My absolute favorite tradition we’ve created since living in Portland is visiting the Swan Island Dahlia field in Canby every August. I like to believe we all get to design what our heavens will look like and mine will for sure be a field of dahlias.
The actual dahlia festival is next weekend which means the fields are in bloom but there are no crowds yet : ) The festival is fun, but since there is no fence around the flower fields you can stop by whenever so we usually opt to come by outside of the festival weekend so we can take fun photos and not worry about dodging photo bombers. The only downside is you can’t purchase dahlias unless you come during their business hours which are not usually great photography hours…
If there ever were one photo to capture the essence of Cami, it would be this one. She is the happiest person I know. For the last year she has been working as a CNA in a rehab center which means long hours changing adult diapers and giving showers to people who can’t bathe themselves. Despite working her tail off at a far-from-glamorous job, she still beams like this every day. Cami is an inspiration to us all. We are so happy she lived with us for the summer!
If you come by during the day I recommend using the Canby ferry on the drive home. It cost $4 or so and is a fun break from a typical drive home!