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7.17.2008

I'm Back...and off to CHA

I'm back from Portland, OR, but not for long! Tomorrow, I'm heading to Chicago for...CHA! I'm so excited. I had a planned trip to Chicago, then discovered the Craft and Hobby Association Show was going to be there. By the grace of God, I was able to snag a ticket. Thanks Michele! I knew it was meant for me to go! This will be my first CHA show and I'm excited to see all the new products that will be debuted. Hopefully, I can spend a few hours with googly eyes, doing some make and takes, and of course a picture or two. I hope to see some of my paper art blog 'celebrities!' I'll be working on a few projects that were demanded while I was away, so I'll post those later or schedule them to post while I am away again. Here are a few pictures from Portland. They're not the best because they were shot using my Canon PowerShot point and shoot camera. We had fresh sushi among other highlights like outstanding sake! We went out at the popular Japanese restaurant Masu!


Portland is a very unusual place. I'm glad I visited the city because most people haven't gone, but I can't say that I will return. Portland and Oregon as a whole is an environmentally 'green'. We stayed at Hotel Lucia, which was a swanky New York City style hotel. It was located downtown near Pioneer Square and the Pearl district. Portland is a very giving city. They have a light rail that runs from downtown to the airport and other parts of the city. In the downtown area, the light rail is FREE. This is something that we could not fathom since we're used to the rising Metro costs!

Portland is also a very tolerable and clean city. This statement is an oxymoron because I am referencing bums or beggars as I saw it and the cleanliness of downtown. There were a lot of young beggars who lived on the street. This is very unusual. There was free drinking water for them and plenty of fountains to bathe in. However, the streets were free of trash and debris. Everyone followed all rules, such as crosswalk signals and were extremely courteous on public transportation, saying excuse me and engaging in casual conversation.

I'm not the outdoorsy type where hiking and biking are my 'thing.' Plus, I think I'm just an east coast girl at heart - nothing else! It feels good to be home - even if it's only for a day!

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