The art of sanctuary: the Japanese Garden of Portland

I arrived in Portland Sunday the 14th of August.  Walking along and visiting the independet shops, I got this delightful indie, DIY vibe.  For instance there's the shop Crafty Wonderland that houses the handmade trinkets and clothing by local (and non-local) artists and designers (like a felt pin cushion shaped as a frowning drumstick).  Or the shop Urban Fibers, which features handspun yarns, handcarved shawl pins, and (my favorite) quirky knit patterns by the Portland semi-celebrity Lee Meredith!  (I say "semi" because the impression that I get about Portland is that Portlanders are too shy to be fully famous, haha!)  To the crafting world, she's celebrity!

But the most illuminating experience that I had in Portland was my time in the Japanese Garden.

The Portland Japanese Garden is renowned for being an authentic Japanese Garden, with plants, animals, and even roof tiles imported from Japan.  But it's not just the materials that make the garden authentic . . .

I went with two gentlemen from the hostel whom I met the previous day at the 4T tour, Mathius from Germany and Thorvaldur ("Toto") from Iceland.  We purchased our tickets just in time to hop on a tour that had just begun.  I would have enjoyed the tour all on my lonesome (or all on our threesome, as it were), but I am beyond happy that I went on the tour as it was truly enlightening.  The guide told of the philosophies and processes behind the designs in a traditional Japanese garden.  For instance, the paths in Japanese gardens always wind because curves slow a walker down.  And trees and plants are trimmed so that there is a feeling of openness.  The sands and stones in the rock gardens are meant to signify change as a natural constant and meant to emulate bodies of water.

The guide's name escapes me, although I want to call her Nancy for reasons I can't fathom.  She was an older white woman, with white hair; I recall that she gives tours on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Try to catch her tour, if you can!

I could have stayed in the garden for another hour or so, but my tour buddies were ready to move on to the next destination, the International Rose Test Garden, which surprised me in many wonderful ways.  (I have a new found love for floribundas!)

(There are 4 categories of rose.  Category number 3 is what you see inching its way up the lamp post: the climber.)