Ah, Portland, I do love living here because you never know what you're going to see or where you're going to see it!

Please scroll down to see today's dahlia, Swan's Sunset, from Swan's Island Dahlias.

While waiting to see the swifts last Thursday night, I couldn't resist a couple of nearby sights.

Trader Joe's Rosemary Apricot Chicken Salad. Cilantro & Chive Yogurt Dip. Two different kinds of crackers. Fresh grapes. Two different kinds of chips. And something called Marina, whose subtitle literally translates as "Starter Kit for Goldfish Attitude,"at least according to Yahoo Babel Fish. What's with all this fish? Surely those folks had re-packed the Starter Kit box with picnic goodies. Surely they didn't schlep a brand-new, unopened


And this. A Big K Lemon Lime in a can. A cylinder of propane fuel. A Paul Revere kettle. A single burner propane stove, replete with carbon monoxide hazard warnings.


Later on, in between watching the chimney with the perched hawk and wondering when the swifts would swoop in ...


...I noticed the owner of the single burner had it lit and heating water. She soon made a cup of tea--love it! That's so Portland. Out there on a steep, hard-as-concrete hillside among hundreds of people gathered to experience a wonder of nature, she made a cup of hot tea.


Tomorrow more birds, all sorts of birds.

Today's dahlia, Swan's Sunset. Facts from Swan Island Dahlias--Bloom: 10" Red with Yellow Tips, Bush: 3 1/2'