I'm not sure what this is used for, but it looks like an amphitheater to perform for nature.
In Oregon, even the fences are furry.
A beautiful large shelf mushroom. Someday I'd love to get some of these to use as shelves, as my friend Bryony Whistlecraft has done.
I just cannot get over all of the magical beauty of Oregon.
Finally we approached the Witch's Castle, which stands at the intersection of three paths of the trail. From the directions we approached, it was not as impressive a sight, with lots of graffiti:
But a little exploration yielded much prettier views:
We walked back to the car, and drove back to the house, walking over to the Fernie Brae so that Bryonie could give her employee a break for lunch.
While she caught up on business, I sat in the back room and left a message for the faeries in a book left there for that purpose.
After we picked up Bryonie's son from school, it was time for Taco Tuesday with the Froud family. Which apparently on this occasion involved a very intense, 20-minute or so game of dodge ball in the basement with foam balls and cotton snowballs, involving both kids and all five adults.
(Two rounds of it, once before dinner and one after)
I had a great time hanging out with these wonderful, magical people, and I think it shows in the pictures.
Too soon it was bedtime, and I woke up early the next morning to get an Uber back to the airport and head home. My trip to Oregon was at an end. But my goodness, I'll remember it forever. And start planning the next one as soon as I can.
Some of the goodies I picked up on my trip....
The goblin ornament / pendant by Toby Froud on the right was one I got from The Fernie Brae two Christmases ago. The left one I picked up on my trip.
Picked this up for my car at the Made in Oregon store at the airport.
While I was gathering my purchase items from The Fernie Brae, I saw these tiny concrete mushroom stakes for the garden, and decided to pick one up as a garden reminder of my magical trip.
Well, apparently everything at The Fernie Brae is pure magic, because look what happened after I planted this mushroom:
Once in a while, I'll have a mushroom or two sprout in this part of my garden, but this many? Never ever ever before! Magic, I tell you.
I've wanted this chapbook of Tom Hirons' phenomenal poem since it came out, but didn't want to pay for shipping from England. Problem solved, thanks to The Fernie Brae!
My coworker who lived in Oregon before moving here has mentioned before how good Marionberries are, so I had to pick this up at the airport as well to try.
Loved this postcard too.
Picked this up at New Renaissance Bookstore.
Virginia Lee card/print I love so much from the Brae.
My biggest souvenir of the trip, however, is still waiting to come home to me. You may know my love of foxes and hares / rabbits. I have also been obsessed with this painting by Brian Froud ever since it was the first teaser image they released for the book Faeries' Tales when it was released four years ago. I thought The Fernie Brae had sold the last of their limited edition signed and numbered giclee prints, but when I arrived there for the first time, I saw they still had one! I had to have it.
It's currently at the frame shop being framed, but I'm rearranging an entire room's worth of art on the walls to make a space for it to be featured when I get it back.
Thank you for following along on my Portland trip!
Oregon is definetly magical, seeing your beautiful trip makes me want to go there even more (if not only for the crows, I love those birds, such characters). I'm suprised to see Sometimes a Wild God, which I shouldn't be as I already know you have incredible taste. I've scrolled through your entiry blog and your cottage is a work of art. The beautifull walls of your dining room makes me want to paint on my own white walls.
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