Vancouver, WA

Saturday I visited the Fulton Community Center in Portland for a Contra Dance. Click here for several definitions of contra dancing. What kind of music is played for a contra dance? Most of the tunes are either jigs or reels, but there are usually a few schottisches, marches, and waltzes thrown in for good measure. The evening is traditionally ended with a waltz. More…

Most contra-dance bands consist of from three to five musicians, usually a guitar and a fiddle, and often also a piano, an accordion, a mandolin, a bodhran (a wide, flat drum), or a whistle. Many musicians play two or more instruments and change around for different tunes.

I paired up with another mom and together with our ten charges, set out for what turned out to be a fast-paced morning of sight-seeing on foot around the streets of West Portland.

So after scouring the Web for something different and interesting, my husband suggested Wild Abandon Restaurant and the Red Velvet Lounge for dinner, followed by a movie at Portland’s uniquely own Living Room Theaters.

An important part of old town Vancouver’s history—you may have noticed that I like history—is the Clark County Historical Museum on Main street. This first photo was taken before the huge and beautiful old elm out front had to be removed due to terminal root-rot.