Category: Community

With the bounty of summer upon us, it just got easier to eat farm fresh and local!

The Farmer’s Market has begun!
Running Saturday’s through October 11th, the market is located at Millennium
Plaza Park. You’ll find a huge variety from the 80 vendors: fresh produce, artisan cheeses, bakery goods, jams and jellies, fresh seafood, the list goes on and on.

I recommend you come hungry and take advantage of the vendors selling freshly made meals. A Vietnamese Bistro, the most scrumptious omelets around, pizza, coffee, baked goods, it’s a great place to find an amazing meal.

This market has a real sense of community. Besides eating and shopping, there is a kids corner, live entertainment from 10:30 to 12:30, and complimentary doggie daycare.

Fresh Produce Approved!
This last week the Lake Oswego City Council passed an ordinance that will allow fresh produce stands all over town. This was prompted by the closing of the Parson’s Produce stand on Carmen Drive. After 25 years the stand was closed due to construction of a new shopping area. It left a huge loss in the community that is now going to be quickly filled.

Produce stands are now allowed in otherwise commercial zoned areas in a size up to 800 square feet. I predict that not only will Parson’s quickly find a new location, but that other farm fresh groups will quickly set up shop as well.

This is fantastic! Strawberries, cherries, fresh corn, yum!

I am so looking forward to the summer months ahead,
Dianne

Portland has a very famous street called Peacock Lane. Portland’s street is famous for its Christmas lights, with nary a bird in sight. Lake Oswego also has a peacock lane and it is famous for….peacocks!

The street is Bonaire Avenue in the Lake Grove neighborhood of Lake Oswego.

The flock has been a presence on this street for at least 15 years, that I know of. The birds used to live at the Northern end near Firwood, but were moved to the Southern end near Sunset about 10 years ago.

No one owns them. Several houses feed them. I can tell you that they do fly, nesting in trees and on roof tops at night.

I’d estimate that the flock consists of about 15-20 birds, although it is hard to know for sure as they are rarely all together. Usually you see 3 or 4 wandering about. And they do wander. I have seen them as far afield as Lake Forest, where I always worry that they’ll get hit by a car.

I had a listing on Bonaire about a year ago. The excitement over the peacocks was wonderful. I can tell you that there are prospective buyers who drive this street looking for For Sale signs. People love the idea of living near this flock.

Why would it be nice? Well, these birds are gorgeous. They just seem to brighten the day when you see one. I can also tell you that they do a great job of eating spiders, slugs, and the creepy crawly things in the garden.

The down side? When they are mating, mostly in May and June, they are loud and noisy. They have a very distinct cry. When one does it, the others seem to pitch in. It’s like they’re saying “I’m over here!” “No, I’m over here!”. They like to do this 24/7. So be prepared for the cries to go on all night long in May and June.

Want to see these lovely birds? Just take a drive on a nice afternoon down Bonaire Avenue. You’ll be most likely to find them at the corner of Bonaire and Sunset.

Dianne

I really like Lake Oswego and thought I’d share with you my own top 10 list of things I enjoy about living here.

10. Walking. There are just so many great trails and walking paths. The Iron Mountain Trail, the bike path around the lake, all of the many trails in Mt. Park, the trails on Cook’s Butte, they keep me entertained and enjoying my walking habit.

9. The patio at Riccardo’s. It is a little bit of Italy to be enjoyed right here at home. Riccardo has a true Italian menu with a wonderful wine list, but the high-light for me is the back patio. A soothing water feature and wonderful flowers are to be enjoyed, but I think I almost like it better on a cold and rainy day. The over-hangs of the perimeter are generous enough to keep you dry, and the space heaters keep you warm. Cozy and yummy.

8. Breakfast out. I have 3 favorite breakfast spots: St. Honore, La Provence, and Babica Hen. I can’t say which I like best, but they all keep me coming back for more.

7. Summer concerts. I did quite a bit of blogging about them last summer. The point I want to make is go out and do it. A warm evening, a picnic dinner, and free music, it’s the good life.

6. Community School. Schools are a big part of what motivates people to move to Lake Oswego. It’s why I moved here. But there is an entire extra layer to what is available. Community school offers extra programs for kids seeking more. It may be more art, more sports, more language skills, more of what youngsters want to explore. It’s available at community school. I highly recommend the driver’s ed program.

5. Convenience. Lake Oswego is simply a convenient place to live. You are 15 minutes from downtown Portland, 30 minutes from the airport, 10 minutes for a huge shopping center (Washington Square), 3 minutes from a lifestyle mall (Bridgeport Village), it’s amazing. Within a 3 mile radius of my house I have 4 Starbuck’s and 5 grocery stores. Yet I live on a huge treed lot in a quiet neighborhood. Yep, my little slice of heaven.

4. The Arts Council of Lake Oswego. Responsible for the Gallery Without Walls, the Art Literacy Program in the elementary schools, and the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, the Arts Council of Lake Oswego brings art front and center into our lives. For me, art makes life sweet and I want it in my life.

3. The flowers. Lake Oswego won the America in Bloom competition several years ago. It probably helped that one of the City’s former mayors owned a garden center. The hanging baskets in the summer are like fire works during the day. There is pretty much no public median that doesn’t have a planted bed. Even in the winter: there are pansies and decorative kale in abundance. It’s beautiful.

2. A wholesome place to raise a family. No not everyone in LO has kids, but if you do, it is a wonderful and supportive community. My kids got so much encouragement from this community. How refreshing that it’s cool to get good grades! It’s a pretty darn nice place to grow up. I wanted my kids to be safe riding their bikes and to have positive influences in their lives. I found it for them here in LO.

1. Friendly people. I moved here for the schools, but was completely not expecting how easy it is to make friends. I think that’s because it really is a small town. It’s easy to get involved and to have an impact.

Honerable Mentions:
Lakewood Theater
Luscher Farm
The Dog Park
Christmas Tree Lighting with Santa
4th of July Parade
4th of July pancake breakfast
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
La Vang Vietnamese Restaurant
Pine Shed Barbeque
George Roger’s Park
Zupan’s heated lounge
Seeing the Lake
Seeing the Mountain

There you have it! I hope I’ve given you some good ideas of what to expect and what to enjoy in LO.

Dianne