I am so happy that I get to go and visit Portland for Kenya Keys board meetings. This time Scott was without a car so I took the Max Train and then the bus to downtown Lake Oswego. It is very efficient and very cheap since I am an 'honored citizen'. That does sound better than 'senior citizen'!
Downtown Portland is lovely. At least the bus stop on the way to Lake Oswego is. The stop on the way back to the Airport was in a sketchy part of town. I was glad that I wasn't traveling alone at night. Portland does have a homeless problem and this bus stop was in the area of the shelters so there were a lot of homeless on the sidewalks.
I stayed with our good friends, the Helmandollars again and once again got the royal treatment that you'd expect at a 5 Star hotel. Martha even puts a goodie basket in the room with snacks, interesting articles from the paper and toiletries . Of course the best part is spending time with our good friends.
Saturday night I was treated to my favorite onion rings from Burgerville. The best onion rings I've ever had and the aioli sauce makes them even better. They only use Walla Walla onions when they are in season. I looked forward all year to the summer months so I could feast on them. It is probably a good thing they aren't available all year as they have 750 calories. Oh well.
Notice that Martha got 4 and I only got 3! What's up with that? I think Larry was worried that we would fight so he helpfully ate one of hers!
After a delicious dinner, Martha and I enjoyed a 'girls' night out' and went to see the play 'Matilda'. The enthusiastic young cast was so fun to watch!
Sunday after church we had naps then I went for a walk and was reminded that Lake Oswego is very hilly.
Monday I walked with my 'walking buddies' and realized just how much I miss them. Then I enjoyed a delicious and fun lunch catching up with 3 good friends. The rest of the day was all about Kenya Keys.
I'm preparing to lead a team of volunteers to Kenya in October so there are a lot of logistics to arrange for that. Then in the evening we had our first board meeting with the new executive director. It is going to be great. When non-profits begin the transition as beloved founders step back and new leadership steps forward, it is a tricky time but I feel like we have a really great team in place to be sure Kenya Keys prospers long into the future and continues to 'unlock potential' in the area of Taru, Kenya.
Monday I made my way back to the airport on the bus and Max train again. As I mentioned, the bus stop was in an area of Portland with lots of homeless. I think one of them got on the Max train with me. He reeked of pot and then when he bent over to get something, he gave the whole train a lovely view of his bare derriere! Not pretty!
No worries though, I got safely back to the airport and back to Boise.
Looking forward to the next visit in September. This is for my doctor appointment and George is coming too!
