Day 20

Happy Independence Day!

Andrew and I have a talk about how I tend to use the 4th of July as the marker for my summer - where I am, who I am with, and whether or not I enjoy it tends to serve as the best indication for my summer state of mind. He doesn't feel like that at all, but is willing to put some effort into making it a fantastic day.



We say goodbye to Joey and David, coming up with somewhat far fetched ways for the 4 of us to hang out again,

"You know, Andrew, there is music in Seattle. If this Ann Arbor thing doesn't work out.... you know... Move here!"

Portland is on the horizon. It takes a few hours to get there, but on the way we view Mt. Rainier and Mt. Saint Helen's before pulling off the freeway to follow the sign that says:

Towards Boring

Clackamus

That's where my sister lives! Who knows where Boring lies, but Clackamus is a northern suburb of Portland equipped with larger apartments, easier parking, and rolling green hills. After the tour of her apartment and some visits with Cirque du Kitty - Sara's shockingly acrobatic calico feline - we head out to Hawthorne Blvd. to get a taste of the town.

Hawthorne Blvd, however, is thinking that everyone would want to be elsewhere on the 4th, so they've closed nearly all of their shops. We wander a little and find a glorious Vietnamese restaurant before heading to the grocery store to buy strawberry shortcake supplies.

We watch the Project Runway marathon as we cut strawberries and later feast on shortcake. Around 9, we say farwell to my sister, who has to wake up incredibly early for work the next day (a pang of compassion and sadness for people not currently enjoying summer vacation) and find our way to the Oaks Amusement Park Annual Fourth of July Celebration.

We make it to the bank of the Willamette River just as the fireworks begin. Because of a rather imposing tree blocking our view, we hike up our pants and join the dozens of onlookers wading into the cool river to watch the patriotic explosions. It's a dazzling and completely memorable half hour.

- Emily