Enchanted Evening

Portland never ceases to amaze me. This time in a good way. Set the scene. Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland. Full of people (hundreds) in lawn chairs, on picnic blankets, take out, snacks from home, or a gourmet dinner compete with wine. The day starts out gorgeous and sunny. We find our spot as the Portland Taiko drummers beat out a tune. The Portland Youth Philharmonic follows with Rossini, Puccini, Verdi, and more.

We grab Subway sandwiches and park our lawn chairs in a better spot about 30 feet from the center of the main stage in the hour break before the Oregon Symphony begins. It is an idyllic setting sitting outdoors on the banks of the Willamette River as music from Glinka, Dvorak, Chadwick, and Strauss fill the sky and your soul. The sun sinks as the Oregon Symphony plays Guiseppe Verdi. A full moon rises as they play Tchaikovsky and dancers from the Oregon Ballet perform. The kids' favorite is a March composed by John Williams - The March from Superman. The conductor dedicates it to the stage crew manager who is retiring after that night.

The Oregon Symphony finishes with The 1812 Overture, the traditional ending for this concert. As the end of the song draws near, the National Guard fires canons over the water. Through the smoke, a sailboat with a massive American flag as its sail drifts by, and fireworks begin. After 15-20 minutes the fireworks end, and we trek back to the parking garage to our red van. It was the end to an enchanted evening.