I wrapped up my November with a flurry of activities with family before departing for my grand adventure in the Land Down Under. We traveled first to Portland to celebrate Thanksgiving with both of our daughters and their families and other extended family members, with traditional dishes like roast turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. We also enjoyed some new dishes, which all got a big thumbs up from everyone to add to our repertoire in future years. Next, we celebrated granddaughter Josie’s first birthday a few days early so that her cousins and grandparents could mark the special event with her. The birthday girl enjoyed her presents (especially the crinkly paper and bows) and really dug (into) her cake but wasn’t sure that she really liked the flavor. She doesn’t seem to have inherited her granny’s sweet tooth!

That same evening we all headed to the Oregon Zoo in Portland’s Washington Park to take in one of the big local events in the holiday season: the Oregon ZooLights.  I attended last year and knew our 7- and 10-year-old grandsons would really enjoy the magical displays spread throughout the zoo. We arrived just before our timed-entrance tickets at 4:30 p.m., while there was still a little light left in the sky. Because it was only the second day of the event and the Friday after Thanksgiving, the pathways quickly filled up with families excited to start the holidays so festively.

Our youngsters certainly enjoyed taking part in the interactive displays which allowed them to manipulate the lights, sound and color. We traipsed through brilliant light tunnels and marveled at the meadow in front of the amphitheater stage whose carpet of lights pulsed and flowed in time to the music playing. Large light murals depicted iconic scenes, from Oregon coast lighthouses to majestic Mount Hood. Everywhere were animals and plants drawn in strings of lights, and at the end of it all we hopped on the old steam train, adorned in lights,  to circle the zoo’s animal enclosures. It was two hours of fun and delight for the kids and grownups alike.

The next morning my husband and I made our way to Portland International Airport for the first leg of our long journey to Sydney, Australia. I was very excited to finally get to experience the brand-new main terminal at PDX, which has garnered praise not only for its functionality but also for its use of local, sustainable materials in its construction and its evocation of Oregon landscapes in its design. Although I had seen video and pictures of the new space, I still gasped when I stepped inside and took in all the natural light pouring in through the skylights and large windows overlooking the tarmac, the lush plantings and trees, and the wide-open corridors.

The ceilings soar, outlined with native wood that undulates like the waters of our streams and the Pacific. For a busy airport terminal, there is an amazing sense of calm and serenity. Above the security screening areas, projections of sun-dappled forests with insects and birds flitting through them lend an unexpected mellowness to what can be a fraught experience. Keep in mind, this was Saturday of the hectic Thanksgiving weekend; and although there were lots of travelers passing through the airport, it really felt uncrowded.

As we made our way to our concourse down a still-temporary bypass (the project is not quite finished), we took in the informational panels that shared some of the details of the design and featured the tribes and companies that contributed the timber that created different aspects of the building. They really conveyed the great sense of regional pride in this beautiful and functional structure. We also enjoyed the latest concourse art exhibit by a local artist . . . these rotate through on a regular basis and add a measure of beauty to an otherwise utilitarian space.

Rewarding time spent with loved ones and then a departure from the stunningly refurbished PDX certainly closed out November and started off our big journey in the best way.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor