Stumptown Saturday

Portland, Day 5

One thing I've discovered since I've been here is that Portland is also known as Stumptown - a name which pleases me a lot! Apparently, when the city went through a growth-spurt, back in the 19th century, land was cleared very quickly but the tree stumps were not completely removed. In fact, in some parts of town, there were so many stumps that people jumped from one to another rather than walk on the muddy, unpaved roads.

These days, paved areas along the waterfront play host to a Saturday Market which attracts a lot of colourful characters both as vendors and customers. It was great fun to browse the arts and crafts stalls, enjoy the entertainment and sample some comestibles at the Food Market but even more fun was to be had just sitting in the sun, people-watching. One of my favourite activities!

I took a lot of shots that I like today but I keep coming back to this rather grainy one. I think it's a combination of the colours, the falling autumn leaf in the background and the fact that the young woman seems to embody the 'essence of Portlandia' to me!