The day was stunning and sunny. Not too hot. I was picked up (by
Leah /Leah Pellegrini Glass and
Amanda/Bread and Badger) and whisked off to the fun of berry picking on
Sauvie Island. The strawberries were already done for the season, so we went for the blueberries and the raspberries. One in the basket, one in my mouth.
Plump and bursting with sweet juiciness. Two for the basket and one for my mouth. Oooo, look a ladybug. Basket, mouth. The bushes were so laden with fruit we could be very, um, picky about what we picked. On to the raspberries. Basket, mouth. Mouth. Mouth. Loves me some raspberries. After we'd gotten our take at Kruger's Farm, we went off for some
unbelievable cherries. The trees dripped with fruit. Basket, mouth. Some we could pick standing on the ground, and some fun was had on the orchard ladders. I took so much that I thought I wouldn't be able to eat it all myself, but it's gone. (and my camera batteries died and I finished them before I got any pictures...) You know they taste even better when you've picked them yourself. None of this silly pie/tart/smoothie making for me either. I've finished it all off straight from the basket. To my mouth.
Being that it was 100 degrees in Portland yesterday, I decided to take the dog to the beach for a cool-off. I didn't feel like driving all the way to the coast, so I thought I'd check out Sauvie Island Beach for the first time. Sauvie Island is just a teeny bit north of Portland on the Columbia river. 
It's quite pretty with farms (and u-pick fields!), homes, wildlife preserves and long stretches of river beach. It was Tuesday and I figured - since I got a late start - that the beach wouldn't be so crowded. Silly me. On a hot, sunny Portland summer afternoon the place was packed. The pictures don't really show just how many people were out. It was like Coney Island! Ok, maybe not that bad, but I was surprised. Who are 
all these people? Don't they have jobs? They can't all be stay-at-home crafters... Although I didn't get a swim in because I had to keep an eye on the dog, the cold river water was luscious to wade into. Kana had a blast charging into the water after her tennis ball and got very irked (see photo) at me for making her lay down and rest a bit. If a dog can glare, this would be it. We weren't there nearly long enough, but I'll be back soon.
