Do you know how much your airline ticket really costs? After purchasing my daughter Jane's ticket to Argentina I am beginning to see the scam that governments are running on unsuspecting airline passengers. That is, the crazy number of taxes and fees (What is a government's definition of a tax and a fee? Are they not the same thing? I always thought that a fee is a charge is for a private use and a tax for a public use..but how does that figure in with airline charges? Are they not all public uses?) one pays in addition to the cost of the actual airline plane ticket.
Without specifically breaking down those taxes and fees on Jane's ticket I can still illustrate by naming them and by giving you the total cost, to show that they are way out of line with fairness. And every country has almost the same taxes and fees on plane passengers. Like sharks in the water seeing blood, governments attack with these charges because they are often hidden ones. When one nation adds a new one, others also charge it.
Her ticket from New Orleans to Buenos Aires was a total of $1202.20...the ticket costing $773.00 and the strange tax and fees charges by the U.S. and Argentine government totaled $429.20. That means the taxes and fees added another 56% cost to the ticket price. Since Jane and her friend were made to pay $131.00 at the Buenos Aires airport in the name of an Argentine Entrance Tax, and since I thought that had been included already in the original $1202.20 ticket cost, I called the airline to see if Jane had been taxed twice. (she hadn't)
After almost two hours of holding on line and speaking with three agents (the final one was allegedly the financially expert agent). I got a breakdown of the name and amounts of each of the taxes and fees that was collected by the U.S. and Argentine government. Here is the name of each.
* Airport enplanement (not a word, but the airlines use it, so you get it) fee- the charge for using the airport...I guess this proves that nothing in life is free.
* XRIO fee- the agent didn't even know what this is, but she was sure I had to pay it. I don't even want to know what it is.
* U.S. Departure tax- you have to pay to take a vacation outside of the country
* U.S. Re entry tax- unless you defect you pay this every time you go home
* Argentine Entry tax- This one is a big charge, $131.00 to fly into Argentina* Argentine departure tax- Just $29 to leave. I guess they want you to go more than to come.* U.S. Immigration fee- to cover checking your passport when you return to the country* U.S. Customs fee- to check for those foreign plants, fruit and drugs, I guess.* Asset user fee- pays for those airport traffic control towers* Airport service charge- the agent said she didn't know the difference between this and the first fee above. I doubt there is a difference. They both are un needed.* U.S. Segment flight fee- the charge for changing planes in the U.S.* Fuel surcharge- The biggest of the charges at $160.00 Supposedly the cost of fuel for the airlines increased that much since Jane's ticket was purchased.* Security fee- Since 911 the government is charging passengers for having to go though (shoe-lessly) security airports checks at the flight gates* Animal and plant fee- It hurts to even comment on the stupidity of this charge
There may be many more because these were all the agents that I conversed with on the telephone could find or knew about. It all goes to show how we are treated so unfairly when flying. Consumers should be shown all the charges for the item purchased at the time of purchase. Yet they are not. Instead, they get a 'ticket price charge' and an 'additional taxes/fees listing' with no break-down on charges. To find out what the taxes and fees are (good luck, I think few employees of the airlines themselves even know that) just grab your phone and start dialing those airline numbers.
To find out what the charges are it should take you about as long as it does to fly from your home to Timbuktu.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Hate The Soccer, Love The Fans
Are you watching the World Cup Soccer games or ignoring it completely, as I am? Ugh, how I dislike soccer. Reinforcing my "why I can't understand how anyone can enjoy watching soccer" mantra, is a new public opinion poll that may show how far from reasonable soccer fans can be. A recent pre world cup poll in Germany conducted by Reader's Digest found that 95% of those surveyed said they would prefer the German national team's winning the world cup to a night of good sex. We must be near the end of civilization.
I know most of the world adores "fubol" and everyone has the right to adore what he or she wants. But for me, soccer is a game of complete boredom. It's little men running about in short pants and kicking a ball back and forth, rarely ever attempting to challenge a scoring zone. The boring game itself is much ado about nothing. But the fans, I love those crazy fans with their odd and piercing horns (Vuvuzelas) blaring the sound of , "I am bored and must do something of interest in order to bear watching this mess".
How interesting are the fans? Try these few examples. Police say a South African man who wanted to watch a World Cup match instead of a religious program was beaten to death by his family in the northeastern part of the country. In Peru there have been more than 200 games that there have been people stabbed in or outside the stadiums. In Colombia, the fans hanged one the goalies for not blocking a penalty shot in one of the Colombian teams finals. How about a soccer game in which 39 people get killed (or getting killed themselves), as happened in 1985 when English fans rioted at a match in Brussels? Honduras once declared war on Guatemala because of a disputed play in a game between those two nations. And these few examples don't include the rowdy Skinhead English fans and their obnoxiously naughty practices.
Maybe soccer games are so boring they have to go over the top to endure it? Nothing in any other sport comes close to the depths of hell that a rabid soccer fan can live or place other fans in. I may hate the game itself, but enjoy observing the insane soccer fan, with his or her irrational love of a boring game, the nonsensical flag waving nationalism that is projected into world cup games, and his or her overzealous reactions to it. It's like seeing two drama queens battle it out in a boxing ring...too much fun to ignore. Just don't ask me to watch the insipid soccer game itself. In my view, as a sport, soccer is pure style over substance. The atmosphere around the game, particularly the crazed fans, far overshadows what is going on with players on the field of play.
Face it. A real sport, one worth watching for the game being played on the field of combat, would not bring about the side show that is the soccer fan. For me soccer is an "F" game with "A" fans.
I know most of the world adores "fubol" and everyone has the right to adore what he or she wants. But for me, soccer is a game of complete boredom. It's little men running about in short pants and kicking a ball back and forth, rarely ever attempting to challenge a scoring zone. The boring game itself is much ado about nothing. But the fans, I love those crazy fans with their odd and piercing horns (Vuvuzelas) blaring the sound of , "I am bored and must do something of interest in order to bear watching this mess".
How interesting are the fans? Try these few examples. Police say a South African man who wanted to watch a World Cup match instead of a religious program was beaten to death by his family in the northeastern part of the country. In Peru there have been more than 200 games that there have been people stabbed in or outside the stadiums. In Colombia, the fans hanged one the goalies for not blocking a penalty shot in one of the Colombian teams finals. How about a soccer game in which 39 people get killed (or getting killed themselves), as happened in 1985 when English fans rioted at a match in Brussels? Honduras once declared war on Guatemala because of a disputed play in a game between those two nations. And these few examples don't include the rowdy Skinhead English fans and their obnoxiously naughty practices.
Maybe soccer games are so boring they have to go over the top to endure it? Nothing in any other sport comes close to the depths of hell that a rabid soccer fan can live or place other fans in. I may hate the game itself, but enjoy observing the insane soccer fan, with his or her irrational love of a boring game, the nonsensical flag waving nationalism that is projected into world cup games, and his or her overzealous reactions to it. It's like seeing two drama queens battle it out in a boxing ring...too much fun to ignore. Just don't ask me to watch the insipid soccer game itself. In my view, as a sport, soccer is pure style over substance. The atmosphere around the game, particularly the crazed fans, far overshadows what is going on with players on the field of play.
Face it. A real sport, one worth watching for the game being played on the field of combat, would not bring about the side show that is the soccer fan. For me soccer is an "F" game with "A" fans.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Throw-away Generation
Today is my last full day in Portland until my return permanently here in mid August. I'll be on airplanes flying back to New Orleans most of Saturday and until about midnight Saturday night. So I am not going to be able to respond to any mail until at least Sunday. Take a vacation. I do hope your husband will feel better. It's sad to see a loved one suffer so much.
One thing I had to do today was to try to find a replacement for a missing knob on an antique cabinet I have. It was damaged a bit in the move from New Orleans, including the loss of a knob from a roll-up drawer.
This is a Victorian piece, so under most circumstances I should be able to find a replacement or a suitable alternative. Well, in New Orleans the odds are greater (I will try there as well if I fail here) since it is an older city and one with copious amounts of antiques. Portland is a "new city" with far fewer older pieces of furniture and fewer antique shops that deal in "spare parts". Anyway, I have the name of a hardware store here that supposedly collects those kinds of parts and sells them.
There is much less interest today in antique or even old furniture. It seems that the Scandinavian/Ikea look, that of veneers and particle boards, is what most people treasure today. We now are a nation of people who prefer the glitzy, synthetic material, throw-away furniture to the handmade, solid wood carved furniture the almost extinct furniture maker used to churn out everywhere.
But this makes sense in that the U.S. and much of the rest of the world disposes of things rather than seeking higher quality that lasts indefinitely. We are a throw-away generation. Our TV's, microwave ovens, phones, even cars have become items we dispose of quickly in search of "newer" and more "stylistic" replacements. It's hard to think of things we buy to keep permanently. Change, change, change is the mantra because modern technology throws change at us so much.
I place no value assignment as to what is better, a foot in the past or both feet in the future. Hmmmm Where are your feet placed in all this nonsense about throw-away generations? Do yo have many throw away items and do you prefer those to the old stolid things that we used to keep almost forever?
One thing I had to do today was to try to find a replacement for a missing knob on an antique cabinet I have. It was damaged a bit in the move from New Orleans, including the loss of a knob from a roll-up drawer.
This is a Victorian piece, so under most circumstances I should be able to find a replacement or a suitable alternative. Well, in New Orleans the odds are greater (I will try there as well if I fail here) since it is an older city and one with copious amounts of antiques. Portland is a "new city" with far fewer older pieces of furniture and fewer antique shops that deal in "spare parts". Anyway, I have the name of a hardware store here that supposedly collects those kinds of parts and sells them.
There is much less interest today in antique or even old furniture. It seems that the Scandinavian/Ikea look, that of veneers and particle boards, is what most people treasure today. We now are a nation of people who prefer the glitzy, synthetic material, throw-away furniture to the handmade, solid wood carved furniture the almost extinct furniture maker used to churn out everywhere.
But this makes sense in that the U.S. and much of the rest of the world disposes of things rather than seeking higher quality that lasts indefinitely. We are a throw-away generation. Our TV's, microwave ovens, phones, even cars have become items we dispose of quickly in search of "newer" and more "stylistic" replacements. It's hard to think of things we buy to keep permanently. Change, change, change is the mantra because modern technology throws change at us so much.
I place no value assignment as to what is better, a foot in the past or both feet in the future. Hmmmm Where are your feet placed in all this nonsense about throw-away generations? Do yo have many throw away items and do you prefer those to the old stolid things that we used to keep almost forever?
What's In A Name
There is a city near Portland, very close in fact that is completely Boring. That's because the name of the city is Boring, Oregon. No kidding. It actually has nothing to do with how exciting the city is. Boring was named after a man with that last name.Boring was just named number one one of those magazine lists of the top 25 funniest US. town names. In fact, Boring is a beautiful city about 40 minutes from Portland and.... NO, I shouldn't go there because I fit in well with the town's name.
Today you get an expository tour some of those 25 towns and cities with crazy names. Pardon my puns and attempts to be clever along the way. If you get bored, blame it on the influence of Boring, Oregon. Since I will have to drive my automobile more than 2600 kilometers from New Orleans to my new home here in Happy Valley, Oregon (yes, that is the real name of the city suburb of Portland where I have my home) I might run into a few of the odd name places along the way. Surely, I will stop and stare if I do.
Given I am a foodie fan, I think that I should stop in a few of the food friendly named cities and towns along the way to Portland. Sandwich, Massachusetts is too far from my route, and a sandwich is a a pretty ordinary thing to be found everywhere. I can skip the sandwich and have soup instead.
What better place to start than The Bottle, Alabama? I wonder what is in the bottle...no alcohol for me when driving across country. Condemned Bar, California would be a safer stop for liquid refreshments. I can't get a DUI after being in Condemned Bar.
Lick Skillet, Tennessee might be worth a stop. Any place whose residents lick skillets has to have tasty food. For breakfast I should stop in Oatmeal, Texas. Pie Town, New Mexico is a can't miss for dessert. But I will avoid Greasy Spoon, Oklahoma at all cost.Why not have a look at Whynot, Mississippi and Why, Arizona? They probably have great philosophers in those towns since they have questioning names. Or I could see who is in Brilliant, Michigan. Sigh..My IQ is probably too low for me to be allowed in Brilliant.
I wonder who Handsome Eddy is. There is a Handsome Eddy, New York. That's too far off the route to investigate, as is Loveladies, New Jersey. Hmmmm I should fly to Loveladies one day. It's a town every man would enjoy. But Husband, Pennsylvania sounds like a town where the women beat their mates and lock them in the house.There is a town called Sweet Lips, Tennessee along the drive. I guess the founder was a kissing champ and never had a need to visit Lonelyville New York or Loafers Glory, North Carolina. He is too busy kissing the ladies for that.
I am not a self absorbed or ambitious man but How could I not take a peek at the towns of Wealthy, Texas and Fame West Virginia? And no one can pass straight through Do Stop, Kentucky You probably think I should not only stop, but stay permanently in Cranky Corner, Louisiana. Well, it's better than Hell, Michigan. No, instead, I will drive through Happyland, Oklahoma and stop at my final destination here in Happy Valley, Oregon.
Today you get an expository tour some of those 25 towns and cities with crazy names. Pardon my puns and attempts to be clever along the way. If you get bored, blame it on the influence of Boring, Oregon. Since I will have to drive my automobile more than 2600 kilometers from New Orleans to my new home here in Happy Valley, Oregon (yes, that is the real name of the city suburb of Portland where I have my home) I might run into a few of the odd name places along the way. Surely, I will stop and stare if I do.
Given I am a foodie fan, I think that I should stop in a few of the food friendly named cities and towns along the way to Portland. Sandwich, Massachusetts is too far from my route, and a sandwich is a a pretty ordinary thing to be found everywhere. I can skip the sandwich and have soup instead.
What better place to start than The Bottle, Alabama? I wonder what is in the bottle...no alcohol for me when driving across country. Condemned Bar, California would be a safer stop for liquid refreshments. I can't get a DUI after being in Condemned Bar.
Lick Skillet, Tennessee might be worth a stop. Any place whose residents lick skillets has to have tasty food. For breakfast I should stop in Oatmeal, Texas. Pie Town, New Mexico is a can't miss for dessert. But I will avoid Greasy Spoon, Oklahoma at all cost.Why not have a look at Whynot, Mississippi and Why, Arizona? They probably have great philosophers in those towns since they have questioning names. Or I could see who is in Brilliant, Michigan. Sigh..My IQ is probably too low for me to be allowed in Brilliant.
I wonder who Handsome Eddy is. There is a Handsome Eddy, New York. That's too far off the route to investigate, as is Loveladies, New Jersey. Hmmmm I should fly to Loveladies one day. It's a town every man would enjoy. But Husband, Pennsylvania sounds like a town where the women beat their mates and lock them in the house.There is a town called Sweet Lips, Tennessee along the drive. I guess the founder was a kissing champ and never had a need to visit Lonelyville New York or Loafers Glory, North Carolina. He is too busy kissing the ladies for that.
I am not a self absorbed or ambitious man but How could I not take a peek at the towns of Wealthy, Texas and Fame West Virginia? And no one can pass straight through Do Stop, Kentucky You probably think I should not only stop, but stay permanently in Cranky Corner, Louisiana. Well, it's better than Hell, Michigan. No, instead, I will drive through Happyland, Oklahoma and stop at my final destination here in Happy Valley, Oregon.
Vitenamese Grocery
I went to a big Asian market today, actually it is a Vietnamese market about 15 minutes from my house here in Portland. There is a large enough Vietnamese population in Portland that it is one of the bigger minority segments of the population. The same situation exists in New Orleans which has Vietnamese markets I have shopped as well.
But this one is very good, offering a wide variety of Asian (mostly Vietnamese) and non asian foods. I even found Cafe Du Monde coffee and chicory from New Orleans and an imitation that says it was packaged in Vietnam with an almost identical Cafe Du Monde container (even the same color) called 'Cafe Du Mont'. Odd, because the New Orleans Cafe Du Monde coffee company has been in business for over 150 years, long before the french enetered Vietnam and introduced chicory coffee to Vietnam.
Anyway, I sometimes buy imported Vietnamese coffee at Asian stores in New Orleans because it is of high quality and I like it very much. I bought the Cafe Du Mont Vietnamese copy (which was about 20% cheaper than the New Orleans brand) and am looking forward to trying it. If I like it I won't have to bring in New Orleans coffee and chicory or pay the high prices for the two brands I have found in Portland.
I also bought Hoi Ga (Hehe and you thought I couldn't speak Vietnamese!) for lunch from the small hot food vend section of the grocery. Since I am unfamiliar with so much Asian and Vietnamese food I only bought a few items I know how to cook or know. I need an Asian food guide or a hot Vietnamese wife to teach me more about those things.
This stores has great prices and good quality produce and meats, plus a big selection of items. Any store that sells duck with the feet still on is a good one. too, I like Vietnamese food best of all Asian foods. The sweetness in so much of it is right for me. I surely will patronize that whole market (it has restaurants and speciality stores in it besides the big grocery) while I am in Portland.
Mai mốt gặp lại!
But this one is very good, offering a wide variety of Asian (mostly Vietnamese) and non asian foods. I even found Cafe Du Monde coffee and chicory from New Orleans and an imitation that says it was packaged in Vietnam with an almost identical Cafe Du Monde container (even the same color) called 'Cafe Du Mont'. Odd, because the New Orleans Cafe Du Monde coffee company has been in business for over 150 years, long before the french enetered Vietnam and introduced chicory coffee to Vietnam.
Anyway, I sometimes buy imported Vietnamese coffee at Asian stores in New Orleans because it is of high quality and I like it very much. I bought the Cafe Du Mont Vietnamese copy (which was about 20% cheaper than the New Orleans brand) and am looking forward to trying it. If I like it I won't have to bring in New Orleans coffee and chicory or pay the high prices for the two brands I have found in Portland.
I also bought Hoi Ga (Hehe and you thought I couldn't speak Vietnamese!) for lunch from the small hot food vend section of the grocery. Since I am unfamiliar with so much Asian and Vietnamese food I only bought a few items I know how to cook or know. I need an Asian food guide or a hot Vietnamese wife to teach me more about those things.
This stores has great prices and good quality produce and meats, plus a big selection of items. Any store that sells duck with the feet still on is a good one. too, I like Vietnamese food best of all Asian foods. The sweetness in so much of it is right for me. I surely will patronize that whole market (it has restaurants and speciality stores in it besides the big grocery) while I am in Portland.
Mai mốt gặp lại!
Portland Gay Pride Parade
Sunday I went into the city of Portland, about 15 minutes from my home here in the suburbs to pick up something at SAKS that Jane wanted and we bought for her room last week when she was here. Luckily for me Sunday was also Gay Pride Day in Portland, with a big parade in the center of the city.
No, I am not gay. But being from New Orleans am well acquainted with all things gay. I decided to go to the parade and then pick up the SAKS purchase. So today you get a brief observation on gay parades here and in New Orleans.
I found the Portland parade very tame, nice to see, and quite positive in perspective and atmosphere. There were fewer drag queens, and they were dressed far less convincingly than in New Orleans. In New Orleans some men in drag can almost compete with Thai lady boys for loveliness. The Queens I saw in Portland were dressed more for parody than for beauty.This parade was also very commercial. Politicians were "sponsoring" marching units or floats and riding in it themselves.
That's quite a change from 25 years ago when a politician would lose rather than gain votes by appearing to condone a gay lifestyle. There was also a huge number of church sponsored units,even the Catholic Church (which is trying to go "undercover", hiding from the gay priest scandals so much in the news today).
To the contrast, New Orleans parades are wholly privately organized, bankrolled and performed. There is no commercialism allowed in them. And politicians rarely appear in New Orleans parades. Church participation is never seen in New orleans parades.Also, the Portland parade was a light PG performance, no nudity and few sexually provocative costumes. In New Orleans the gay parades border on being either distasteful or obscene and are always at least X rated. But the Portland/New Orleans difference in this reflects the character of both cites. New Orleans is more of an "adult" city and Portland a "family" city.
The Portland parade had few floats and but were not professional ones. It was more of a fun, neighborhood production. In New Orleans, the floats and costumes are quite elaborate, again being a part of the city's tradition. In both cities, tolerance for the gay lifestyle seems to be very high.I had a nice time at the parade, particularly chatting with some people from Sydney, Australia, Salt lake City, Utah, and a mom and daughter who once lived in Portland but now live in Bangkok, Thailand where the husband/father is a U.S. diplomat.
I have noticed it is difficult to start a casual conversation with strangers here in Portland. In New Orleans it is expected. But the parade had Portlanders and visitors in a good mood. That was nice....but I don't think it's enough to make me become gay....yet...haha
No, I am not gay. But being from New Orleans am well acquainted with all things gay. I decided to go to the parade and then pick up the SAKS purchase. So today you get a brief observation on gay parades here and in New Orleans.
I found the Portland parade very tame, nice to see, and quite positive in perspective and atmosphere. There were fewer drag queens, and they were dressed far less convincingly than in New Orleans. In New Orleans some men in drag can almost compete with Thai lady boys for loveliness. The Queens I saw in Portland were dressed more for parody than for beauty.This parade was also very commercial. Politicians were "sponsoring" marching units or floats and riding in it themselves.
That's quite a change from 25 years ago when a politician would lose rather than gain votes by appearing to condone a gay lifestyle. There was also a huge number of church sponsored units,even the Catholic Church (which is trying to go "undercover", hiding from the gay priest scandals so much in the news today).
To the contrast, New Orleans parades are wholly privately organized, bankrolled and performed. There is no commercialism allowed in them. And politicians rarely appear in New Orleans parades. Church participation is never seen in New orleans parades.Also, the Portland parade was a light PG performance, no nudity and few sexually provocative costumes. In New Orleans the gay parades border on being either distasteful or obscene and are always at least X rated. But the Portland/New Orleans difference in this reflects the character of both cites. New Orleans is more of an "adult" city and Portland a "family" city.
The Portland parade had few floats and but were not professional ones. It was more of a fun, neighborhood production. In New Orleans, the floats and costumes are quite elaborate, again being a part of the city's tradition. In both cities, tolerance for the gay lifestyle seems to be very high.I had a nice time at the parade, particularly chatting with some people from Sydney, Australia, Salt lake City, Utah, and a mom and daughter who once lived in Portland but now live in Bangkok, Thailand where the husband/father is a U.S. diplomat.
I have noticed it is difficult to start a casual conversation with strangers here in Portland. In New Orleans it is expected. But the parade had Portlanders and visitors in a good mood. That was nice....but I don't think it's enough to make me become gay....yet...haha
Farmer's Market
Another Father's Day quietly sneaks by....kind of sad how dad is relegated to the back room and Mother's day is the featured attraction. The idea of Father's Day was conceived slightly more than a century ago by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.
Haha It figures, mom is always thought of first, even when inventing the concept of a day for dad. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm. I wonder what Sonora would think if she could compare the attention dad's get on their day to mom on Mother's day.
I visited the weekend Farmer's Market in Beaverton (a city adjacent to Portland) yesterday. It's been cooler than normal in Portland this spring/summer, so the usual variety of local fruit was sparse in comparison to what it would normally be. But there were excellent raspberries and strawberries, including the Mt. Hood sweet variety I bought. Too, there were plenty of veggies, baked goods, organic items, plants, food for sale at by a number of vendors, artisan bakery stalls, organic meat vendors, wines for sale (the area has many white wine vineyards) live music performance etc.
Even though Beaverton is on the opposite side of Portland for my home I think in summer when the offers of local fruit grow larger I will again make the pilgrimage to the Beaverton Farmer's market. Also, the local U Pick farms will have an abundance of fresh fruits and veggies to try my hand at picking. I will use the very sweet strawberries I got to make a strawberry cobbler. It's nice to have access to so much high quality farm produce, especially since I have no intention of planting a garden here.
Haha It figures, mom is always thought of first, even when inventing the concept of a day for dad. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm. I wonder what Sonora would think if she could compare the attention dad's get on their day to mom on Mother's day.
I visited the weekend Farmer's Market in Beaverton (a city adjacent to Portland) yesterday. It's been cooler than normal in Portland this spring/summer, so the usual variety of local fruit was sparse in comparison to what it would normally be. But there were excellent raspberries and strawberries, including the Mt. Hood sweet variety I bought. Too, there were plenty of veggies, baked goods, organic items, plants, food for sale at by a number of vendors, artisan bakery stalls, organic meat vendors, wines for sale (the area has many white wine vineyards) live music performance etc.
Even though Beaverton is on the opposite side of Portland for my home I think in summer when the offers of local fruit grow larger I will again make the pilgrimage to the Beaverton Farmer's market. Also, the local U Pick farms will have an abundance of fresh fruits and veggies to try my hand at picking. I will use the very sweet strawberries I got to make a strawberry cobbler. It's nice to have access to so much high quality farm produce, especially since I have no intention of planting a garden here.
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