a week ago

We drove down the road to Portland last week and while we were there a big ol' windstorm hit our neck of the woods.  We came home to a few trees like this one down in our little corner of the forest.  Our long driveway was completely green in some places, covered with fallen branches and the power was out.  Once again, I feel very lucky that nothing damaged the buildings.

Portland people love to garden!  Daffodils and new spring artichoke leaves are a beautiful spring-time combo.  I have to remember this!  These were planted along a sidewalk.  They'd look great together in a vase too...I wonder if the sap of the daff would bother the arti leaves like it does tulips and other flowers....

A lot of folks in Portland also like building with cob so there's lots of cob in Portland and I love cob, oH YES, I do!!  So I was really happy to see some. 

A beautiful cob sculpture/wall and seating area at The Rebuilding Center on Mississippi Avenue.  It really successfully evokes a forest scene in a town setting, don't you think?....with the tall straight fir tree trunks and the benches looking like the earth and roots.

Look up and the tree tops are branches of cob with fabricated metal leaves and flowers in different colours....beautiful.

A dramatic entrance from the street....and I could spend hours in there looking through all the  great stuff...endless reclaimed windows and doors and I saw an old sink in excellent condition that I just can't get off my mind....C and I might have to take a big van down there one day when we're building our house.

I missed the Farmer's Markets.  Portland has many good ones but it's not quite the season yet.   There are a couple winter markets but our days there didn't coincide with market days : (   too bad....because I do love browsing a good farmer's market.
I did get to see these in the produce cooler at Alberta Co-op Grocery, tho'.  Beautiful.  Pea Shoots, Broccoli microgreens, Sunflower Shoots,   China Rose Radish microgreens and Wheatgrass.  I grow all of these.
I'd love to sell what I grow like this.  I have little rectangle containers, just like these and I tried it last summer at the Farmer's Market on Mayne Isl...it didn't really take off (people liked the cut and bagged better)....I was going to let go of that idea, but now after seeing this in a few stores, I can't give up on it yet. Guess I'll give it a try again this summer.

Nice little laminated info card displayed with the shoots and microgreens...really good idea that I've been meaning to do for a while.  Better get on it!

Some lovely cob at People's Food Co-op.  And check out those nettles in the front garden!

Here's a closer look.  I love the idea of growing nettles as a kind of spring green mulch in a city garden around a rose and fruit tree, like this....stinging nettles are at their best at my place right now too and I just picked some....a simple nettle soup is a must-have every year at this time and I'll soon make some nettle frittatas too, yum yum!

A little ornamental winter food garden street-side at People's.  With fescues and sedums and brassicas and hardy salad greens...beautiful and practical too!!  

Portland is well-known for it's food trucks like this one at the People's entrance...I sure would love it if someone on Mayne Island would do this for the summer time. I think we need one!!

A close-up of the winter veggies growing.  I hope a doggie doesn't come along and peeeee on the purple sprouting broccoleeee.

I really enjoyed browsing the lovely and inspiring Pistil's Nursery.     We bought 2 good books.         

photo from  Country Living Magazine

View from the backyard where the chickens are.

Sweet little urban chicken coop, eh?!  When I finally get my chickens I'm going to take some ideas from this lovely and practical design.  Love the living roof too!  Mine will have moss and ferns growing on it.

The decorative wire mesh is a nice idea...there's a bit of an urban chicken keeping revolution going on in Portland these days so there are lots of creative coop ideas and an unbelievable number of books on the subject in all the garden shops and bookstores too....aren't those some lovely looking city chicks.

Every store and restaurant had beautiful flower arrangements.  This simply dramatic bundle of flowering magnolia and cherry branches at The Woodsman Tavern was stunning.  They were done by  Fieldwork Floral who also care for the fab little flower cart at the lovely little market next to the tavern.

Amazing salts at The Meadow on Mississippi  Ave.

Salt. Chocolate. Wine.  Flowers.  What an interesting combination around which to create a shop!  Four of my favourite things : )  Really love it!  Unique and inspiring products too.

A table packed with flowers and a wall full of many types of chocolates I have never seen before.

As well as wine, The Meadow stocks an interesting selection of bitters and syrups too.  I love how they're displayed on big blocks of pink himalayan salt.

Spring has sprung in Portland!