Featured image: The Garden House decorated in lights for the holidays at Shore Acres State Park south of Charleston, Oregon Photos by Cheryl Landes Updated April 14, 2020 When darkness falls on Shore Acres State Park from Thanksgiving until New Year’s Eve, the botanical garden bustles. A gray whale surfaces and spouts water from its … Continue reading Historic coastal botanical garden sparkles during Holiday Lights near Charleston, Oregon

Featured image: The lead ship in the Christmas Ship Parade on the Columbia River, December 6, 2016 (photo by Cheryl Landes) In 1954, a lone ship from the Portland Yacht Club began the city’s Christmas Ship Parade tradition by cruising the Columbia and Willamette Rivers with green bows tied to its rails. The next year, … Continue reading Christmas ships return to the Columbia and Willamette Rivers for nightly parades

Featured image: The yetis' Mars Bar, part of the "Portland Outpost Mars" gingerbread masterpiece by MWA Architects and The Dessert Tray at a previous Gingerbread Adventures event at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, Oregon (photo by Cheryl Landes) Updated November 29, 2018. All photos are from a previous Gingerbread Adventures exhibit. … Continue reading Explore the delicious science of gingerbread house construction at OMSI

Featured image: The bridge of the original USS Enterprise on display at the Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds exhibit (photo by Cheryl Landes) When Star Trek first aired on NBC in 1966, it received moderate ratings. Over the years, its message of hope for a better world free of war, racism, and politics attracted a … Continue reading Star Trek exhibit boldly explores a half century of final frontier adventures

Colorful Christmas Festival of Lights at the Chapel of Mary at The Grotto in Portland, Oregon Photos by Cheryl Landes Updated August 10, 2020 Anyone driving on Sandy Boulevard near busy Interstate 205 in Portland can easily miss a beautiful oasis hidden in the woods. This is The Grotto, a 62-acre shrine and botanical garden … Continue reading The Grotto’s Christmas Festival of Lights a retreat from the holiday grind

Featured image: A festive wintry scene in Leavenworth, Washington (photo by Cheryl Landes) December is a magical time in Leavenworth, Washington. When snow clouds drop fresh powder on the roofs of the Bavarian-style buildings, with the rugged Cascade Mountains as a backdrop, the small town resembles an Alpine village. Add to this one of the … Continue reading Leavenworth’s Bavarian Christmas

Featured image: The sign at the entrance to Zoo Lights at the Oregon Zoo in Portland (photo by Cheryl Landes) I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest most of my life, but my first trip to Zoo Lights in Portland was last week. Why? I would think about it but forget during the holidays. When I … Continue reading Zoo Lights delight kids of all ages in Portland