A Flower by any other Name

Last night Jesse's good family friend, Tracy, was in town on business. After her meeting, she met us over in our neck of the woods for a walk and dinner. We took her up to the International Rose Test Garden and the Japanese Garden (I know, I was just there last weekend, but I could definitely go every weekend this time of year). The sun finally broke through the clouds and all of the roses were glowing in the sun and smelled delicious. This time, I remembered my camera and found a couple of contenders for Jesse's mom's garden:









The Grandifloria "About Face," Winner of the World's Highest Rose Award. It has a bi-color pedal and is absolutely gorgeous. It has a nice smell too. Definitely worthy of Mary Ann's garden.

The Floribunda "Julia Child," also a winner of the Worlds Highest Rose Award. This rose is a beautiful buttery color and has the most amazing fragrance. The AARS describes as licorice, but I thought it was more like a spicy banana. It's amazing how rose scents can vary.

After the gardens, we walked around the Pearl District, stopping to peer into my favorite tile shop, Ann Sacks. For dinner, we decided to check out a Vietnamese restaurant that I'd been eyeing for a while and it was delicious! I had such a nice time last night just walking around in the nice June weather and getting to know Tracy a little better. It felt a bit like a kick-off for the coming weeks ahead. Larson & Serena landed in Portland this morning, our friends from D.C., Kyle and Sally arrive on Monday. We won't actually have anyone staying with us for now, but there will be lots of activities! I can't wait!