Portland Parents

Without the TV!

Here are ten quick and painless things to do with your kid, in these penny-strapped times. Of course, we don’t have lightning bugs here in Portland, but you can certainly take the kid to the library or to Forest Park.

The Bridge Pedal is just about upon us; presented by Providence, the Oregonian, Kink, fox 12, starbucks and oregonlive.com.

It’s an opportunity to bike across 10 bridges, eight bridges or six bridges, or to walk across two bridges. It’s a great chance for some outside time and exercise.

Saturday August 11, there’s a Wellness Expo at the DoubleTree Hotel at Lloyd Center.
Sunday’s really where the action is; from 7-8 AM the hardcore 10 bridge (36 mile) riders will be taking off, from 7-7:30 the 8 bridge (24 mile) bikers will be accelerating, and from 8:30-9:30 the stalwart 6 bridge, 10 mile riders will be flying out of Downtown. If you’re walking, you’re leaving at 8AM.

You can register at New Seasons Markets, REI stores, River City Bikes, and Weir’s Cyclery — and if you want to save a few bucks, there’s two ways I know of. First, teams of five or more riders can save $5 per adult rider (form your team at the Bridge Pedal site), or you can pick up a coaster at your trusty rusty neighborhood Starbucks for $3 off your ride with the purchase of a Shaken Blueberry White Iced Tea.

More Info

The clouds will burn off and this weekend highs are supposed to be in the mid-eighties. So it’s a perfect weekend to get out in the summer weather; not too hot, not rainy.

The…

1. The Oregon Country Fair
2. Portland International Beerfest
3. Timbers kickoff against the Victory at 7pm up at PGE Park.
4. Mississippi Avenue Street Festival ( Saturday )
5. Pearl’s 2007 Bastille Day Festival (Saturday )
6. Brazil vs. Argentina Copa América 2007 Final ( Sunday )
7. watch the Timbers vanquish (in all likelihood) the Victory ( Sunday )

… is this weekend!

You should be able to find something fun to do; and even if none of this appeals to you, take your kids to one of the fountains or other wet places in Portland, get some pictures of having fun, and post to our Flickr group.

Thanks to Dave Knows for inspiration and the list

Once again this summer, Regal Cinemas is providing free kid movies, 10AM on Tuesday and Wednesdays. You can get an up-to-date list at the link above. Enjoy the cool movies during this summer heat!

… can’t wait to meet you for lunch.

Kia, an 11 year old female Amur Leopard joined Frederick at the zoo. She takes the place of Frederick’s sister who died of cancer last year. Frederick hasn’t had to share his space since then, but he seems to be adapting ok.

Kia comes from the Erie Zoo in Pennsylvania. They have a very active breeding program for these cats and by taking Kia from them, we’ve given them room to have more kittens. Leopard Kittens, cute, eh?

You can get more info on Amur Leopards at the Zoo Website

No, this isn’t a nickname for a person; it’s the first new state park campground in 30 years!

It’s 31 miles west of Portland (so perfect for a short weekend trip), and even boasts 12 one-room (and 3 two-room) cabins. Of course it has tent camping and rv camping as well. You can get more information here or here.

Shamelessly swiped from The Simple Dollar, I’ll provide five of his ( of his eight; go read his site for more ), and then I’ll provide five more on top of them. And I’ll mix them up so you can’t tell which are mine and which are his.

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
2. A framed scrapbook page of him and his kids, with journalling and photos
3. Yard Work
4. Clean his house areas; is he the kitchen guy? The garage guy?
5. Car wash
6. Take the kids for a walk or drive, or let him out of the house for something fun.
7. Gardening
8. Dog detail Clean up the dog poo in your yard.
9. Communication
10. A blank journal with inspiring quotes you’ve written in for him.

Milagros has a nice post with about ten coastal hikes, including links to maps, lengths, and age level. Looks like fun; let’s get out there and hike! Feel free to submit pictures to our Flickr group!

Sunday, May 20th
12-4pm
$65

Come spend the afternoon with talented local children’s photographer Debbie Baxter, learning how to capture unique, memorable moments with your most important photographs. Debbie is a treasure trove of tips and tools for making portraits of kids shine. In this class, you’ll learn how to tell children’s stories through pictures.

Whether you’re photographing kids when they’re wiggly, giggly, and full of pep or in quieter moments, this class will help you be better prepared to capture expressive images. They grow up fast, so don’t miss this great opportunity to refine your skills! This class is suitable for beginning and intermediate shooters.

Call Newspace Center for Photography to register @ 503-963-1935 or go online

Hope to see you there!!

Free Music. Micropayments. Internet Tip Jars.

These are things that people have been struggling to bring to the Internet. And yet, you can experience them at many downtown locations.

The poet Billy Collins once laughingly observed that all babies are born with a knowledge of poetry, because the lub-dub of the mother’s heart is in iambic meter. Then, Collins said, life slowly starts to choke the poetry out of us. It may be true with music, too.

What do you do when you hear a street musician? Some people don’t even hear them; some people ignore them, some people listen to them, and some people drop some money for them. Personally, I’d rather give a musician, however bad, money — than any single person asking “spare change?” But I, too, sometimes go on my routes without a second listen.

Consider the Washington Post’s experiment with Joshua Bell. He played for forty-five minutes in a crowded subway in New York DC ( thanks Rhinsker). Over a thousand humans passed him by. How many stopped to listen? How much did his busking earn him?

You might find the article inspiring.