Day 5--Monday, June 29th--boss, boss, superbuzzer....Voodoo Doughnuts, Jamison Fountain, Hot Lips pizza and keepin' Portland weird.
Today, my sister had to go back to work till 2pm. So, we relaxed around the house and then went to see the thrift store she manages and meet her "kids". She works with a small group of differently abled adults at a small thrift store. She plans games, art projects and activities for them and runs the store.
One of the women fondly calls Maia her "superbuzzer". The others chorus "boss......boss.....boss." She laughs and says, "I'd like to know who started that one."
One of the men loves to listen to the classic rock station and name the bands and songs. He keeps a running daily list of what's played. And he's amazing at it. Dug and John gave him a run for the money at the band name game, but he was much better than the rest of us! He also had all our names down within minutes of being introduced, while I was still struggling to keep the right names and faces matched. So much for honor society and deans list..........
We found a few thrift scores--Converse hi-tops and a DC Skate shirt for Du and a cute cowboy/horse print skirt and a black jacket for Zilla. Then it was time to help Maia's "Kids" back on their respective buses. It was great to meet everyone and be able to envision where she works.
In the evening, we all took the train to Portland and explored. I'm in love with the Trimet. The trains are SO clean and roomy and tons of people bring their bikes on. There's even a ride free zone around downtown Portland.
Once we reached town, we started out at Voodoo Doughnut.
The voodoo dolls ooze raspberry filling when you bite them, like they're bleeding. 
Fun fun. They even make a bacon doughnut. Mine was staring me down and oozed big puss-like globs of delicious custard when bitten.
We "thought" we had coupons from the Rose City Roller Derby. They sponsor The Breakneck Betties and the backs of all our Betties stickers said bring this in to Voodoo Doughnuts for a free Hertz Doughnut. Fortunately for us, John handed his in first and got a nice punch on the arm and a witty, "Hurts, don't it" from the punk behind the counter. Ha, ha, ha.
We love walking in new towns and looking for the funky, fun and playful. Here are a few of our favorite discoveries we happened upon.**The magnet car covered in words you could walk up and rearrange into weird sentences.
I also loved their stickers with Mr. Yuck Face and the one that says "What if the hokey pokey is really what it's all about."
**Keep Portland Weird. (I've seen this bumper sticker for Austin, TX before. Good advice. That's what makes places interesting. Who wants to fly half a continent away and go to Starbucks or McDonalds!!)
**The awesome elephant statue in a tiny park, teeming with the homeless.
**The Outside Inside Windows
**Moon and Marine Mammals
We took our time and explored on our way to Jamison Fountain, so the kids could cool down with the locals. It periodically drains and fills from a small waterfall, and is only a foot or so at the deepest. The kids hopped right in and made friends. 
They played in the water a good while and when they started to get cold and hungry, we bundled them in multiple hoodies and walked a block to Hot Lips Pizza. The za was delicious and they have a good selection of local micro brews to make the big kids happy.
It was a fun and quirky evening. The people we've met here have been great, and Portland is a beautiful city--especially in June, when everything is vibrant, lush and blooming.
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