Microcosm in Portland

Peter and I went to about a half dozen gardens on our trip. From formal gardens, back yard gardens, fee only gardens, random gardens, and the great garden of the forests....

The Portland Japanese Garden was a complete treat.

One enters at the bottom of a rather large hill, kind of an edge to a series of mountain tops. The initial approach felt like a real hike. Steep, full of switch backs and gave us and the other visitors a chance to quite our minds and get a bit breathless.

The gardens are on a deceptively small bit of land. Broken in to what seems like about 8 specific types of environments it was meticulously maintained and cared for. Worth mentioning as many Japanese Gardens lack the care the deserve.

Each section had a sort of wonder and the intended view was a compelling case and, at least in me, presented an almost immediate recognition of the landscape.

The actual garden, as place, was a something of a game, the plane was a bit confusing. So much so that we would find ourselves on a ledge looking at where we thought we had just come from only to look at a place we had no idea how to get to. Brilliant. It was an escape and felt like real wonder and joy. We explored and had a dreamy time wondering through these rather perfect Japanese Gardens.

>matty