Craft Iced Tea - Steven Smith Teamaker

All Portlanders tea-lovers are familiar with Steven Smith Teamaker teas. The little brick shop is in Northwest Portland but their artisan teas, both loose and bags, are packaged and sold in grocery stores all over Portland area. I was surprised to recently see that now they're making iced tea blends as well. I tried out this flavor - Black Cap berries blended with brewed black tea. Delicious!

You can find Steven Smith Teamaker fine teas in Portland's groceries stores or at the original shop on NW Thurman & NW 17th, next door to Olympic Provisions's northwest outpost. Here is the website: http://www.smithtea.com/

Portland Rose Gardens

I missed the Portland Rose Festival Parade this year, but I didn't miss the roses!

One of my favorite places to go on a nice day is the Portland Rose Gardens up in Washington Park. 

If you're visiting Portland this summer, take a trip up to Washington Park in the west hills overlooking Portland and stroll through the Rose Gardens. It's free to enter, you're surrounded by beautiful gardens and flowers (the varieties are all labeled), and it's a pleasant place to stroll and enjoy.

I took my mom up here this last fall and the roses were still in full bloom. Beautiful!

The views from the Rose Gardens are fantastic. You can see downtown, the Willamette River, and on a clear day all the way to Mount Hood. 

Little Libraries!

When I was out for a walk in my neighborhood one day, I spotted this and had to stop. What? A "Little Library" just planted along the sidewalk. Someone built a charming little box (a bit larger than a mail box) and stocked it with books to share. What a generous and genius idea!

As you can see, it states "Please take a book if you see one you like, and leave a book when you have one to share." No signing a card. I love the level of trust in the goodwill of people to be able to set this up. I intend to go back one day and take a book, and leave one to share.

Don't you wish that more people in the world would do this? Maybe you could be the first in your neighborhood.