Roll On Columbia Roll On . . .

Well, we have safely arrived in Portland. This is my first time to visit the great northwest and as you can expect--it's raining.

We are staying in the coolest hotel. If you are ever in Portland, you should visit the McMenamins-Kennedy School

The rooms are converted classrooms--complete with chalk boards and the furniture is antique. We have a movie theater, a restaurant, and they have art shows and poetry readings. I've never seen anything like it. And as the name implies it is a converted school.

The Bluest Skies You've Ever Seen Are in Seattle . . .

Okay--I'm showing my age, but I LOVED Bobby Sherman as a child and one of my favorite TV shows was "Here Comes The Brides". So that shows you how OLD I am (as my kids like to remind me.)

(He was awfully cute! And I'm sure I had this picture on my bedroom wall!!)

But tomorrow I'm heading to Seattle for the first time in my life. Well actually our first stop is Portland where we will meet with Marcus Borg. Then on Thursday we head to Seattle where we plan to meet with some really interesting people and groups. On Saturday, we are worshipping at the Church of the Apostles and meeting with their pastor Karen Ward. We will also worship at the Interfaith Community Church and meet with their leadership as well as with the folks at Monkfish Abbey. It should be really interesting!

Well I'm off to attend the IMS Banquest and then pack!