Picnic Project: Arbor Lodge Park

Kelly's birthday arrived as it does every year and we decided to have a picnic to celebrate.

The Picnic Project.
Established 2006.

Each year, Patricia chooses five parks in Portland—one from each section of Portland: N, NE, NW, SE & SW. She plans food and invites people for a picnic, then records the festivities. By 2028 she will have picnicked in every park in Portland.

Date: 6 August, 2009

Park: Arbor Lodge Park

Present: Patricia, Kelly, Margaret, Heidi, Christi, Heidi, Kevin, Matt, that guy, that girl, Bella

Food: Big salad, carrot cake.

Activities: Wishing Kelly a happy birthday. Chatting.

Comments: Arbor Lodge Park is a very nice little neighborhood park. It packs a lot in a small space. From the web site: Includes disabled access play area, disabled access restroom, dog off-leash area, horseshoe pit, paths – paved, picnic tables, playground, soccer field, softball field, statue or public art, and tennis court – lighted.

Carrot Cake. I'm not a fan, but it looks very pretty in the bowl.

What color should I make the frosting? Purple! Could it be anything else?

Kelly received these sassy shoes from her friend in Washington.

Blowing out the candles.

A group photo. As you can tell from our attire, it was a chilly Portland summer day.

Bella nicely posing for the camera.

Picnic Project: Laurelhurst Park

The Picnic Project.
Established 2006.

Each year, Patricia chooses five parks in Portland—one from each section of Portland: N, NE, NW, SE & SW. She plans food and invites people for a picnic, then records the festivities. By 2028 she will have picnicked in every park in Portland.

Date: 1 August, 2009

Park: Laurelhurst Park (there is interesting information about the history of the park at this link)

Present: Patricia, Matt

Food. Matt: Three English muffin sandwiches, cherries. Patricia: big salad.

Activities: Watching King Henry IV part I

Comments: Nice way to combine two projects into one: picnic project (check!) viewing of the current Shakespeare reading (check!)

We took the bus to the park. The 75 is amazing. It goes by so many different things! Someday, when I have too much time on my hands, I will ride it the full route.

My food photos are not so good lately. Matt got three sandwiches: one peanut butter, one cream cheese and pesto, one cream cheese and tart plum butter. I'm pretty excited that I made all the non-peanut butter toppings.

Here's my big salad. I love big salad. So delicious and filling, so many good things. Hidden under those vegetables is one of the pickled eggs. I rescued it from the floor and it seemed to have no glass, so I took a chance.

After we watched the play (next post) Matt left for another activity and I walked around and took pictures of Laurelhurst Park's features. Like this lake. Where you are asked very nicely not to feed the ducks.

There is a soccer field and basketball courts and this playground. When Matt and I first got together, someone took pictures of us hanging upside down from play equipment here.

There is also a dance studio.

Picnic Project: Columbia Park

The Picnic Project.
Established 2006.

Each year, Patricia chooses five parks in Portland—one from each section of Portland: N, NE, NW, SE & SW. She plans food and invites people for a picnic, then records the festivities. By 2027 she will have picnicked in every park in Portland.

2009 Addendum: um, like pretty much all of my projects I am not carrying this project out in quite the way it was begun. Last year, I took a break (I know! After only two years!) because I had the Hungary & Romania trip and thought I would plan the picnics when I got back, but I didn’t.This year, I’m guessing all of the parks will be in North Portland. Back when this project began Matt had a car, but now that we are a car-free household, it is easier to plan excursions to parks near us. So things have changed a little, but the spirit lives on.

Date: 26 July, 2009

Park: Columbia Park

Present: Patricia, Matt, Joe, Mary, Pat, Carol, Atlas

Food: Cold Zucchini & Basil Soup, Chorizo and Lime Salad, Asian Rice Noodle Salad

Activities: Chatting with Matt’s father Joe, walking Atlas, chatting in general.

Comments: Matt’s dad Joe was visiting so we had a picnic in the park. It was very hot, but Columbia Park was amazingly cool. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Joe had to leave a bit early for another commitment, so Matt walked him to his bus stop.

One of the features of Columbia Park, which also includes a water feature, playground, soccer field and Columbia Cottage.

I call this park the "Hansel and Gretel" park because of the many tall pine trees. When I spent more time on my bike doing long rides, I often would come across this park. From the street looking into the "woods" it looks very much like a fairy tale. Their could easily be a troll living somewhere in this park. The Portland Park's website mentions that this park was inspired by a famous park in Berlin (though it doesn't say which one.) They have trolls in Berlin, right?

Matt takes the dog for a walk

The Asian Rice Noodle Salad.

Kimchee!

This melon and chorizo salad was very, very good. So many interesting flavors!

The zucchini & basil soup. Yet another way to dispatch some of your zucchini.

Picnic Project. Northwest.

The Picnic Project.
Established 2006.

Each year, Patricia chooses five parks in Portland—one from each section of Portland: N, NE, NW, SE & SW. She plans food and invites people for a picnic, then records the festivities. By 2027 she will have picnicked in every park in Portland.
Date: August 5, 2007
Park: Wallace Park
Present: Matt, Linda, Patricia & Mary.
Food: Delights from Elephants Delicatessen.
Activities: Eating our very yummy food. Taking a walk around the edge of the park. Letting our mothers have time to socialize.
Comments: Because Matt's mother Linda was visiting, we thought it would be great if we had a Moms picnic. So my mother and I picked up Matt and his mother after church. First we went to the Elephants on NW 22nd. It is my favorite place to go when I want good food and don't care if I spend an arm and a leg to get it. After we sacrificed a few limbs for our feast ("No more picnics that cost more than if we went to a sit-down restaurant." I told Matt) we headed to Wallace Park. This park is famous for being next to Chapman school, where the swifts roost in the chimney each year during their migration. The swifts are a sight to behold, and if you are ever in Portland during September, I suggest you pack a picnic and tromp up to the school to see this magnificent spectacle.
We were there in early August , and during the day. So we chatted, shivered under the gray August sky (horrible summer here, just horrible) and hoped it wouldn't rain. Eventually the sun came out and our walk around the edge of the park was lovely.

Picnic Project. Northeast.

The Picnic Project.
Established, 2006.

Each year, Patricia chooses five parks in Portland—one from each section of Portland: N, NE, NW, SE & SW. She plans food and invites people for a picnic, then records the festivities. By 2027 she will have picnicked in every park in Portland.

Date: 22 July, 2007
Park: Normandale Park
Present: Matt & Patricia
Food: Delights from New Seasons. Matt had Spicy Tofu Salad, Lasagna, protein drink and half of a peanut butter bar. Patricia had Egg Salad, Spicy Noodles, Cole Slaw and the other half of the peanut butter bar.
Activities: Discussing around the Harry Potter book, which Matt finished less than two hours before. Not talking about much else, because Matt had been absent from the world while reading Harry Potter.
Comments: This is a great park if you want to play baseball/softball (3 fields) or have your dog run around. Strangely, baseball so dominates this park that there is only half of a basketball court, which is wedged up against the bathrooms in an awkward configuration.

The food
Did I mention that Matt finished Harry Potter VII
Kite flying
Dog parking.
Odd basketball court configuration. That's the hoop there on the left.