On our way to the Tour, Eagle-Eye Kathy spotted a sign for a free performance by Portland Taiko being held downtown the next day. Woohoo! Not only did we now have something to do, it was free, it was downtown and would be an opportunity for us to visit the food carts.
One of Kathy's friends is a performer in Portland Taiko and she found out he was going to be at the performance.
Chris and Nate had a 'late start' that morning (which means school opened two hours later than normal to give the teachers a little bit of planning time, rather than have a whole day off.) So before going to school, each boy had been given a special booklet by their teacher - Nate was working on his time-telling and Chris was working on word-searches. I'm not just saying this because they are my only nephews, but these boys are really smart! They are only 5 1/2 years old, but are already reading chapter books, writing stories, making lists, etc.
On our way to the performance area, we passed through the famous Portland Farmer's Market. What a spectacular array of fruits, vegetables, flowers, baked goods and all sorts of other things you find at a farmers market.
The Taiko performance was in a little courtyard area outside the theater. It was a beautiful day and we were able to snag front row seats.
Taiko means drum in Japanese. Once these performers get going, the drums are so loud (but not in a bad way) you can feel it in all through your body. A real workout for these performers. (Kathy's friend, Dane, is the one in purple.)
Like an athlete or dancer, Taiko performers wear special shoes.
Toward the end of the performance, we learned about some of the things they say (like of like a signal that a beat is changing) and what the beat is. We followed the leader by raising our arms and patting our laps as she instructed. Then they invited audience members to come up and try the drums. Dane made a bee-line for Kathy and me to come up. Glad we did. It was a short, but pretty amazing experience.
After the performance, we headed straight for the food carts. We weren't sure what we wanted, but we knew that we would each get something different and share. (Ok, Frank had decided the day before he wanted something from the German cart.) Kathy selected Greek and I selected Mexican. A lot of food, freshly prepared, for a little price. Yummy!
Most of the patrons grab something to take back to their offices or find a place in a park to eat. We were famished and found a little table (thanks to the German cart) in between the German cart and Korean cart. The Korean ladies came out and visited while we ate. (We kind of felt bad for not having gotten anything from their cart. But there's always next time.)
On our way back through the Farmers Market, we were 'needing' something sweet. So why not help out a vendor and relieve them of some of their wares. Many of them were making deals especially since it was so close to shutting-down time.
After school, the boys wanted to show us the NASA truck that had been at their school for a few days. Disney-esque but on a much smaller scale. Interesting and I can see how 2 young boys would be so excited about it.
The Mooregons have quite the smattering of vegetable plants in their back yard: couple different kinds of tomatoes, okra, pumpkins, strawberries, peppers, edemame, etc. Nate is very proud of all the tomatoes....too bad he doesn't like the yellow ones.
As the days are starting to get shorter, taking advantage of daylight and good weather is a must. These boys are great bike riders!
Daniel introduced us to something new: Chelada. In essence, it's beer with bloody mary mix. Pretty tasty.
And while in Portland, we make it a point to get together with Richard, Frank's nephew. Schedules didn't permit us getting together for a meal, but he was kind enough to stop by the house on his way home from work.
Another great day in Portland!
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