Driving to the Pumpkin Patch

This area outside of Beaverton/Bethany is called Rock Creek or Helvetia.  This is the first time I was able to take a more or less usable picture of those trees. And thanks Mark for the spider ;-)

Rock Creek Helvetia in Oregon

This is the same picture as the day before.  Taken in early summer 2009.

Helvetia Tavern

The Helvetia Tavern is just like the name says in Helvetia. A short drive outside of Beaverton or Hillsboro.  Known for great hamburgers and fries. It's a restaurant and bar. The bar is decorated with many baseball hats... and in the middle hangs a wooden sign.  The text says "wer a chlei huselet het gang a chlei gelt, wer gang a chlei sufelet chunt lustig dur d'welt"

When I read that sign, I couldn't believe it. It is written in Swiss German dialect. Unbelievable, since the dialect language doesn't exist in a written manner. But then, I am Swiss, and Helvetia stands for Switzerland. It's a true Swiss quote, in the dialect of Berne:

"who loves staying home, always has a little spare money

who likes to drink a bit, will always go through life with fun"

Fall at the River

Fall at the Willamette River.  I took the picture in the from outside a building on Macadam Avenue in Portland in late fall 2008.  It looks so very peaceful.

It's all about bikes! Portland

We love mountain biking. In this bike store - River City - in Portland, we found our awesome lefty's. Actually we all own a cannondale mountain bike that was bought in that unique shop. It's all about bikes!

Portland Bridges

Portland is a city with many bridges.  The Columbia River and the Willamette River run through the beautiful city.  This picture was taken in the summer 2009 crossing the Marquam Bridge in the evening.
Portland is a small city compared to other North American cities.  It is known for its laid back city life.  It's pretty!

Birds Gathering

It's the time of the year! The days are shorter, the nights are longer. It gets dark before 5pm. The rain does not make it better! We were fortunate this year, we did not have so much rain in spring, the summer was beautiful, and fall was kind to us until now. It rained so heavy the entire weekend. The birds are gathering to leave the area soon. There are only a few species staying for the long rainy winter.