Smooth vases from Leah Nobilettte. Photo courtesy of Leah Nobilette. Last month you planted the seeds and starts. Like Mother Nature, maybe you were a bit behind kicking off the sunny season, but all those extra showers will soon (if not already) yield plenty of the late summer flowers we suggested for your last-minute cutting garden. And what better way to show off those blooms than in a beautiful locally-made vase? more...

Elevations proposed for Homeland Security project. Image: GBD Architects   Design Advice: Department of Homeland Security Garage/Office Space Proposed in South Portland The unoccupied building on the 4300 block of Southwest Macadam may be occupied by the Department of Homeland Security. To make room for the Feds, the owners of the building seek to build a new three-story 74,000 square-foot parking garage, topped by more...

Thyme in full bloom Herbs are beautiful choices for both your yard and cooking adventures. Most can be planted from early spring until late fall and need virtually no maintenance once established. The favorites listed here are all drought tolerant, need minor trimming in the winter and are versatile in the kitchen. Use fresh herbs in your soups, salads, cocktails, meat and fish dishes, even desserts. All have medicinal more...

Okay, so we haven't been experiencing the steamiest "Wet Hot American Summer" so far this year. Lately, the morning grey skies and chilly night gusts have it feeling more like October in July. But with warm afternoons and bright, extended evenings—plus a few sweaty heat waves (fingers crossed for at least a few more spikes in the mercury)—it is still decidedly summer in Oregon. And how do we take advantage more...

After a wet and chilly spring with difficult growing conditions and week after week of mostly rainy market days, the local farmers market season is finally in full swing, There’s no better time of the year to be a cook in Oregon and for food lovers, nothing beats a shopping trip to a good farmers market. Following the long-awaited arrival of the sun, the next biggest market news in Portland is the new Monday market at more...

Six Great Things to Do This Weekend… LEARN Brewing Up Cocktails Where: The Hop & Vine, 1914 N Killingsworth When: Saturday, July 17, 3-7 p.m. Cost: Contact Hop & Vine at 503.954.3322 for price Tip: Hide your car keys. Five stiff drinks are on the menu, so plan on taking a cab or drunkenly stumbling home. Beer or liquor? This age-old debate has never truly been decided until now. And the answer more...

Classic Foods' new location in Woodlawn. Welcome. This is the first of many articles to come about development in the spaces near you. This column, which shall published every other week, will hopefully provide you with a general idea of what's going on in Portland's world of land use. Of course, if there's something specific you think your fellow readers should know about, let me know and I'll check it more...

Fit Camp at Overlook Park in North Portland. It sits there all alone. Unused. Maybe even a little bored. Frantically trying to figure out where it did me wrong. That little yellow card that, once scanned, gives me access to more exercise equipment than I know how to handle. That little card that gives me a dry place to run during the winter rains. But it’s summer now and once the sun shows itself for the first time, my more...

Six Great Things to Do This Weekend… LEARN Discovering the Life Aquatic of Balch Creek Where: Forest Park (meeting place TBA via email) When: Saturday, July 10, noon-2 p.m. Cost: $10 per kid (parents free of charge) Tip: Space is limited to the first 15 kids, so register online to reserve your spot. There’s no better way to beat the recent heat wave than to spend an afternoon along the more...

Nobal Home. Photo: Heather Zinger There is a such a cornucopia of new Portland merchants that opened their doors last month—including, as usual, many tasty treats—that I'm going to skip waxing poetic about all the goodness and let you get right to the meat of it. Who needs a vacation when you have dozens of new shops, restaurants, bars, salons, even a theater, bank, and healthcare center to check out? more...