Summer has hit Portland, finally! Yesterday temperatures reached 96 F while John and I rode around Portland in search of a fountain and a happy hour. If you haven’t visited the sunken rose gardens in North Portland, do it! Our super find of the day was “Liberty Glass”, a block south of Fremont on Mississippi. A brother and sister duo opened the cozy, cool and well decorated old “Hula Hands” house only 3 weeks ago. I was bummed to have to miss out on a full dinner and strawberry-rhubarb crisp dessert.

Now I sit in air-conditioned PDX, waiting for my plane to be cleaned so we can board and leave early. I know what you’re thinking: why leave Portland NOW that the sun’s finally staying out and temperatures well over 80? My brother’s graduating high school tomorrow, in Maryville Missouri. So, if luck stays on my side, MO will welcome me back with hot, humid hugs. Traveling with a few t-shirts sure beats lugging around winter gear and jackets!

Nestled quietly a mere 9 meters, or 30 feet, from I-10 in a Texan rest stop, I reflect on my recent Louisiana love affair and replenish my body’s hydration system. Currently, I’m en route to Austin Texas, where I hope to be one of 400 people to receive free tickets to a Yo La Tengo show on Tuesday. But I’m tired, so need to calculate how to both sleep and drive 5 hours in only 10 hours … and no, I’m not allowed to sleep while driving.

If only New Orleans wasn’t such an awesome city, filled with fun and friendly people, delicious food and an abundance of liquor and festivals I wouldn’t be in this predicament. Yes, another sign that life on the road can be challenging.

Let me go back to the beginning. As a highway ferry transports me across the Mississippi, I transfer my love of Mississippi into Louisiana. Spanish moss hangs from statuesque oaks, black cats roll on the ground, baiting me to pet them, at the #1 haunted mansion in the world and Jaik’s mom welcomes me with the finest home cooked dinner I’ll have all trip. (I need to take better notes since I’m not quick with French, but the dinner included lots of crawfish in both etouffee and pizza and a French cake with 7 layers of pudding diving a rich, white cake.)