Tanner Springs Park in the Pearl

This photo was taken yesterday (the first of two days of wall-to-wall sunshine in Pdx) of Tanner Springs Park in the Pearl District of downtown.  The sunny weather brings out a sunny disposition in Portlanders, as even as there is a chill in the air, folks are enjoying the parks, sitting in the sun and jumping on their bikes.  If we weren’t “true Oregonians” (and transplants count), we’d be stowing our down vests and coats and whipping out the shorts and flip-flops.  However, we know better!  We are experiencing a “teaser”.  All the same, this a commonly known secret (amongst Oregonians) regarding Portland and Oregon area weather, it doesn’t really rain ALL the time!!!  But, if the secret got out, we’d look like the endless city-upon-city/freeway-upon-freeway that has been visited on SoCal or even the Bay Area.  The reason that Portland continues to be  a destination for people/families on the move searching for quality of life is: “THE QUALITY OF LIFE”!  We have a void that we have filled in the USA where we embrace “Keep Portland Weird”, see Kink.fm’s take on that ( Keeping Portland Weird ), while we entertain arts and culture at every level and have plenty of venues for a very elegant lifestyle ( Portland Center Stage) ( Oregon Ballet Theatre ) ( Portland Opera ) and SOOOOOO much more!  We have this undercurrent of fabulous restaurants that “foodies” embrace with a vengeance and that “word” travels see how Portland is nominated for Budget Travel magazine’s “Best Food City in America” ( check it out )!  We have this superb Tango culture (that I just recently discovered) and our city hosted the equivalent to the “Tango Olympics”, by the way ( Tango in Portland ) !!  We have this bicycle friendly, ever-developing national presence. Go see the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 ( Bike Plan ) . Or, see how Portland ranks #2 in an airport satisfaction survey ( Portland Airport ).  Anyway, we are constantly hitting the national and international scene for our exhuberance (on so many issues, on so many levels). You don’t have to agree or disagree, I just see it as positive for giving Portland the opportunity to be “all that it can be”! It’s NOT the end of the story.  My father, Joe B Jackson, was involved in my hometown city government (including being Mayor) of Murfreesboro, Tennessee for so many years (I can’t actually come up with an accurate number…however, maybe more than 30???) so now I beginning to understand his passion for a place he finally found to call home.  I have that passion for Portland!!!!