A little dirt never hurt

YAY! I cannot express how happy I am to have a garden. Not only did I get some great deals on starter plants, I also crossed off another top 10. Visited the Portland Farmer's Market today....and it was packed with people. I'd say the main things there are fresh veggies (can't wait till summer), bakeries, jams, and honey. No one was rude or in a hurry. This is odd due to the fact it was so busy you could hardly move.
About the garden - I was planning on building my own raised garden until the day I almost went to home depot to buy the lumber. I've never been good with "build your own" furniture and it was just my two hands working on this. I decided it would be in my best interest to buy one pre-made. I searched on craigslist and found a man who would build it for $100 out of cedar wood with steel rod reinforcements. GOOD DEAL! Not only that, but he would deliver it with organic soil. Here's where some people question the organic soil...isnt it all organic!?! Nope...here is why.
Then, I sold a computer desk this week and so this was practically free!

At the farmer's market I bought the following organic starts: cilantro, basil, sugar snap peas, early girl tomatoes, mixed salad greens, spinach...and an artichoke plant!!!!! Woohoo. I'll post more as more grows. :)

Shanghai Tunnels

Visited the Portland underground this last Saturday. First off, they offer tours almost every weekend, with 3 different times available. Not to mention, they also offer Paranormal tours and Halloween tours. Being economical, I went for the regular tour.
So I waited until Saturday to round up my friends and order tickets online...which is the only way to purchase them. Went to the website 2 hours prior to tour and found that tickets were unavailable. Man oh man! There are 45 spots available and this is a random Saturday night! Before I freaked out...I called and got us in, thanks to a kind man named Michael.
We climbed down the narrow cement stairs into a dirt room, which is actually a room with layers of silt for the flooring. Silt is very soft, and I was wearing heels. I know, I went on a walking tour in heels...but you have to understand I spend hours upon hours in the training room at work in heels so I felt confident in my choice. It did make it more challenging to be on silt, but the hardest part was all the standing!
You would think that a tour of the Portland underground would be full of walking...not so much. We really only toured about 1/2 a block, and stood the rest. So heels were a bad choice after all.

On to the meat of this story. I liked the tour overall. It was rich with history and just creepy enough. I'll admit, I tried to be at the end of the pack and hoped for a tug at my leg or a voice in my ear from a ghost. For those of you unfamiliar with the Shanghai tunnels, please click here.
I loved the stories told by our host, which were mostly 2nd hand from a man named Michael. Yup, the guy who got us in to the tour was the man who started everything. When he was 8 he met a sailor who decided to bring him into some of the tunnels. From there, Micheal has discovered many miles of tunnels - even under the Willamette river to the east side of Portland. Most have since been blocked off due to earthquake proof the buildings.
You basically feel like you are in a low-ceiling dirt basement. With 40 of your closest friends. You get reminded that the city of Portland doesn't want the story of the Shanghai tunnels to really get out because it is "bad press." You hear about a little girl named Strawberry Shortcake who died and has been recorded on tape as saying "help me." That recording apparently is played during the paranormal tour.
The more I think back on the tour...the more I like it. It wasn't what I expected, but that is so refreshing. I recommend every Oregonian go...unless you are extremely claustrophobic. There are a couple of "tight" moments. Jen, I know you could do it. Aaron would love it.

Almost 3 months later, and I have only tackled one of my top ten. More to come soon!