Day 3--The Great Pacific Northwest Adventure

Day 3-Saturday, June 27th--Tattooed lions, Pants free unicycle riders, Ginormous Sequoia's from 1800's California, Hillsboro Farmer's Market Fun, and Rose City Rollers Season Finale.


We loved seeing the final bout of The Rose City Rollers' two fisted, fast rollin' action. I still want a Breakneck Betty's tee.
Course, I had to explain to Sagezilla, why Derby Girls are allowed to go out in public in their underwear, and she STILL can't. We had a throw down snarkfest yesterday evening when Zilla wanted to wear a silver shirt and some thigh highs, and nothin' else, to the Mama Mia-- 70's ABBA dress up-- movie/sing along at the local library.

When reasoning didn't work, it came down to the ultimatum--you put on shorts or you don't go. Tonight, I told her, if she grows up and is on a roller derby team, then she'll have earned the right to public undie parading, if she still wants to.

Du-Jay kept his cool playin' in the Hillsboro fountain at the Farmer's Market. Markets run every Saturday and Tuesday night throughout summer.
We started the day with a look waaaaaaaaay up at some of Hillsboro's oldest residents. They moved here from California in 1880, as 3 year olds.

Hey--it's Saturday. Do you know where your sequoiadendron giganteum is? TMy how you've grown!

We checked out the Hillsboro Farmer's Market this morning. Maia's place is close enough to the market to walk over.

Here are Sagezilla and Du-Jay's takes on the group--respectively:

We checked out all the artisans' stalls. The kids are always particularly drawn to the pottery and bead makers, and always keep their eyes out for cool, new things to try in our classes. The kids have taken a Saturday family pottery class for 3 years running. We saw some rockin' torsos, garden mushrooms on stakes, and dragonfly cone planters.

At this bead maker's stall, she patiently explained her technique for two sided impressions. The kids each found and bought one special bead, with a variation of our family symbol on it. We usually make a spiral with 4 rays off the top to mark our pottery.
Then the kids had some splashin' good fun in the fountain. We chowed down on local strawberries (at their peak out here, too) and had Thai food for lunch. We also got freshly made mini doughnuts from Mama's Minis. Mmmmm chocolate frosted with and without sprinkles, cinnamon, chocolate with a fresh raspberry on top......In the evening, we had a girls' nite out. Du was tired of train riding, so Maia, Sage and I took the Trimet to The Convention Center where The Rose City Rollers do their stuff.
As an extra bonus, Wanderlust Circus performed between bouts! All their "animals" are gymnasts and acrobats dressed as tattooed and pierced lions and unicycle riding bears...and at half time, bares.



Sagezilla--Just in case you're wondering.........the same rules apply to riding a unicycle without shorts!

This bald dude has mostly mastered slithering out of his shorts while in motion, balanced on a unicycle. And he spent the first intermission riding the unicycle in a hot, furry bear suit, while twisting balloon animals. So he has earned the right to public undie parading. See how that works, kids. You have to have a special talent and practice, practice, practice.





We found the best $5 knee socks ever, from Sock It To Me, in rainbow colored skulls, garden gnomes, candy stripes and crossbones, and good ol' stripey black n white. Then we splurged on Rose City tees and got a bunch of great free stickers from all the teams. We even found free floor score G & R (Guns and Rollers) booming sticks noise makers and plastic checkered flags, under the bleachers.

Then it was time to make like a gymnast and split. We beat the crowds to get a seat on the train. (I feel naked without a camera in my hand. I'm cruuussshhing your head, little sister.)

Zilla practiced her circus moves in her new derby girl knee socks, and fell asleep on the train. When we switched trains, we ended up in the surreal landscape of a train car FULL of tweens and parents coming from a Jonas Brothers concert. Oh what a different crowd that was. All the kids had dog tags with the band's likenesses around their necks, Disney shirts and posters clutched in their hands. The frazzled looking middle aged Moms stared at my mismatched funky punk Pippi, and wished they'd been at the Rose City Rollers instead.