Tijuana Flats

Our local Tijuana Flats is a huge supporter of Tidewater Comicon (held right here in Virginia Beach, and one of the big exciting things Poe gets to look forward to on this trip). I hadn't been there before tonight, but TWCC was having a little event there with superhero cosplay, trivia contest, etc. So I figured enchiladas sounded good for dinner.

I only had time to grab one shot of their big superhero/military mural, because the guy who started TWCC recognized me (the libraries are also a big supporter of the Con) and roped me into some trivia.

Backyard on the Bay

Last Saturday was a gorgeous day, so Poe and I enjoyed it for a bit in my in-laws' backyard before we got holed up inside, sewing for cosplay.

On the porch, overlooking the yard

Everything is blooming! Which means everything is pollen.

Setting up a chair by the water

On the dock

It was rather low tide, so we peeked at the oysters

Dock

Beach Bagel

The most exciting thing Poe and I have done since we got home from Oregon is probably going to Beach Bagel Bakery on Saturday. (It has been a quiet week.) Best bagels in all of Hampton Roads, if you ask me!

That was also the last day his sweater will probably be necessary for a loooooong time.

PDX

And so we said goodbye to Portland and the rest of the Pacific Northwest... for now. We're going to Idaho this summer.

Let me tell you one of the funniest things I know about Portland. They love their airport's carpet. It's a little weird. I mean, I like the pattern too, but it's iconic to them. Well, PDX is pulling up the carpet this year. So, like any normal city, several companies are buying it (remember, this is decades-old airport carpet) and making stuff out of it (hey, what can I say, they're really into recycling) and selling it. Souvenir squares, tote bags, cat posts, whatever. And the pattern is all over the place. (I actually got Poe a souvenir with the PDX carpet pattern on it, and a necklace for myself, because I say embrace the weirdness!) But perhaps the best part is that a rolled up piece of this carpet with big googly eyes is going to be the grand marshal of the Starlight Parade (part of the Rose Festival) this year. I love that city.

Anyway, here is Poe's photo with the famed PDX carpet:

Visiting Vancouver

My mom suggested a little trip over the state line into Washington so we could visit a library in Vancouver! I'm collecting a photo of myself in front of a library in each state. (I might have to crawl inside a box with my Little Visitor at some point to get to some of them!) It turns out that Vancouver has a really cool public library!

Got a better shot of the "Boring / Oregon City" sign on the way out.

Another sign: Leaving Oregon! I didn't see a "welcome to Washington" sign so this'll have to do.

Can you see Mt. Hood from the road?

Big, bold sign out in front of the library.

The view from the outdoor terrace at the Vancouver Community Library.
If there were less hazy cloudy bits, you could see Mt. Hood pretty well.

Vancouver from the terrace of the library.

This cool wall is just inside the front door. This is looking straight up at the ceiling,
so the words stick out and face straight down. Awesome!

It was a fun little outing, and I never realized how close Portland and Vancouver actually were! We could also see Mt. St. Helens, but we couldn't get a good picture from the road (after she blew her lid a few decades ago, she isn't quite as tall as she used to be).

ACRL

The whole reason Poe and I came to Portland was for ACRL 2015 (the conference for the Association of College and Research Libraries). Poe learned all sorts of interesting things about my job, and he's ready to help me at work when we get back to Virginia!

Welcome to ACRL 2015!

This Sasquatch cut-out moved all over the convention center.
He always had little buttons on a tray next to him, and we were
encouraged to tweet photos of him with his hashtag (#acrlbigfoot).

I co-presented a poster session about how our libraries are supporting
interculturalism initiatives at our community college. Here, Poe gets us set up.

Portland Saturday Market

One thing I think is really cool in Portland is the Portland Saturday Market. It's the biggest consecutively-running open-air weekend market in the country, and it's full of handmade crafts, art, and local food.

It's hard to see during the day, but look carefully...
you can see the "Portland Oregon" sign.
It used to say "Made in Oregon" (a company that sold local goods)
but it was changed when the city bought the sign.

You can see the red banner advertising the Portland Saturday Market,
about half of which is behind that banner and off to the left. The rest is behind us. It's huge!

Benson bubblers are the iconic drinking fountains scattered around Portland.
Here, Poe stops for a drink at one after wandering the market for a while.

He looks closer in person, but this is Mt. Hood on our way back to Mom's house.