Walk Softly and Carry a Big Tripod

Japanese Garden-Portland, OR

Today is the day that I was regretting for a while.  It was time for me to say good-bye to Shannon and head back to Portland for my last day in Oregon.  I had such a great time with her, it was hard to leave.  Driving her to the rec center gave me a few more minutes to chat and see if there was anything else she needed before I left.  Let's see, we went hiking, took her and her roomies out to eat, bungee jumped, took her shopping for food and supplies and had some good talks.  I wish that I could have stayed longer, but I need to get back to John and Ian and she needed to get back to school and her books.  So, I hugged her as hard as I could and with tears in my eyes, I kissed her good-bye.  As I watched her walk off, I couldn't help but think about how proud of her I am.  She is so smart, kind, giving, loving, a great friend, a messy apartment dweller, etc.  And, she is my favorite daughter.  Always was and always will be.  (For the record, she is also my only daughter).  But as I say to her, she is still my favorite daughter.

As the tears on my face began to dry, I started to make my way to my next adventure.  No more waterfalls for awhile.  Today I was heading to the Japanese Garden in Portland for some photos.  The Japanese Garden sits on 55 acres and is said to be the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan.

They have strict rules for photography but I can see why.  When you enter the garden you know that you are in a special place.  There were hiking trails so having my brace on was a good thing and enable me to be more stable as I maneuvered up and down the rock pathways.

It is a very quiet and tranquil place.  Its like being in an outside library.  No cell phones are allowed to ring and voices are kept to a whisper.  It was very calming and quite a change from what Shannon and I experienced yesterday. 

If you have never been to a Japanese Garden, I highly recommend it.  The nice part about this location of the Garden is that it is located close to a Children's Museum and the Portland Zoo. 
Here are some of the pics I shot today.